“I had amazing parents, the best in the world. They died five years ago while on vacation in Oregon. Black ice. I was devastated. But I worked hard in school, got excellent grades, and played basketball.” That was honest, at least.
“Wow. That’s impressive, Colt. But why ranch if you have an MBA from Harvard? You could go anywhere with that, make so much money.”
“I grew up here, and I love it here. I knew when I went to college that I would come back home.” That was also true. She just didn’t know he was extremely wealthy. She didn’t need to know that right now. Maybe never. Well, that wasn’t true. She would have to know when he bought her land.
“I went to Brown,” she admitted shyly.
“You’re pretty impressive yourself, Brielle.” Colt didn’t add that he was surprised to hear it.
“I don’t tell too many people, because I didn’t finish. I had one year left, English major. I once thought I would write for the New York Times, or USA Today, and then I thought maybe Time magazine. Then, that dwindled to a fashion magazine; then it all just sort of fell away.” Her voice trailed off in embarrassment.
“Why? Why would you quit if that’s your passion?”
“Probably similar reasons to yours, though not as noble. I had a bad experience at the end of my junior year of college and I wanted to go home. I hadn’t planned on returning home, but after that, I tucked in my tail and ran, and home is where I landed. My relationship with my father and brothers was already shot by that point, but I still knew I could come back; I still knew it was a safe zone.”
“Was it a guy?”
“No, nothing that typical,” she said with a laugh that he was glad to hear. “I had a professor I didn’t get along with, and a roommate who betrayed me. Really, I think back, and I know it was stupid to leave. I know I should have just moved out of that apartment, and transferred out of the professor’s class, but I was spoiled and frustrated, and…” She trailed off as she thought about past decisions.
“I think all of us make choices in life that we wish we could take back. Those choices don’t define us, though, Brielle. If we learn from them, we grow.”
She was silent for a while after his words, either processing them or rejecting them. Colt wished he could see her face, read her expression.
“Well, I landed here. I don’t know how wisely my choices have been to let that happen.” She added a laugh as if it were a joke, but he could hear the pain in her voice. She really thought very little of herself. It didn’t help that he had judged her quickly and harshly.
But what had he been supposed to think? First impressions mattered, and their first encounter hadn’t gone well. Colt was now more confused than ever before because he was beginning to find out more about this woman, and it wasn’t all bad — some was pretty damn good.
She was intelligent, but she seemed to hide behind a mask of vanity. One thing he knew for sure about Brielle Storm was that he had no idea what tomorrow would bring.
They got lost in their own heads for the last twenty minutes of their ride to the ranch, and just as he’d suspected, the sun was almost all the way down by the time they reached her horse barn.
He was beginning to get on edge as he tried to figure out his jumbled thoughts about this complicated woman, so when the next words from her mouth were a complaint, he didn’t react well.
“How does anyone ride horses day and night?”
“You get used to it.”
“I can get down myself,” she snapped when he held out a hand to assist her from the horse.
“I know you can. I was just trying to be helpful.”
Colt had to admit he was surprised when she gripped the harness and hoisted herself off the horse, her legs shaking but somehow still managing to hold her up. Well, the day wasn’t quite over yet, as she was about to find out.
“How is your hip feeling?” She was limping slightly, but not too badly. She’d live.
“I’m fine,” she told him with enough heat that he knew she was indeed fine. So fine.
“Good. We need to brush down the horses, then.”
Brielle looked at him as if he were sprouting horns. “No. I’m going inside now.”
Colt lost his smile. “They’ve worked hard for us. We need to give them a brushing.” His voice was firm, but she’d asked to be taught and this was a valuable lesson. Even if they were exhausted, their horses still needed to be taken care of.
“Well, have at it,” she told him as she turned to leave.
“I won’t take you out again if you don’t take care of your animal,” he said.