JOSIE
I glance in the rearview mirror, gripping the steering wheel tightly. The roads are still wet from last night’s storm, and there are branches and leaves scattered on the pavement. But, despite my nerves, my hopes are soaring high right now.
I’m on my way home with my first official personal rescues—and my new thoroughbred is related to my childhood dream horse. If that’s not fate, then I don’t know what is. I decided to name him Loki, continuing with Aunt Kim’s Norse God theme, and Everly wants to run an online contest for the rescue’s social media followers to name the gray mare.
We’re taking them, along with the three ponies Jacob is hauling, right to the clinic. He already talked to Crystal, who set up stalls. They’ll stay there until we can be sure they’re healthy and not contagious; though, Jacob told me not to be surprised if the mare needs to stay longer. She’s in rough shape and lacks the light in her eyes Pongo has, looking like she’s completely given up since her previous owners gave up on her.
I smile at the mere thought of Jacob, heart swelling in my chest. My god, he’s good in bed. If I think about it too much, I’ll start to get turned on. I’m not wearing underwear since mine hadn’t dried from the rain yet, and it will be quite obvious just how wet Jacob makes me when I get out of the truck.
If I could be sure no one else is going to be at the clinic, then I wouldn’t mind. He gets turned on knowing how hot he’s making me, and there’s something empowering in the way he reacts to my body. The dynamic has shifted and, with the tension gone, things feel different between us.
They feel damn good.
I’m following behind Jacob, and he’s going slow for my sake. Loki loaded with no issues, as most off-track thoroughbreds tend to be used to getting on and off trailers. He was still really upset to be separated from his friend, so Jacob gave him something to take the edge off. Now we won’t have to worry about him freaking out and hurting himself in the trailer.
And my old mare didn’t put up a fight, making me think she’s exhibiting learned helplessness. Hopefully, we can change that once she gets some love and attention again. Halfway through our drive, Jacob calls to check on me, and we decide to pull over at the next rest stop to peek in on our horses, which works out since I really have to pee.
We take turns watching the trailers while we each use the restroom and then hit the road again. Jacob’s alarm went off at five-thirty this morning and, while we spent some time in bed after, it’s still pretty early. I debated buying an iced coffee but decided against it, not wanting to have to stop and pee again before we get back to Silver Ridge. I call Everly once we get back onto the highway, planning out how we’re going to arrange the stalls to fit all the horses.
Everly and I have a very open and honest mother-daughter relationship and, while I don’t give her nitty-gritty details, she always knows if I’m dating someone or even have innocent feelings toward anyone. I don’t mention anything about Jacob, and it’s killing me because my heart is so full at the moment.
And it fucking scares me.
I’ll admit, it’s been a while since I last dated anyone. I don’t expect Jacob to give me a note asking me to be his girlfriend, but sometime we’ll discuss being exclusive, right? I’ve put off admitting my feelings for him since the day we met, but now I’m doubting myself and feeling naive for assuming he feels the same. I haven’t been dealt the best hand when it comes to men in my life, but I refuse to believe true love doesn’t exist. Is it too soon to say if Jacob is that person for me?
I want to be logical. I want to believe that it’s too early. We’re adults, not school kids in love. But that doesn’t mean the feelings aren’t there—that the fluttering I feel is any less valid. You can find love at any age, and it can be wild and passionate and ignite a fire that will burn for the ages.
Thankfully, the rest of the way to Jacob’s is uneventful. There are two cars parked in front of the clinic, and Jacob tells me they belong to one of the new vets and a tech who came in today to check on the animals. He unlocks the barn and we go inside, double checking that the stalls are set up before we unload the horses. He changes into clean scrubs and shoes and washes his hands and arms so he can safely walk around the other animals without fear of spreading anything the auction horses might have. The three ponies are going in the largest stall together, and Loki and the gray mare will be near Pongo, who nickers at Jacob when he walks in.