Chapter 15
I’m just heading out the back door after breakfast when my phone buzzes in my pocket. Annoyed at having to deal with people this early, I stop and quickly scan the text from Jaxon.
I received your email. I’m going to look into it further.
I roll my eyes and choose not to respond. It’s not my job to prove to baby Thorton that his dad screwed over paying customers, but I did it. Any time I’ve heard locals asking about recommendations for a good contractor, I’ve never held my tongue. They all need to know the Thortons aren’t reliable, even if Jaxon has the reputation of being a decent guy to work with. I’ll never use them. I’d rather pay someone to come in from out of town than go to them with my business again.
Tucking my phone into my pocket, I walk into the barn to collect my newest employee who I saw walk in twenty minutes earlier. The moment the door shuts behind me, a crying cat is shoved into my face. One with fur a bit different from my current tenant. As soon as I lock eyes with the creature, I know my answer.
“No!”
I don’t believe I could have been more adamant about how fucking serious I am right now. How in the world am I in this situation again? The bruised, watery eyes of Edith are staring up at me with so much sadness and hope that I feel as if I’m being sucker punched.
“I know this looks bad. It’s just… I think it’s little Buck’s sister, and she seems so lethargic, as if she hasn’t had anything to eat in forever.” Holding the kitten in front of my face, I notice it’s almost identical to the one currently causing havoc on my farm. It’s another loud, meowing baby with crusty eyes and ragged fur. “She looks just like him. I don’t know what else to do with her.”
“I’m not takin’ on anymore cats here. This isn’t your home, Edith. We aren’t an animal rescue, and I don’t have time to deal with all this shit.” Everything in me is screaming to stand firm or I’ll be overrun with this tiny woman filling this place with strays. But when she pulls the kitten back against her chest and cradles her, despair leaking out, I know I’m fucking sunk. “Fuck…” I trail off, rubbing my palm against my tired eyes.
“I’m sorry. I know it’s rude of me to ask. I’ll see if maybe the animal shelter has room. I called them when we found Buck.” She says we like I was a part of all of this. “But they had no space in the foster homes. Maybe they do now.”
“No,” I groan out, stopping her. “It’s only one more. This is the last one, though. You hear me, girl? If you find the rest of that damn litter, don’t even think about bringin’ them in here. They have a way of findin’ their way back, and I don’t want to be overrun with them.”
Her smile lights up the dim barn, and she holds the meowing baby out to me again. “You’re amazing, you know that? Thank you so, so much! I promise, I’ll care for her the same as Buck.”
“Buck? You finally named the flea bag?” I won’t deny that it’s kind of a good name for a cat, but I’ll never admit it to her.
Edith frowns, then bends down to pick up the object of our conversation and holds both of them to her body. “He doesn’t have fleas. I’ve been checking every morning.”
“If you name them, you’ll get attached. You shouldn’t get attached ‘cuz we don’t even know how long you’ll be workin’ here.” My warning is enough to make her recoil, but I refuse to mince my words. We both know this arrangement isn’t going to last for long.
“Her name is Bonnie.”
She whispers so softly I have to lean forward to ask, “What was that?”
“Bonnie. I named her Bonnie. So, they’re Bonnie and Buck.”
Pointing toward the loft, I snap, “Put ‘em up there. We got shit to do.”
“Yes, sir.” Hurrying away from me, I wait as she settles them deeper into the stacks, then she’s standing in front of me a moment later, brushing the strands of straw and fur from her clothes. “What would you like me to do today? I don’t have to work at the barn this afternoon, so if there’s extra chores you’re needing done, I’m available until dinner.”
Well, that changes things. I was just going to have her clean out the barns again, the same as earlier this week, but since I’ve got her for longer, I’m tempted to test her out more. Checking my watch, I do quick math and realize I’ve got her for over nine hours.
“You bring a lunch with you?” I ask, leading us from the barn over to where we keep our horses.
“I didn’t. Should I run home and grab something?”
I shake my head. “It’s fine. In the future, though, when you’re here on days you can work longer, make sure you can feed yourself. My mom will provide lunch today. We’re gonna get back on Austin and run the property, look for holes in the field and fill them.”
Breathlessly, she asks as she’s trying to keep up with me. “Why do you fill them in? It’s just an overgrown field, right?”
“Holes can break legs. It’s a tedious, but inexpensive way to keep the herd safer. Can you ride by yourself?”
Edith stops and widens her eyes in panic. I don’t know why I even asked if the last time is any indication of her ability to sit on a horse, but I didn’t think through all of this with her having to ride in front of me again.
“Guess that’s a no. You need to figure this shit out, Edith. I’ll put you in front of me today, but going forward, you’re gonna be on your own. Get some damn lessons if you need to, but this,” I wave a hand between us and the horse barn, “is gonna quickly become a problem. Get me?”
“I have a friend,” she blurts out, and I narrow my eyes.
“Doubtful, but why should I care?”
Swallowing, she blushes and focuses on her feet instead of me. “I just meant I have a friend who was just offering to teach me how to ride. He said we can do it sooner rather than later, so it won’t be long. I’m sorry I’ve been an inconvenience, but I’ll get myself sorted as fast as I can.”
He? Who the fuck is this friend?
With nothing more to say, I wrap my hands around her waist without warning and hurl her onto the back of my horse I saddled earlier this morning. She scrambles to right herself, but an inkling of pride hits me when she doesn’t flounder as badly as last time. Do I mention that to her? No, because sitting down isn’t praiseworthy.
Scowling at my intrusive thoughts, I slip my foot in the stirrup and pull my body up behind her. I know I’m in a foul mood, and I need to get control of it before I actually say something I’ll regret. Most people know me as an asshole, but it’s more from lack of patience around idiots than me just being a dick to be a dick.
Edith’s rigid as she sits in front of me, and this time I don’t say anything to make her more comfortable. It’s my fault she’s uneasy sitting like this, so if I can get to our destination fast enough, we can dismount and get on with our day.
Holding the reins tightly, my arms around her, I urge my horse to pick up his speed and we gallop toward the opposite side of my land. As soon as we clear the main property line with the field laid out in front of us, I drive my heels into Austin’s flanks and the three of us begin our sprint.
Edith’s hair starts to come free almost immediately as we reach our max speed, and the strands dance across my face as she does her best to hold in her gasps of excitement. Her fingers slip over my thighs, and she digs her nails into my muscles to ground herself as the movement of the horse drives our bodies closer together.
Since she can’t see me, I let the speed fill me with joy, grinning as I lean forward. My chest presses to her back as I bend her over the pommel so it’s easier to race through the grass. I’m sure her stomach is resting against the saddle harder than is comfortable, but she’s not complaining, and I inch down a bit further. My horse’s mane is slapping our faces and I just barely hear her sigh of pleasure as it escapes.
I catch the scent of her hair, and my eyes fall briefly to the side of her neck. The vein is pulsing wildly under her skin and an urge to press my lips to that spot becomes all I can think of. Tucking my head lower, I hover my mouth over her neck just as my horse stumbles, then drops forward, his knees practically hitting the ground.
My body slams into her, and she grunts in pain as the pommel is driven deep into her body, just below her sternum. With the horse shifting under us to regain his footing, Edith tries to grasp onto anything as she slips to the side.
“Hang on!” I shout, then as fast as I can, I wrap the reins around my left hand and pull back to help keep us from going down and throw my right arm around her, yanking her back. “Shit!”
With how hard I jerk us back, we start slipping backwards, and her ass rams into my lap. I ignore the pain as I right us. Finally, we slow and come to a stop, Austin’s body heaving from exertion and fear from the almost fall. My arm is still locked around Edith, and her chest is rising and falling just as quickly as mine.
I tighten my arm and immediately regret it when she inhales sharply. My eyes fall to her face, and I can see that she’s in pain. “Where are you hurt?”
Shoving her hands against my arm still locked around her, I let her go and she blows out a relieved breath. Rubbing her stomach just below her sternum, she flicks her eyes up to me before looking away. “I’m okay. This handle just drove really hard into my stomach.”
“Lift your shirt.” I frown at where she’s rubbing, and her hand freezes at my demand.
“What?” Her question is breathy, and I grow frustrated that she’s not allowing me to check out if she’s injured.
Gripping the bottom of her baggy t-shirt, I start to pull it up. “I want to see your stomach and make sure you aren’t hurt too bad. Nothin’ more than that. Now show me.”
With shaking hands, she pulls the cotton from my fingers and lifts the bottom just far enough for me to only see the smooth skin just above her belly button. Her stomach is trembling under my perusal, but I ignore her as I inspect the skin where she was rubbing her hand.
It’s bright red and when I lay my hand over it, I can feel heat radiating from her skin. She sucks in a breath at the contact but doesn’t utter a word.
“You’re probably gonna bruise from the pommel. You good to keep going, or do you want me to drop you back off at the house?” Edith drops her shirt and attempts to straighten it out.
“The pommel?”
Pointing at the rounded handle on the saddle, I nod once. “Yeah, that’s what it’s called. Now, you good, or should I take you back?”
“I’m fine, but do you think you should check on the horse? He might be hurt. Wait, what’s his name?” Her rapid comments are fired off quickly and when she asks his name, she strokes her fingers over his neck like she’s trying to soothe him.
“Austin. I’m sure I told you already.”
Her lips part and she blushes. “Sorry, I knew that. Is he alright? What happened?”
“Fuckin’ hole in the field. This is why I check it regularly. It can fuck animals up pretty quickly.” Grabbing the reins, I give him a little kick to get him walking to test out his gait. Edith is stiff in front of me, and she’s digging her teeth into her lip. I don’t doubt this whole ordeal was terrifying for her. It scared the shit out of me, too.
Austin seems to be walking fine, but I keep our pace much slower to ensure he’s alright. “I think he’s good, but we’ll walk the rest of the way. You okay?”
“Yeah, I think so. Does that happen a lot?”
My mouth twists to the side in thought. “Not really. We haven’t had a tumble that hard in a while. I’ve never been thrown before if you’re worried. But it can happen. Here, why don’t you hold his reins and get a feel of leading?”
Her hands have been twisting the bottom of her shirt since we started moving, and I don’t want this little incident to deter her from getting on the back of a horse again.
Once she has a good grip, I adjust her hold until it’s more relaxed and keep my hands over hers. I lean forward so she can see me in her peripheral. Tilting my head to the right, I say, “We want to head over there. That’s the corner of my land and that’s where we’ll start. Then we’ll follow the fencing around to the other side. You’ll want to lead Austin in that direction, so pull back on the right rein to turn his head.”
I feel her muscles tense beneath my arm as she follows my guidance, and I press the heel of my boot into Austin’s right flank to help guide us.
“Like that?” she asks, checking for approval with a glance over her shoulder.
“Yep. If he starts drifting in either direction, just pull on either side to straighten him out. Eventually, you’ve gotta use your feet and legs as well, but for now, just control his reins.”
She sits up straight, as if this task I’ve given her is the most important one she’s ever been assigned. Her body is going to be sore after our stumble while staying this tense, but for now, I’ll leave her be.
When the sight of the fence pokes through the trees, I teach her how to pull him to a stop, and I rest my hand on her side as I slip to the ground. “Stay here for a minute. I’m going to check out his leg before we start our walk around the property line.” Edith grips the leather straps harder, causing Austin to jerk his nose in the air in response. “Don’t hold the reins tight like that. He thinks you’re directing him to move. Just relax and keep them loose. He might walk around a bit, but he won’t run off.”
She swallows nervously, but nods once, loosening her hold. Keeping her in my line of sight, I quickly check on Austin and don’t notice any injury. He’s walking fine and nothing looks swollen. I’ll keep our pace slow for the day just in case, but we got lucky.
Settling back into my seat behind her, I pat her thigh in approval. “You want to keep the reins, or do you want me to take over?”
“You do it. I don’t want to mess up.” Quickly, she shoves them into my hand and settles her fidgeting fingers in her lap. As soon as I have us moving again, I keep a close eye on the few times she subconsciously rubs at her stomach, but never once does she complain.
I’m tempted to ask to see it again, but I have a feeling it’ll only make her more uneasy with the whole day.
By the time we make it to the other side of the fencing, I dismount and help her down, noting the soft groan as she lands on her feet.
“You gotta tell me if you’re hurtin’, girl. I won’t know unless you speak up.”
Narrowing my eyes at the way she waves me off, she gives me a forced smile. “I’m good. What’s next?”
I want to argue, but I won’t push if she’s going to be stubborn about it.
“Lunch. Then we’ll fill holes.” Turning away, I hear her follow as I lead us toward the house. I’ll see how she feels after a good meal and decide if we’ll get back on Austin for the afternoon. But I don’t plan on coddling her if she’s going to be difficult.