Canyon laughed and then walked back to Magnus and climbed back up.
"Let's go do this."
I wasn't nervous. I knew what to do. I grabbed onto Canyon's hand, put my foot in the stirrup and pulled. Just as I was going to swing my leg over, Canyon let the tension go of our grip and my balance shifted. I screamed at the top of my lungs as I started to fall backwards toward the ground. Just as I was emptying my lungs of air, Canyon's grip tightened again and I was pulled back toward him. My heart was racing out of my chest when I looked at Canyon and saw him smiling.
Rage. One single word that says so much.
"You son-of-a-bitch! You did that on purpose!"
His smile turned into a full out belly laugh. "Your face! Ha! That was priceless!"
I pulled myself onto the back of Magnus and then sat there while he practically wet himself from laughing so hard. I wanted to leave but I had no idea where I was to be able to get back. Fate dealt me a pretty crappy hand when they put this lunatic in my path.
"Are you done?"
He didn't say anything but I could hear him try to settle himself down. When a few large exhales happened I knew he was finally over his fit.
"That sure felt good."
He picked up the reins and kicked Magnus. I had no choice but to put my hands around him again. Even if it was the last place in the world I wanted them to be.
Running through the fields almost had me forgetting about his stupid prank until I heard him say, "You were so funny."
"It wasn't funny at all."
"Yes it was. Maybe not to you but it sure was."
About ten minutes later, we were riding up to a place I hadn't seen yet. There was a fenced in area with a gate and then off to the left the fencing ran in a complete circle.
"What's this for?"
Canyon pointed to the first area I saw and said, "That's a corral and that over there is a round pin. Both are used to contain and work with them."
"So is this where they go when we let them out? I thought they would get to run."
"Oh no, you were right. Today's not a day for training. We have actual work to do."
He steered Magnus around the fencing and across the back of the barn before we came to stop at the very place we got on. I slid down first and then walked into the barn to check out the other horses. Some were smaller than others and the color range was surprising.
"Hey, Canyon, didn't you say you caught only six? Why do they all look so different if they came from the same parents?"
He was taking all the equipment off of Magnus but still answered, "Four mares and two stallions. Breeding them became like mixing paint."
I looked at the stall across from me that was empty and asked, "Is this where you put Magnus? I can't remember."
Canyon looked up to see where I was talking about and then smiled, "No, Ari, that stall’s not empty. Go look."
He didn't go back to working but chose to stand and watch me instead, making me nervous. Slowly I crept over to the bars and peered over the wall.
"OH MY GOD!"
It was hands down the cutest thing I had ever seen. Standing at its full height, the baby wasn't yet tall enough to see out. Its ears were above the railing but not the head. It was covered in white with black spots all over, like someone splashed paint on it. Its hair was black and when it looked up at me my heart melted.
"Canyon! Is it a boy or a girl?"
I jumped when he answered from right behind me. "He's a boy."
"Did you name him yet? How old is he? Can I go in? Or can he come out?"
"Calm down, woman. Give me a chance to talk." He put his hands on my shoulders and said, "His name is Triton and he's four months old." I could feel his breath on my neck. "Now, foals can be finicky, so when you handle them you have to be careful. I just started him with a halter last week so if you want to pet him always make sure I'm around, okay?"
He pushed me forward and turned me slightly so I would look at him. "That goes for the other three too."
I swear that grin was something that deserved its own definition at times but this one I had matched.
"There's three more? Where?"
I tore off from his grasp, searching through every stall until I found all three of them. Each one was still with their mother and smaller than Triton by half the size. Their legs made up the bulk of their height making them look awkwardly cute.
"Canyon, they're so cute!"
I was on my tippy toes, gripping the cold bars that separated me from the cutest one yet. It had a strawberry blond fur with white blond hair just like its mom.
"You're kinda fond of that one, huh?"
"How can you tell?" I didn't take my eyes off the foal as I spoke.
"A Palomino is striking to say the least."
"What does that mean?"
"It's what a horse is known by if its coat and mane are this color."
"Is this one a boy too?"
"No, darlin’. She's a beautiful lady just like her momma."
"I just want to wrap her up. I have never seen a more adorable creature before."
"I got something to show you that might change your mind."
He grabbed my hand and pulled me away taking from me any choice in the matter.
"Wait, what's her name?"
"Haven't given her one yet."
"Why? That's just mean."
"No, it's not. I haven't found anything pretty enough to suit her."
"Nyah."
"What did you just say?"
"Nyah. I like the name Nyah."
"Where did you hear that?"
"I haven't before. It just came to me."
"That sure is pretty. Nyah. Yeah, I think that could work for her."
"Yeah! I got to choose a name. Any more unnamed creatures running around that need my services?"
I wagged my butt from side to side doing a happy dance causing Canyon to laugh at me.
"You sure have some silliness to ya, girl."
I shut down pretty fast realizing I got caught up in the moment.
"Hey, don't stop on my account. I kind of need that around here."
I looked into his eyes and realized he was telling me something that ran deeper than the surface of his words. In that moment I realized I was helping him somehow just as much as he was helping me.
"So, what was it you wanted to show me?"
Chapter 7
"Oh my gosh! How does this keep getting better?"
"I knew this was the icing on the cake."
"How many are there? I can't count. They're moving too fast."
"Nine if you can believe it. Poor Dolly is dropping weight like crazy having to feed the hungry little suckers. They're going to literally suck her dry."
In a pen protected by a chain link fence was the cutest litter of puffy white and black puppies.
"What kind are they?"
"Shetland sheep dogs."
"They're so freakin’ cute. Where's the dad?"
"He's here somewhere. I have never been able to catch the son-of-a-bitch. I got him five years ago and he never sticks around."
"Well he sticks something somewhere obviously."
"Was that a joke? You actually can joke? I never would have guessed." He was laughing so at least I had that.
"I’m not a stuck up person. I just like to keep to myself sometimes."
His laughter died off and was followed by, "I can respect that."
It started to feel awkward and I needed to break the silence.
"So, is this the work you were talking about? I mean, I can sit here all day and play with puppies, if that's okay with you."
"No, that's not okay with me. We need to let all the horses out and muck the stalls."
"Damn, I knew there was cleaning crap somewhere in my future."
"You got that right. But it's not all bad. I will take the piles while you handle the sawdust."
"Sawdust?"
"Just follow me. I will explain it all as we go."
Back in th
e barn I stood and watched as Canyon let each latch go and then led the horses out of the barn. The mere strength of them blew me away. You could visibly see every muscle grind as they moved. The babies were my favorite part though. Each one stuck right beside their mom all the way out into the pasture.
When every stall was empty, Canyon came walking back toward me with a shovel. He made a turn to the left and opened a door telling me to follow him. Once I made it around the corner I saw what he was getting at. The largest pile of sawdust you could imagine was inside of it.
"This is what you need to scoop up and spread over the urine spots in every stall."
"So I'm supposed to just cover the piss not clean it?"
"The straw absorbs it."
"Oh, okay."
That didn't seem too hard. “I can handle this,” I thought, as Canyon handed me the shovel and walked away.
Taking the shovel and plunging it into the pile was one thing. Lifting it and carrying was another. Holy crap that stuff isn't light. My arms felt like they were going to give out before I made it into the first stall. Canyon was coming out of the gate with a shovel full of what looked like exactly what I was carrying.
"The wet stuff?"
"Yep, you gotta clean it out or where would it go?"
He passed me and headed out the back door. “Well, if he just took the wet stuff, where am I supposed to put this?” crossed my mind.
"CANYON."
He didn't come back so I immediately called for him again.
"CANY—"
"Damn, woman, you sure have some pipes on you. What's wrong?"
"My arms are about to fall off standing here and I have no idea where to put it if you took all the wet stuff."
“You can see where the floor is still damp in spots. Just spread it there."
Well that seemed easy enough. I walked into the stall and searched the dirt floor for damp spots and spread it out like he said. There was straw along the back wall leading me to believe that's where they sleep.
"Do we need to replace the straw too?"
"Only if there are piles in it."
"They crap where they sleep?"
"They'll drop a load where ever it comes out. Horses aren't finicky."
"Gross."
"It is what it is."
Two hours later we were finished with the stalls and I was worn out. I knew it would be hard work but damn. Country lifestyle isn't easy.
"Canyon, do you think I could use your bathroom?
He had been closing the back door to the barn when I asked and stopped what he was doing but didn't answer me right away. It wasn't a hard question that required deep thought. I had to pee. What was the big deal?
Finally, after he finished closing the door he turned and said, “Sure thing, follow me." Like it didn't take him any time to decide. The closer we got to the house the more I wondered what he didn't want me to see and it started to creep me out.
"You know what, never mind. I can just go home if we're done for the day. It's getting late anyway."
He almost looked relieved when he said, "Okay, if you’re sure" which confirmed my suspicions.
"All right then, have a good night."
I turned and walked away toward my truck without him saying a word and heard the back door to the house close behind him.
It was a short drive home but I did it with a smile on my face. Yes, I still needed to go to the bathroom and yes, he weirded me out, but all in all it was a great day. I couldn't remember having so many experiences in such a short time. By the end of cleaning the stalls I had even got used to doing that.
It was almost dark when I pulled into the driveway of the house. After I turned the truck off I sat for a second just staring at the last place I wanted to be. I missed my friends and most of all Kale which was the stupidest feeling to have. Anyone that could hurt me the way he did didn't deserve to be missed. He deserved to be hated but somethings can't be turned off just because you want them to.
Walking in through the front door had me excited for only one reason: I couldn't wait to share my day with Shelby. I knew she was going to be so happy when I offered to take her with me the next day. I hadn't asked Canyon but what harm could it do?
"Shelby," I called for her as soon as I closed the door behind me and went in search for the little monster. When I didn't find her in her room I called for her again.
"Shelby!"
"Stop fucking screaming in my house!"
The step-dick was sitting his fat butt on the couch in the family room as I entered it.
"Sorry. Have you seen Shelby?"
"Do I look like her keeper?"
I wanted to say anything but what I let come out of my mouth.
"No, sir."
"Then why are you still standing there like a dumb ass deer in headlights, go away."
I walked into the kitchen where I found Shelby at the table playing her iPad with ear buds in. The kicker was my mother was sitting next to her and clearly heard the whole thing. How hard would it have been to just say, “She's in here”?
I walked over to my little sister and tapped her shoulder. Her face lit up but then turned quickly into a scowl.
As she pulled the ear buds out she said, "You smell terrible."
I laughed realizing I probably did.
"You just laughed! Arianna, I haven't seen you do that in a long time."
I was just about to respond when I heard, "Yes, Arianna, please tell us what's funny about you smelling my house up like shit? Speaking of shit, how was it cleaning it up?" He laughed but it was as fake as his good side.
I looked back at Shelby. "I'm going to go take a shower but then I want to talk to you, okay?"
"Okay."
I walked out of the room telling myself, “Just two more months.”
Once the warm water hit me it was as if it activated the smell. I half coughed, half gagged at it myself. A new bar of soap practically disappeared after I stood there scrubbing for an hour to make sure it was gone. When I was done, I got dressed and went to Shelby's room only to find her sitting on the edge of her bed waiting.
"That took a long time."
"Well, I was pretty stinky."
"What did you want to talk about?"
"Did anyone tell you where I was today?"
"Daddy said you had to work and then something about poop in the kitchen."
"Well, I went to Canyon's after school to help him. You will never guess what he has, Shelby! I can't wait to take you with me tomorrow to see."
"What is it?"
"I want it to be a surprise."
"That's just mean."
"I was going to tell you all about it but I just realized how much better it will be if you don't know. I didn't and I was amazed."
"Is it going to be cool?"
"Cooler than you can imagine."
"Then I can't wait."
"Shelby! Dinner’s ready."
"Come on, Arianna. Let's go eat. Daddy made steaks."
I was starving but knew I had nothing to look forward to. His steaks were always rare and the blood grossed me out.
"Sounds great, squirt. Let's go."
The conversation over dinner consisted of me listening while Shelby and John talk. My mother and I, as usual, kept our heads down and just focused on eating.
I cleaned the kitchen after everyone was done and went to Shelby's room afterwards to hang out with her. We played a couple games on her iPad and laughed at a few YouTube videos before she shocked me with something I didn't see coming.
"Daddy shouldn't have said that at dinner."
She knew whether I told her or not how awful her father was to me. I just found it more important to make sure she appreciated what he was to her rather than let her focus on me.
"It's okay, Shelby. It's my fault I don't like steak. I should really try to eat what food he provides for us and not be ungrateful like he said."
"It just doesn't seem fair. I don't like Brussels sprouts and he doe
sn't yell at me to eat them."
She was figuring it out whether I wanted her to or not.
"Well, let’s not worry about that. It's time for your shower any way. You stink and need to start getting ready for bed."
"Why do I have to go to bed so much earlier than you?"
"Because I am twice your age. When you get bigger you can stay up later too."
"Okay."
She drug the word out letting me know she wasn’t happy but regardless, she grabbed a towel and pajamas on her way out of the room before she turned and said, "Arianna, I like seeing you happy. If what I'm going to see tomorrow did this then I can't wait."
Long after I tucked Shelby in for the night and the house was quiet I still laid wide awake in bed. I checked Facebook to see what all of my friends were up to and even saw Kale in a few pictures. Life had carried on for them without a hitch, as if what happened didn't have any effect. Envy coursed through my veins. I longed to be back there, in those pictures, laughing without a care in the world again. Knowing that it wasn't a possibility crushed me. It wasn't my fault. Well, it wouldn't have been if I had never gone to the party that night.
An hour later I had enough of self-pity to last a lifetime and decided to go for a walk. I grabbed my coat, this time knowing the temperature had dropped and I wasn't planning on coming back anytime soon.
The gravel crunched under my feet making a sound I had never heard a week before but now was becoming used to. Even the smell didn't hit me like the first day we got there. Somehow I was conforming and that bothered me.
The moon was almost full and lit up the night sky. As much as I wanted to hate this place I had to admit how pretty it was. The stars were my favorite part. In the city they never seemed to exist. In the county it almost felt like you could reach out and touch one they were so close.
Before I knew it, I was passing Canyon's house. This time when I looked there were no lights on to bring it to life. I thought about all the work we had left unfinished and how exhausted he must have been after doing it all by himself. His life was so vastly different from anything I had ever experienced. To bear so much responsibility. I didn't know where his parents were but it seemed very wrong that a man his age would have to carry that kind of burden. What was it about that house anyway? I fell in love with the outside the moment I saw it but the way he made me feel that afternoon brought on a completely different emotion. What demons were lurking inside? What formed the mood swings that came on when parts of his past were brought into question? The more I thought about it the less I wanted the answers. Some secrets are best buried, for when they surface they can suffocate you.
Let It Be Me Page 6
