Page 30 of Wilde Hearts

“Thank Gatlin for me.”

I nodded.

“Dad said he has about twenty people on his client list, does that sound about right?”

Shrugging, I replied, “I don’t have the numbers on hand. I’d say around twenty-five. Most of them are horses he’s done since the beginning. They weren’t willing to let me take over because I’m a woman and all that bullshit.”

Colt shook his head. “They don’t know what they’re missing. From what I can remember, you were damn good at your job. Are you still doing cold shoeing?”

“Yes.”

“Me, too. I can’t stand how I smell if I do it with heat. Smells like horse shit.”

I felt my mouth twitch with a smile, but fought it.

“I’m not really sure what your mother thinks I can do to help you. You worked for your father before, and literally nothing has changed. His office is exactly the same. He still does everything on paper, even his billing system. You might want to upgrade that to something digital and easier.”

A young gentleman brought us our sandwiches. “I’ll hold off on the other two until I see you’re about done, then we’ll get them made.”

Colt flashed him that brilliant smile of his. “Thank you so much. I appreciate that.”

I figured we would eat in silence, but Colt wasn’t having it.

“Do you just service River Falls?”

With a shake of my head, I replied, “No. I have clients all around the area. I also take care of all of our horses on the ranch.”

“Figured you did. How is everyone? Have Caden and Rachel gotten married and popped out a few kids?”

I looked at him in surprise. “Have your mom and dad not told you anything?”

He shook his head. “Not about the Wildes. I guess it was an unspoken thing. I didn’t ask, and they didn’t tell.”

I leaned back and wiped the corners of my mouth. “A few years ago, Caden asked Rachel to marry him and she said no. Turns out she was a bigger bitch than I had originally thought.”

He screwed up his face. “I never did like her.”

“Yes, I know. You were spot on. Anyway, Caden is now happily married to Lilibeth. As of just days ago, in fact. She owns a store on Main Street in River Falls. They had a baby not that long ago, too, a couple months. Also, Emeline is married to Levi, and they have a new baby, as well.”

Colt leaned forward. “Wait—I thought Levi was married to Caroline.”

“Divorced. I’m not sure if you knew this, but he had two kids. A son and a daughter. His daughter died in a car accident.”

“Jesus. I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“He and Emeline are thriving. They have Rhett, Levi’s son from his first marriage, and their son, Jackson. They also adopted two foster kids who are Rhett’s best friends. Their names are Katie and Jimmy.”

His brows shot up. “Holy shit. Instant family. Is Emeline still into horses?”

I smiled. “She runs the stables on the ranch.”

“Good for her. And Caden and Gatlin, are they still working on the ranch?”

I nodded. “They are. Caden is pretty much in control, and I think once both of my uncles retire, Gatlin will take on more roles. Right now, he’s living his best life, working on the ranch and bartending at Billy’s.”

“He bartends?”

Laughing, I said, “He does. Not all the time, mostly on weekends.”