Contents
Chapter 15
Overview
West and Skylar find wordless comfort grooming horses, deepening their bond. A charged grocery-store moment is cut short by Bree, heightening tensions. After Skylar’s solo spiral, West brings dinner and reveals he ended things with Bree. Skylar refuses the meal but signals openness, shifting them toward something more intentional.
Summary
Restless and guilty about tossing Skylar’s phone, West immerses himself in grooming horses, reflecting on his past and on Skylar’s recent reactions. Skylar appears at the barn, wary after Bree’s visit. West apologizes for the phone; Skylar decides to try a week without it. They bond over Copper as West shares how training grounded him, and Skylar admits performing has lost its allure. They then spend hours silently grooming, finding peaceful companionship.
The next day, West and Skylar collide at the grocery store. Skylar jokes about him stalking her while revealing she spent the prior night alone in the bunkhouse, overindulging to feel “free,” and now buys salad to recover. Concerned, West gently checks her bruised nose, and their attraction intensifies until Bree interrupts, sending Skylar fleeing and leaving West rethinking his stance on seriousness.
Later, West arrives at the bunkhouse with homemade lasagna to create a neutral, friendly bridge. Skylar worries about Bree and refuses to be the cause of drama. West clarifies there is no relationship, and when challenged, he reveals he ended the benefits with Bree after the pub the night Skylar’s phone was destroyed.
Pressed on why he ended it then, West offers only that he had a good reason, choosing restraint over a kiss out of respect for Skylar’s fragility and their unresolved tangles. Skylar declines dinner but asks him to save a piece, signaling reluctance wrapped in warmth. The chapter closes with the possibility of something real between them.
Who Appears
- Weston (West) BelmontTrainer and single dad; apologizes for the phone, shares his training roots, nearly kisses Skylar, ends things with Bree, brings lasagna.
- Skylar StoneBurned-out singer; finds solace grooming horses, has a solo meltdown night, shares a charged moment with West, declines dinner but softens.
- BreeWest’s former friend-with-benefits; interrupts a near-kiss at the grocery store, prompting tension and clarification.
- CopperWest’s elderly horse; centerpiece of the quiet bonding as West and Skylar groom together.
- CherrySkylar’s talkative pet who pipes up from the bunkhouse as West brings lasagna.