Chapter 19 #2
“Great. I’ll put together entries for all of you. I think in total we’ll have six horses going because little Gracie is going to do the walk/trot class on Waffles.” I finished chatting with the women and then headed to my office to work on filling out the horse show entries, trying to get ahead.
As I was opening up my computer, Levi popped his head into my office.
“Hey, Addi, just a heads-up, I scheduled a farm call for today with Dr. Adler for Pancake and Waffles. I got all of the medical records from Richard, and they’re both due for hock injections.
” Levi was a Godsend. Not only did he take care of all the horses on a daily basis, but he insisted that he manage their medical needs as well. I hit the jackpot with his guy.
“Great. What time is he coming by?”
Levi looked down at his watch. “In the next hour or so.” I nodded and smiled as Levi knocked his knuckles against the doorframe and headed back out into the barn.
I spent the next half hour working through show entries and then getting billing all squared away for the month when I heard the sound of tires on gravel. I figured that it was probably Dean arriving early for the farm call, and continued to finish up my work so I could pop over to see him.
I was finishing up when a knock against the doorframe grabbed my attention. I looked up, fully expecting to see Dean, but instead in my doorway were sharp blue eyes staring back at me.
Noah. Sandy blond hair, blue eyes, and his lean, tall frame were standing in my doorway. Is this really happening? I clearly was speechless because he cleared his throat to break the silence and smiled. “Hey, Addi.” He walked into my office and sat down in the chair across from me.
“Noah? What the hell are you doing here?”
“Okay, not the greeting I had hoped for, but you haven’t answered any of my texts over the last, I don’t know, six months. I was worried about you, and I miss you.”
“That’s rich. You had me for eight years, but that didn’t stop you from cheating on me.”
He ignored my comment as he looked around my office and glanced out the window at the horse-filled pastures. “I’ve gotta give it to you, Addi, this place is beautiful. You actually did it.”
I scoffed. “Yeah, no thanks to you. Is there a reason you’re here? I have a business to run.”
A wounded look crossed Noah’s face. “Jesus, Addi, I came here for you. Like I said, I miss you, and I want to talk. You keep ignoring me, so I found you. Like you just said, we were together for eight years. Please at least give me a conversation.”
I shook my head in disbelief. Noah was always used to getting his way. It was how his life was set up. “I don’t owe you anything.”
Just as Noah was about to argue, Dean’s large body took up the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, staring daggers at the back of Noah’s head. Shit. “Everything okay in here, baby?” He must have overheard some of the conversation.
Noah whipped his head around, looking Dean up and down. Then the fucker laughed. He actually laughed and shook his head. “You can’t make this shit up,” he mumbled to himself, and then looked directly back at Dean. “Oh, there you are, cuz. Nice to see you, been a while.”
What the fuck did he just say?
I looked up at Dean, confusion written all over my face. Noah stood up and made his way in front of Dean, holding his fist out for Dean to bump. Dean just looked down at his hand in disgust, keeping his arms crossed defensively.
Noah chuckled. “Okay, then. Tough crowd. Addison, I don’t know if the big guy here mentioned it to you, but Dean’s my cousin.”
I felt the color completely drain from my face.
I felt sick to my stomach. I braced my hands against my desk to steady myself.
That can’t be true. They can’t be cousins.
Dean would have told me when I told him in depth all about Noah.
I looked up at Dean, my eyes searching his, looking for answers, looking for reassurance that Noah was lying.
But all he did was close his eyes in defeat, exhaling a deep breath.
I knew right then and there that Noah was telling the truth.
Noah looked back and forth at the unspoken exchange happening between Dean and me.
“Oh, you didn’t know that, Addi?” He looked back at Dean.
“I heard over the holidays from Aunt Daphne that you took over a practice in some small town in Texas. Heard that you got yourself a girlfriend too. Didn’t realize that it was my fiancée. ”
“I’m not your fiancée anymore, Noah,” I said through gritted teeth. I looked back at Dean. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I felt a lump in my throat, my eyes beginning to sting. This couldn’t be happening, and I sure as hell was not going to cry in front of Noah.
Dean still hadn’t taken his eyes off of Noah, pure rage radiating from his body. “Get the fuck out, Noah,” he growled.
Noah chuckled arrogantly and turned to me.
“Like I said, Addi, I want to talk. There are clearly things that you should know.” He glanced toward Dean.
“I’ll be in town for a little bit. Text me when you’re ready.
” With that, he made his way out of my office.
Instead of explaining what the fuck just happened, Dean immediately turned around to follow him out, leaving me there stunned with a million questions running through my mind.