by Etta Foster
“Would you mind if I take his omelet?” Viola and Coralee both turned their heads to look at Harland as he spoke, a sheepish smile on the ranch hand's face. “No use having it go to waste. If Gavin doesn't want it, I'd love to enjoy your wonderful cooking, Viola.”
“Your mother would be proud to know that you grew up to have such good manners,” Viola said, giving Harland a gentle pat on his cheek. “It's yours if you want it. I guess Gavin will be getting an early start on the chores, so you won't have to worry about falling behind for the day.”
Coralee was barely paying attention to their conversation as she remained gazing at the front door where Gavin had left, biting her bottom lip gently in thought. If she was going to get time alone with him, it would have to happen when they were away from the ranch. With Jude here, Gavin would likely continue sequestering himself away and she'd never get to talk with him.
She tried not to let it get to her, but the mood at the table was noticeably changed. Jude and Claudia were seemingly oblivious to it, the two going on and on about how wonderfully they had slept that night.
Viola was doing her best to play the good host, but Coralee could tell that her thoughts were on Gavin, too. She had that look in her eyes that Coralee had seen many times in her own mother's eyes.
Isaac had shared a look with Viola when he'd first entered the room and noticed Gavin's empty chair, silent understanding passing between them as he took his seat. It's so strange to see a family so divided like this. Back before Master Caldwell passed away, the family had been closer than any I had ever seen. I guess life can drive wedges between even the closest of people.
Isaac let out a gentle sigh as he looked over at Gavin's seat, covering up the sound by pretending to cough shortly afterward. “Jessica, my dear, would you be so kind as to keep me company for a bit. I wanted to talk to you a little about Gavin.”
“Anything you'd like, sir. I'd be happy to,” Coralee replied quickly, unconsciously sitting up a little straighter in her chair.
“No need to look so uptight about it,” Isaac grinned. “I promise it isn't going to be nearly as scary as it sounds.”
Coralee offered him a weak smile. “Could you tell me what Gavin's favorite food is?”
“His favorite food? Is there a particular reason you want to know that specifically?” Jude asked rudely, his mouth half full of food as he spoke.
“I just want to do something nice for him. His mind has been so distracted lately since that situation with Caesar. Plus, they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. There’s no such thing as starting too early, right?” Coralee felt silly saying it in front of Jude and Claudia, but Isaac and Viola were nodding in approval at her words.
“You two remind me of Isaac and I when we were younger,” Viola crooned, sighing happily in remembrance.
“I can only hope that means good things for our future together,” Coralee replied. Because right now, we are little more than strangers, and I don't want things to stay that way.
Chapter 12
Half of the ranch? How in hell do they think Jude has any right to half of the ranch when he hasn't done a damn thing to help with it in over five years? I’ve given up everything for the family to be the dutiful son while he went off galivanting with Claudia to escape the shame of what he'd done to me. Now he gets to just walk in and take half of what should rightfully be mine? My father has a sick sense of humor.
He was walking along one of the fences that contained some of their newest horses. One of the recently hired ranch hands was currently standing in the center of the pen, trying to calm a wildly bucking stallion. Gavin hopped over the fence and ran over to the ranch hand, moving in front of the horse named Apollo, trying to calm him. “Easy boy! Calm down for me now!”
The black and white Mustang let out a snort as it fell back down on all fours, gazing at Gavin with its wide brown eyes. There was a defiant nature to its gaze that made Gavin chuckle gently. Oh, I see how it is. You have a streak of pride in you, huh? Maybe I'll make a project of breaking you in. That will help get my mind off Jude.
“Dennis, you can go ahead and see to one of the other horses. I think I'm going to take this big guy under my wing. I have special training when it comes to dealing with big surly beasts with attitude problems,” he said, clapping the younger ranch hand on the shoulder gently. “Why don't you head over to where Noah will be looking after the milk cows and see if he needs any help.”
“Can do, Gavin. Do you really think you'll be able to tame that wild-hearted horse? He seems like he would be a handful for most people,” Dennis replied, the redhaired young man running a hand through his hair almost in relief. “I'll send Harland over in a little while to check in on you.”
“Much obliged, Dennis. Thanks for all your help. Check back with me later when you’re done with the milking, okay?” Gavin offered a final wave to Dennis as he climbed onto one of the spare horses nearby and rode off. Kid reminds me of myself when I was younger. He'll do well for himself one day.
He returned his gaze to the stallion, giving the temperamental beast a gentle pat on its side. “You just want people to respect you, don't you, Apollo? You don't want people treating you like you’re just another member of the herd.”
Gavin glanced over to where Dennis had left the saddle sitting, looking at the sturdy leather harness and giving it a gentle pat. It was one of the last saddles his father had made, and he was understandably protective of it. He had been waiting for a horse that would be worthy to wear it, but until now, he hadn't been convinced any would be. Now, as he gazed into Apollo's eyes, he knew he'd found a candidate.
“Alright boy, I know you’re probably in a bad mood, so let's make this easy on both of us. Let's start by getting this saddle on you,” he murmured, moving toward the horse and attempting to lift the saddle onto it.
Apollo let out a whinny of annoyance and shied away from Gavin, trotting over to the side, out of reach. It cast a glance back at Gavin and whipped its tail in annoyance. Gavin chuckled softly to himself and gazed up at the sun where it was rising higher in the sky. It’s going to be a long day.
A few hours later, Gavin found he had made very little headway with the stallion. The creature seemed to be absolutely convinced it could outwill him, and Gavin wasn't about to let that happen. His grandfather had taught him how to deal with a temperamental horse a long time ago, and he wasn't about to let those lessons go to waste now. He just had to be patient.
Kind of starting to wish that I hadn't skipped breakfast. Just another thing I can be annoyed with Jude about, I suppose. Maybe I’ll get lucky and Jessica will bring me some lunch. She's done it enough times that I’m becoming used to it.
He wondered if it was selfish of him to expect those kinds of things from her. It wasn't outside of the normal scope of wifely responsibility, at least to his way of thinking. Not to mention she seemed genuinely happy each time she surprised him with food and was thanked for it. Probably didn't get much of that back home.
“How's it going?” Harland asked as he rode up a short while later. He looked to be in very high spirits despite the heat of the day, though he noticed his friend's scowl and tempered his enthusiasm slightly. “Dennis told me you were working with Apollo.”
“It’s going slow,” Gavin replied truthfully, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. “Apollo is just as spirited as me when I was a younger man, and twice as stubborn. I imagine he isn't going to make things easy on me. I would hate to have to break him, but he doesn't seem to be giving me any other choice. He won't let anyone saddle him or ride him, and that's no good for us.”
“Yeah, that could be a problem,” Harland replied, crossing his arms as he looked in Apollo's direction. “What are you going to do about it?”
“He's probably going to be spending some quality time with me each day from now on. I'm being kind to him today, but I intend to do things the hard way if I need to. Do you have any water with you? I'm parched,�
� Gavin admitted, fanning himself briefly with his hat.
His friend was nodding even as he pulled a canteen from his saddlebag and passed it to Gavin, who accepted it gratefully. “I guess I'll get to work on mending some of the fencing out here. I'd rather get to it now before it becomes a problem, rather than wait until one of the horses escapes or the herd busts their way through. That would be a day!” Gavin exclaimed, handing the canteen back to Harland after taking a few large gulps of water.
“I saw your brother at breakfast,” Harland said slowly, seeming to choose his words carefully as he spoke. “You've seemed a bit on edge ever since he arrived. Did you want to talk about it?”
“Nothing to talk about, Harland. My Pop called him here, and since he is the eldest brother, I have no say over him. I can only hope that the roughness of the ranch work drives him away before the six months is up. Then I can claim the entire ranch for myself.”
Their conversation was briefly interrupted as Gavin went about hammering a new plank down into place, the constant banging of his mallet on the thick wood drowning out anything Harland might have to say. I don't really want to talk about it. It’s just going to keep me in a bad mood, and I don't want that.
Harland must have picked up on his subtle hints because he made his excuses and left Gavin to his own devices. Gavin sighed and placed a hand on his stomach, hearing the familiar rumble of hunger and grimacing. Now I really wish I hadn't skipped breakfast.
He managed to work through his hunger for another hour before he stopped to take a breather. Sweat covered him, staining through the fabric of the shirt, making it cling to his back. It was always gratifying to put his all into his work, but he was running on empty right now. If only someone would come with some grub.
“Gavin, I brought you some lunch,” Jessica said softly, breaking Gavin out of the daydreams he hadn't realized he was having. “I figured since you skipped breakfast that you'd be famished by now.”
“That's mighty thoughtful of you, Jessica. Thank you,” he replied earnestly, eyeing the basket with anticipation. “You don't know just how much I was hoping for something like this.”
“I aim to please.” Her voice was soft enough that only he could hear it, and he could have melted from the warmth that radiated from her smile. “Is this a wild horse?”
“That's right. We caught him grazing on our land and I thought he was too much of a beauty to not keep him around. He allows us to stable him and groom him, but when the ranch hands try to saddle him or try to ride him, he starts acting up. We'll have to break him if this keeps up, and I'd almost feel bad for having to put him through it.”
“Is it that terrible of a thing?” Jessica asked quizzically, setting the basket of food on top of a nearby post and pulling out a sandwich. It seemed to be made of thinly sliced beef and thick slices of a sharp cheese.
“I suppose it depends on how the horse would view it. I'm going to need to spend time with him and let him get used to having me around. Once I can gain his trust, the real work will begin. However, this kind of thing takes time. It’ll take more than a few days, possibly months, to accomplish,” he replied truthfully, rolling his shoulders. “Whether he cooperates or not will determine how rough it is to break him in.”
“Can you tell me more about it? The process of breaking in a horse, I mean. You aren't mistreating them, are you?” Her flurry of questions caught Gavin off guard, the rancher holding his hands out in front of himself in a stopping motion.
“Let's start from the beginning, alright? They call it breaking in, but it just means getting them comfortable around humans. You have to start by spending time with them and getting them used to your smell, the sound of your voice, and so on,” he said matter-of-factly, smiling despite himself at the interest she was showing. “You have to make sure you remain within the horse’s sight and not make sudden movements. Horses are skittish creatures at the best of times. You don't want the creature to run off or kick you because he got spooked.”
“Please, tell me more,” she smiled, the happiness beaming from her face enough to cause his heart to flutter slightly in his chest. Claudia had never shown interest in these kinds of things, so to hear Jessica’s intrigue came as a genuine surprise. “What happens once you earn his trust?”
Gavin lost track of time as they spoke, going into great detail about the steps required to break in a horse. He explained to her about the importance of being calm and gentle with the horse, and to never raise your voice, for fear of ruining whatever trust you might have fostered. Jessica seemed to listen to everything he said with rapt attention, her tongue pushing her cheek out gently in a way he found rather cute.
“Well, I better let you get back to it,” Jessica said eventually, gathering up the now empty basket and starting to make her way toward the house. She paused for a moment a few feet away from him. “Hey, Gavin?”
“Yeah, Jessica?”
“I'd like you to build some trust with me, too,” she said, offering him one final glance before running off toward home. That was actually pretty nice. I hope we can talk like that more from now on.
Chapter 13
I really think he might be opening up to me a little more. That's a relief. The atmosphere of the household held a stifling tone that Coralee couldn't quite understand. She knew the source of the tension; the situation with Gavin and his brother was no doubt creating a strange situation amongst the family members.
Not that the drama between Lucas and I is any less strange. If Gavin knew the truth about me, would he still be so willing to look at me with those wonderful eyes that gaze into my very soul? Could he love the maid with no money instead of the socialite he thinks he's marrying?
She kept trying to come to grips with the situation, guilty over her deceitfulness. She felt her heart skip a beat from the look in his eyes earlier, which had held something she hadn't seen since the first week she'd been here. His feelings were still there; she just needed a chance to keep cultivating those feelings. Asking about horses was just the first thing she wanted to know.
I really like how animated he gets when he talks about horses. He must have a big heart to look after so many animals day after day – it can't be just a ruse. He's a bit rough around the edges, but I think on the inside he’s loving and sweet. I just need to let him grow to trust me, like he's doing with that mustang. I need to let him get used to my presence.
The absurd image of Gavin as a horse briefly flashed through her mind, causing her to cover her mouth quickly as she started to giggle. Her laughter was so intense that she soon felt a stitch in her side, falling over briefly next to the row of potatoes she was growing and having to massage the tightened muscle.
“Are you alright, Jessica?” Viola's voice was filled with amusement, like the older woman was trying to hold back her own laughter and failing miserably.
“Yes, I'm alright. Just a cramp in my side is all.” Coralee rose from the ground and dusted off the front of her dress. “Is everything alright with you? I saw the whole thing with Gavin earlier this morning, plus I noticed Isaac looking at Gavin's empty seat. It was a little hard to miss.”
“I'm sorry about that. You've come at such a strange time and I'm sure it’s all been very taxing on you, but I thank you for being so wonderful about the whole situation. I very much appreciate having your help around the house lately, and I know Gavin will start warming up to you even more now that you took lunch to him today. You were gone for an awful long while, did anything happen while you were there?” Viola's voice was that of an inquisitive mother, a faint smile touching Coralee's lips for the briefest moment as she remembered her own mother. She had been the same way whenever Coralee took longer than expected when running an errand.
“He was just telling me about a horse he’s going to be breaking. I asked what that meant, and he launched into this whole explanation about it! It was so impressive that he knew all that stuff!” Coralee blushed when she realized she was talking fast in her excitement
, clearing her throat lightly. “He says he'll try to give me riding lessons in a few days. I wonder if he would let me help with that stallion if I asked him.”
“I think it would be worth asking him next time you see him. Just like the horses he constantly trains, he requires patience. I know I probably sound like a broken record but believe me. A woman who can get along well with a man's mother will make an excellent wife.” Viola gave Coralee a gentle pat on the shoulder and left it at that. “I best go get supper started.”
“What sort of dish do you have in mind for tonight? Beef stew? Venison gravy and potatoes? I saw a neat little recipe in one of the magazines back in Boston for something called a Shepherd’s Pie. I think we could make it by substituting the lamb for something we have on hand,” Coralee offered, tapping her chin thoughtfully.
“Oh, that sounds wonderful! Do you remember enough of the recipe that you would be able to recreate it?” Viola asked, tugging on Coralee's arm to bring her toward the house.
“I can walk, Viola! You'll tear my arm off if you keep this up,” Coralee half joked, the woman's grip like iron.
