12. Dallas
12
DALLAS
I’m pacing.
Which is weird, because I should not be this concerned about a woman that clearly hates me.
But Katie dropped the bombshell about her ex—Max’s twin—dying, then ran from the building. I tried to follow her once my brain caught up with the situation, but she’d already disappeared.
Then I realised she probably wouldn’t want me to find her anyway, so I called Olivia.
It was the weirdest conversation of my life, but I couldn’t leave Katie upset like that. If she’s mad at me for telling Olivia then I’ll deal with that later. It’s not like she could hate me more than she already does.
I’m at the barn, waiting for Flynn, one of the farm hands, to arrive with a new horse. He’s been away for a couple of weeks visiting friends up north and Olivia arranged for him to pick up the horse on his way back to the farm. We weren’t expecting him back for another two days, but I’m glad his arrival is providing a distraction from the rest of today.
Flynn and Olivia go way back, having known each other most of their lives like everyone else who’s grown up in this town. From the stories I’ve heard, their parents were best friends.
Flynn’s been working here longer than I have. From what I’ve gathered he started here full-time right after he left school, and was working here during holidays and weekends before then.
I can’t understand why he didn’t get the manager job I ended up with.
Flynn is hardworking and motivated and knows this farm inside out. But for some reason Henry wanted someone older, more experienced. I never had the chance to ask him why Flynn wasn’t the perfect choice for the job. It can’t just be his age, because Olivia is now running this place and she’s the same age as Flynn.
When I called Olivia, she asked me to come down to the barn and meet him while she went searching for Katie.
I wish I’d just found Katie myself and faced her wrath because this waiting is giving me too much time to think.
I’m pacing back and forth on the gravel beside the arena. I’m not sure why I need to be here. Flynn is perfectly capable. I’m sure he can unload a horse and put it in the paddock without too much drama.
His ute comes over the brow of the hill, pulling the horse float. He pulls up beside me. “Hey, Dallas,” he grins. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
I grunt. “Olivia had something come up,” I mutter.
He grins at me, the cheeky little shit. He knows how much I hate horses. Well, it’s not actually that I hate them. I think they’re amazing animals. But they’re also terrifying and I cannot get past that detail to actually go near them anymore.
“Well, I don’t think you’ll have to get too close to this one,” Flynn says. “But, can you open up that yard gate? I’ll back right up to it.”
I raise an eyebrow, but do as he asked. We usually just unload horses in the middle of the driveway, where he’s currently parked.
Well, I don’t, but other people do.
Flynn backs the float right up to the gate, so there’s barely a space between the float and the gateposts. When he climbs out he joins me at the gate. “She’s not tied up in there, and I’d say she’s going to be pretty keen to get out of there. So we’ll drop the ramp and when I open the bar, stay right out of her way.”
“What the hell kind of horse is this?” I ask, anxiety creeping into my muscles.
“One that’s not had a very good time of it,” Flynn says, his normally smiling face turning grim. “It’s not her fault though, and Olivia will turn her around.”
I nod and we lower the ramp of the float, then I move well out of the way as Flynn prepares to open the bar that contains the horse in the float, so she can’t barrel out while the ramp is being dropped and squash someone.
“That’s a good girl,” Flynn murmurs in his soothing horse voice. All horse people seem to have one. I haven’t found mine yet, but I suspect it’s not far off the one I use when Sadie’ s upset.
Flynn releases the bar and the horse shoots backwards, rattling down the ramp until her hooves hit dirt. She spins, kicking out her back legs as she charges around the yard, keeping her distance from us.
She’s a sorry looking creature, with a light-coloured, matted mane and tail, a dull brown coat sprinkled with white hair, and ribs sticking out. Even I can tell her feet need a trim and she has a look in her eye that’s far more terrified than angry.
Flynn and I lift the ramp again and I pull the ute forward while he closes the gate. By the time I’m out of the ute, he’s standing on the fence looking down at the horse.
“She’s going to be a beauty,” he says, grinning at me again as I climb up beside him. “All that white hair mixed in with the chestnut makes her a strawberry roan. I don’t think I’ve seen one before, but I can imagine how gorgeous she’ll be once she’s all cleaned up.”
I look at the mare sceptically. “Yeah, sure,” I say, hoping I don’t sound as doubtful as I feel.
I don’t know what Olivia is thinking, bringing another horse here, especially one that clearly needs this much work. She has no time to work with it, neither does Flynn and no one else has much affinity with horses, especially not me.
Then I remember Katie and her confident way in the saddle. I know who this horse is for, and I suspect I know why it’s arrived now too. It’s another thing to keep Katie here, like Olivia is worried she’ll leave.
I think about that myself. I can’t figure out why she’s here. She clearly hates the town. I’m not sure even her evident love for Olivia and Wildflower Ridge can be enough to counteract Max Sheridan’s attitude. I wonder if other people around here have the same reaction to her.
I realise I’m standing next to someone who probably has all the details right now. I clear my throat and Flynn looks up at me.
“This horse is for Katie, isn’t it?”
I didn’t know it was possible for Flynn’s face to smile bigger, but it does as soon as I mention Katie.
He nods. “I can’t wait to see her,” he says. “It’s been way too long.”
“She had an … ah … encounter with Max Sheridan today,” I say.
Flynn’s grin disappears and he visibly flinches. “Oof,” he says. “Did she punch him in the face?”
“No.”
Flynn looks disappointed.
“But she did tell him to fuck off,” I add.
His expression immediately shifts back to his usual grin. “Atta girl,” he says.
“I thought you were friends with Max?”
He shrugs. “Look, living in a town like this, you have to suck it up and just get along sometimes. But it’s never really sat right with me the way Max treated Katie. He’s never liked her, and no one’s ever been able to figure out why.” He pauses and rubs his jaw, thinking. “I don’t know. But the last time she was back, he was a complete asshole to her.”
“What about other people in town? Are they the same?”
“Some,” he says. He looks like he’s about to say more when Olivia’s ute crests the hill. It pulls to a stop beside Flynn’s. Olivia and Katie climb out.
“Katie!” Flynn jumps off the fence and rushes towards her.
I study her face, while hanging well back. It’s a bit pale and her eyes look a little red, like she’s been crying, but it’s hard to tell from this distance. She looks wary as Flynn gets closer, but when he grabs her around the waist, picks her up and spins her around, she tilts her head back and laughs.
Flynn sets her back on the ground and Katie wraps her arms around his shoulders. “It’s so good to see you,” they both say at the same time, then burst into giggles.
“Come see the new horse,” Flynn says, leading the two women towards the yards. I’m leaning on the fence trying to look casual.
I catch Olivia’s gaze and she gives me a smile and nod. Katie’s okay then. I try to meet her eyes, but she won’t look my way.
The four of us climb up on the fence and look down at the mare, still cowering on the opposite side of the yard.
“Oh, the poor thing,” Katie breathes. Her arm brushes against mine and electricity shoots through me. I force my attention back to the horse instead of the way Katie immediately moves away from me, but the feeling of her skin against mine doesn’t leave.
“Feel like working with her for a while?” Olivia asks.
“Of course,” Katie says, swinging a leg over the top of the fence and gently dropping to the ground inside the yard. She looks up at Flynn. “What’s her name?”
“She didn’t come with one,” Flynn says. “But I was thinking Aurora. She’s the Roman goddess of the dawn and new beginnings. It felt right for her.”
Katie stops, staring up at us lined up on the fence.
“Aurora,” she says softly. “It’s perfect.” She turns towards the mare, approaching with slow, careful steps.
The horse watches her getting ever closer. Flynn holds his breath beside me and Olivia’s nails are digging into the wooden railing.
Katie’s fingertips reach out. “Aurora,” she says again, voice soft and soothing.
The horse sniffs at her hand and presses her muzzle into it for just a second before snorting, tossing her head and wheeling away.
I catch my breath as the horse spins around. I’m expecting her to buck and kick out at Katie, but she only races to the other side of the yard.
I’m also expecting Katie to be disappointed, but she relaxes against the fence where she’s standing, staring after the horse with a smile on her face.
She looks calm, relaxed, and most importantly, she looks happy.