Love and Lies (Sunshine & Shadow Book 4) by Alie Williamson Page B

she even smelled grass? I think
it’ll work. I can fix this; I know I can. Just give me a chance.”
    Damian looked at her,
stonily. “You have four hours until Violet gets here to start shooting with
Lex. Be back in three. And make sure your radio’s on loud when you leave the
lot. If we need you back, you’d better make it snappy.”
    “I was gonna ride Benny,
if that’s okay?”
    He nodded. “He hasn’t
been used in a while; it’ll be good for him.”
    Giving Prime Time another
hard tug on the halter, he led the horse into the arena and away from April.
    She hurried back to Lex.
She found him arguing with a groom.
    “I’m tacking up the
horse,” he said.
    “Sir, I insist...” The
groom reached for the bridle in Lex’s hand.
    “Seriously, man, thanks
for the offer but I can tack up a horse for myself. I don’t need your help.”
    “But...sir...?”
    April smiled and went to
offer assistance.
    “It’s okay,” she said.
The groom turned to look at her, his eyes cold. “I can take it from here.
Thanks for your help, though.”
    “We’re supposed to tack
up the horses,” the groom said, stubbornly.
    “We’re also supposed to
mind our own business,” April replied with a hint of a smile on her face.
    The groom dropped his
head and shuffled away from them, embarrassed.
    “See what I mean?” Lex
said.
    April nodded. “Thanks.”
She took the bridle from his hands and their fingers brushed minutely. Pulling
away quickly she turned from him, trying to calm her beating heart.
    “I’ll go get Trinity,”
Lex said.
    April bridled Benny and
led him from his stall. The leggy chestnut followed her obediently.
    The Hollywood Hills were
laced with hiking trails. Hoping not to see many people, April and Lex headed
for the overgrown ones. April was looking for one thing in particular; a meadow,
where they could give Trinity a long gallop.
    They barely spoke for the
first few minutes, the silence welcome to both of them, versus the constant
chatter on the lot, where you could never get any peace to think.
    Finally, April took a
deep breath and said, “It’s nice to see you, Lex.”
    Lex looked over at her,
his fingers moving from his leg for a moment like he was going to reach for her
hand. “It’s good to hear you say that. I was afraid you hated me.”
    “I don’t hate you. You
explained everything.”
    “I know, but you avoided
me for two weeks. Since you came back, I haven’t even seen you once.”
    She nodded, closing her
eyes for a moment. “But I do understand. I know you have to be with Violet now.
For the baby. I guess I just wish...things weren’t so complicated.”
    “You have no idea how
much I want things to go back to the way they were, even if it was difficult. I
know how hard it is to be okay with what’s going on, because I feel it too,
April. It’s killing me to be this close to you and not be able to touch you,
kiss you....”
    April nodded. “It’s nice
to know I’m not the only one having a hard time.”
    “You’re definitely not. Should
we give ‘em a run?” Lex picked up the pace, lengthening Trinity’s stride. April
followed, grateful for the distraction.  
    They left the trees
behind as a long stretch of undisturbed meadow grass opened up in front of
them. The sky was clear blue and the wind was crisp, with just enough chill to
make the horses energetic.
    “Let her fly!” April
shouted ahead to Lex.
    Trinity’s stride lengthened
even more and she bolted into the meadow, tossing her head and sticking her
tail straight out behind her. Her hooves pounded into the soft earth. Benny
barely kept up with the much smaller mare. April could see the horse having
fun, throwing her lithe body to the side every now and then in high jinks.
    Lex laughed. “She’s
having a blast!” he called out.
    “Bring her down. We’re
almost at the trees again.”
    They had crossed the long
meadow in record time, and when they stopped, both horses were beginning to
sweat and breathing