Open Skies

by Marysol James

  “No, thank you. I can’t face food right now.”

  “You look exhausted, Julie. Are you getting enough rest?”

  She managed a wan grin. “No.”

  He came over to her and she shrank back against the chair.

  “I’m not going to hurt you,” he said softly.

  “I know,” she said.

  Jake smiled now, his face lighting up and lightening. “Listen. Truce, OK?”

  “What?”

  “I mean, this whole stupid thing we’ve been doing. The arguing and sniping and glaring at each other. You’ve got enough weighing on your mind, and I haven’t helped. Truce.”

  Julie stared at him, taken aback. “Really?”

  “Yeah.”

  He stuck out his hand and she grasped it. Their eyes met for a second, and they both remembered being pressed against each other – her softness and his hardness, so perfect together – and dropped hands.

  “OK, well. I’d better get going,” Jake said. “I have some things to do at the stables. If you’re OK, that is. Do you want me to walk you home?”

  “No, thanks. I’m really fine now.”

  “OK. If you’re sure.”

  An idea had just come to her. “Actually, Jake? Can you hang on a second?”

  “Yeah.”

  She went to one of the bookshelves and opened it up. She took out two framed photographs: Jake and her father sitting on the porch, drinking beer and grinning. And her father up on a horse, Jake standing next to him. She brought them over to Jake. “I thought you might want these.”

  Astonished, he stared down at them. “I thought you threw them away...”

  She was embarrassed. “I lied to you about that. What you said at the stables last week, about me never caring for anything – it hurt me so badly. And when you came by here yesterday, and you were so upset about the pictures being gone, I – I saw a chance to hurt you back.” She was blushing bright red. “It was cruel. I’m sorry.”

  He stood there, holding the pictures in his hands. Dave smiling up at him, strong and healthy and kind. He blinked back sudden tears.

  “It’s OK, Julie. I get why you did it and I totally deserved it.”

  “No. No, you didn’t. It was horrible behavior. But it won’t happen again, I swear.”

  He smiled. “Thank you for these. They really mean a lot to me.”

  She smiled back at him, the first real smile she’d ever given him, and it took his breath away. It was radiant.

  “You’re welcome. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He paused. “So this means that – that you’ll stay? You won’t leave tomorrow?”

  “I’ll stay. For a little while, at least.”

  “Good. I’m glad.”

  They looked at each other again, that flame still between them. They looked away at the same time.

  “OK, well. Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight.”

  It took a lot of effort for him to not reach for her one more time.

  It took a lot of effort for her to not watch him walk away.

  She picked up her phone to cancel the taxi, and to cancel her plane ticket.

  **

  The next morning at eight o’clock there was a soft knock at the door of her cabin.

  Julie was sitting in her favorite armchair with a cup of cinnamon coffee, watching the mountains. It was Tuesday morning, and she’d been at Open Skies for just five days, but she found that she was falling in love with the Rockies. Her whole life had fallen apart just a week before, but under the luminous gaze of the mountains, that seemed just fine, somehow. They stood there, gigantic symbols of permanence and strength and stability. They showed her that some things just were, and always would be.

  The thought gave her comfort.

  She got to her feet and went to the door. There was Rob Cathay, dressed in his suit for the office. His hair was tousled from the chilly September wind whipping down from the mountains, and his eyes were bright in his face. He smiled at her.

  “Hi.”

  “Hi,” she gestured behind her. “Did you want to come in?”

  “Actually, I was hoping that you’d want to come out. For breakfast.”

  “Sorry?”

  “Manny is starting to feel a bit insulted that you haven’t been to sample his breakfast yet.”

  “Oh. Oh, no,” Julie said, flustered. “I haven’t meant any offence – I just…”

  “I’m joking,” Rob said gently. “But the truth is that I wanted to invite you to eat with me. Maybe we can get to know each other a bit? Plus, I think you need a good meal. I don’t think you’ve eaten properly since you arrived last week.”

  “Well, that’s really nice of you. But I have to finish packing – I’m moving out of here today. Up to the Big House, remember?”

  “I do. But you have some time. Come on. An hour won’t make that much difference, will it? I’ve asked Joe to move your stuff out around noon… that’s OK, right?”

  She looked up in to his face. She noticed for the first time that he was handsome in a down-to-earth kind of way: all-American blond and blue-eyed, boyish features right down to the dimples, a sweet demeanor. She thought he’d be the type who was always too shy to make the first move with a woman, but who’d treat anyone he was with like gold. Julie hadn’t met too many guys in her life that she’d refer to as ‘gentlemen’, but Rob did seem to be one.

  “OK,” she said, surprising herself. “I’d really like to join you for breakfast.”

  “Good,” Rob said.

  “Give me one minute to get ready, OK?”

  “Sure. Take your time.”

  She went in to the bathroom upstairs and brushed her hair. She hadn’t had time to pull it back in her usual tight chignon, so she just left it loose. She was wearing a simple soft pink shift dress with a white cardigan. She put on a pair of knee-high brown leather boots and chose some silver hoop earrings. She hadn’t fully made-up yet, but she put on a bit of blush and some pink lipstick and spritzed herself with a light rose scent.

  “OK,” she said to Rob. “I’m ready.”

  He stood up and reached for her coat by the door. He held it for her, helped her to put it on.

  She smiled up at him. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, Ms. Everett.” He opened the door.

  “Julie. My name is Julie.”

  “And I’m Rob.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you, Rob.”

  He looked at her, seeing her almost for the very first time. “And you too, Julie.” He thought about the look on Mattie’s face the day before when she’d told him about Julie never having known her father. “We’re all going to find it nice to get to know you.”

  **

  At about noon that day, Julie heard a knock at the cabin door. She squared her shoulders and went to answer it.

  There stood Joe, Rob, Jake, Phil and Mike. She blinked in astonishment at them all.

  “Umm. Hi?”

  “Hey, Julie.” Rob grinned at the look on her face.

  “Uh. I don’t think it’ll take six of us to carry four bags over to the Big House, will it?”

  “No. But we’ll help you pack some stuff up over there.”

  She paused. “Sorry, what do you mean?”

  “Nobody’s touched the Big House since Dave died, except to clean it, empty the fridge, that kind of thing. We left it as it was, since we figured you'd want to move in to Dave's place and you'd sort it all out yourself.”

  It dawned on her what that meant. “So – so all of his things are still there? Clothes and photos and personal belongings…”

  Rob nodded. “And he never really dealt with Margaret’s things, either, so there are still her clothes and stuff, too.”

  “Oh.” She felt a wave of dizziness pass over her.

  Jake saw the look on her face and immediately recognized it as the same one that he had seen in her office, right before she fell towards him, pale and limp and shaking. He reached out a stead
ying hand, held on to her elbow gently. “You OK?”

  Julie took a deep breath. “I think so. I just – I wasn’t expecting that.”

  Phil’s normally unruffled face was perturbed. “Julie, listen… in light of everything we know now about you and your father, maybe it’d be best if you just went on up to the main building and let us pack up his and Margaret’s things in the Big House. We can get it all done in two hours, I figure, and you can move in to a cleared house. It’d be like a blank slate.”

  She thought about that. “Yes, but… if you do that, then all his things will be in boxes and stored away, right?”

  “Right,” Phil said. “We’d keep it all in one of the storage rooms, maybe down at the stables. We won’t get rid of anything until you say so.”

  She nodded.

  Jake was watching her closely, his hand still on her arm. “So, what do you think?”

  She returned his gaze. “I’m not sure. I mean… I’m kind of wondering if I’ll regret not seeing his home as it was when he lived there. I feel like this is a chance to know him. Do I want to pass it up?”

  The men were silent, looking at her, watching her make up her mind.

  “OK, let’s go. Let’s all go. I’ll try – I’ll see how it goes.” She smiled. “If it gets to be a bit too overwhelming, I’ll leave it to you all. Deal?”

  “OK,” Rob said. “So, let’s grab the bags and head over. You tell us if you want to leave, and we’ll get everything ready for you.”

  “Fine.” She handed Rob the key to the cabin, picked up her purse and stepped aside so Joe, Mike and Phil could get the bags from the middle of the floor.

  She and Jake walked over to the Big House together, not talking. She glanced at him, wondering if he was going to be upset by going in to Dave’s house.

  “Jake?”

  He turned to her. “Yeah?”

  “Is this going to be hard for all of you – to go in to his place? Have any of you been in there since he died?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Jake said. “Me and Rob went to get a suit for the funeral, and his watch and shoes and cufflinks and stuff.”

  “That must have been rough.”

  “It was. But it had to be done.” He shrugged. “And it wasn’t as bad as I thought. It was actually kind of nice, in a way, being around the things that mattered to him.”

  They were at the Big House now, and they stood waiting for Rob to arrive and unlock the door.

  Jake touched her again and she looked up at him, startled. “If you start to feel like it’s too much, you just say the word. I’ll get you out of there, take you for a breath of fresh air. OK? You promise me?”

  “I promise.”

  The others arrived now and Rob produced the key from his pocket. “You want to do the honors?” he asked her.

  She shook her head. “No, go ahead.”

  He unlocked the door, swung it open, stood aside. “OK. Whenever you’re ready.”

  Julie stepped in to her father’s home, now her home. She looked around slowly, taking in a large living room, kitchen and dining area. There were windows everywhere and she looked out at her mountains, trusting them to encircle her right now, at this moment that she needed their strength and serenity.

  Calmer now, her trained and impartial interior designer eye started to take in details. The furniture was large and solid, the colors on the walls were bright and airy and cheerful. There was good space in here, space to breathe and move. Lots of books, photos, personal items like paintings and bowls on tables full of keys, spare change and batteries. She smiled at the laid-back feel of it all: comfort mixed with style. She walked to the kitchen, stood next to the island in its center and inhaled the scent of coffee and bacon and spices. The whole open space was warm and homey, and spoke to happy times spent in it, to a loving marriage lived in it.

  Julie turned around and saw the men standing close to the door, barely in the house. Their faces were worried and watchful and she felt a burst of affection for them, these almost-strangers who had loved her father but who were now concerned about her as she stood in her father’s home.

  She smiled at them, a large and lovely smile that set them at ease immediately. “It’s OK, guys. Come on in.”

  She both felt and heard their relief as they entered, carrying her bags.

  “OK, the main bedroom is upstairs,” Rob said. “But there are two guest rooms as well. Do you want to stay in the main room, or one of the guest ones?”

  “I’m not sure. Let’s go look.”

  “This way,” Rob said, leading her through the living room and to the stairs. She followed him up, the men behind her carrying all her things.

  At the top of the stairs was a small landing with a table and a large window. A wide hallway was off the landing, and Julie saw five doors.

  “OK,” Rob said. “Main bedroom, two guest rooms, a bathroom, an office.” He led her to the last door on the left. “This is the master bedroom.” He opened the door, and stepped aside again. “You want to take a look?”

  “Sure.” She walked down the hall and stood in the doorway, looking around the room. It was gorgeous and not overly masculine, she was surprised to see: the large bed was in the middle of the room, the ceiling was high, the carpet was thick and soft. She went in and saw the door to the attached master bathroom. When she walked in, she gasped: the shower was incredible. There was no tub, instead there were three glass walls stretching almost to the ceiling, and the shower floor was level with the floor in the room. She would be able to just swing the glass door open, and step in. It was so large that she could extend both arms and turn in a circle and not even touch the walls. It was decadent and sexy and she had always wanted one, and now she had one. At least for a little while.

  “So, what do you think?” Rob asked her.

  “I think it’s great,” she said. “I think I’ll stay in this room.”

  “Yeah?” Rob was pleased. “OK. We’ll put your bags in here, then, and we’ll start to take everything out of the closet and dressers. We can move it all to one of the guestrooms, if you want.”

  “Perfect. Thank you.”

  Phil appeared in the bedroom doorway. “OK, so how about you go on down to the kitchen, make us some coffee, look around a bit? Mattie and Constance are going to bring over all the food from your other place, and I know Manny’s sending over a box of stuff from the kitchen for you, too. You can wait down there ‘til we’ve moved all the stuff out of here, then unpack your things. While you’re doing that, we’ll clear whatever you don't want from the living area downstairs. OK?”

  “Yes. Thank you.”

  She passed Jake on her way back down the hall. He stopped her, his eyes dark. “You doing OK?”

  She looked up at him and smiled again. “I really am.”

  She headed downstairs to her kitchen, to make coffee and sandwiches for her guests. She hummed as she did.

  **

  Six weeks later, Julie was down in the stables at four o’clock in the morning, watching Phil tend to the new baby horse. The mother, Millicent, was observing Phil closely. Julie turned to Mattie.

  “So, what do you call a baby horse? A – a foal, is it?”

  Mattie grinned at her. “Wow. You really are new to this, huh?”

  “Indeed. I’m a city girl, through and through.”

  “Well, we call horses ‘foals’ until they’re a year old. Males are colts, and females are fillies.”

  “OK. And so this is a filly?”

  “Yep. We’re thinking of calling her Twinkle.”

  Julie looked back at the baby nestled up against her mother. “That’s kind of cute, actually.”

  “I see you’re down here meeting the newest member of the Open Skies family.” Jake’s deep voice was directly behind her, and she jumped.

  She turned to look at him. As always, she felt her breath catch a bit when she took in his face and shoulders and arms. Jake was just so gorgeous, even more so now that he had dropped his defensiv
eness. He was looking down at her with that hot glint of interest in his eyes.

  She cleared her throat. “Yeah. Twinkle, right?”

  Jake came over and stood next to her. Her body seemed to strain toward him; it remembered what it had felt like to be pressed up against him and it wanted to be back there. God, Julie. Get a hold of yourself.

  “Right,” he said. “Maybe you want to help us with her?”

  “Oh. Oh, no. I don’t know anything about horses. I’d be sure to screw it all up somehow.”

  He shrugged. “Not much to it with the babies, really. She’ll be suckling her mother for the next four or six months, but we’ll put her on solids in about five weeks.”

  “Five weeks? Isn’t that soon?”

  Phil came over now. “Foals aren’t anything at all like human babies, Julie. In fact, I expect Twinkle to be up and walking any minute now.”

  “What?” Julie exclaimed. “But she was only born – what? – an hour ago?”

  Jake looked over at the filly. “Yeah. Foals are born with the ability to escape danger quickly.”

  “They are? But why?”

  Jake leaned against the fence. “Well, in the wild, horses are considered prey on the food chain. They’re vulnerable to wolves and coyotes, for example, and they’ve adapted to the danger in a few ways. Foals are almost always born at night – it’s safer to give birth in the wild under the cover of darkness, see. And they’re able to get up and suckle within an hour of being born. They can walk and canter in about three hours. Most of them can gallop at a day old.”

  Julie was stunned. “But that’s incredible.”

  “Oh, look!” Phil said. “Here she goes.”

  Twinkle was clearly trying to get to her feet – she was struggling to get her impossibly long and skinny legs under her. She lunged forward and up, fell down. Another attempt, another fall. Her mother stood up next to her and nudged her a bit with her nose, obviously encouraging the baby to try again.

  It happened so fast that if Julie had blinked, she would have missed it: Twinkle pushed herself forward on to her front legs, got them under her, and whipped her back legs up too. In three seconds, she was standing, wobbly and uncertain, but she was standing. Millicent watched placidly as her daughter braced her legs under her, quivering with the effort to keep her balance. She shuffled to the left, to the right, back again.