by Jill Sanders
“Count on it.” He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Bella.” His eyes met hers. “I like what’s started between us. I plan on exploring it further.”
She felt her knees go weak and was thankful she was leaning against the door. “Me too.”
His smile was quick and those sexy dimples of his flashed, and then he turned and disappeared into the darkness.
Shutting and locking the door, she leaned against the wood and closed her eyes for a moment. Her body was vibrating from Corey’s touch. No other man had made her feel this… wanted… special, before.
Even when she’d first met Hugh, the man that she’d assumed was everything she’d ever dreamed of, she’d never reacted to him the way she was now. As she made her way upstairs, the cats and dogs following her, she decided she needed to take things slow. Every relationship she’d ever had before, she’d jumped into quickly, and every single one had ended badly.
For some reason, this mattered more. Maybe because she could see herself building a life here. Even if there were bears and opossum. After all, where else was she going to be handed the opportunity to start fresh in such a wonderful place.
Corey cussed up a storm as he flew through the air. He could hear Ryan and Reece laughing at him when he finally landed in the soft dirt of the corral.
“Shut up,” he growled as he wiped the dirt from his face. “I’d like to see you do better.” He glared over at the two matching faces.
“Is that a challenge?” Reece started to climb the rungs of the corral.
“Oh, no you don’t little brother.” Ryan, the older of the twins, grabbed Reece’s pants and tugged until his boots hit the ground again. “If I let you back in there with that…”—Ryan nodded to Reece’s arm, which was still in a cast from his fall a few weeks ago— “your wife will have my head.” Missy, Reece’s wife, worked at the local medical clinic in town. She was a spitfire and had given even Corey strict orders not to let her husband near Hellion for at least two months. “Not to mention our cousins will probably string both of us up.” Lauren, Alex, and Haley were even more stubborn than Missy was. Just the thought of crossing any of the three ladies made him cringe.
Reece sighed and turned back to Corey. “If you’d follow my instructions,” Reece said, waving his good arm around, “you wouldn’t end up in the dirt all the time.”
“Not everyone can be an expert bronc rider like you.” Corey leaned down and picked up his hat, then dusted it off on his jeans.
“That’s right,” Reece said, smiling big. “But, you’ve got some talent and besides, you’re here.” He nodded towards the black beast, rightfully nicknamed Hellion.
Reece had moved to Fairplay last year after retiring from the bronc busting circuit. The guy was a legend. His twin brother, Ryan, had been an undercover narcotic cop in Houston but had retired shortly after Reece had started his own business busting horses.
He’d been hired by the brothers to help out just a few months ago. At first, he’d really enjoyed the job. Now he absolutely loved it, even when he walked in the door at night, bruised and sore.
It paid better than painting walls and hammering, something he’d always loved doing, as well. There were a lot of odd jobs around town, and he had been making a name for himself as the go-to handy man. He’d spent a few hundred on his own tools and a lock box for the back of this truck to keep all of them in.
Thinking about his other job only made Bella pop back into mind.
“We’ve lost him again, bro,” Ryan said, slapping Corey’s shoulder. “That’s the problem with him.”
“What?” He turned on the two brothers.
“Women,” they both said in unison.
“We heard you were out with the city girl last night,” Reece said, smiling up at him.
“Mrs. Thompson’s niece,” Ryan added. “Heard she’s a real looker.”
“Don’t let your wife hear you say that,” Corey mumbled as he made his way back towards Hellion. He reached out for the horse’s reins as Reece and Ryan continued to taunt him. He heard a truck drive up, but didn’t dare take his eyes off the horse for a moment.
He was just about to jump on Hellion’s back, when he heard Bella’s voice behind him. His head spun around just as the horse leaned in and snapped his teeth around his wrist.
“Son of a…” He jumped back a few feet, but his foot was stuck in the stirrup, causing him to fall backwards and land on his ass once more.
He heard the brothers burst out laughing once more. He didn’t know what was worse, the horse or the twins. When he looked over, he felt another kick to his chest. This time it was Bella that had caused it instead of Hellion.
Hobbling over to the gate, he walked out and slammed it shut. “That’s it. I’m calling it a day.” He glared at the brothers and then turned to Bella, who was looking at him with concern. “What are you doing here?”
Chapter Seven
“Are you okay?” she asked, moving closer to him and taking his wrist in her hand. She tugged his glove off and pushed up his jacket to see the nasty bruise the black horse had given him.
“Yeah.” He frowned down at her and she could tell that he was trying to shake the pain off. “What are you doing here?” he asked again.
“I’m checking out a horse. I heard about it from his cousin, Alexis, who stopped by for a visit this morning.” She’d been pleasantly surprised by the woman’s visit that morning. Alexis—Alex—had been very eager to fill Bella in on the town and everyone in it.
She had brought along some breakfast rolls and they had chatted over coffee for almost an hour while her two kids, Laura and Gavin, played quietly with the dogs. That had eased her mind about whether Rascal and Rusty could be trusted around small children. Alex had assured her that they had visited her aunt plenty of times and that the only animal that ever had issues was Snubs, who just seemed to think children were to be avoided.
After she’d told Alex her plans of starting a riding school, Alex had told her about her cousin Reece, who might have a few horses for sale.
Being as eager as she was, she’d jumped in her aunt’s truck and driven over shortly after Alex had left.
Corey stood back as the two attractive, identical men walked over to her. “Bella, this is Reece and Ryan,” Corey introduced the brothers.
“Your cousin said you were thinking of selling a horse?” she said to Reece, the one with the broken arm. If he hadn’t had the cast on, she doubted she would be able to tell them apart.
“I have a few older ones that have been rehabilitated.” He nodded towards the barn. “If you want, you’re welcome to take a look at them.”
She felt excitement kick in at the possibility of having another horse that would fit in her plans.
“She’s wanting them for riding lessons with kids,” Corey added.
“Oh?” Ryan said as he followed them all into the barn.
“Yes, I was thinking of teaching. I have my aunt’s two ponies and Ollie,” she explained.
“You’ll want a solid horse. Your aunt’s gray quarter horse is too spirited to put a kid on,” Reece said, opening the barn door. “I should know. I trained her.” He smiled.
“Lizzie. Yes, she’s more my speed.” Bella smiled.
“I’ve got Ralph here.” Reece stopped in front of a stall that housed a beautiful red quarter horse. “He’s been around the block a time or two, but he’s half Ollie’s age and is real gentle. I’ve been looking for a good home for him for a while,” he said as he pet the horse’s mane and leaned into his neck.
“I’d like to ride him; see how he handles.” She waited.
“Sure thing.” Reece patted the horse’s mane and then turned to go.
“I’ll saddle him up,” Corey jumped in. “I can take King out and ride with her.”
“Suit yourself.” Reece relaxed. “You know where everything is.” Reece slapped Corey on the back and turned back to Bella. “Let me know what you think of Ralph. He’s about the
only one I’m willing to part with right now.”
“How long have you had him?” she asked as Corey walked away to grab the gear.
“About a year. Found him out near the old abandoned silo a few miles out of town. No one seems to know where he came from.”
She rubbed the horse’s neck and watched his eyes roll back with enjoyment.
Corey got both horses saddled and ready for a ride while she talked with Reece and Ryan some more. In less than fifteen minutes, they were ready to go.
After jumping on Ralph’s back, she turned to watch Corey hop up on a larger quarter horse’s back. Corey’s movements were smooth; like he’d been riding his entire life.
“You don’t have to go with me,” she said as they made their way out of the gate.
“Anything is better than dealing with Hellion.” He nodded to the large black beast that was rushing around the smaller corral. “I swear he’s glaring at me,” he mumbled, causing her to chuckle.
“How’s your wrist?” she asked, after they had made their way into the open fields behind Reece’s place.
He glanced down at it and moved it back and forth. “It’ll be stiff tonight, but at least it’s not broken.”
“Is that what happened to Reece’s arm?” she asked, enjoying the way the horse obeyed her slight commands.
“No, he took a dive off the roof when he was trying to patch it a few weeks back.”
“I bet that hurt his pride a bit.” She held back a laugh.
He glanced at her in question.
“Oh, come on. I’m not dead. I know who Reece West is. I have been to a rodeo once or twice in my life.” She smiled. “I bet that man has broken more bones in his body than everyone in town put together.”
He chuckled and nodded.
“Then he retires and breaks his wrist working on his own house.” She smiled over at him, her eyebrows going up. “And has to hire someone to break his own horse.”
He laughed. “When you put it like that, it is kind of funny.”
“What does Ryan do?” she asked.
“He breaks horses too. Reece says he’s not as good at it as I am. The two argue about it all the time.”
“They seem like they enjoy working together.” The old loneliness of not having a brother or sister resurfaced. She turned Ralph around and then pulled on his reins to back him up. The horse followed her lead perfectly. “I’d like to kick him into a run.” She glanced at him. “Think you can keep up?” She smiled as she kicked the horse.
“Lead the way,” she heard him say behind her. They made their way across the field quickly as she took the horse in a big U. By the time they were heading back towards the barn, she’d made up her mind about Ralph.
“So,” he said, pulling up beside her. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s perfect.” She smiled over at him.
Less than a half hour later, she was the new owner of Ralph and she felt like the decision was finally made. She was staying in Fairplay and starting her own riding school. There was still so much she had to do to get ready.
Now, besides working on the house, she had a corral to build and equipment to buy. She made a mental list as she drove into town to stock up on groceries.
Parking the truck in front of the Grocery Stop, she grabbed a cart and started down the first aisle. She was impressed that they were well stocked and found herself picking from the fresh produce with the thought of making Corey dinner. She loved to cook, something she’d taught herself after she’d moved out on her own.
Her mother had never been one to cook or bake and she found great joy in knowing she could create something her mother found too mundane to do for herself.
By the time her cart was full, she had talked to at least seven people in the store, most of them people who stopped her to express their thoughts about her aunt. It was funny, most people she hadn’t met yet didn’t even question who she was. It was like a bulletin had gone out throughout the town with her picture on it, stating who she was.
But she didn’t mind. Actually, it was quite nice. Everyone introduced themselves and told her what they did. She’d met two teachers, a nurse from the clinic, and an auto mechanic’s wife and her three girls, who showed great interest in taking riding lessons this fall. As she stood in the checkout line, she’d met Billy, Corey’s friend, and his wife Savannah. The couple had recently married and had the most adorable dark-haired girl, Maggie.
“Corey has told me so much about you two.” She smiled. “I mean three.”
Savannah smiled. “Soon to be four.” She rubbed her small belly.
“Congratulations.” Instantly Bella felt a sense of emptiness that she’d never experienced before. She’d never once in the past few years thought about children. But with the big house sitting empty, the animals running around, suddenly the thought of kids didn’t scare her as it had in the past.
“Thanks.” Billy put his arm around Savannah’s shoulders. “We should have you and Corey over for dinner soon. He’s been hiding himself from his friends ever since his father was hauled off.”
She watched Savannah shiver and wondered why.
“If anyone knows how that feels, I do.” Billy frowned and pulled Savannah closer.
“What do you say to coming out to my place next Friday? Corey was going to go into Tyler with me this weekend to help pick out some new appliances.”
“Corey? Shopping for appliances.” Billy chuckled. “Told you.” He glanced down at his wife, who only smacked his stomach.
“Shut up,” she growled lightly. “We’d love to come out. You let us know if we can bring something.”
She nodded, as she started to unload her cart onto the belt as the young woman started ringing up the items.
“How’s it going. You must be Bella. I’m Carmen, assistant manager here. If you need anything, just let me know. Did you find everything okay?” she asked as she scanned all her items quickly.
“Yes, I just love that you have a local produce section. Is this local honey?” She held up the glass bottle with the small label.
“Yes, actually, that’s something new this year. The Walters are selling it along with some of Mrs. Walter’s jams.”
“The blueberry is the best,” Savannah said from behind her, holding up a jar.
“I’ve always wanted to learn how to make jelly,” she said out loud.
“I’m sure Karen will be happy to teach you. I can give you her number if you want.”
“That would be wonderful,” she said, thinking about all the grapevines along the back of the barn. Her aunt’s small garden would be enough to keep her stocked up, not to mention all the eggs the chickens were producing every day. She had a basket full in the fridge and wondered if Corey would take even more off her hands each day.
“I was wondering; do you happen to know what my aunt did with all those eggs?”
“She gave them away at her church meetings. If you want, I can see if Ronny could stop by and start picking them up. Ronny helped your aunt out in the fields in exchange. He owns a mower and baler and bales her fields every fall. Then stacks the hay in the barn.”
“All that for some eggs?”
Billy chuckled.
“What?” She turned towards him.
“Ronny was smitten with your aunt.” Savannah shoved her elbow into her husband’s stomach once more.
“Oh.” She felt a rush of sadness come over her. She’d never once thought about her aunt having a man.
On the trip home, she kept thinking about it. She didn’t even know where the man lived. But she had told Carmen to tell him that he could stop by for the eggs. Hopefully, within the next few days, she would get to meet him.
When she drove up, the dogs were running around, happily chasing the truck. When she parked, she gave them attention before unloading the groceries.
She’d bought the biggest bag of dog food; the same kind she’d seen in the pantry. She’d even gotten a box of treats for them and the cats. As s
he unloaded the cans of cat food, Snubs and Beggar pushed against her legs, meowing like they hadn’t been fed in days.
After feeding all of the animals, she started putting her own groceries away. She was standing on the stepladder, trying to put a big bag of rice away, when she noticed the box near the back of the pantry.
Pulling it out, she opened it and walked over to the table and sat down. More money was rolled up, but it was the small envelopes that stopped her. Envelopes with her childish handwriting on them.
Pulling out the worn paper, she opened one and pulled out the letter she’d sent her aunt years ago.
Dear Aunt Betty,
I can’t thank you enough for the birthday card. I had a fun birthday party. I’m spending the money you sent me on a new riding helmet. My mother has enrolled me in classes and I start next week. I love wearing my riding outfit and got in trouble the other day when I wanted to wear it to school. I sure wish you could come visit us here in Boston. I don’t like the cold and wish I was there on your big ranch in Texas.
Well, I have to go since my mom is making me write all the other people who gave me cards. I love and miss you so much. Give Bear a hug for me.
Love Bella
Tears streamed down her face as she read through all the other letters she’d written her aunt. Every single one was kept in the small box and it looked like they had been read over and over.
She’d never realized how much she had meant to her aunt. She wished she could have just a moment with her to express her own love once more. After all, the woman seemed to have loved her more than anyone else ever had.
Chapter Eight
There were a couple things Corey hated doing and shopping was one of those things. He enjoyed the nearly hour-long drive into Tyler with Bella sitting beside him, chatting about her first week in Fairplay.
But the second they hit the appliance store, he needed a beer. Ten minutes into shopping, he realized he’d lucked out since it appeared that Bella had done her homework.
