Chapter 31
Tyson lifted the eight-year-old girl from Patches’ back while her dad spotted her ten-year-old brother on the dismount.
“That was so fun!” Addy said. “Can we do it again tomorrow, Dad?”
“If Mr. Tyson says it’s okay.”
“There’s plenty of room in the schedule. Just pick a time on the sign-up sheet.”
Elijah gave Penny one last stroke. “She likes me.”
“She definitely likes you. I can tell by the way she nickers.”
“Thanks again for taking the time,” their dad said. “This is the main reason we booked here. The girls are wild about these
ponies.”
Tyson heard that a lot. It wasn’t every day you got to ride a genuine Chincoteague pony. “My pleasure.”
The group scuttled off while Tyson began unsaddling and grooming the mares. They complained each time he gave the other attention.
Finally he shook his head at them. “You’re like a couple of jealous wives.”
Penny snorted as he led her back out to pasture. Patches followed along, as he’d known she would. He gave them both a little
affection before he headed toward the house. The scent of grass still permeated the afternoon from yesterday’s mowing.
As he rounded the house he caught a glimpse of Mama Dee’s place across the street.
He hadn’t seen Jenna since they’d returned to the island three days ago.
She’d texted to brief him on the conversation with her mom.
He’d wanted to call her and have a real talk. Especially since it had gone so poorly.
But common sense reined him in. He was having trouble navigating his thoughts about Jenna. Trying to sort out his feelings
for her. The memory of her kisses, her affection, the way she gazed up at him kept him up at night.
As if the nightmares didn’t do enough of that.
When he entered the house Mom was descending the stairs with a load of dirty sheets, her gray hair piled on her head. But
she beamed when she spotted him. “Those Carter kids couldn’t stop talking about their pony rides. They’re begging their parents
to come back for the Pony Swim.”
“They’d be hard-pressed to find a place at this late date.”
“I told ’em as much and suggested they make plans for next year. We still have two rooms left that week.”
“Good idea.” Ty nodded.
“Hey, there’s a light bulb out in Driftwood—tableside lamp—and a dripping faucet in Pasture View. Both rooms are currently
empty.”
“I’m on it.”
“Thanks, honey.”
He headed upstairs and grabbed a bulb from the supply closet. He was exchanging the bulbs when a text came in from Luke.
I was at Teaguer’s with the guys last night and there was some stuff going around about you and Marissa—someone insinuated you slept with her. Thought you’d want to know.
Ty frowned. Who said that?
I was away from the table at the start of the conversation. It didn’t go on long once I got back, and I did defend you. Just
wanted you to know what was being said.
Those guys act like a bunch of old biddies sometimes.
Kind of made me wonder if it’s coming from Marissa.
Why would she lie about that? He shot back a text. Think so?
It just seems like this whole thing should’ve passed over by now. Gotta run. Boss sending me on an errand.
See ya. Tyson was getting a little tired of the drama. He’d done everything he could think of to fix things, but it didn’t seem to make a difference. Maybe he should try apologizing to Marissa again.
He mulled over the idea as he went for his tools and headed to Pasture View to check on the dripping faucet. As he loosened
the set screw, his thoughts turned to Jenna and those two days they’d had together. Being with her like that, especially that
last day when he’d felt free to take her hand or touch her cheek, had given him a small taste of what a relationship with
her might be like.
And a taste hadn’t been nearly enough.
He’d missed her these past few days. Like an actual physical ache in his gut. He wanted to call her up and ask how her day
was going. Wanted to run across the street the minute she got home.
And what would you say, idiot?
She’d always claimed she’d never date a firefighter—and that’s who he was down to his core. He planned on being an active
member of the fire company as long as he was able, just like Dad had been.
Plus he was a little wary about putting his heart out there again. Britt’s desertion had left him feeling unworthy and rejected.
He’d responded by going a little crazy. But maybe he’d just been proving to himself that he could leave people before he got
left. Maybe it gave him a sense of control for a while. It certainly gave him the time and space to get over Britt. But look
where his shallow lifestyle had led him.
Jenna wasn’t his feckless biological father, however. And she certainly wasn’t Britt. He knew her inside and out. She would
never treat him so callously. Which brought him to the whole friendship thing. How could he take the chance of souring their
relationship?
But that excuse was starting to wear thin. Especially in light of their time together this week. What if it was worth the
risk? What if a romantic relationship with Jenna turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him? To them? And how
would they ever know if they weren’t willing to put it all on the line?
He removed the handle and found the adjusting ring loose. A simple fix. He tightened the ring and put the handle back on. When he turned on the water, the drip was history.
He cleaned up his tools and stowed them in the closet, then stopped in the kitchen to see if Dad needed help—though heaven
knew food prep wasn’t Tyson’s forte.
Dad turned down the offer but was happy to catch up while he punched down the dough for tomorrow’s cinnamon rolls. Mom joined
them after a bit, and they talked until they were interrupted by a call from someone wanting to book a weekend in August.
Tyson was just about to head out front to pull weeds when he got a call from Fish & Wildlife. He stepped out onto the porch
and took the call. “Hey, Greg, how’s it going?”
“All right, all right. Busy day out here on the refuge. Seems we had a little skirmish between two stallions. They’re fine,
but one of the mares got in the way. Got a little scraped up. Nothing too serious by the looks of it, but we probably need
to get the vet out here to take a peek at her.”
“Sure thing. Where’s she at now?”
“We’ve got her in the south corral with her foal. She’s a little shaken up. It’s Dream.”
Jenna’s buyback. He sure hoped Greg was right and it was nothing serious. “Her foal all right?”
“Yeah, she’s unharmed.”
“Okay. I’ll make a call and we’ll get out there ASAP.”
“Thanks, Ty.”
Tyson ended the call and reached out to the vet, who agreed to meet him at the pen in an hour.
Once he got off the phone he glanced across the street. Today was Jenna’s day off, but her car wasn’t in the drive. Still, if she wasn’t in the middle of something important, she wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to see Dream and her foal up close and personal. Make sure they were all right.
Before he could stop himself, he placed the call. It had nothing to do with missing her. At least that was what he told himself
as the phone rang. Once. Twice.
“Hey, Ty, what’s up?” Jenna answered in her normal tone.
“Not much. Where are you?”
“Running a few errands. I’m currently finishing up at the post office. Why do you ask?”
“Just got off the phone with Fish & Wildlife. There was a little run-in with a couple stallions, and Dream got in the way.
Sounds like she’s fine, just a little scraped up.”
“Oh no. Are you sure she’s okay? And her foal?”
“The foal wasn’t involved and Jerry doesn’t think Dream’s injuries are serious. But just as a precaution I’m meeting the vet
at the refuge. Thought you might like to ride along.”