Free The Natural History of Us by Rachel Harris

Peyton’s quiet hoping and finally admitted defeat. As if I’d ever stood a chance anyway.
    â€œSounds good,” I replied. I hoped like hell I knew what I was doing.
    We got out of the SUV and the moment I shut the door behind me, Peyton took my hand. She wouldn’t meet my eyes, and a low vibrating hum came from her throat, but she laced her thin fingers between mine, and I swallowed hard.
    Confidence in a girl was always hot, but watching this shy, almost awkward beauty taking charge was even hotter. I grazed my thumb over the smooth skin of her wrist and electricity shot up my arm.
    I was so screwed.
    Rosalyn honked her horn as she pulled away, and I could’ve sworn I saw her laughing. After the red taillights faded down the long strip of driveway, I turned to Peyton. “Guess I’m all yours.”
    That cute blush that shouted “innocent,” and “not for you,” crept up her cheeks as she bit her pink bottom lip. She looked at me through thick lashes and asked, “Ever ridden a horse before?”
    â€œUh, no.” I glanced at the barn in the distance and imagined the beating my junk would take on the back of a horse. Wincing, I added, “That would be an emphatic no. And, no offense, but I’ve got no plans on changing that, either.”
    A smirk tilted her lips as she said, “We’ll see about that.” I grumbled, loving the smile but hating the reason for it, and she tugged on my hand. “Come on, City Slicker, I’ll introduce you to everyone.”
    Whoa now… everyone
? Digging the heels of my sneakers into the soft dirt, I asked the obvious. “Who’s everyone?”
    â€œOh, Mama,” she said offhand, like meeting a girl’s mom was no big deal. News flash? It totally was. “Cade and Faith. Trevor’s probably around here, too.”
    As she tugged me toward a smaller-sized version of the main house, I glanced longingly at the driveway. Rosalyn was long gone, and Peyton’s small hand was in mine, so I guess I didn’t really have a choice. But, for the record, I’d signed on to meet a
horse
.
    â€œAll right then,” I said, resuming walking. How hard could it be? “Give me a quick rundown then. Who the hell are all those other people you mentioned, and are any of them relatives?”
    See, sisters were easy. All I had to do was smile, say their hair looked good or some shit about their clothes, and they were putty in my hand. Younger brothers just had to hear I played ball and that was usually enough. It was older brothers, male cousins, and—God forbid—
fathers
that were a different story. They tended to take one glance at me and get suspicious and overprotective. Not that I could blame them.
    Still, it was best to be prepared.
    â€œFaith is my best friend,” Peyton replied. “She goes to Fairfield High and is pretty much my complete and total opposite. But she’s my rock. She’s also an amazing dancer and has her own YouTube channel with an
insane
amount ofsubscribers.” From the look on her face, you would think it was Peyton’s channel.
    â€œCade’s been around forever,” she continued. “His family owns a ranch on the other end of town, which is where he goes to school, but he works here two to three days a week. He’s great with the horses and helps me teach a lot of the lessons.”
    In other words, Cade had the hots for Peyton, had somehow gotten himself friend-zoned, and was patiently biding his time. Got it.
    â€œAnd Trevor...” She laughed, stopping just short of the staircase leading to the house. “Well, Trevor is an original. He’s brilliant—like
literally
brilliant. He’s also a golf prodigy and one of the top ranked junior golfers in Golfweek Magazine.”
    At the pride in her voice, I suddenly felt like a dumbass.
    How did this girl have me so turned around? I watched for her in the halls like a