“What? How so?”
“Good morning, pumpkin. Good morning, pecan pie. Hello, Cinnabon. And it’s like they anxiously await your arrival.”
I playfully smack his chest. “You know that’s not their names. This ain’t the goat farm.”
My cousin Ethan runs that part of the ranch, and they’re all named after desserts.
“My horses have sophisticated show names like Widowmaker and Sergeant Rogue,” I say smugly. “And they’re treated like royalty.”
“Just like their trainer.”
Payton sets out buckets, then grabs the alfalfa bales and distributes them while I portion out the food. They eat a balanced diet so they can perform at a high level.
After they’re fed, Payton and I wait around for them to finish. Since it’s a no-training day, I want to put them in the pastures to graze. When we finally leave the barn, the bright sun pokes at this headache I’ve been trying to ignore since I woke up. I can’t wait to get home, close my curtains, and go back to bed.
“Damn.” Payton groans, blocking the sun from his eyes as we walk toward his truck.
“Seriously. Not looking forward to the summer months, considering it’s already this hot.”
“Oh yeah. It’s gonna suck,” Payton agrees as we head back to my house.
“Breeding season,” we say in unison.
Since a mare’s heat cycle is late April to August, the chaos has just started for them. Next week is when the real fun begins. Soon, their stables will be full, and they’ll rotate in and out for months. My brothers created one of the most successful breeding operations in the state. I honestly don’t think they would’ve been able to pull it off so successfully without Payton’s help.
Though we’re mindlessly chatting, I can tell weird energy floats between us. When I open my mouth to ask, he talks at the same time.
“Sorry, go ahead.”
“No, you start first,” I urge.
He glances at me before putting his eyes back on the road. “I was just gonna ask if you’re serious about using a sperm donor.”
“Yes. It might be my only option. Hey, since you have so much experience helping horses get pregnant, maybe you can help me out when the special sauce comes in the mail?”
He chuckles. “We do have a one-hundred-percent rate of conception.”
I smirk but am nervous about the process and scared it won’t work. “I hope I have the same stats. Do you think it’s a bad idea?”
“It’s your body and your choice, Kate. I’ll support whatever you want to do because I just want you to be happy.”
He pulls up to my house, and before I get out, I turn to him. “One day, you’re going to make someone really happy.”
Payton grips the steering wheel. “I could say the same about you.”
“Thanks for helping me today and last night. I owe ya one.”
“Any time.”
I wave before getting out of the truck, and when I get into my room, my mind is still reeling.
When it comes to finding a partner, I’m doomed, but at least he still has a chance to find love. And I hope he does.
CHAPTER FOUR
PAYTON
It’s been a few days since I found out about Kaitlyn’s plan to find a sperm donor, and if I’m being honest, it hasn’t set well with me. I know women do this all the time, and I will support anyone’s personal choices, but I can’t imagine her being pregnant by some stranger she’s never met. By how much research she’s done, it’s obvious she’s more focused on getting pregnant than ever before. I meant what I said and will offer my support to her in whatever capacity she needs. I just want her to make the right choice for her, whatever that may be.