Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
Renn
Heart of Stone
“I’ll drive, then you can go over your plans and mentally prepare,” Renn said, once they had both the horses, equipment, and their luggage loaded into the truck.
“Guess you can tell I’m nervous.”
He nodded. “Horses have some of the best sense of any animal. They’ll feed off that energy. So, you go over your plans and I’ll drive.”
“You sure you don’t mind?” Miranda asked.
“Not a bit, but you will be subjected to my music choices.”
“Fine by me, as long as it’s country.”
Renn hopped up into the driver’s side and got buckled in.
Once Miranda was settled next to him in the passenger seat, he turned on the radio low.
They were headed up the coast toward Athens where the breeders’ show was being held this year.
And while Miranda had work to do, he had plenty on his mind to think about.
The Aces had sent over an amended contract and after speaking with Levi’s management team, he was one signature away from being the starting quarterback of one of the NFL’s forty-six teams. It was a huge accomplishment that made him feel a little empty, but he couldn’t quite figure out why.
He’d never even thought he’d be given this chance, much less be eager to accept it. So, it didn’t make sense that it also made him feel like a fraud.
“Penny for your thoughts. I need a break from all this studying,” Miranda said, turning her tablet off. “I can sell Beast’s talents in my sleep to a blind man.”
“I was just thinking we’ll probably run into my mama’s old boss. She used to attend some of these shows when they were looking for new stock.”
“Where did you say your mama worked?”
“The Dixon Ranch.”
“Dixon?”
“Yep.”
“Your mama worked as a wrangler for the largest horse ranch in Georgia? They produce the most successful racing and jumping horses outside of Montana.”
“Yes, that’s the one. And she was a little disappointed I didn’t inherit her gift and obsession with horses. She’d have loved you though.”
“Wow.”
“She didn’t start out as a wrangler of course. But she worked her way up. And she developed the Dixon dancers, the horses that moved so sweet they looked like they were dancing.”
“Holy smokes, your mama is a legend in jumping horses.”
“She was magic with horses,” Renn said, stealing a look at Miranda in the morning sunlight of the cab. She was animated and clearly impressed by his mom’s work. “You’ve got the touch, just like her. She’d say trust your instincts.”
“Alright,” Miranda said laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
“It’s just you showed up at such a strange time in my life.
You know all this stuff about horses, your mama was a legend in the field, and I haven’t had anyone to talk with about this stuff.
My brother probably has a football crush on you, and you’re helping me like some guardian cowboy angel or something. ”
“What’s the matter—you don’t believe in fate?”
“I never thought I did, and I’ve never been any good at asking for help. But something about you is different,” Miranda admitted, and he could feel her eyes on him.
“Maybe you’re the one helping me. I came to Sandy Point looking for the family I didn’t know, because I needed to see what I might be missing.”
“What did you find?”
“I’m starting to think I was missing even more than I thought.”
“See now that doesn’t sound like you’re just talking about friendship, and every time I fall for some sweet talk it always turns out to not be real.”
“Well, I’m real.”
“But you’re not sure how long you’re staying in Sandy Point, and I don’t know that much about you.” She turned her body to face him. “You said you were out of work and taking a break, but a break from what?”
But before Renn could answer there was a loud pop and the sound of a rock hitting the glass windshield. Miranda yelped and he pumped the breaks as the glass splintered with a web of cracks from the middle out.
“Oh crap, that can’t be a good sign,” Miranda said.
“Don’t go down that road. We’re about an hour from our destination. I can either keep going and find a garage once we’re in Athens, or look for something along the way?”
“Are you okay driving with it like this?”
“As long as it doesn’t spread much further, we’re good.”
“Not exactly the best way to make an entrance in the arena—with a shattered windshield,” Miranda said.
“Just focus on your salesmanship and I’ll take care of the repair once we unload the horses. No one will even know,” Renn said, trying to project confidence so she didn’t get any more discouraged than she already was. She reopened her notes and shuffled the pages.
“So run through your pitch, why are the Beautiful Beasts the horses I need for my ranch?” he prompted.
For the next hour Renn listened as Miranda practiced her pitch about each of her stud’s pedigrees and stats, until he pulled the truck into the arena.
The entrance was busy and there were dozens of other horse breeders already there setting up their designated stalls where they would make themselves and their horses available.
“I think if you lead with your passion and knowledge about your horses, and highlight their bloodlines, you can’t lose,” Renn said as he parked next to their assigned three stables.
“I hope you’re right.”
Renn cut the engine and reached into the back seat. “Before you head out there, it’s important to remember one thing.” He pulled out a brand-new black Stetson he’d picked out for her. “Fake it ’til you make it.”
Her face lit up with a smile, but she could still see her nervousness. “That’s your big advice?”
“Yep, and it has served me well.”
“Won’t a fancy new hat just make me stand out?”
“You won’t need a hat for that, but it’s a good thing here. Lean into that. Mama always said, first you get their attention then you hold it with your intelligence and wit.”
“Are you telling me your mama was a looker and used it to her advantage?”
“Don’t we all?”
“You surprise me at every turn.”
“Ready?” Renn asked as he nodded toward her door and an event official approached to greet them and check her paperwork.
“As I’ll ever be. Time to wow them.”
Jumping down from the truck, Renn was struck with a wave of nostalgia.
He’d spent years attending similar events with his mama when he was in high school, and he missed her every day.
But it was nice to spend time with someone who understood this world he was raised in.
Miranda was definitely a leading reason to stick around Sandy Point longer.
He was enjoying getting to know his brothers and Gran, but he probably wouldn’t still be in town if it weren’t for a certain cowgirl with long blonde hair and a mouth he wanted to kiss.