Chapter eleven
I’m not even sure if I’ve slept at all when the alarm goes off on my nightstand, but if I didn’t, I’m too amped up to even notice.
“Mornin’ Mel,” I say as I sit up. As I look at her photo, I feel a twinge of guilt crop up for the first time. “I know this is probably weird for the both of us, but I think you’d like her,” I say before I get up and head to the bathroom to get ready for the day.
It’s been mere days since I last saw Darla, but to me it feels like far longer than that. In fact, since I last saw her, the days have seemed to drag on. The feeling of her ruby red lips lingering on my cheek sticks in my memories.
“Hey, you almost done in there?” Mitch knocks just as I’m finishing up combing my hair.
“Yeah, I’m good,” I say as I step out into the hallway.
“Well, holy smokes, you look even more dapper than usual,” Mitch says.
“Thanks,” I say with a smile. “Hopefully Darla likes it as much as you.”
“Ah, you’re still seeing her?” Mitch asks, his smile smoothing into a straight line. “After all that drama she caused at the bar, I figured maybe you’d have gotten the hint.”
“Nope,” I say with a shrug. “She’s coming here for Valentine’s Day, actually.”
“Here?” Mitch asks, seeming to be surprised.
“Well, yeah, she likes horses,” I reply. “I figured it would be a nice treat for her.”
“I really think you’re making a big mistake here,” Mitch insists. “I’m telling you, Joseph says—”
“Respectfully, I’m not really interested in what he has to say,” I reply and gently push past him, heading for the kitchen.
“I’d say he knows her better than either of us,” Mitch continues as we both reach the kitchen. I open up the fridge and grab the milk, shredded cheese, and some eggs.
“I know you mean well, but I told you already, I like her,” I say. “Just because we have a difference in opinion about her, it doesn’t mean it has to be a thing.”
“She ruined Joe’s life,” Mitch insists.
“Don’t do this,” I sigh as I get out the big mixing bowl and begin to crack eggs into the bowl.
“I’m telling you that you don’t know the whole story!”
“And I’m telling you that Joe isn’t the nice guy you seem to think he is,” I say as I turn to him, and I can see the anger on his face. “He’s a coward and a cheater.”
“I—”
“I think what we need to do is just put this to bed,” I say. “I’m not going to change my mind on this. Besides, cheaters are awful people, and someone who would threaten a woman isn’t too great either.”
“Eli—”
“Mitch, I told ya I don’t got time for this!” I snap, and Mitch gets really quiet for a moment, a bit of red creeping onto his face.
Boy, he’s getting way more upset about this than I imagined he would. It’s so weird. I get being loyal to your friends and all, but he won’t even listen to me or consider what I’m saying.
“I”m sorry,” Mitch says as he draws in a deep breath through his nose, slowly releasing it.
“It”s okay,” I reply as I continue to break eggs into the metal bowl. “I just want to make breakfast, make sure I’m all ready for when she gets here, and have a good day.”
“Right,” Mitch says quietly, looking down at the floor as he nods his head. “I, uh, I gotta use the bathroom before I get to chorin’.”
“You aren’t going to eat?” I ask.
“I’m not hungry,” Mitch says quietly. “I need to get my work done so I can cut out early, got a date of my own.”
“Oh! Well, alright,” I say, not liking the tension hanging in the air between us. “Hey, when you go out there, would you mind mucking the horse stalls?”
“Sure,” Mitch says, his smile obviously forced as he heads back to the bathroom. His reaction to this whole situation seems like overkill, I think to myself. Hopefully this date of his will leave him in a better mood. . .
**
I’m buzzing with excitement as I weave through the backroads of Thistleberry on my way to Eli’s for our early morning Valentine’s date. Lucky for me, Doreen talked to one of the overnight gals, and she’s covering my shift today so I could make it. Otherwise, it would have been a bust—which would’ve been truly heartbreaking.
Ever since he’d driven me home, our texts have become more and more frequent. We text whenever we can, from when I get up until I go to bed, which is really nice. But the longer I’m away from him, the more I feel myself longing to be near him again.
I have to admit, however, that I’m also really excited about getting back in the saddle. Even though it won’t be the same without my beautiful mare, it’s something I have really been looking forward to. Besides seeing Eli of course. In fact, it’s really sweet of him to even offer to do this. I mean, trusting someone with your animals is a big deal, I certainly wouldn’t ever have let just anyone ride my Laney, that’s for sure.
Red dust kicks up all around me as I turn up the lane to his house and the pavement disappears. I roll up my windows, not wanting to ruin my makeup before I get there, and squint through the billowing clouds of crimson to look for the sign he said I’d see at the end of the road.
Finally, I find it—the sign with a beautiful Texas rose pattern carved into it—hanging over an open gate and drive on through. I pass by a small, dark building, but I keep going, looking for a white house.
When I get there, it’s bigger than I expected, surrounded by a dirt dusted white fence and a porch that wraps around the whole front of the place. It feels like being back at my daddy’s old ranch, so I feel oddly at home as I open the gate and walk through.
My confidence from before wanes a bit as I go to knock on the front door, but I choose to ignore it. I deserve to be happy, I deserve to move forward, and I’m not going to let Joseph, or anyone else stop me.The past is the past, and I’m leaving it there.
I give the door a hearty knock, and after a few moments, it slowly cracks open. I expect to see Eli standing there, but instead I see a very young man in traditional western yoke, paired with a matching cowboy hat and some well-worn jeans.
“Oh, um, hi,” I say with a little wave.
“Morning,” the young man says. “You must be Darla.”
“And you must be. . . Zack,” I reply, remembering that Eli said that Zack had blue eyes and Noah has brown ones. The only real difference between the two.
“Guilty as charged,” Zack says with a chuckle. “We’ve heard a lot about you,” he says as he opens the door wider, and I can see Noah peering at me from the large kitchen table.
“Good things I hope,” I reply.
“Well, all except for that pie thing,” Zack says with a chuckle.
“Zack, don’t tease Dad’s woman,” Noah calls out.
“Oh, come on,” Zack replies. “I’m sure she can take it if she’s with Dad.”
“He’s alright, Noah,” I say with a smile. “Thank you though.”
“Are you boys torturing, Darla?” I hear Eli say from somewhere deeper inside the house, and then finally there he is. He’s dressed in another, more traditional, buckskin, long sleeved shirt with fringe across the chest, and tight jeans.
“Nah, just making conversation is all,” Zack insists, and Eli pushes past him and comes out on the porch. “Remember you two, I need you to work double time to make up for me today.”
“Aye, aye, Captain,” Noah says. “Nice to meet you, Darla!”
“Yeah, nice to finally meet you,” Zack chimes in.
“Likewise,” I reply as Eli closes the door behind him.
“They seem like nice boys,” I say to Eli, who is looking down at me, our bodies close and his soft blue eyes nearly turning me into a puddle as I return his gaze.
“They can be,” Eli says with a chuckle. “You look gorgeous,” he says as he lightly brushes a stray strand of hair behind my ear.
“T-thank you,” I stutter, holding my breath, wondering if he’s about to kiss me. A part of me wishes he would. I’m tingling from head to toe in anticipation.
“Oh, um, I got you these,” Eli says as he pulls something from behind his back, and lo and behold, it’s a bouquet of tiger lilies and a box of chocolates.
“Oh, Eli! They’re so lovely!”
“Nothing could ever be as lovely as you,” Eli says, and I feel my heart swell in my chest. “Let me go put these in water really quick and set this candy down so we can go about our business,” he says, breaking the tension. At least for the moment.
“Alright,” I say as I stand on the porch and wait, and a few minutes later, he’s back out with a singular stray lily.
“What’s that for?” I ask as he gently snaps the stem short.
“For your hair,” Eli replies as he gently places it behind my ear. “I thought you might like it.”
“I do!” I say with a smile as I catch a peek of my reflection in the window.
“You ready to go check out the place?” Eli asks as he slips his hand gently into mine.
“Sounds like a plan,” I reply, and he leads me out behind the picket fence and toward a long, dark red barn.
“I’m glad you could make it here today,” he says as we walk across the rocky ground. “Especially with the way your car petered out the other night.”
“Oh! Yeah, that’s the strangest thing,” I say. “Daniel looked at it for me, and I guess someone messed with my battery cables.”
“Messed with them how?” Eli asks.
“Well, he thinks that someone was trying to steal it and panicked,” I reply.
“Really? Even though you were parked that close to the bar?”
“I guess so,” I say with a shrug. “From what he told me, they put the battery cables back on wrong. Backward he said, like they were in a hurry.”
“Holy smokes,” Eli says. “You’re lucky the thing refused to turn over.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, because if it had started, it could have quickly overheated and blown up.”
“Really?” I ask, genuinely surprised.
“Yeah,” Eli says quietly as we reach the barn, and I can tell that he seems a bit out of sorts, though I can’t quite put my finger on why. Instead of opening the door, he pauses for a moment. “Joe’s not bothering you anymore, is he?”
“No, he’s left me alone,” I say as his face softens again and he opens the door.
“Well good, I’d hate to have to knock him down a few pegs,” he says as we walk into the humongous barn. “This is where we keep all the horses, I think we are up to fourteen now.”
“Oh wow,” I say as I look around. “It’s so roomy.”
“Yes, well, I like my horses to be comfortable,” he says. “Gives them ample room to lay down and such.”
“Makes sense,” I say with a smile. I hear rustling from one of the open stables before a man with a purple bandana on his face comes out with a bucket.
“Oh, um, this is Mitch,” Eli says. “He’s my friend and ranch hand.”
The man stands there silently, bucket dangling in his hands as he almost seems to glare at me.
“Nice to meet you, Mitch,” I say, but instead of saying hello back, all he does is wave before he turns tail and briskly walks off.
Strange, I think to myself. Most cowboys are really friendly and talkative. Maybe he’s just shy.
“Anyways, you ready to meet Lilah?” Eli asks, and I push the quiet man out of my head.
“Born ready,” I say excitedly as he steers me to a pen holding a beautiful brown mare with a white streak sliding up its nose, peaking in a cute little point at its forehead.
“Oh my, she’s so beautiful!” I gasp as I gingerly reach my hand in and pet her before he brings her out and gets her all ready to go. He then helps me onto her back, and hands me the reigns, the tanned leather feeling so good in my hands.
“I’m glad you like her,” Eli says. “She’s very gentle,” he says as he pets her neck. “Been a while since she’s been ridden.”
“Been a while since I’ve rode,” I say with a giggle. “So, I guess we have that in common,” I say as I watch him lead out a lovely black stallion.
“Seems like the two of you will be fast friends,” Eli replies. “This is Tango. I’ve had him the longest.”
“He’s precious,” I say as Eli gets Tango ready and hops on.
“You ready to go?” he asks, and I feel a bit nervous as I grip the reigns tightly.
“Definitely,” I say.
“Well then, let’s ride.”
He takes off, and I flick the reigns and take off after him, out the open back door and into a beautiful, green, grassy field. The property is huge, two or three times the size of my father’s, and Eli and I explore it all. All the while, there’s a smile on my face as the wind whips through my hair.
“I got someplace to show you,” he says after about an hour of riding around, and he races up a hill. It’s a little bit steep, but Lilah seems to know the way and isn’t bothered at all by it. So, we continue to chase after him until we get to the top.
“Look at this view!” I say, the gorgeous hills and valleys like something out of a Kincade painting.
“Isn’t it?” Eli says. “I thought you might like it.”
“I certainly do,” I say as I take a deep breath in, the scent of dirt and grass filling my nose. “It’s lovely.”
“I own all the way out to that fence there,” Eli says. “And then to that mountain face right there.”
“Oh wow, that’s even bigger than I thought,” I say.
“Yeah, well, I wanted to give us room to be self-sufficient,” Eli says. “Back in the day this cost quite a pretty penny. But I got it done.”
“Reminds me of home,” I say out loud as the thought brews in my head again. “My father is a farmer and rancher all wrapped into one, or was, he’s retired now. I miss it. I miss the animals too.”
There’s a lot pause of quiet, the only sound that of the breeze whistling through the tree branches. The day had been lovely, and here I was, making it awkward by being homesick.
“You know, I got something that you might want to see down in the pig barn,” Eli says with a smile. “You interested?”
***
It’s hard to pay attention to where I’m going as Darla and Lilah get a little lead on me, Darla all aglow as we continue our ride. She’s ethereal, like an angel sent down from God, and everything about her is perfect. So, how could she be as bad as Mitch says she is?
We ride on out to the pig barn, our bodies so close as I put my hands on her hips to help her hop down, and she puts her hands on my shoulders. The desire to kiss her is sickeningly strong. But I decide against it.
Not yet. Not ‘til I’m sure we are both ready.
“So, um, pigs,” I manage to get out, and she snorts with laughter.
“You okay there, big shot?” she asks as she peers up at me.
“Yeah! Yes! I’m totally fine,” I say, and it makes her laugh even harder.
“Okay, so what did you want to show me? Pigs, you said.” Darla gently nudges me, and I realize I’ve just been standing there, admiring her beauty.
“Right,” I reply. “Come inside with me.”
I open the door and when she takes my hand in hers all on her own, I can’t help but grin from ear to ear as I lead her to the pig pen with the piglets.
“Aw!” she squeals with delight. “Babies!”
“I thought you might take a liking to them,” I say, glad that she’s cheered up from earlier. Being homesick is no fun, and I didn’t want our day to be ruined because of it. Nor did I ever want to see Darla sad.
“Can I play with them?” she asks.
“Well sure, though I don’t know if they’ll play or not,” I say with a chuckle as she climbs right in and sits down in the hay. The piglets all scatter at first, squeaking and oinking. But, much to my surprise, she’s able to coax a few her way and pet them. One in particular seems to fancy her, staying in her arms until it dozes off.
And this is supposed to be the toxic woman I should stay away from? I think to myself. She couldn’t hurt a fly.
As I watch her with the babies, another thought flies through my mind, and I feel my jaw tense a bit. I’m concerned about that battery incident, and something inside me says she’s being too relaxed about the whole thing. I mean, Joe was right there at the bar that night, and he’d already threatened her. What if he was the one that did that to her battery?
“Eli?” I hear Darla call out, one of the piglets still in her arms.
“Yes, dear?” I reply absentmindedly.
“You alright?” she asks as she cocks her head at me.
“Me? Oh yeah, no, I’m fine,” I say. “Just admiring you.”
“Is that so?” she asks as she scratches the belly of one of the piglets.
“You’re like some sort of animal whisperer,” I say.
“Well, I don’t know about that.” Darla laughs. “Though, I always wanted to be a veterinarian.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, but I couldn’t handle having to put animals down if I had to, you know?” Darla replies. “It’s too sad for me.”
“Don’t you lose people at the hospital?” I ask.
“Well, yeah,” Darla replies. “But that’s only been a recent thing for me and trust me, I don’t like it. Back home I was on labor and delivery, so death was rare. But when I transferred, there were no spots open in that department, ICU or ER was all they had. So, I picked ICU.”
“That’s rough,” I reply, shaking my head. “I couldn’t do what you do, Darla. You’re a hometown hero.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Darla says. “I’m just doing my job. Helping people is something I have always been passionate about, you know? Everyone deserves to receive the best care and kindness they can while they’re in the hospital and healing up. I’m only doing what’s right.”
When I thought I couldn’t fall for her any more, her words touch my heart. What a woman, I think to myself as I smile, and she continues to play with the piglets.
Eventually, I crawl in too, but unlike her, the pigs want nothing to do with me, which cracks her up. And by the time we climb out of the pig pen, we are both covered in hay and mud, her jeans especially dirty.
“I guess we will have to name you pigpen now, instead of pie girl,” I tease, and her giggle sends giggles up my spine as I help her up.
“You’re dirty too!”
“Yeah, but I like picking on you,” I say with a grin as she climbs through the bars and lets out a gasp when she loses her footing on the other side.
I dash forward and catch her, helping her back up when her eyes peer up at mine with such intensity I can feel myself catching on fire. She then slides her hand behind my neck, gently rubbing the nape of it as I pull her in closer, and our lips finally meet.
The kiss is nothing short of electrifying, and I can’t help but lean into it, deepening the kiss as we stand there in the barn all alone. I feel like a man possessed as I linger even longer, until we both pull back breathlessly.
“I’m sorry if that was too forward,” I say to her. But all she does is smile as she gets on her tip toes, kissing me again. I feel like my head is in the clouds, and if this is what I might feel for the rest of my life, this intense joy, then I don’t want to come down.
However, the moment is spoiled when something clammers behind us. I let go to look, only to see that Mitch is standing there picking up the feed buckets he’d dropped and eyeing the two of us, bandana still across his mouth.
I wonder if he’s getting sick, I think to myself. Or maybe the stalls just smelled worse today. . .
“I’m sorry if I’ve embarrassed you in front of your friend,” Darla says, and my eyes flicker back to her, a worried look on her face.
“No, of course not,” I say with a shake of my head. “How could I ever be embarrassed about someone seeing a pretty young thing like you on my arm?”
“I’m not that much younger than you!” Darla says with a snort, and we head out of the pig pens and back outside, where we spend the rest of the morning together.
We check out the cow barn, feed the chickens, and do some more riding until my watch goes off, and I feel the corners of my mouth tug into a frown. She’s got to go get some sleep to cover an overnight shift, and I’ve got chirping to get done. But I truly don’t want her to go.
We bring the horses back to the barn, and with every step toward the house, it feels like my legs are dragging. Anticipating her departure, and wanting to ask her to stay. But I know I can’t.I go into the house and glumly retrieve her candy and flowers and bring them back out to her, trying my best to keep up the happy smile I’ve had on my face all day.
“I believe these were yours,” I say as I hand them off to her.
“Thank you,” she says, and I realize that she looks a little sad too.
“The pleasure is all mine,” I say as I quickly grab her hand and kiss the top of it. “It’s been a lovely day.”
“It really has,” she says. “I can’t remember ever having a day so beautiful.”
“Me either,” I reply, and she gets up on her toes and gives me a kiss on the cheek.
“Sorry I couldn’t take you out for dinner,” I say.
“It’s alright, I’m glad we could at least do all of this,” she says. “Now I get to go home, shower, and nap before my overnight shift.”
“That doesn’t sound fun,” I say.
“Eh, it’s pretty quiet,” she replies with a shrug. “Though, I will miss my texting buddy.”
“Oh, your boyfriend’s not going to be awake?” I tease.
“Is that what he is?” Darla asks, and the question hits me hard.
Is that what we are now? Girlfriend and boyfriend?
Am I even ready for this?
“Yeah,” I say, pushing all my doubts away. I know how I feel about her, and I’m not going to let Mitch, or my past, get in the way of it. I haven’t been this happy in a long, long time. And I’m going to lean into it. “That is, if she’ll have him.”
“She will,” she says, a bit low and sultry, her fingers gently grasping at mine as she looks up at me with a big grin on her face.
“He’s a lucky man,” I joke, and she kisses me again, this time softly on the mouth, and I can hear my heartbeat in my ears.
“He sure is,” she says with a wink.
“About dinner,” I say. “Let me make it up to you.”
“Make it up to me?” she asks.
“Well, yeah, Valentine’s dinner,” I say. “How about the day after tomorrow? That gives you time to rest and whatnot from your shift.”
“Sure, though I do have to work, so it’ll have to be late again.”
“For you? I’d eat at one o’ clock in the morning,” I say as I walk her out to her car, hand in hand, feeling over the moon.
A girlfriend. . . I have a girlfriend.
“Should we meet somewhere?” Darla asks, and I shake my head, the battery situation still bothering me.
“I’ll just pick you up at home or something,” I say.
“You sure?” she asks.
“Yeah, it’s no big deal,” I say with a shrug as I open her car door for her. “Drive safe and have a good nap.”
“You enjoy the rest of your day too, shug,” Darla says as she kisses my cheek again before climbing into her car and shutting her door. I stand there as I watch her back out, cheesing like a fool as she waves to me, though I still feel a tug of disappointment as she pulls away.
What is this?I think to myself. It’s been so long since I’ve wanted someone other than the boys around.
As I walk back into the house, I’m not sure how to feel about it. But by the time I have a seat in my recliner, I can’t help feeling anything but happy.I’m alive again, and I have Darla to thank for rekindling that spark in my soul.
“You have a good time, Pops?” Zack asks, and I open my eyes as he sits down on the couch.
“Yes, actually,” I say. “What’d you think?” I ask, worried that he might not like the situation at all. He’s older now, but still. He really misses his mama, and it still shows in the way he acts.
“She’s real pretty, and she seems nice,” Zack replies.
“Does it bother you?” I ask.
“What do you mean?”
“Me dating Darla,” I reply, and Zack clears his throat a little.
“At first, I didn’t care for it,” Zack says. “But then I saw the two of you today out there having fun. You were all aglow on top of Tango, the two of you laughing and carrying on. How could I be mad at that?”
“Dad?” I hear Noah yell from the door. “Dad? Zack? Are you in here?”
“Yep! We’re in the living room,” I say as I sit up a bit, and Zack comes flying into the den, a worried look on his face. “What’s the problem?”
“I don’t know what happened, but somehow the gate got loose,” Zack says. “We got a bunch of cows spilling out into the yard and hills. I need your help.”
Strange,I think to myself. I checked and double checked that gate as Darla and I were running around, and Mitch has been working the barns all morning.
“Don’t worry,” I say as I shake it off. It could’ve been a mischievous heffer that knocked something loose. “We’ll get them back. Did you tell Mitch?”
“Actually, I’m not sure where he is,” Noah says.
“Well, he can’t be too far, unless he’s left for his date already,” I say with a groan as I get up out of my chair. “Let’s get to work then, can’t let them get too far or old man Willy next door is going to cuss me out again. Last time, they ate up his begonias.”