Page 42 of A Simple Regret

He nods and lets me carry him toward the fence. I click my tongue, calling the horse over to where we wait. Winnie is a pretty good girl and comes when called, but she does spook easily, so we make sure to remain in her line of sight the whole time. “C’mere, girl.”

The horse makes her way toward us and sticks her head forward for pets. “Nice and gentle, remember?”

“Yes,” Theo murmurs softly, giggling the moment his hand brushes across Winnie’s muzzle.

I reach forward and give her a forehead rub. “Good girl.”

“Wanna give her a carrot?” Wyatt asks, appearing to my left from inside the barn.

“Yep!” He takes the orange vegetable and holds it out for Winnie. She eagerly takes the treat and starts crunching away, making him laugh.

“If only I could get Theo to eat carrots like that,” Maren mumbles behind us. She turns her attention to Wyatt. “Nice to see you again, Wyatt.”

“You too, Maren,” he replies, sticking out his hand to shake. “And who is this?”

“This is my son, Theo.”

“Well, Theo, it’s nice to meet you,” Wyatt says, holding out his knuckles for a tap, which Theo obliges.

“All right, little dude, you about ready to head home for lunch?” I ask.

“Doggy,” he bellows, his attention drawn to the golden retriever standing at Wyatt’s side.

I put him down. “Be gentle,” I remind moments before Theo goes in for some snuggles. Good thing Goose loves hugs and attention.

“Thank you for letting us sled here, Wyatt,” Maren states politely.

“Any time, Maren. Just come on out. You don’t even need to bring this ugly guy,” my friend states, flashing me a smirk. The truth is, Wyatt is a friend of the family. He went to school with Cade and Collin, and because of that, is essentially a friend of mine too. He lets me store my four-wheeler here, as well as camp and fish whenever I want. In return, we help him around the farm whenever he needs extra hands, which usually means baling hay and mowing.

I snort and don’t comment on the fact we’re not together. I don’t know why I keep my mouth shut.

“Oh, well, thank you, Wyatt,” Maren replies, and I swear I see a faint blush stain her already pink cheeks.

Why does that piss me off?

“Ready to head home and get something to eat?” I ask again, suddenly feeling the need to get out of here.

“Bye, Doggy,” Theo says, hugging Goose around the neck and giving him a kiss. “You wike mac and cheese?” he asks the dog.

“Well, Goose here isn’t allowed to have mac and cheese, but I sure love it,” Wyatt replies with a big smile. My jaw ticks. This man is asking for a black eye.

The little guy turns his attention to me. “You wike mac and cheese?”

“I love mac and cheese, little dude,” I tell him.

“You eat wiff us?”

I fight the smile, my jaw ticking as triumph races through my veins. “We’ll see,” I offer, not wanting to accept an invitation from a three-year-old without any discussion from his mother.

But the fact remains, I want to go. I want to spend a little more time with him—both of them—before he has to take a nap. Should I? I’m pretty sure the answer is a resounding no, but still…I’d accept if the offer was extended from Maren.

And that’s the problem, isn’t it?

All of a sudden, like over a week after she moved next door to me, I’m ready to forget all about the painful past we once shared—pain she created—and dive straight into the murky waters of today. I wasn’t kidding when I told her I didn’t wish her ill will or hate her, but I’m struggling with the idea of just completely forgiving and forgetting.

“Give me a minute to put the four-wheeler away, and then we can get you two home for lunch,” I state, quickly turning around and heading back to my machine before anyone can reply. We ended up bringing her SUV so we didn’t have to move the car seat around.

“I hewp!” Theo hollers.