I stopped at the fence by Field One and watched its occupants. I tried my luck at remembering names, but I was pretty sure it was a different group of horses. I did recognize Sam’s horse, Sadie Liz, and I thought the gray one was Nellie. Then something caught my eye in Field Two. It was Austin’s racehorse, Need for Speed. And he had the entire field to himself.
“What a bratty horse,” I said to myself as I walked over. I stood at the fence and clicked my tongue at him, but he barely gave me the time of day. “I bet you’re not even very fast,” I sneered at him. He pretty much turned his butt to me and continued to graze, so I decided to leave the stuck up thing to himself and headed toward the guesthouse for the evening.
I did remember the horses in Field Four, though: Bad Whiskey, Okey Dokey, Down and Dirty, Happy Appy, and Inky Black. Inky was the first one to come over to me since he was closest to the fence.
Then I tried Austin’s little whistle tune and Down and Dirty lifted her head up at the far end of the field. She looked my way for a few seconds, but I decided that I probably wasn’t the handsome man she was hoping to see. However, she started walking my way, and when she reached the fence, brought her head over so I could pet her.
“Hey, there. You’re a much friendlier choice. I’d pick you over Stuck-on-Himself any day.” I rubbed her face and behind her ears, and then Inky was there to remind me of his presence too. “Oh yes, I like you also,” I told him, patting him at the same time.
I remembered I had dog biscuits in my pocket so I reached inside to give them each one. I’d seen Jack do the same thing to his horse, so I didn’t think it would hurt. They both gobbled the treats up and seemed to beg me for more. Down and Dirty stuck her head through the fence at my waist and nudged my pocket.
“Hey, watch it, chica. You get out of my pants.”
I heard a chuckle from behind and it scared me. I turned around to meet an unfamiliar face approaching from the guesthouse. He was maybe my age, and because of the dark hair, I instantly assumed he was Austin’s brother.
He came up to the fence and stood next to me, giving Bad Whiskey (who had just met him there) a rough pat on the neck. “You must be Nova?” he asked.
“You must be Jeff.”
“Yep. Nice to meet you.”
“You too.”
We were both quiet for a few seconds, and Down and Dirty tried for my pockets again.
“She’s got one thing on her mind and it’s usually food,” Jeff said. “You’ve probably just made a friend for life, but now she’s always gonna search you for treats.”
“Uh-oh. So does that mean I should be prepared with food, or go straight to weaning her from the idea.”
He smiled and said, “She’ll never forget, so be prepared to be felt up no matter what.”
Okey Dokey was now adamant for Jeff’s attention, so he rubbed the back of his ears for a few seconds.
“How come you’re not inside playing poker with the rest of ‘em?” he asked.
“Oh, are they playing cards? I guess I walked outside before they started.”
“Oh, so you’re not purposely trying to avoid the crowds?”
“No, not at all. Does someone think that?”
“Nah, they were just wondering if you wanted to play, but you disappeared. Jack sent me to find you so I could introduce myself.”
I slightly nodded.
“You wanna play with us, though?” he asked.
“Uh, I only play poker with my grandpa, so I’m probably not a fierce competitor.”
He chuckled and said, “Ah, that doesn’t matter. Sami’s playing and she sucks.”
It was my turn to laugh, but I did nod my head and said, “Okay, but don’t expect too much.”
Of course my first hope was that Austin was there playing as well, but I told myself not to expect too much either, and when he wasn’t there, I just pushed aside the feeling I had and sat down at the table with everyone else.
I didn’t see Austin on the ranch at all that weekend, and if he was there, he was obviously steering clear of me. I kept pretty busy with Jack anyway, and besides another riding lesson with Sam on Saturday afternoon, I really only worked. But it didn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about him in between everything…
I spent time with Lori on Sunday morning, and she went over vaccinations and medications with me. I was getting ready to leave that evening when I met Austin’s dad, Dave. Jack actually introduced me to him as he breezed past us with another man. I was a little worried when Jack interrupted them because they looked pretty serious, but Dave said goodbye to the other guy and turned his attention to me.
“Ah, so you’re Nova,” he smiled. “I’m Dave; it’s nice to finally meet you.”
“You as well.”
“I’ve been gone the last two weekends so I didn’t get to meet our newest arrival. How are things going so far? You getting familiar with everything?”
I nodded and said, “Yes, I’m working on it.”
“If Jack is a handful just let me know. I’ll fire him and you can take his place.”
“Don’t tell her that,” Jack scoffed. “She’s good enough to do it.”
“Well I don’t want to take anyone’s place,” I said. “I love your ranch and I’m just happy to be here.”
“Well we’re happy to have you. Any friend of Austin’s is welcome in any capacity here.”
“Oh, uh, thank you,” I replied, not sure what “any capacity” meant.
We talked for a few more minutes, and after Dave left to go take care of some business in the stable office, I said farewell to Jack and headed for home.
The next two weekends were almost the same. By the same I mean that Austin was not in Bakersfield. I wasn’t sure what to think of that, but I was determined that I should take advantage of it and get my studies in at the ranch. I achieved what I wanted, but I couldn’t get Austin’s face out of my head. He even popped up in my dreams. Waking up all hot and bothered put a stupid grin on my face, but my romantic fantasies about him needed to stay out of my way.
By the beginning of May I was on a pretty consistent schedule with Jack. I loved being on the ranch and I enjoyed the people I was around. I was still trying to get used to Lori, but I figured I could handle her well enough since she’s wasn’t there very often.
I was at Harmony Acres the second weekend of May. It was Saturday, and I was sitting in the backyard studying for my upcoming finals. Jack was gone for the afternoon, and since there wasn’t anything for me to do, he told me to take the afternoon off, too. I was just quizzing myself for my chemistry exam when the growl of an engine came up the road. I could see most of the driveway that came up to the ranch, and that Camaro was unmistakable.
My heart doubled in speed as I listened to it continue on to the main house.
I couldn’t concentrate after that, so I set the book on the chair and walked toward the fence. Bad Whiskey was nearest to it, and she came over to greet me.
“I should just hop on you and clear my mind, huh Whiskey? Should we go for a ride?”
I knew that Sam was gone for the day to some horse event with her parents, and I was kind of bummed that I couldn’t go riding with her. I was told several times that I was welcome to ride certain horses any time I wanted to, but I still didn’t feel that established in my new environment to do much of anything on my own. I was still the new kid, and I didn’t want to overstep my bounds.
I returned to my chair and re-opened the book. I probably faltered through twenty minutes of studying before Clara stepped onto the back porch and said, “You’re needed at the office, sweetie.”
“Oh, okay,” I said, closing the book to bring it inside. “Who’s there? Lori?”
“Oh, not that office,” she replied. “The main house.”
My heart seemed to thud extra heavy. “Uh, everything okay?”
“I believe so. Probably needs paperwork from you or something,” she shrugged. “Can’t tell you how many times I’m summoned. I think I’
m just special,” she said in a haughty voice.
I smiled because of how much Clara actually did, and I knew she kept track of all kinds of things she took care of at the guesthouse.
I took my book upstairs to my room, but while I was up there I took a quick look in the mirror to make sure I looked presentable. I was barely up there for a minute before Clara called up and said, “Well what’s taking you so long?”
With an embarrassed smile I descended the stairs and replied, “I had to put my book away.”
“I’m teasing,” she said, handing me a dish with a lid over it. “Can you give this to Austin for me? Poor baby doesn’t have his mommy to cook for him today.” She said it sarcastically, but I knew that Clara jumped at the chance to feed anybody.
By the time I made it to the main house, I had two dogs and a cat following me. Tilly and Max were at my side, and Swamp Grass the cat was at my other side. I wasn’t sure where they thought they were going with me, but they kept me good company while I waited for someone to answer the door. Finally I just went inside, knowing that other people did the same when they were at this end of the house for business.
I set the food on the kitchen counter and then knocked on the office door.
“Yeah, it’s open,” Austin’s voice said.
I was already nervous, and it got worse after hearing his voice. Just the thought of being face to face with him again made me want to retreat. I took a deep breath before I opened the door and slowly peaked into the office. Austin was standing at the desk but he was leaning over it, writing something down. He looked up as I stepped into the room and we both seemed to freeze. I don’t know what was going through his mind, but I hadn’t seen him for four weeks and my heart was jumping for joy just from the sight of him.
“Hey,” I finally said.
“Hey.”
We were both quiet again and still pretty much motionless.
“Uh, did you need something?” I asked.
He stood up straighter and dropped the pen on the desk. “I did, but I don’t even remember what it was,” he replied, taking a couple of steps towards me.
I automatically shut the door behind me, just because of the way he was looking at me. Apparently he had on his mind what I had on mine, and when he stopped in front of me, I was sure he could hear my heart pounding.
“Man, I’ve missed you,” he said softly, reaching for the side of my face with his hand. He ran his thumb along my cheekbone and said, “I tried to give you some space to, you know, do your thing here, but I just…can’t avoid you any longer.”
My heart pounded even harder if that was even possible when I said, “I tried to use the time to focus on my job, but your absence only made me think about you more.”
And there was the smile that I’d missed so much, and then came the kiss that I’d been dying to receive for so long. I’m not sure how I disregarded all of my previous decisions at that moment, but I surely did as we stood there kissing for quite a while.
It was even better than in my dreams, and the feel of his lips and his tongue against mine made sent a bolt of electricity through my limbs. I was glad he was holding me so close because I wasn’t sure if I was even standing on my own. But it didn’t matter since I quickly learned that his bedroom was conveniently located right next door to the office.
Later on I did share with Austin how I felt about working at Harmony Acres while being in a relationship with him at the same time. He kind of argued the point a little, claiming that it wasn’t a big deal, but I think for my sake he went along with it just to humor me. I at least wanted to get past my part time stint, and once I was working on the ranch full time, I would reassess things from there.
Austin joked about the whole “secret lovers” thing, but I really felt like it was the right thing to do. I wanted the people that I worked with to respect me for the work I was able to do, not judge me for dating their boss. How was I supposed to feel comfortable with that?
When I told my grandpa that Austin and I were finally past dancing around our attraction to one another, he gave me this big huge smile and said, “It’s about damn time!”
But I still didn’t know if my relationship with Austin was appropriate while I was working for him and his family. My grandpa seemed to think my relationship with Austin is what actually came first, and that his family was already aware of that and hired me with that knowledge. I guess I kind of agreed, based on a few of the things his family members had said here and there, but I suppose I was really paranoid about it.
However, on the plus side of it, I felt a lot more relaxed in the other aspects of my life. I was happy that Austin and I talked on the phone every day, and just by having the assurance that he’d been interested in me for so long gave me a lot of confidence and joy that I hadn’t had before. I had three final exams that I took that month and I felt I did pretty well on them. When grades were posted I checked them online to find that I not only did well on my finals, but I came out with two A’s and an A- in those three classes. I was stoked (especially for the A- in chemistry).
I moved up to Bakersfield the first week of June. It was a Thursday, but Jack told me to take all the time I needed to get settled in. But, to my complete and utter delight, one of Marlo’s horses went into labor that afternoon, so I got to assist Jack in the field while he made sure everything went okay. There were several people milling around the facility, occasionally stopping by to check on the progress of Pardon My Dust, but only Marlo stayed for the duration of the birth. I’d never seen a colt born so it was fascinating to me, and even though there wasn’t much to do because everything went just fine, I still got to write it up for my work experience for Jack to sign off.
Austin arrived on Friday afternoon. I was in the stables treating Syncopation with her eye ointment when I heard his car rumble by. Even though I was giddy beyond belief, I continued on with my work, checking on Ridley—who’d been given stitches after tearing his flank open the day before—and then giving Sadie Liz some anti-inflammatory meds for her legs.
I heard a “Hey, psst” a minute later, and smiled at Austin waiting by the tack room. When I approached, he pulled me inside and shut the door. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he kissed me. We paused a minute later when we heard boot steps go by, and then continued making out. He gradually reduced the amount of contact and then smiled at me.
“I want you to come over tonight,” he said quietly.
“To your house? Austin, I don’t think—”
“Sam’s inviting a few friends over and I know she’ll invite you. Just say yes, okay?” I thought about it for a few seconds, and when I didn’t respond right away he said, “Pleeeeeease?”
I smiled and had to give in. “Okay. But if you think you’re going to drag me off to your room and nobody’s going to notice…”
He smiled and said, “When the time comes, I’ll send you a text with instructions.”
I laughed quietly and then said, “Well, I have a few more things to do right now, but maybe you should come eat dinner in the guesthouse tonight. I hear there will be good dessert.” He raised his eyebrows as I patted him on the chest and said, “I’ll catch ya later, handsome.”
“Wait, you have to kiss me again,” he said, grabbing my wrist before I could leave. He pulled me close and looked into my eyes. “I’ve waited all week for this reunion so you better make it good.”
I had to stifle a laugh, but before I could respond, his lips met mine with a passion that made me want to take his clothes off right there in the tack room. But it didn’t last long because another set of boots walked by (or maybe the same pair) and we stopped.
“Bye,” he said, giving me one last kiss before he went out the back door.
I took a deep breath to recover and left through the front door.
Sam did invite me over for that night. She caught me just as I was heading to the guesthouse to shower and get ready for dinner. I agreed to coming, but I felt guilty about it. Even though I real
ly liked Sam and would have said yes without Austin’s forewarning, I felt like I wanted to go over there only for him.
I was just coming down the stairs when he entered through the front door. He mouthed a “wow” when he saw me and I rolled my eyes because of my damp hair and bland appearance.
“Clara, I hear you made enchiladas,” he said loudly, heading straight for the kitchen.
“Why yes I did,” I heard her reply as I sat on the couch in the front room.
“My family is doing the whole pizza-thing because Sami’s having friends over. I’d rather have a home-cooked meal…”
I heard her laugh at the hint and it also made me smile in the other room.
“Well it’s just Heath and I and Nova tonight,” she told him.
“Perfect, then there’s more for me, right?”
She laughed again and said, “Unless your brother decides to roll in tonight; he can smell my food from the driveway.”
“He has a girlfriend that cooks for him all the time. He doesn’t appreciate it like I do.”
“Well if—” She seemed to stop short for some reason and then I heard the oven open. “Go see what’s holding up my husband,” she said. “And tell him he doesn’t get dessert since he’s late!” she hollered after him.
Austin came down the hall with a big smile and quietly said, “There is dessert.”
I laughed to myself as he left through the front door, and since he was only gone for a few seconds, I figured Heath must have already been on his way in.
Dinner that night was interesting. Austin, with all his wit and charm to control a conversation, had Clara and Heath telling me all kinds of stories about how they first met and the crazy things that happened at their wedding twenty-eight years ago.
I tried to be attentive to what was being said, but Austin kept staring at me with that cute little smile of his, and I could tell it made me blush. He took advantage of the fact that Clara and Heath barely glanced at him. They kept looking at each other and at me as they told their stories, most likely because Austin had heard them all before.
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