Chapter 3
Addison
It had been almost two months now since I came home, and I felt like Cash and I were finally settling in.
Cash was in Walker’s barn, and I was living in his guesthouse until I got my equine business up and running.
He insisted I shouldn’t be spending any extra money while trying to start a new business.
And as much as it pained me to admit, he was right.
So, for now, I would be living here with Cash, helping with Walker’s horses as well as helping my parents out at our family winery and vineyard.
I would admit that it could be worse. Walker’s guesthouse was idyllic.
It was eighteen hundred square feet (much larger than my apartment in Boston) with a bedroom, a spacious bathroom featuring a giant soaking tub, and ample open space that combined the kitchen and living room.
The guesthouse also had a back deck that overlooked one of the horse pastures, complete with a sizable pond. It was picturesque and quiet.
Walker’s place was the kind of property that I dreamed of one day owning myself. Not handed down, not given—earned. Being here only motivated me more to make it happen.
I had a decent-sized savings account that I had been building since high school, along with a generous six-month severance package from Noah’s family’s company to survive off of in the meantime.
Which honestly was the least they could do after everything that went down.
I got cleared to start riding again, which was the good news I had been waiting for, and perfect timing for me to try a new young hunter prospect that Eli told me about.
I also began looking for a location for my new hunter/jumper training facility and enlisted the help of my old high school friend Caroline, a realtor here in town.
She and I were planning to meet up next week to start visiting some options.
I was finally starting to feel like my life wasn’t a total shit show.
I was woken up by my phone vibrating loudly on the nightstand.
I glanced at the clock. It wasn’t even seven a.m. yet.
I reached over to see who on earth was calling me this early.
My phone was lit up with Walker’s name on the screen.
I put it on speaker and threw it back on the bed next to me, shutting my eyes again.
“Seriously, Walk? It’s only six thirty in the morning. Why on earth are you calling me right now?” I said grumpily.
“Oh shit, sorry! I forgot that you’re an hour behind me. I’m in New York for the ALCS,” Walker said.
“That’s right. Good luck, by the way. I know that this is going to be a tough series for y'all, but it’s pretty amazing that you made it to the ALCS.
Proud of you, Walk. We will be here cheering you on.
We are all super excited to see you live and in action when you’re back in Austin for game three. ”
“Thanks, can’t wait. I’m just happy and honestly shocked that we made it this far with such a young team.
If we don’t win the ALCS and make it to the World Series, I’ll still be happy with this season.
The guys have worked hard this year. Anyway, just wanted to check in and see how the farm call went with the new vet, Dr. Adler? ” Walker asked.
I smiled to myself. Ah, yes, Dr. Adler, or more accurately, Dr. Tall, Dark, and Sexy as Hell.
The man was distracting, to say the least. He had to be at least six foot two and had an insane body.
The man must work out regularly. He was built like a professional athlete, and I would know, considering that my brother was one.
He had broad shoulders, a massive chest, and the sexiest forearms I’d ever seen.
When did I become attracted to forearms?
He had dark-brown hair cut short on the sides and a little longer on top with dark whiskey-colored eyes and a bit of stubble across his sharp jawline.
“Hello? Adds? You there?” Walker interrupted my daydream of Dr. Hot as Hell.
“Sorry, yes, I’m here. I’m still half asleep,” I lied. “The farm call went well. Ranger is good, the donkeys are good, but he thinks Tex and Cash need their teeth floated in the next couple of months.”
“All right, cool. They have my card on file. Thanks for handling that with Theo,” Walker said.
“No problem. Hey, while I have you, I found a pretty incredible hunter prospect out in Magnolia Valley. I want to go check it out. Until I find a place, can I use your last stall for her if it all works out?” I asked hopefully.
Walker laughed. “Of course you can. I’m not using it. Are you going alone, or is Ava going to go with you?”
I smiled to myself. “Actually, Dean is going to go with me and perform the PPE on-site to save a trip.”
“Oh, are we calling him Dean now? You two sound like you’re on friendly terms already,” Walker teased.
“Oh, shut up. He told us to call him Dean. Anyway, love to sit here and chat, but I need to get going so I can get that trip set up, and I’ve got to get to the winery to help Mom,” I said, trying to rush off the phone.
“Smooth, Adds. Way to change the subject and jump off the phone.” Walker laughed, calling me out. “All right, tell Mom and Dad that I said hi and I’ll call them later. Text me after you see that horse and let me know how it goes. Love you.”
“Love you too. Talk to you later.” I hung up the phone and sat up to look at the clock. As much as I was trying to avoid talking about the hot new vet, I did need to get going and get over there to help my mom.
Mid-October in Primrose Hill was still relatively warm at eighty degrees during the day and seventies in the evening, but the chill of fall should begin to make its way to the Hill Country any day now.
I threw on some jeans, a lightweight blouse, and booties, then threw my hair up quickly in a bun on the top of my head before heading over to my parents’ place.
Primrose Estates Winery and Vineyard was our family business that my parents built from the ground up.
It had been a dream of theirs since they started dating way back in college.
My father was a winemaker and handled the vineyard, while my mother dealt with all things events and business for the winery.
The company was thriving and growing quickly ever since my dad won several awards for his wines and received a large spread in Texas Monthly a couple of years back.
It also didn’t hurt that my parents’ son was one of the best pitchers in the MLB, giving the winery and vineyard even more exposure.
I walked into my mom’s office and sat down in the chair across from her. “Hey, Mom, what can I help with today?” I asked.
My mom looked up from her laptop and smiled. “Hey, sweetie, there is a large group coming in for a tasting around noon, if you could help me get the Tasting Room prepared for them?”
“Sure thing. Let me just run by the vineyard to say hi to Dad first, and then I’ll meet you in the Tasting Room,” I said as I stood up. My mom smiled and nodded, turning back to her laptop as I made my way out the door.
On my way out to find my dad, I stopped and chatted with a couple of our employees that I hadn’t caught up with since I’d been home.
As I made my way outside, I couldn’t help but smile.
This place was heaven on earth, and it never lost its magic.
Rows of vines stretched across the hills with a river winding lazily through the property, catching the light of day.
Off to the right sat the farmhouse that we grew up in—white and timeless—tucked against a rise where the river slipped behind it.
Every corner of it felt like home. My siblings and I were lucky to grow up here.
I spotted my dad walking back from the vineyard toward the building that housed our massive wine cellar. He looked up, and I waved at him. He smiled as he walked toward me. “Hey, Adds, how’s it going?” My dad pulled me into a hug.
“Hey, Dad. Good, just wanted to come say hi before I help Mom out in the Tasting Room. How did the harvest go?” I asked. My dad had just finished harvesting the grapes over the last month or so.
“Great. Everything went smoothly. I think this will be a good year.” He smiled. “Mom mentioned that you found a new horse you were interested in buying?”
“I did. Eli connected me with a trainer out in Magnolia Valley that has this incredible five-year-old mare. I need a hunter prospect, so she could be perfect. I also met the new vet, Dr. Adler. He offered to go out there with me and perform the PPE if I liked her.”
“That’s great. I ran into Dr. Davis the other day when I was grabbing coffee, and he sang Dr. Adler’s high praises. Glad he found a solid replacement,” my dad said.
Solid was one way to describe Dean. I smiled, grateful that my dad couldn’t read my mind.
“For sure. All right, I’m going to meet Mom.
I’ll see you tonight for dinner.” Since the winery closed early on Sundays, my parents always made a big dinner for whoever was in town to join.
It was always chaos, since you never knew who would show up between my siblings and everyone else in town.
The perks of a small town. I hugged my dad goodbye and made my way to the Tasting Room to help get it set for the afternoon group.