Free Love All Out - The Complete Series (A Stepbrother Romance) by Alice Ward Page A

honey. It struck me that she was already familiar with where everything was kept in our kitchen.
    How many times has she been here? And how have I missed it?
    She carried the mug to me and I drank obediently. “You should probably drink something caffeinated too,” she suggested. “Would you like me to bring you a soda?”
    “Actually, I think I’ll take it to my room… if nobody minds.”
    “Of course we don’t mind,” she insisted. “The dark and quiet will help you too. Why don’t you just plan on taking the day off tomorrow? Matt and I can handle the horses in the morning. And I think one of us will spend the night in the barn tomorrow. Glory’s still eating, but she’s getting awfully restless. I promise we’ll come get you if she starts to foal.”
    “Thank you, Renee,” I replied, for the first time feeling sincerely grateful. “If I’m feeling better in the morning, I’ll join you and Matt at the barn.” I rose from my seat, kissed Daddy on the cheek, and told everyone goodnight.
    “I’ll check in on you before I turn in,” Daddy promised.
    “Thanks, Daddy. Be careful tomorrow… both of you.”
    James gave me a skeptical but amused look and I knew he didn’t buy my story about my headache. I gave him a weak smile and left the kitchen.
    The moment after Daddy checks on me, I’m locking my bedroom door. If James wants to talk, he can talk to himself.

CHAPTER 5
    Glory gave birth to a shiny red colt early the next morning. Matt called to let me know she was close and I raced down to the barn, arriving just in time to watch Renee help her deliver. I assured Renee that my head was much better and insisted that she and Matt get started on the daily chores while I saw to Glory and her baby. I spent the day in Glory’s stall, watching with wonder as the tiny colt took his first steps and acclimated to the world around him. I’d seen plenty of horses foal, but the process never ceased to amaze me. Matt volunteered to spend the night with them, but I insisted I could handle it. I went back to the house for food and supplies, and then spent the night on a cot I kept in the barn.
    The next morning, Matt woke me and insisted that I go up to the house for a few hours to get some sleep in an actual bed. My back was stiff from sleeping on the cot, so I didn’t put up a fight. Renee was off for the day, but I knew Matt could handle the horses on his own for a little while.
    I walked back to the house, collapsed on the couch, and turned on the television. My favorite John Wayne movie was on and I decided to rest there instead of moving on to my bedroom. Sometime during the third commercial break, I drifted back to sleep. I woke up a few hours later, took a shower, and ate a quick lunch before calling Matt.
    “Hey, I’m awake if you need any help,” I offered when he answered his phone.
    “You’re going to sleep down here again tonight, aren’t you?”
    “Yes, but that doesn’t mean I can’t help you today.”
    “Let’s split it,” he suggested. “You relax for a few more hours and whatever I don’t get to, you can finish up this evening.”
    “Okay… call me when you’re ready to go home.”
    “Will do,” he agreed.
    I hung up the phone and walked aimlessly around the house for a while. It had been a long time since I had so much free time, and I wasn’t quite sure what to do with myself. I decided to look up the stats on the rest of the Derby horses so I could gage the chances of one of mine placing in the race.
    From what I read, Mondo’s chances looked better than Denver’s Pride’s. I closed the window of the racing stats, logged on to my email account, and returned messages from people who were interested in buying stud services. Before I knew it, it was late afternoon. Matt hadn’t called yet, but I decided to go down to the barn anyway. I stopped at the stables and fed Mayhem a handful of sugar cubes before moving on to the thoroughbreds.
    “Hey, I was just about to call