“Morning. I come bearing gifts.”

Mo drops the rake and looks up at me.

“And by gifts, I mean caffeine in the form of coffee,” I say, handing her a steaming cup.

Mo brings the cup to her nose, closes her eyes, and takes a big whiff. “You’re a godsend.”

“How’s Peanut? Did she have her baby yet?”

Mo looks exhausted, and I’m certain she’s covered in horse shit, but I refuse to comment on her state of disarray.

“She did.” Mo smiles proudly, as if she herself had given birth. “Mama and baby are doing great.”

“And Mo? How’s Mo doing? Because you look like a feather could knock you over.”

Using her arm, she pushes a chunk of hair out of her eyes. “That’s pretty much how I feel. I haven’t slept in thirty-six hours.”

“Jesus, Mo. You should’ve called me sooner. I would’ve come last night to relieve you for a while.”

“I know you would’ve.” Mo blows across the top of her cup and takes a sip of her coffee. “Do you have any plans today?”

“Nothing other than helping you.”

“Good,” she sighs. “Because I really need you to take over here so I can go home and get some rest.”

“Of course. That’s why I’m here. You don’t even have to ask.”

Her shoulders relax as she blows out a sigh of relief. “Thank you. I owe you one. And you won’t be entirely on your own. Trevor is here.”

My hand stops midway to my mouth. “Oh.” Slowly, I bring my cup the rest of the way and take a drink.

“Rhett had to drive back to Houston this morning—he and Lincoln are training for their next ride—so Trevor offered to come help out. He’s going to mend a few fences for me and then help you with whatever you need.”

An entire day of ogling Trevor? Yes, please. And if I’m extra lucky, he’ll take his shirt off, and I’ll get to see all of those tight, defined muscles soaked in sweat.

“Sounds good. We’ll get it all done.”

“Are you sure? Because you’ll probably be here until late this evening. I need you to lay new shavings down in Peanut’s stall. She made a mess last night. Plus, I received seven more dogs yesterday, as well as two cats, and then there’s the foal—”

“Mo…” I place my hand on her shoulder and gently turn her toward the front of the barn. “I know how to take care of Animal Haven. I’ve done it many times while you’ve been gone.”

“Yes, but never with this many animals.”

“I’m going to be fine. And if I have any questions, I’ll ask Trevor. Together we’ll get through the day.”

She sighs. “Okay. I’ll show you the newbies before I leave.” She leads the way out of the barn. We walk past my truck, and I look around for Trevor’s, but it’s nowhere to be found. Maybe he isn’t here yet.

I follow Mo into the kennels, listening intently as she introduces me to all of the new animals, telling me their stories and what kind of care they need.

“Don’t forget to keep the new ones away from the others until I get them checked by the vet. Plus, I haven’t had time to evaluate their behavior, although none of them has shied away from me or tried to bite.”

“I remember. What’s his deal?” I ask, nodding toward the cage on the end.

Animal Haven is huge. Mo’s kennels are big enough to house two dogs to one pen but luckily, she hasn’t needed to do that.

“Someone left this little pup in a box by the front door two days ago. No collar or chip.” She opens the cage and crouches down, inching her way toward the dog. “A little skittish, but I would be too if I were blind.”

“Blind?” I follow her into the pen and join her on the floor. The tan fur ball hasn’t moved. He’s curled up tight.

Mo talks softly before petting the pup, and when her hand makes contact, the dog flinches. His lids pop open, and now I see it. His eyes look cloudy as he tilts his head toward the sound of Mo’s voice.

“Name?”

“Nothing yet.”

I scoop the little guy up and cradle him on my lap. At first he shivers, and I’m not sure if he’s cold or scared, so I cuddle him close, and he relaxes.

“Looks like a Pomeranian,” I say.

“That’s what I thought too.”

I kiss the little ball of fur on the head before setting him back down. “Anything else I need to know before you go?”

“No.” Mo stands up and brushes her butt off, and I follow her out of his cage, making sure it’s locked before we step back outside. “Not that I can think of.”

“Where’s Ruby?”

Ruby is Mo’s dog. They rescued her as a pup and she became the resident pet at Animal Haven. Now she shares that role with Pickles, a snobby cat that I can’t help but love.

Mo frowns. “Rhett and I decided it was time to move her home with us. She’s just getting too old to run around out here by herself. Last week another dog plowed her over and I didn’t think she was going to get back up. She just can’t keep up with the life here.”

“Poor Ruby. How’s she doing being at your house?”

“Well, considering she’s only ever lived here, she hates it.” Mo laughs but lacks humor. “But she’ll get used to it. She has to.”

“She will. It just might take some time.” She nods and I continue. “You said Trevor was here, but I didn’t see his truck.”

“Oh,” she says, grabbing her keys off the hook by the door before we step outside. “He’s around here somewhere. He had to haul some lumber out to fix the fence. You probably won’t see much of him today…unless you want to. And no one would blame you for watching that man work. He is sex on a stick.”

“Really? You haven’t even asked me how my date went with Joseph—a date you set up—and you’re already suggesting I ogle Trevor?”

“You were going to ogle Trevor whether I suggested or not.” Mo shrugs. “And I already know how your date went with Joseph. I’m so sorry, Claire. I can’t believe he invited his mother. I mean, I knew they were close because he has a ton of pictures of her in his office, but I had no idea he would take it that far. And then for them to suggest you drink too much…” Mo shakes her head.

“Rhett is such a blabbermouth.”

“It wasn’t Rhett. I’m the one who told her.”

Mo and I turn at the husky sound of Trevor’s voice, and my tongue nearly rolls out of my mouth. Trevor is coming across the yard in nothing but a faded pair of jeans, cowboy boots, and a pair of dirty gloves. Lord have mercy, I think my panties just melted.

Trevor stops at the barn, grabs a piece of wood, and hoists it onto his shoulder. My mouth waters as I try not to stare. But it’s hard. So, so hard. Literally. His chest is a work of art, almost inhuman, like a sculptor chiseled away on a block of stone until his piece was absolutely perfect, and then he named his artistry Trevor.

Mo nudges me in the arm. I blink and clear my throat.

“Maybe you should mind your own business, Trevor.” My voice is way too shaky for my bite to do any good.

“And maybe you should wipe the drool from your chin.”

My lips part, and I scoff. “I am not drooling.”

“Nothing to be ashamed of, Red. If you were parading in front of me without a shirt on, I’d be drooling too.” Trevor winks and disappears around the building.

“I hate it when he calls me Red.”

“No, you don’t. You secretly love it because he’s the only one who does,” Mo says.

“I’m not arguing with you about this right now. I have work to do.” Grabbing Mo’s shoulders, I direct her to her truck, open the door, and shove her inside. “Go home. Sleep. I’ll call you later.”

“You sure you’ll be okay here today?”

“I’m good. Now go.”