by Rachel Hanna
“From you?” Sophie scoffed.
“Yes. They thought we could relate because we’re the same age.” Miller slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans and stood casually, watching her.
“And exactly what sort of guidance could you possibly give me?”
“Well for a start, how to properly muck out stalls.”
“Hey, just because you’re wonder boy at shoveling horseshit, doesn’t mean I have to like it. I can get on just fine without your criticism.”
“I never said you had to like it, but at the rate you’re going it’s going to take all morning to get this done. I saw you earlier this morning when you first started and I watched you for a few minutes before I spoke. You rest more than you shovel and you work at a speed that suggests you’ve got all the time in the world to get this done. I don’t know how they do things in San Francisco, but here we can’t afford to slack off. If we do, the ranch suffers; a ranch your aunt and uncle worked for years to build up.”
“I’m not slacking off! And don’t you dare lecture me!” Sophie gave up trying to hold back her anger. “You’re a jerk, you know that? I don’t know what my aunt and uncle see in you…but maybe they just haven’t seen the real you.”
“Oh, they know the real me. Make no mistake about it. Maybe that’s why they’ve asked me to help you out. They know I don’t abide by slacking, and that I’ll be able to handle a city girl who loses her temper too easily.”
“You would drive a saint to lose their temper! And you make no mistake, Miller,” Sophie uttered with a sneer, “you might know your way around this ranch better than I do but you don’t know the first thing about handling a city girl who doesn’t take crap from arrogant assholes.”
Miller removed his hands from his pockets and folded his arms across his chest. “I wouldn’t call taking pride in your work and working hard arrogant.”
Sophie threw the shovel down onto the ground, pointing a finger at Miller as the clash of the metal hitting the concrete floor reverberated around them. “You know what? Since you’re such an expert, you clean the damn manure!” Striding past him, Sophie didn’t look back as she heard Miller call after her that she hadn’t finished yet. Storming off to the house, she took a few deep breaths before opening the front door and walking quietly up the stairs. Heading into the guest room, she closed the door behind her and retrieved the stash of weed and a lighter she had hidden in an empty deodorant container. Securing the items in her jacket pocket, she headed back down the stairs as quietly as possible but before she’d reached the bottom Kay appeared with the laundry basket in her arms.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Kay eyed her disapprovingly from the bottom of the stairs.
Oh shit. “Um, I was going to take Badger and Tilly for a walk.”
Kay looked her up and down. “You’re not wearing any gloves or a hat. It’s chilly out there, Sophie.”
“Oh…right. I forgot. Thanks, Aunt Kay. I’ll get them from my room.” Sophie breathed a mental sigh of relief and headed back to her room to retrieve her hat and gloves before making her way down the stairs past her aunt. However, before she could make it out the door, her aunt called her back.
“Sophie, wait.”
Sophie paused in the hallway, trying not to betray how tense she felt. “Yes, Aunt Kay?”
“How did you get on with mucking out the stalls?”
“Um, fine, Aunt Kay.”
Her aunt smiled at her. “I know it’s not a particularly enjoyable job, but with Michael down with the flu your uncle and I really appreciate you helping out.”
“Uh, yeah, sure…no problem, Aunt Kay.”
“Okay, honey. Make sure you keep warm now.”
Guilt washed over her at the thought of not having completed the mucking out. Sophie sighed under her breath before murmuring “I’ll help you out with the laundry first before I go.”
Kay smiled. “No, don’t you worry about that. You go enjoy a nice walk with the dogs. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it.”
“Thanks, Aunt Kay.” Sophie stepped outside and closed the door behind her, leaning against it as she steadied her nerves. You’re okay. Nobody’s the wiser. Now just get the dogs and go. Calling for the dogs, she waited a few seconds before two blurs of yapping, excited fur appeared before her. Calling the dogs to follow, she made her way off the porch and headed round to the side of the house before veering off into the small clump of trees where she knew a path would guide her into the fields beyond. Badger and Tilly trotted ahead of her, nosing the ground intermittently as they led her down the path. After twenty minutes of walking she spotted a hill with a few trees that looked like a suitable location. Continuing onwards, she eventually crested the hill and settled next to one of the trees, leaning her back against the trunk as the dogs spread out in opposite directions, happy to investigate the surrounding area until she was ready to move on.
The air was cool but the particular spot she had chosen was free of snow. She didn’t have a large supply so she was careful to use a modest amount of weed and was soon taking slow, satisfying drags, watching her breath mist every time she exhaled. Settling more comfortably against the tree trunk, she considered the morning events that had recently taken place. Miller was nothing like what she had imagined he would be. For someone who was supposedly around her age, he acted like he was some sort of authoritative adult figure she would have to toe the line with. As if.
Sophie forced herself not to get worked up over him, instead focusing on the tension easing out of her as she welcomed the comforting feeling of the weed beginning to take effect. A smirk lifted her lips as she thought of Miller sharing her weed with her. Like that would ever happen. He was way too self-righteous for that. Still, if anybody needed to loosen up, it was him. He acted like he was better than her but he didn’t know anything about her. How dare he judge her? Well screw him.
Sophie closed her eyes as she brought her legs up and rested one hand in her lap, the other hand resting on her knee as she held the joint loosely between her fingers. After a minute she began to feel like her old self again. She had needed this. The past couple of weeks had been tense to say the least but she felt much more relaxed now. It was less than two weeks until she was home again. A small amount of downtime like this every few days would help her get through the bored restlessness that seemed to be increasing every day. It would be simple enough to deal with her parents. Everybody could just keep a polite silence around each other and get on with their own lives. It was just a few more months until she would be finished with school. Once she got her own place, her parents could do what they liked. She didn’t care, as long as they kept her out of the drama. She was just so tired of all the damn drama.
Several minutes later Sophie stood up, crushing the joint under her shoe before calling to the dogs as she headed back towards the house. As she walked slowly along the path she decided she would go back and finish mucking out the stalls. Not because Miller wanted her to. She didn’t give a damn what he wanted. She would go back and finish because she didn’t want a scene to develop between her and her aunt and uncle. Things were going okay. There was no reason to rock the boat unnecessarily. However, she sure as hell wasn’t volunteering to help outside during the remainder of her stay in case she had to muck out stalls again. She’d leave that task to perfect Miller.
Sophie grinned as she thought about the warm beach in San Francisco’s summer. She’d be relaxing and working on her tan while Miller would no doubt be happily buried up to his elbows in some dirty ranch job. He probably didn’t even know how to relax if the opportunity presented itself. Sophie laughed quietly and slipped her hands into her jacket pockets, ensuring the lighter and weed was safely out of sight as she sauntered back to the house.
Chapter Five
Miller rested the shovel back in its storage space fifteen minutes after Sophie had abandoned the task. He’d completed the job himself, accepting that he would need to cut his lunch break slightly shorter but
that it just had to be done. No one else was free to do the work and the stalls had to be mucked out before the horses came back that evening.
Miller sighed to himself as he walked towards the end stall and leaned across the top of the door. The gray mare that had been standing near the far wall made her way across the stall to greet him. “Hello, Blizzard. How’s my favorite girl doing?” He reached into his coat pocket and produced a sugar cube for the horse. He didn’t feed her them often but he knew how much she liked them and that she would appreciate a distraction since she couldn’t be out working like the other horses.
“When you’re fit and healthy,” Miller murmured, scratching her nose gently, “you and me are going on a long ride together. I’m going to reserve some time for just me and my special girl.” The horse snorted softly as if it understood him before glancing over his shoulder at something behind him. Turning around, Miller smiled as Philip entered the stables and came to stand beside him. “She’s looking good. I reckon she’ll be okay for work again in a few weeks.”
“All thanks to you, Miller.” Philip smiled as he watched the horse move around the stall.
“I just did what anyone would have done,” Miller’s gaze followed the horse’s movements as well. He was pleased she was recovering so well.
“Now I think we both know that isn’t true, son,” Philip murmured quietly. “You spent a lot of early mornings and late nights taking care of her. You believed in her when a lot of people wouldn’t have. Kay and I are real grateful for that but I’m sure Blizzard appreciates it most of all. That’s why we’ve decided she should be your horse.”
Miller turned to him. “That’s not necessary. Michael or Jared is far more worthy of such a fine horse. I’m sure they’d be more than happy to ride her for you.”
“No, you don’t understand. I’m not saying she’s just your horse for riding during the day while you’re working. I’m saying she belongs to you. I’ve already discussed it with your father.” Philip looked pleased at the shocked expression on Miller’s face.
“But she’s one of your best horses! You surely don’t want to give her to me of all people.”
“Who better to give her to than someone like you, someone who’s already showed they’re willing to go the extra mile for her while receiving nothing in return? Think of it as our way of thanking you for all the extra work you do without us asking you to.”
At a loss for words, Miller stared in awe at the horse in front of him before shaking Philip’s hand firmly. “Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me.” In terms of breeding, she was more than he could hope for. Miller dreamed of one day owning his own ranch and breeding horses. Getting ownership of Blizzard went a huge way to bringing that dream one step closer to reality. People had been making inquiries about breeding with her. If he could sell foals, the income would be a great boost to his savings. He knew his father wouldn’t mind overseeing the breeding while Miller was away, so by the time he got back from completing his military service he could have a considerable amount set aside for his own place.
“I think I’ve got a fair idea of what it means,” Philip chuckled before stepping back from the stall and surveying the stables. “I’m pleasantly surprised by how good the stables look. I wasn’t sure what sort of job Sophie would do but she seems to have taken to it very well. I don’t think you two have met yet. You should come by the house this evening. Bring your mom and dad too. It would be good for Sophie to meet you all.”
“We met this morning actually.” Miller tried to keep his tone neutral but Philip didn’t miss the awkward look that passed over his face.
“Oh? Where did you meet? In the stables?”
“Yes. We spoke for a few minutes during the time she was mucking out the stalls.”
“I see.” A look of understanding came over Philip’s face. “So, Miller, how much of the mucking out did she do and how much did you do?”
Miller gazed at him as he considered his reply. Regardless of the fact that he didn’t think much of the girl, he wasn’t sure Philip would appreciate blunt honesty where she was concerned. She was his niece after all. And she should have more respect for family, he thought to himself, frowning as he remembered the way she had stormed off in a huff and left the work unfinished for someone else to do. Resolved, he decided to be upfront. After all, if she’d done what she was supposed to then he wouldn’t have to inform her uncle about her lack of responsibility. “She did about half of it and spent twice as long as it takes to do the whole lot.”
“So how did you end up doing the other half?”
“She stormed off and refused to finish. She didn’t like me telling her she wasn’t working hard enough. I’m sorry, Philip, I know she’s your niece and I don’t want to speak disrespectfully about her. I just don’t appreciate anyone who doesn’t pull their weight.”
Philip smiled in response. “That’s okay, Miller. You can tell me straight how things are where Sophie is concerned. In fact, I’d appreciate if you would as I’m sure she’s going to try to be on her best behavior around Kay and me but I thought she might let her guard down around you. Seems I was right.”
“I don’t understand why she’s here.” Miller frowned as the pair made their way outside. “She doesn’t seem like the outdoor kind of girl but rather like she’d want to spend hours traipsing around a mall. How come she’s not spending time with her folks over Christmas?”
“Let’s just say I hope she’ll tell you that herself when she’s ready to. For now, though, Kay and I would appreciate you looking out for her. Do you think you could do that?”
“Am I allowed to be blunt with her?”
Philip laughed. “Bit of a handful, is she?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
“I don’t doubt it. Though you might find that treading carefully produces better results in some instances, feel free to be blunt with her if you think it’s for the best.”
“Okay, I’ll keep an eye on her.”
“Thanks, Miller. That invitation for you and your folks tonight still stands if you’re free.”
“That’s nice of you. We don’t have any plans that I know of so I’m sure my folks will be happy to accept.”
“Okay, great. I’ll confirm with your dad when I see him later today. I think your mom and Kay have some details to discuss about the Christmas meal so it’ll be a good opportunity for them to get together and plan how they’re going to stuff us silly.”
They parted ways and Miller busied himself with fixing some of the ranch machinery that was in need of small repairs. As he worked he pondered the conundrum that was Sophie. There was obviously something up with her. A city girl like her surely wouldn’t volunteer to spend the holidays on a ranch unless she had no other option. It didn’t make sense unless her parents had forced her to come here. He would understand if she was close to Kay and Philip, but as far as he knew she didn’t keep in contact with them and the last time they had seen each other was for a few days several years ago.
Still, if Philip wanted him to look out for her then that’s what he would do. He just wasn’t entirely sure how he would do it without getting his head bitten off any time he was near her and said something she didn’t like. He grinned as he thought back over the morning confrontation. She sure wasn’t hard to get riled up. Considering his actions, he supposed he could have handled the situation in a more forgiving manner but he didn’t like to see people shirking their responsibilities, especially when it was family who asked them to do something. Miller viewed Philip and Kay as his second family and if someone was disrespectful to them he felt displeased on their behalf, even if they were happy to let it slide because that person was related to them. It would have taken less than an hour of her time if she’d done it properly from the start. Then she could go back to whatever it was she did to occupy her time all day.
The more he thought about it, the more he was looking forward to the prospect of keeping an eye on Sophie. If she didn’t reali
ze how great her aunt and uncle were and how lucky she was to have them, then he’d make sure she soon knew. If she wanted to fight about it, well that was fine too. He’d let her huff and rage until she tired herself out, then he could have a rational conversation with her. But as long as she was intent on an outburst and snapping at him every opportunity she got, he’d just sit back and watch the fireworks until they fizzled out. He knew they would fizzle; it was just a matter of how long they took to do so.
He grudgingly admitted that he could respect her feistiness. There was something intriguing about the way her eyes narrowed and her chin took on a defiant tilt whenever she was angry. He could read the challenge plain and clear as if it was written in front of him. He suspected Sophie was quite used to defying people. What she wouldn’t be used to was someone who would challenge her right back, and he was just the person to do that.
***
The Rhodes family arrived promptly at Philip and Kay’s house at seven that evening. Their home was a five-minute drive from the main ranch house and the Pipers and Rhodes had shared many meals together. However, tonight would be particularly intriguing from Miller’s point of view. He was keen to see what Sophie was like in her “best behavior” mode.
As the door opened Kay welcomed them in and led them to the living room where Sophie and her uncle were waiting. Sophie was all smiles as she greeted his parents. He was wondering how she would greet him and was surprised when she offered him her hand, smiling brightly before saying “It’s nice to see you again, Miller.”
Recovering himself before his surprise became evident, he took her hand and shook it firmly. If this was how she wanted to play the game, he could play along, for the time being at least. “It’s nice to see you too, Sophie.” He thought he may have detected a tenseness to her expression but if he did it passed so quickly that he couldn’t be sure, to be replaced with what appeared to be an iron resolve that settled over her features. The night passed pleasantly enough. Kay’s cooking was exceptional as always, though she credited Sophie as her able assistant. He kept glancing at her surreptitiously throughout the evening but she remained polite throughout the meal, happy to answer questions when they were asked, though he noted she was not one to expand on her answers if she could help it. When the main meal was finished, everyone moved through to the lounge for dessert. When Sophie volunteered to retrieve the cake that Kay had made from the kitchen, Miller offered to go with and assist in bringing through plates and cutlery. If she was surprised by his offer, she didn’t show it and didn’t protest, merely leading the way into the kitchen. As soon as they were out of sight and easy hearing range of the others, however, Sophie turned to face Miller as she leaned against the kitchen counter.
