4. Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Piper
M azy is absolutely lovely, and Billy is very nice. My aunt would adore this place. It’s charming and cozy, despite it being untidy, which can be easily rectified. There’s a certain mystery to Billy, but I respect his privacy, so I don’t probe. It’s more than his folks challenging him that’s hardening him, I’m sure of it. But it isn’t my business to figure it out. He’s being kind enough to hire me and take me riding, which is more care than anyone’s extended to me in a while. So, I just sit back and enjoy it. Billy takes us into the pasture, as we walk by the area where the new house is being built, but far enough away that we’re not near any hazards for Mazy or for us.
“What’s wrong with the ranch house?” I ask.
“It’s old and in serious disrepair. I bought this ranch for the land, not for the house itself. It’s a fantastic piece of land, but the original owner never kept the house up, and when he died, his family sold it for peanuts. That’s when I upped and grabbed it. Struck while the iron was hot.”
“Did your folks give you money for it?”
He chuckles mirthlessly. “No, not on your life. I hadn’t spent barely any of my income from the military, and when I got hurt, I got a settlement. It was just enough to buy this place, with some to spare for the renovations. My brother’s my accountant, and he’d been investing some of my money, too, but my folks don’t know about that.”
“And he keeps your secrets from your folks?”
“He’s the only one, but yes. My other siblings suck up to my folks, on account of the family business. That’s how come they’re so upset with me. I didn’t want to go into the textile business.”
“And did you want to join the military, or was that just in desperation?”
His voice raises an octave higher. “Naw, I wanted to do it. My granddad used to tell me stories from when he was in the military. It was fascinating. And then I had more reason when I knew I couldn’t go to school unless I did it on my parents’ dime and under their conditions.”
After taking a moment to digest, I say. “Gosh, you and I are such similar creatures, Billy.”
“I suppose we are.” He changes the subject. “How’s your behind feeling? Sore yet?”
“No, not at all.”
“Well, you’ll be feeling that tomorrow, darlin’. You’d best sit on some ice for a while before bed.”
“I’ll be fine. Been through way worse.”
“I get that, darlin’, but after your first ride, all the bones in your bottom will be bruised. Don’t matter how big or small you are, we’ve all got the bones, and they’ll smart real bad if y’all don’t ice them.”
“Okay. I’ll take it under advisement.”
“Good girl.” He says on exhale. “Well, what do you say we head into the brush there for a while, before it’s completely dark?”
“Sure.”
He makes a noise with his mouth, like a clucking sound, and the horse picks up the pace slightly. “You okay going a little faster? Just until we get past this clearing?”
“Yes, but thanks for asking. This is wonderful.”
“Yeah? You think you might want to learn how to ride?”
“I’d love to. I always wanted to learn. Once, I even had a pair of cowboy boots and a hat. I used it for Halloween one year, and then they went missing, but it was fun.”
“Not to worry. We’ve got a guy in town that does all that for next to nothing. I can set you up. Go in to Harold’s in town and tell him you work for me. He’ll give you a set for half price.”
“I’ll do that. Thanks.”
“I send him a lot of business. He’ll be sending me a lot, too, so it’s the least that I can do.”
“When do you think you’ll start doing riding lessons?”
“Well, I was thinking to wait until the new house is up.”
I look over at him. “Why wait? If Mazy loves riding as much as you say she does, it would do her some good. Besides, what’s the difference if the house is up or not? You’ve got the ranch house. With a little cleaning, it’ll be as good as new, and my friend will have it sparkling.”
“I suppose you’re right. And it’s awful kind of you to do that. Set your friend up to clean the place, I mean.”
I wave. “Oh, you’re actually doing her a favor, trust me. She’s been looking for casual work and she can’t stand the thought of working in fast food. She’d love this place, and you would never know that she’s even here. She’s as quiet as a church mouse.”
“Well, then, that’ll leave more time for you to fix my books.”
“Absolutely. I’ll have them as straight as a pin in no time.”
He chuckles, unconvinced. “You haven’t seen them all yet, I’m afraid. I haven’t touched a thing since Trixie left without notice.”
“Why would anyone do a thing like that?”
He shrugs. “She found something better. Something that pays more. Her boyfriend found her a job in Dallas. But that’s not what you’ll hear around town, mind. No, everyone’ll tell you that I drove her away, see. That I was unbearable. A horrible boss. That’s how come she left without notice.”
I sigh quickly. “Billy, that’s one thing I learned real fast in life. I don’t always believe what I hear. Actions speak louder than words, and I wouldn’t give any comments in that regard a second thought.”
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far.” He says, with some of the clout removed from his tone. “I’m not the most popular rancher in town, that I can tell you. Most people glare at me when I walk by.”
“Then they’re fools. They haven’t given you a chance.”
“Most have, actually. You’d be surprised at my temper.”
“Well, if you’d grown up in my house, you’d be used to an ill temper. Both my folks were fiery and nasty, even when I was a child. That’s how come I grew a thick skin. One of my professors was nasty, too, but I found common ground with him, and he turned out and gave me an A plus for that course. It’s all about finding the sweet spot with people.”
“Guess that’s how come I do better with kids. That’s how come I want to teach kids to ranch and to ride. Like my uncle did. Like my granddad.”
I place a hand on his back. “You’ll do great. Look how quickly you got me on this horse. And I don’t believe any of that crap about you being ill tempered, either.”
“Thanks. You’ll learn.” He chuckles.
We start to trot faster, and I feel exhilarated, wanting to go even faster, but I’m so scared that Mazy will hurt herself or the baby. Billy’s thighs are against mine, and you would think that that would be awkward, but it’s not. If he wasn’t being a gentleman, it might be different, but he is. I’m not used to being this close to a man, but it isn’t uncomfortable at all. Not even the fact that he’s my boss. That doesn’t change anything. But I try not to overthink it, and I acknowledge that this is, in fact, a horse ranch, and Billy did point out that if I’m to work here, that I’ll at least know how to mount a horse.
“You see this clearing?” Billy asks, pointing to the parcel of land in front of us.
“Of course.”
“Someday I’d like to build a resort or something here. Once the ranch is up and running and fruitful, of course. I think it would be nice to have people come and stay here, or they can just come for riding lessons, or both. I’ve also got a little stream inside the brush, where you can fish, and I want to build a small campsite there, too, for those that want a more rustic getaway.”
“Those are great ideas, Billy. I love the sound of all of them. And this place would be perfect for that. You’re far enough from the highway that it’s quaint and quiet, and close enough to the center of town that people could come and sightsee, too.”
“Yeah, the only trouble is my reputation around town. If anyone stops anywhere and asks about me, I’m sunk.”
“What about if you hold a fundraiser or something? Make people see the good in you again. Heck, even a car wash could probably do it, Billy. But a fundraiser would also be a great way to get the word out about the ranch and the riding lessons.”
“Who’s going to come work here, though.” He comments. “Everyone in town hates me. I had to outsource my builders, and my last assistant couldn’t wait to get the hell out of here. The only reason why you don’t know me is because you were away at school.”
The hairs on my arms stand up. “How did you know that?”
“Because you told me.”
I think about it for a moment. “O...Okay.” I hesitate.
“What’s wrong?”
“No. Nothing.”
“Y’all thought I was a stalker or something.”
The word just makes the hairs on my arms stand up. It’s the other reason why I came back here, and I’m finishing my education online and at night school. But I don’t want to be a burden, and most of all, I don’t want anyone to know about my problems. I can handle it, and I have been, since it happened. “No, not at all.” I lie.
“Well, like I said, anyone comes around here, Mazy lets me know right away.”
“Have you had anyone come after you here? Just because you said that you’re not everyone’s favorite.”
He looks over his shoulder at me. “A time or two, I suppose. But nothing I couldn’t handle. Mostly bill collectors and the like. I reckon I’ll have more of that coming at me soon enough.”
“I’ll get you fixed up right quick, Billy. You won’t have anyone repossessing or sending you to collections so long as I’m on the case.”
“I’m guessing y’all can turn on the charm if they do, anyway, darlin’.” He smiles at me from behind. I notice how his eyes crinkle at the sides when he smiles. It’s quite endearing. He’s also got really long eyelashes that are clearly visible in the twilight. Never noticed that about a man before.
“None of that matters after tomorrow.”
“Y’all think you can get things squared away that fast, huh.”
“I know I can. My previous boss used to throw all sorts of things at me. From what I saw earlier, this will be a piece of cake.”
“Then you’ll be worth all that I’ll be paying you, darlin’. And if you stay, you can have free lessons whenever you want. It’s too bad that Trixie didn’t have a nose for horses like you do.”
“Really? Gosh, I’d love that.”
“Consider it done. Tomorrow’s your first lesson. I’ll have you riding in no time at all.”
“But if I learn to ride, what will you ride?”
“We’ll take turns for now. I’ve got another horse coming this weekend, and then when Mazy’s foal is big enough, we’ll ride it, too.”
“You can just... buy horses?” I chuckle.
“Well, of course, you can, darlin’. I finally found a breeder that doesn’t have any ties to Copper Cove, so he sold me a nice horse, just like Mazy here. Same breeder that set me up to breed Mazy.”
“What do you mean...set you up? He brought over a boy horse?”
He snuffles a laugh. “No, just his best set of swimmers is all.”
My nose scrunches. “Oh, poor Mazy.”
“Never mind that. It would have been much harder on her had we bred her the old-fashioned way.”
“Why’s that?”
“The mares usually get injured that way. The studs can get aggressive and it’s not worth the risk.”
“So, how do you...oh, never mind.” I wave. “It all sounds very gross and unromantic.”
He laughs. “It’s not any of those things, darlin’. I’ll be breeding her again if all goes well. You can help me.”
I scrunch my nose. “What will you do to Mazy?”
“You’ll see later. I don’t want to burst your bubble.”
“Gross.”
He laughs again. “Come on. I think that’s enough riding for now. You’ll be so sore y’all won’t be able to sit down on the desk chair tomorrow.”
“Okay, fair enough. Mazy might be getting tired, too.”
“She’s a tough girl. She could ride all night, even carrying us and the little one. But all the same, I don’t want you hurting too badly tomorrow.”
We head back the short distance to the barn, and he helps me off again. He’s so versed helping me down it’s no wonder he says he’s been raised on a ranch. It’s very obvious. “You want some tea or something, darlin’?” He offers as we say goodbye to Mazy and go back into the house.
“No, I don’t want to keep you any longer. You said you were dead on your feet earlier.”
He shrugs. “Riding sometimes gives me a second wind. I’m having one. You want one?”
“If you’re making one for yourself, sure. I’ll start at this table, if it’s all the same to you.”
“Sounds good. That table keeps me up at night.”
“Well, then, tonight will be your last sleepless night if I have my way about it.”
He walks into the kitchen, still in view. He looks back at me as he turns the burner on and fills the kettle. “And your boss isn’t going to have a problem with you moonlighting?”
I shake my head and turn around, desperate to get started on the papers staring up at me on the table. “Not at all. He can only offer me so many hours, and that might not be for too long, anyway.”
“How’s that. Is it because you’re so good at straightening out his books?”
“Something like that.” I scoff good-naturedly. “He once said that he wished I’d mess his books up so he could offer me more hours.”
“That’s foolish, but I get it.”
We’re quiet for a few moments, and then he brings me some tea, a sugar bowl and a little flask of milk. “Not sure how you take your tea, darlin’.”
“Oh, thank you.” I smile at him, lifting the mug to my mouth. “It’s my favorite. I love chamomile tea.”
“It helps you sleep.” He states.
“Yes. I drink it a lot when I’m anxious.”
He sits down but straightens out a pile of papers as he relaxes. “You get anxious a lot??
“No more than most.” I reply modestly. “Some people drink or smoke to ease their anxiety. I drink tea.”
“Ridin’s the cure-all for me.”
“Oh, I can understand that for sure.” I chuckle. “Gosh, how liberating that is.”
“Exactly. I’m surprised this was your first time riding a horse. Living in Copper Cove.”
“Well, my folks didn’t let me have a lot of liberties, unfortunately. But I’m sort of glad I waited.”
“I’d feel cheated. Years of enjoyment y’all have missed out on.”
I swallow, thinking of all the other things that I’m still yet to experience. But I don’t divulge.
...but soon, Billy will learn what else he can help me with for the first time...