4
Rhett
It was a good idea in the still of the night but come daylight Rhett wasn’t sure she’d made the right choice, but it was too late. She’d put the ad out for help at her stables. Bubbly, friendly Florence wasn’t exactly what she had expected to arrive on her doorstep, delivered by Heath, of all people.
She watched Florence assessing the kitchen. It was obvious the country style wasn’t what she was used to, seeing how she glanced quizzically at the range cooker. There was a side step away from the cinders in the grate of the stone open fireplace, and a twitching of her button nose at the high dark beams above her head, or maybe it was the out of reach cobwebs that somewhat bothered her.
‘You said you had horses?’ Rhett needed the clarification.
‘Hmm,’ Florence replied, turning to smile sweetly whilst pulling out a cream wooden chair from beneath the large oak table. ‘I had my first at fourteen. My step-dad left and took Beauty with him.’ She glanced at the kettle. ‘My next horse wasn’t until my mum remarried. Then I had one called Jewel until I was twenty-four, then that step-father sold him before he divorced my mum.’
Rhett went over to the kettle to make some tea for her new houseguest. ‘You haven’t had much luck with your horses.’
Florence scoffed. ‘More like step-dads.’
It wasn’t Rhett’s place to pry, even though questions were building. She pulled out two chunky white mugs from a cupboard and plopped a teabag into each.
‘Five,’ said Florence, a smirk in her tone. She was studying her pink nails when Rhett turned to face her.
‘Five what?’
Sugars?
‘Step-fathers. That’s how many of those I’ve had. Three horses of my own, two homes that had their own stables, twenty-odd that didn’t, and one ex-fiancé, and all by the age of thirty-four. Not bad.’ She mumbled the last two words to herself, but Rhett heard. Wide eyes beamed back into life as the kettle clicked off. ‘So, that’s my life. What’s the story here? We didn’t talk much on the phone. You seemed more of a face-to-face type.’
I didn’t know what to say, that’s why.
Rhett busied herself with the tea, dragging it out as long as she could. ‘Not much to tell. I run this place by myself and need help from time to time. It’s springtime now, so I’ll start getting riders coming up for their lessons, then come summer, I’ll be at my busiest. I also have a group of children from an underprivileged area that visit, so it’s a nice day for them. It’s set up by a charity I’m signed with. I also do one in the summer for kids with disabilities, and every so often I’ve helped with confidence issues and fears.’
Not sure if I’ll be helping anyone this summer. Not sure I’ll still be here.
‘I like that, Rhett. Sounds great.’
‘Have you eaten?’
‘I had avocado on toast for breakfast.’
‘I can make cheese sandwiches, if you’re interested.’
Florence nodded her approval, and Rhett was relieved to have something else to focus on. She really wasn’t good with people unless they were in the stables ready to jump onto a saddle.
‘So, Florence, what was your last job?’
‘I’m a reporter. Well, I was. I sort of quit last week.’ She shuffled in her seat, then cupped her tea and sighed quietly as though life had exhausted her.
‘Oh, I wasn’t expecting that. Erm, so, not your thing then?’
‘It was, but…’ Her voice faded, causing Rhett to glance her way.
‘It’s okay. You don’t have to talk about your life.’
‘I don’t have much to talk about anymore, truth be told. Life changed for my family last year, and I guess it’s been a bit of a domino effect from then on. I don’t want to get into everything, but I will say, I’ve got no friends anymore, my fiancé dumped me, and I wasn’t exactly welcome at my job. When I saw your advert, I couldn’t believe it. It was definitely a sign.’
You can thank Willow’s book for that.
Rhett sat at the table, handing over the sandwiches and offering a small smile along with an old green plate. ‘This is the first time I’ve done anything like this. I used to have staff, and I sometimes have volunteers, mostly during the school holidays, but…’ She stopped talking, not knowing what to add. There was no way she wanted to discuss her finances, or rather, lack of.
It would seem Florence already had it figured out. ‘It’s okay. I guessed this sort of deal was done due to money problems. It’s none of my business.’
Rhett bit off a large corner of her sandwich, wishing she could just eat without talking.
‘I only have enough funds to last me a year,’ added Florence. ‘So once I’m done here, I’ll start looking for a job. I just needed the break first. It’s been a mad year, and I started to lose the ability to breathe properly.’ She stared over to the opened back door, where Smokey sat licking a paw. ‘This will be good for me. I can feel it already.’
I could do with a break myself.
Florence sipped her tea, then raised her heart-shaped lips into a warm smile. ‘Tell me about muscle man next door.’
‘Heath?’
‘He’s cute, isn’t he?’
Yes.
‘He’s Heath.’
‘Have you known him long?’
‘All my life. I was born in this house. He was back and forth in his for the early years of his life, then his dad took over the farm, and he’s lived there ever since.’
‘And what’s the deal with you and him?’
‘There’s no deal.’
‘I’m a trained reporter, remember? I scribbled away about celebrity gossip, so I can spot a story a mile away.’ Florence sighed deeply. ‘I only got the job because my step-dad was one of the owners of the magazine. Not many of my co-workers liked me because of that.’ She pointed a perfectly manicured fingernail at her face. ‘At the time, I didn’t think I was good enough for much, but I learned a lot there. Really perfected my skill. I just never felt I belonged though.’
‘Is that why you quit?’
‘My step-dad was okay about me working for him after he divorced my mother, but then there was a bit of trouble with my family last year, and suddenly life at work got worse. I guess you could say he found ways to make me want to leave. In the end, I gave up trying to stay.’
‘I’m sorry. Sounds like you had a rough time.’
‘That’s partly why I’m here. I never felt my true self unless I was out riding. It was the only time I felt free. Goodness, that sounds odd.’
Rhett shook her head as she lowered her mug from her lips. ‘Not to me. I know how you feel. The stables are my life. Well, and my daughter, but with the horses, life just feels simple. When I was a kid, I’d sleep out there some nights. I still have an inflatable bed in the storage room. It would be just me and Lucky. He was my favourite horse. Named this place after him once I took over.’
Florence lightly clapped her hands in front of her chest and quietly squealed through her perfect teeth. ‘Ooh, I think we’re going to have the best time together, Rhett.’ She cocked her head as her brow creased. ‘Rhett. It’s an unusual name.’
‘It’s from the film Gone with the Wind. My mum was a major fan. My sister’s called Vivien.’
‘And Heathcliff over the road?’
Rhett breathed out a quiet laugh. ‘It’s just Heath.’
‘He likes you.’
‘He doesn’t.’
Florence smiled into her beverage. ‘I saw it in his eyes.’
‘We have a daughter together. She’s twenty-one now, and we haven’t been together since I was pregnant. So whatever you think you saw, it wasn’t that.’
Florence gave a look that suggested she knew more than Rhett about the subject. But that was old news. Many people thought there was something between them over the years. There was no reason the new girl in town wouldn’t be the same. Although it did make Rhett wonder why.
‘He’s single. Just so you know. If you’re interested, that is.’ Rhett mentally rolled her eyes, telling herself to shut up.
Florence flapped a cheese sandwich towards her plate. ‘Please, I’m so off men, I can’t even begin to tell you. I think it’s quite possible I’ll stay single for the rest of my life.’ She assessed the room once more but revealed a warmer light in her eyes. ‘Horses and fresh air are all I need right now. Besides, I’ve never been one to step on another woman’s toes, with the exception of that one time when I literally crushed a lady’s size sevens with my petite fours in the sales. Well, it was fifty percent off.’
Rhett laughed. Her body relaxed, and for the first time since her teenage years, she felt she’d made a friend.