“You came,” he said.
“I did. Weren’t you supposed to be in bed with a hangover?”
“I didn’t drink too much, and I didn’t stay up late. There was nothing interesting in that bar.” He fixed his serious gaze on me, and my cheeks heated.
I didn’t want to read between the lines, because I was afraid of misinterpreting what was there.
“Bummer,” I muttered, stroking Autumn’s mane.
“I don’t understand.” Garrett tilted his head to the side, watching me as I jumped off the horse. “Tom isn’t nice, nor is Midnight Dream. How the hell did you get on their good side?”
I smiled. “Honestly, I don’t know.” He patted Autumn’s neck and stared at me. This time, I held his gaze, wishing I knew what was going through his mind. Maybe I wanted to find out what was written between the lines. Boldness surged in me. “I guess it’s just my charm,” I teased.
His hazel eyes darkened, and I instantly regretted saying that. I averted my gaze and grabbed Autumn’s reins from Garrett.
“Excuse me,” I said, walking past him.
What was I thinking? He definitely knew about all the shit Audrey had been saying about me, and he probably believed it. Flirting with him would only fan the flame and make everything worse.
I took Autumn to his stall, and then looked for Tom to see what I could do next. I scanned the area, thinking there was a bunch of stuff to be done, but I didn’t want to put my paws all over the place. Tom must have his way of doing things, and I didn’t want to upset him enough that he would kick me out of here.
Midnight stuck his head over the stall’s door and snorted.
That stallion-wannabe looking at me that way? I smiled and went to him.
“What is it, big boy?” I scratched his ear. He shook his head, showing me he liked that. I leaned into him and embraced his neck. His heavy head rested on my shoulder, and I ran my fingers through his silky mane. He nipped at my hair, tickling me. “You’re telling me you like me? Well, you’re the only one in this entire state.”
“Midnight is a tough guy.” Garrett’s voice came from the back entrance. “If you won him, I bet you can win over more people.”
I turned my face, resting my cheek on Midnight’s cheek, and looked at him. Garrett was walking toward us. “Have you seen Tom? I want to ask him what else I can do.”
He halted beside me, crossing his arms. “Why are you helping? Don’t you have anything better to do?”
“Do you have a problem with me helping? I thought you would be glad since that would mean you have less stuff to do.”
Again, one corner of his lips curled up. Didn’t he smile? Ever?
“Oh, believe me, I don’t mind you helping. One—” He raised his index finger. “—yes, I have less stuff to do then. Two—” He raised his middle finger. “—there’s something nice to look at besides my dear horses.” I stopped breathing. Something nice to look at? Was he saying he thought I was pretty? But he wasn’t finished. He raised his ring finger and continued, “And three, Midnight likes you. That’s a great feat, and I’m wondering if that would help with his training.”
“What are you saying?”
He took a halter from a hook on the wall. “I’m saying you should take him for a quick run to get him warmed up. Delilah should be here in an hour, and if he’s ready, we can get right into training.”
He offered the halter to me, and I felt like the kid who got candy after dinner for having cleared her plate. I suppressed a happy squeal and snatched the halter from him.
“Do you hear that, big boy? You and I are going for a ride.” I planted a kiss on Midnight’s forehead.
“Kissing a horse?” Garrett scrunched his nose. “That’s damn waste of a good kiss.”
I spied him with the corner of my eyes and I found his lips curled a tiny more than usual. I didn’t know why, but making him show me a full smile felt like a mission I couldn’t fail.
***
Midnight and I galloped around the arena.
He was perfect. Strong, fast, confident. I felt like I was flying. I wondered how cool it would be to jump with him. Delilah was lucky to have a horse like Midnight to compete with her. Although, I still thought he was too young for it.
Garrett watched the twenty minutes I exercised Midnight, seated atop the tall white fence. I could see the wheels inside his head turning, and if he had a pad in his hands, he would be taking notes. About what, though? He knew this horse.
In the last five minutes, Tom showed up and hooked his arms atop of the fence. He and Garrett exchanged a few words.
“Time’s up,” Garrett shouted.
I pulled the reins and slowed Midnight, steering him toward the men.
I leaned over the horse and patted his neck. “Good boy.” I stopped him in front of Garrett and smiled. “He’s amazing.”
Garrett nodded, his face serious, and Tom looked at me with a frown.
I was about to ask them what happened when Garrett’s cell phone beeped. He glanced at it and sighed.
“Delilah will be here in ten minutes,” he said, jumping off the fence. “Can you cool him down, please?”
“Yeah,” I said. He stalked off and I glanced at Tom. “Something wrong?”
“When isn’t something wrong?” Tom answered before following Garrett inside the stables.
What the hell?
Midnight nickered, bringing my attention back to him. “All right, big boy.” I slipped off him. “Let’s get you cooled down for your practice.”
I didn’t take him inside to a wash stall since he would be out here again in a few minutes. I just tied his reins to a fence post, took off his saddle, and turned on the hose on the outside of the stable.
As soon as the cold water hit his hot coat, he advanced on me in a happy gait. I laughed and got out of his way. To let him play, I untied his reins and held them in my left hand, while I hosed him with the right one.
He nipped at my shirt, biting the edge, and pulled me closer.
I laughed. “Hey. Are you trying to get me wet too?”
He nickered and I laughed louder. He tried nipping at me again and I stepped aside, turning around to escape him, and saw Garrett leaning in the stable’s doorway, watching us with his arms crossed.
That caught me by surprised, and I came to an abrupt halt, facing him. He held my stare, his expression impassive. I didn’t get him. Half an hour earlier, I could swear he was flirting with me, and now he was distant and looking at me as if I had stolen something from him.
Midnight poked his muzzle on my waist, tickling me, and I laughed again. I pushed Garrett out of my mind and turned to the horse.
We played with the water for a while, and he did manage to get my legs soaked. Droga, I didn’t have any other jeans with me. Next time, I would bring a couple of extra pants, boots, and tops.
I was about to turn off the hose when Midnight bit my shirt again and pulled me back, away from the faucet.
I laughed. “Come on, big boy. We have to get you ready.”
“What’s going on?”
A chill wave rushed through me. Midnight let go of me and neighed.
I turned around and found Delilah tapping her foot on the ground, her hands on her hips, and her blue eyes about to murder me.
“I asked, what’s going on? What are you doing with my horse?”
“I was helping Garrett. He asked me to cool Midnight down before your practice.” I walked to her, pulling the horse with me. He snorted, not wanting to come, but I jerked the reins with force. I offered her the reins. “Here. He’s all yours.”
She took the reins, still looking at me as if she was going to jump at my throat at any moment.
“Excuse me.” She took a step closer, expecting me to move from her away. Oh, there was plenty of space by my sides. I jutted my chin out and didn’t move.
With a huff, Delilah walked around me, keeping her eyes on mine until she couldn’t turn her neck any farther.
&nbs
p; I watched as she marched to the other side of the arena, fighting with Midnight all the way. He didn’t want to go with her, but she pulled him hard and hissed at him. That was no way to treat a horse.
Garrett was going after her, but before walking on, he paused by my side and offered me a hand towel.
“You’ve got some balls,” he said, his lips turned up.
I smiled, using the towel to dry a little of my pants. “I rather think I don’t.”
He chuckled low, and I swear he almost smiled. Shaking his head, he said, “Gotta make sure the princess is well attended.” He tipped his hat and followed his half-sister to where the jumping poles were set up.
After yelling at the horse, Delilah mounted him and set out to practice. She seemed upset and uptight, and the horse was sensing it and hesitating before the jumps, which caused him to bump the poles, and Delilah to scream because of it. I couldn’t hear them from here, but Garrett seemed to be trying to reason with her, but she looked like one bossy kid.
“They argue during practice day in, day out,” Tom said from behind me. He had a saddled Pepper with him, holding her by the reins.
“It makes Midnight tense,” I said.
“Garrett knows that, and I think Delilah does too, but the two of them? I know they care about each other, but they are too different; their styles are too different.”
I turned and watched them for a minute, and it was clear. Delilah was harsh, wanted Midnight to do exactly what she wanted, and she didn’t actually express it right or all of it. She probably wanted the horse to guess what she wanted. And Garrett was gentle with the animal. He treated Midnight as if he was a precious student, like Delilah. He was considerate and never raised his voice, not near Midnight anyway. With his clenched fists, pressed lips, hard jaw, and flared nostril, he wanted to explode, but somehow managed to keep it all in.
Points for Garrett.
“Since you want to help,” Tom started, catching my attention. I faced him and he continued, “Could you take Pepper for some exercise.”
Nodding, I traded Pepper’s reins for the towel. “Are you ready, girl?” I asked, patting her neck.
She nickered and I took that as a yes.
Laughing, I swung over her. I clicked my tongue and she moved in a slow gait.
I brought Pepper back in half an hour. Delilah was dismounting Midnight. She handed the horse to Garrett then rushed out as if the arena was on fire. She entered a sleek silver Mercedes and left before I had reached the stable.
I jumped off Pepper, right beside a lonely dandelion. I crouched and plucked it off the ground. I closed my eyes.
I wish Midnight’s owner really cared about him.
I opened my eyes and blew the dandelion. The white puffs flew around Pepper and me as Garrett walked past, taking Midnight into the stable.
He watched me with curious eyes. “What’s that for?”
I shrugged. “Nothing.”
Midnight neighed and pulled back. Sighing, Garrett extended his reins to me. “Want to trade?”
I looked at Midnight. The horse neighed again, jerking his muzzle in my direction.
“Don’t mind if I do.”
We traded reins, and instantly, Midnight stopped fighting. With a smile, I walked into the horse and wrapped me arms around his neck. He lowered his head over my shoulder.
“There, there.” I ran hands on his withers. “You’re okay now, big boy.”
Garrett shook his head. “Seriously, did you give a love potion to this horse? I’ve never seen him like this and I’ve been by his side since I delivered him.”
I laughed. “I told you, it’s my charm.”
He locked his gaze with mine. “Can’t argue with that.” Then he stalked into the stables with Pepper.
What did he mean?
I pulled Midnight into the stables and into a wash stall, right beside where Garrett was tying Pepper. We began cooling down the horses in silence. Being by his side and working with him was comfortable and almost familiar, but there were things hanging in the air that I wanted to clear.
“Is Delilah always this harsh with Midnight?” I asked in a low tone, a little concerned he would pretend he didn’t hear me.
“Unfortunately, yeah.” He sighed. “She’s harsh like that all the time, with everyone, not just Midnight, but because they have to be in total synchrony when they’re jumping and he feels how stressed and tense she normally is, he tenses up too, which makes her yell at him more.”
“I noticed that.” Midnight dug his wet muzzle on my side and I chuckled. A big wet splotch decorated my tank top. “Sorry for saying that, but I was glad Tom sent me out with Pepper. If I had stayed, I wasn’t sure I could have watched that for long without interfering.”
He nodded. “I know. I think Tom knew that too, and that’s why he sent you off with Pepper.”
I paused, feeling played. “Oh.”
In automatic movements, I turned off the hose, reached for a sweat scrapper, and started wiping excess water off Midnight. After I was done, I took Midnight to his stall and checked the time. Almost noon. I looked around. Garrett put Pepper inside her stall, but there was no one else there.
“Um, any idea where Tom is?”
Garrett shrugged. “He could be anywhere.”
“Well, I gotta go. Tell him I said thanks for letting me help.”
“I think he’ll be the one saying thanks. In fact, me too. Thanks for helping.”
I smiled. “You’re welcome.” Watching him, I gave a step back, and then turned to leave.
“Wait,” Garrett said. My heart skipped a beat and I faced him. “You’ll be back, right?”
“Yes.” If it depended on me, I wouldn’t leave this place—even with the potential of running into annoying Jonah. Hopefully, he wouldn’t come by too much.
Garrett showed me that cute lopsided grin. “Good.”
Chapter Ten
I made it back to campus with time to take another shower, stop by the coffee shop at the student center so I could grab a quick bite, and then step into the library. Phoebe and Jonah were already there, with their books and notes spread around a central table.
“Hi, Brazilian girl,” Jonah said, smiling, when I approached them.
I sat beside Phoebe. “I have a name.”
“I was about to call you,” Phoebe said. “Where were you?”
“I was …” I was about to tell them where I had been, but for some reason, I didn’t want Jonah to know I was at his father’s ranch. “I was busy.” I opened my books and notepad. “So, any ideas on topics?”
“I was thinking the Great Depression,” Phoebe suggested.
“How about the First World War?” Jonah asked.
I frowned. “But that’s not American history. I mean, not alone.”
“Yeah, but we can talk about how the Americans swooped in and saved the day.”
Typical. Americans and their super patriotism. Nothing wrong with that, until some people got sickly obsessed about it. I loved Brazil, but damn, I was the first one to point out all the bad things in my country without shame. Brazil had a bunch of flaws. Too many even, but I wasn’t going to pretend they weren’t there because I loved my country.
“Yeah, well,” I started. “I suggest we make a list of possible topics, and then we can vote on them.”
“I like that,” Phoebe said.
Jonah shrugged, clearly dissatisfied. “Whatever.”
After fifteen minutes, we had an extensive list. Each of us voted on the topics we preferred discussing, and we ended up choosing the Great Depression after all.
“That’s going to be depressing,” Jonah joked. Phoebe snorted, and I shook my head. “Come on, that was funny.”
I rolled my eyes. “Maybe a little.”
He leaned across the table and stared at me. “Confess. It was hilarious.” He reached over and rested his hand on my forearm, stroking his thumb over my skin.
Swallowing hard, I pulled my arm away. “We should
make an outline of important facts from the Great Depression to present to the professor next class.”
“Right,” Jonah said, his tone not hiding his disappointment.
When Jonah lowered his gaze to his notebook, Phoebe widened her eyes at me. I shook my head, hoping she understood not to ask about it. Undoubtedly, she would ask about it later though.
We composed a two-page essay about the other, longer essay we were going to write as our project. Phoebe assigned topics within the Great Depression for each of us to research and write about. The idea was to put all those parts together later and go over it to make sure everything aligned. If it didn’t, she said she could smooth it out. So far, this group project wasn’t such a bad thing.
Phoebe’s cell phone dinged, and she picked it up with a smile. “It’s Kevin.”
I closed my books and muttered, “Love birds.”
Her cheeks flushed as she answered the call.
“Her boyfriend?” Jonah asking, putting his things away too.
“Not yet,” I said.
Phoebe set down her phone. “Will you be mad if I bail on our coffee date to go to the movies with Kevin?”
“Of course not.” I grinned. “Go out with your guy.”
“Thanks.” She embraced her books and shot up. “I’ll call you later.”
“You better!” I yelled as she scrambled out of the library.
A lot of shhhs followed, but I shrugged. I was happy for her. And a little jealous.
“So.” Jonah leaned over the table again. “If you still want coffee, I can go with you. You know, as your date.” He flashed his trademark grin.
I sighed. “Jonah, Audrey told me about you and her.”
“There’s nothing—”
I raised my hand, interrupting him. “I don’t care. She thinks you two still have something going on. Really, it’s none of my business, but I don’t want any more trouble, so please, don’t ask me out, don’t look at me with your stupid grin, or anything else.” I picked up my books. “She’s already making a mess of everything because we have this project together. If she sees us together for any other reason, she’ll go ape shit.”
He laughed. “Wow, you do know Audrey.”
Breaking Fences (The Breaking Series) Page 8
