Everything Girl

by Emily Mayer

  Taking big strides to catch up with this man, who was not slowing down to wait for me, I met him at a bench positioned just inside the front door. He crouched down and pulled out one of the baskets tucked into a cubby underneath, and removed a leash attached to a harness. He stood, handing me Hank's gear.

  "Try to keep him on the leash. He's pretty good about coming when called but if he gets his nose on something, he can be pretty stubborn, and he’s been known to wander off following a trail. Otherwise, he shouldn't give you too much trouble."

  "I think I can handle that," I said, returning his scowl with a smile, hoping it would ease the tension a little.

  Everything about this man made me feel unsettled and awkward. He was so ridiculously handsome, and I suspected he would probably be totally impossible to look at if he smiled. But that was clearly never going to be a problem at this rate. It was bad enough that a mere mortal like myself had to share the same space as this man, this man who had dated models, but he looked at me like I was the worst thing that had ever happened to him. I honestly did not know how to respond to that kind of instant dislike.

  Jack glanced down, taking in my boot-clad feet before returning his gaze to my face.

  "Are you wearing those boots?"

  "Oh, umm, yes. These are the only boots I own. Besides snow boots. I own a couple pairs of snow boots, but there’s no snow and these are pretty warm so." I silently pleaded with myself to stop talking.

  "Those don't look like good boots to hike in,” he responded evenly, apparently unfazed by my monologue about boots. I glanced down to take in the boots he was glaring at as if they had personally offended him.

  "I wasn't planning on doing any actual hiking. The trail that passes right by the far barn—the biggest one," I said, to clarify “—it looks pretty easy and like it might have some nice views for pictures. And like I told your mom, I’m not planning on going very far. I just really don't want…"

  I stopped myself mid-sentence before I admitted that I really did not want to go on a ride or any activity that included Rodney. Jack stood quietly watching me for a moment, waiting for me to finish my thought. When it became clear I wasn’t going to continue speaking, he moved one hand to adjust his hat. It seemed reflexive, as if it was something he did often without even thinking about it.

  "Just stay on the trail, yeah? And bring some water with you just in case."

  I nodded my head in agreement, and he sighed as if it physically pained him to remain in my presence even a minute longer than absolutely necessary.

  "Do you have any questions about anything?" He gestured toward the leash that hung limply at my side.

  And then. And then. In a moment that would probably haunt me for the rest of my life, I asked the question that was tumbling around inside my head, the one from moments earlier in the kitchen.

  "Do chickens lay eggs? I mean, obviously I know where eggs come from, even though we don't have a lot of chickens in the city." I laughed uncomfortably before I plowed on, fully committed now. "Although, I read somewhere that urban farming is getting really popular now since people are all of a sudden so concerned about where their food comes from. Plus, you know, organic is like an entire movement now. And chickens are the obvious choice. I mean for urban farming. Because they don’t require a lot of space, and people living in cities don't really have big backyards, or any backyards at all. So anyway, I know roosters are boys and nature's alarm clock”—I gave an awkward chuckle—“but is a hen different than a chicken?"

  His eyes widened briefly, as if trying to fully absorb all the crazy I had just hurled his way without warning. Then he blinked slowly—once, twice, a third time. Every blink sent a fresh wave of shame crashing over me.

  "A hen is a female chicken."

  The blush that had started as soon as the word chicken left my mouth was now covering my entire face. My cheeks were flaming. I could feel the heat radiating from them.

  "Great! Well, enjoy your ride!" I practically shouted, then turned and walked away with my head bent in shame before either of us could say another word.

  Mercifully, the kitchen was empty, so I was left to wrangle Hank into his harness alone while my skin tone slowly faded from bright red to its usual shade of pale. I was extra grateful for the lack of people in the kitchen when it became painfully obvious Hank was not going to get up while I struggled to put the harness on his sleeping body. At least one of my embarrassing scenes wouldn’t have an audience. Men of all kinds of species were actively conspiring against me this morning.

  A few minutes—and lots of pleading, complete with a bacon bribe—later, Hank and I set off on our walk. The late morning air was crisp and the wide sky didn’t seem to contain a single cloud. Mornings like this really didn’t exist in the city. It was so quiet as Hank and I walked past the barn that I could hear the nicker of the horses as we passed. Then the trail opened into a wide field. Hank walked a zigzag path, nose pressed to the ground, occasionally pausing to sniff the air. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and stopped to take some pictures of the ranch.

  We wandered down the trail that way, Hank stopping now and then to sniff the air and me stopping to take pictures, until the field narrowed into a forest. I looked around at the dense underbrush contrasting with the tall trees that seemed to stretch into the sky. Flowers managed to poke through the foliage and fallen leaves creating bursts of color among the shades of green and brown. I could hear water somewhere in the distance, getting louder as we made our way through the little patch of forest. At one point, the trees grew so dense that they seemed to block out the sun and everything was cast into shadow. Hank plodded along, nose working a path back and forth in front of him, seemingly unconcerned with the changing scenery.

  A few feet later, the trees opened into another wide field, revealing a river that apparently cut through the forest somewhere. It was so pretty that it almost didn’t seem real. I dragged Hank off the path toward the river, pausing to take more pictures. Near the riverbank I found a large rock that looked like the perfect place to take a break. Jack was correct when he said my boots weren’t made for hiking. My toes were starting to feel pinched and I was sure blisters had started to form on all ten toes. Settling onto the rock with Hank stretched out beside me, I slipped off my boots and socks, wiggling my toes in front of me. With my poor toes freed, I lay back on the rock next to Hank and felt the sunshine wrapping me up in its warmth. Closing my eyes, I could hear the sounds of the river combining with Hank’s soft snores next to me.

  I’d always thought I was more of a city girl. But this—this felt like someplace I could get used to seeing every day. My love of the city was mostly based on what I thought would be best for my career, I supposed; it probably didn't have much to do with any real love for living in a city. I liked the convenience of public transportation, and it was nice to be able to disappear in the hustle every once in a while. I didn’t hate the abundance of coffee shops everywhere, either. But most importantly, cities were where all the biggest law firms were located, so the city was where I’d thought I needed to be. Now that law firms didn’t matter anymore, living in the city was just what I was used to doing. It was also the last piece of my stupid plan, which I was clinging to while I tried to navigate life without a plan. The city felt safe. Anything else seemed like I was admitting total defeat.

  This place was so beautiful and so different from anything I had seen—it wasn't difficult to imagine why Ben's great-grandparents had fallen in love with it. I’d been here less than a day and already I was a little in love with it. Since learning about Jack’s existence, I had wondered why he would have chosen to work the ranch instead of working at the company. Chicago seemed like a much better place for a young, single guy to live. But now it wasn’t so difficult to understand Jack's choice.

  Jack himself, however, was not as easy to understand.

  My mind wandered back to all our encounters, trying to come up with a rational explanation for his behavior. Aside from
the chicken rant and body-slamming him when Rodney's hand had landed on my neck at breakfast, I couldn't think of anything I had said or done that could have caused him to dislike me so much. Could Ben have said something about me? Honestly, I doubted it. I thought of myself as the vanilla pudding of human beings. No one had a super strong opinion one way or the other about vanilla pudding. Maybe he assumed I was just another idiot girl sleeping with his brother to advance a personal agenda?

  I sighed, mulling over the possibilities in my mind, unable to decide on either a reason for his dislike or any solid plan for changing his opinion. It was going to be a long trip if I couldn't come up with a way to make him think I was less awful—or make myself stop caring about what he thought.

  The air near the river was already noticeably cooler, and when a cloud crept across the sun, it left me shivering. I opened my eyes, realizing I must have dozed off for a little, and rolled my head over to find myself nose to snout with Hank Williams.

  "Ready to head back?" I asked, sliding off the rock and waiting for him to slowly lumber down after me.

  We walked back the way we came, me stopping to take pictures when something caught my eye now that the sun's disappearance behind the clouds seemed to have changed the landscape so much, and Hank stopping to paw or sniff at certain spots.

  As we got closer to the ranch, I noticed a single horse in a fenced-in enclosure, away from all the other barns. I hadn't seen it when I’d started my hike. The fenced-in area only had a small lean-to shelter and two pails hanging off the fenceposts. Even from a distance, I could tell this horse was in bad shape. His ribs were clearly visible, and it looked like patches of his coat were missing. I didn't know why I felt like I needed to get a closer look, but I steered us toward the little paddock anyway.

  I sucked in a sharp breath when I got close enough to take a good look at the poor creature. Not only were his ribs showing, but it looked like someone had beaten him and left the wounds to become infected. One of the pails was filled with food that looked largely untouched, and the other pail was filled with water. His ears were pinned all the way back, and he seemed to be eyeing me with suspicion.

  "What happened to you?"

  "He's a sorry sight, all right." I let out a little yelp of surprise. I had been so focused on the neglected horse that I hadn't heard Gabe approaching. He was casually leaning against the fence, watching me watch the horse.

  I nodded in agreement. "Who did that to him? Did… did Jack do this?" I asked, keeping my eyes on Gabe's face as if I’d somehow be able to tell if he lied to me.

  He reared back like I had slapped him, surprise lacing his voice.

  "Jack? No. We don't use whips on horses. Jack doesn't even keep them around. He rescued the horse from a farm two counties over. Believe it or not, that's a racehorse. Pretty good one, too."

  "I don't understand. If he was a good racehorse, how did he end up here?"

  "Some ass—er, jerk thought he could beat him back into shape after an injury. It didn't work, and they couldn't use him as a stud so they just left him in a field to rot. Jack bought Kingpin—that's his name—and brought him here just before you all came in."

  The disbelief I was feeling must have been written clearly on my face.

  "Jack rescues horses. Tries to rehabilitate and rehome them if he can. Most people around here know that, so they’ll call Jack if they see someone mistreating a horse. It's pretty rare, but it does happen."

  "He doesn't look like he’s doing much better. Why is he out here all alone? Shouldn't you call a vet?"

  Gabe let out a low whistle, shaking his head from side to side. He turned to face me fully, a grin unleashing those dimples that should be registered as a national treasure.

  "You don't think too highly of Jack, huh? He's a grumpy, pain in the as—butt, I'll give you that, but he knows horses. King here just about took our heads off trying to load and unload him in the trailer. He might not look like much, but he put up a heck of a fight. Won't let anyone near him. Jack made him a special feed blend to help him put on weight, but King’s not eating much either."

  I looked back at the poor horse who looked so pathetic standing in the field alone, and my heart felt heavy in my chest. Ignoring his comment about Jack, I wondered out loud, "What will happen to him if he doesn't let anyone help?" My voice was almost a whisper, weighed down under the sadness of it all.

  "Don't worry, darling. If anyone can help King, it's Jack. Never seen anyone better with horses. He comes out here every day to talk to him. Jack tries to earn their trust. Most of these horses are pretty short on that—can't say I blame them—but it's easier to work with horses if they trust you. Horses are pretty good judges of character."

  We stood side by side, leaning on the fence and watching King for a moment. Then Gabe nudged me with his shoulder.

  "You hungry? I'm starving. Let's head back to the house and see what Mary's got going. Hey, if we're lucky, we can catch the rest of Rodney's story from the ride today. I bet he fought at least one mountain lion."

  I couldn't stop the laugh; it started so deep it felt like it was almost from my toes.

  "I'm betting he really did get that outfit from a costume store. It takes a brave man to wear jeans that tight,” Gabe continued, shaking his head slowly, dimples still in full force.

  "I like the outfit!" Gabe's eyebrows leapt up his forehead at my response. "I do. In all that denim and those boots, I can hear him coming." I shuddered involuntarily.

  Gabe laughed, eyeing me sideways. "His hands do seem to have a problem with wandering."

  "Don't I know it! Sometimes I swear he has an extra pair hidden somewhere. I can't keep up."

  "Guess I should be thankful I'm not his type."

  "Oh, give it a couple of days. I could totally see him developing a mad man-crush on a real-life cowboy."

  It was Gabe's turn to shudder. "I say we agree to throw Jack under the bus if that day ever comes," he said as he held the door open for me.

  "Done," I agreed, stepping into the kitchen. I was very aware of the wall of muscle that was his chest as I passed.

  "And I said to Sam, if you gave me a rope, I'd show those cows…" Rodney's voice carried from the table where he was, in fact, telling everyone tales from his ride this afternoon.

  Gabe and I snickered like two kids sharing an inside joke. Mary shot us a questioning look.

  "Where did you two come from? Gabe, hat,” Mary said, gesturing toward Gabe's head.

  "Yes ma'am." He took off his hat and hung it by the door. I couldn't decide if I liked him better with the hat on or off. If I had a sly bone in my body, I would have snuck a picture to send the girls to get their input on this very important issue. "Found Evelyn and Hank out by Kingpin's paddock; thought I'd bring her in for lunch."

  Mary's face morphed into a sad expression.

  "Poor boy. I hope Gabe told you not to go near him. He's all skin and bones but he can still do a lot of damage if you don't know what you're doing."

  "He did. Well, he told me Kingpin wouldn't let anyone near him, and the part about almost taking their heads off getting here. The stay-away part I sort of figured out on my own."

  Sam's deep laugh drew my gaze toward the table. I couldn't help but notice that Jack was watching our exchange with his usual scowl. I also couldn't help but notice that it looked like he had just gotten out of the shower. His hair was damp and he wore a button-down plaid shirt that was rolled up to his elbow, revealing strong forearms. Not fancy, just clean. I could swear I still saw the path where his fingers had combed through his hair.

  "Take a seat, you two, lunch is about ready,” Mary said, drawing my focus away from the disconcerting man with perfect forearms sitting at the table.

  9.

  Later that night, I found the study empty, so I decided to settle in with my laptop to answer a few emails. Somehow, I had managed to snag a seat in between Mary and Ben for dinner, avoiding having to sit beside Jack or within hands’-reach of Rodney. J
ack had completely ignored my presence for the entire meal, except the occasional glare or handing me the rolls when I asked for them. I got a head-nod and a frown for a reply when I thanked him.

  I took out my phone to send my sisters some of the pictures I had taken on my hike. Elise responded almost immediately.

  Elise: Gorgeous! I would rather have seen a picture of the hot brother though.

  Me: What do you want from me? I’m not stealthy at all and I don't think I can just ask him to pose for pictures to send to my nosey sisters.

  Elise: Uh yeah, whatever gets it done. Take one for the team Evie! I have to go. Date number two with Joe tonight.

  Me: Joe? I thought you weren't into him after your date last week?

  Elise: I don't know. First dates are always hard. Maybe I was too quick to judge.

  Me: I want full details later! Have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do!

  Elise: I wouldn’t be going on a date then ;o) xoxo

  I rolled my eyes at Elise's comment. I dated, but school and then work had made it hard to date seriously. No one wanted to start a relationship with someone who was so busy with work they’d only see each other once a week. Being career-oriented was a totally acceptable choice, I told myself as I started working through emails using my usual sorting system, separating them by importance and order to be answered. My phone’s buzzing startled me out of my email sorting. It was a video chat invitation from Corinne. I switched the call to my laptop and a tiny little face way too close to the camera greeted me.

  "Hi Celeste!" I said to her adorable little chin. I heard my sister's voice in the background.

  "Here, sweetie, let's back up a little so your auntie can see us. There we go,” she said as their entire faces came into view. "Hey, Auntie Evie, we loved your pictures. Didn't we, baby girl?"