15. Vindictive Donkey
Vindictive Donkey
Quinn
I woke up tangled in Reid’s sheets, my body sore in all the right places. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow across the room that matched my hazy state of mind.
My fingertips traced the empty space beside me, still warm from Reid’s body. The realization that I’d slept with Reid sent a flush of heat from my chest to my face.
And I’d slept with Kellan too. And done... lots of things with Enzo.
I flopped back against the pillow, covering my face with my hands.
These weren’t the actions of the Quinn Porter I used to be.
In the past, I was cautious and thought things through.
But something about sticking to what was deemed normal and then having my heart stomped on by someone who checked all the boxes did something to a woman.
And apparently, that something was not only taking up hobby horsing but three men.
A series of thumps from somewhere downstairs interrupted my existential crisis. I froze, listening. Another thump, followed by what sounded like something dragging across the floor.
Sighing, I slid out of bed, my bare feet hitting the cool hardwood.
I grabbed Reid’s flannel shirt from the chair in the corner, partly for decency, partly because I liked how it smelled like him, and slipped it on.
It hung to my mid-thighs, barely decent enough if it was one of the guys downstairs.
I opened the door and peeked into the hall. “Hello?” No response except another thump.
I tiptoed into the hallway, ears straining for any sound that might identify the culprit. As I crept down the stairs, the thumps grew louder, accompanied by a sound that was unmistakably... chewing?
Rounding the corner into the living room, I stopped dead in my tracks.
There, in the middle of the room, stood Debra. And in her mouth, being thoroughly masticated, was the head of Thunderbolt. Stuffing littered the floor like snow, and one of Thunderbolt’s button eyes rolled accusingly toward me from near the coffee table.
“What the… Debra!” I shrieked.
Debra looked up at me with what I could only describe as smug satisfaction, Thunderbolt’s mangled head still clamped between her teeth. She took a step backward, knocking a lamp off an end table with her substantial donkey ass.
“What’s happening? Is someone dying?” Kellan thundered down the stairs, skidding to a halt behind me. He was wearing only a pair of low-hanging sweatpants, his hair sticking up in every direction. Any other time, I might have appreciated the view, but I was too busy mourning Thunderbolt.
Kellan took in the scene before us. “How did she even get in here?”
“I don’t know!” I gestured wildly at the destruction. “But she’s eating Thunderbolt!”
He cautiously moved toward the donkey. “Okay, Debra, drop the horsie and no one has to get hurt.”
Debra responded by backing up further, knocking over an empty cup someone had left on the coffee table.
“Don’t antagonize her!” I whispered harshly. “She’ll eat the whole living room.”
“I’m not antagonizing her.” Kellan inched closer, and I didn’t know what he was planning on doing when he reached her. “We’ve had a talk about boundaries, haven’t we, Debra?”
The donkey snorted with what I swore was contempt, and more of Thunderbolt’s precious insides floated to the floor.
I hadn’t even known I was so attached to the damn thing, yet here I was wanting to cry over it.
It was like each piece of stuffing represented another fragment of my dignity disappearing before my eyes.
Debra’s eyes never left mine during this entire performance, and I could have sworn she was enjoying every second of my distress. The audacity of this animal was truly something to behold.
I moved to Kellan’s side. “We need to lure her out.”
“With what? Your virtue? Because I think that ship has sailed.” Kellan looked at me and winked, his dimple making a brief appearance.
Heat rushed to my cheeks as I tugged the hem of Reid’s flannel lower on my thighs.
I wasn’t surprised Kellan made a suggestive joke while a demonic donkey was seeking revenge.
His talent for inappropriate timing was truly unmatched, and I couldn’t exactly deny the accuracy of his observation, considering I’d just rolled out of Reid’s bed.
Not that I was about to give Kellan the satisfaction of acknowledging that.
I elbowed him in the ribs. “Food, Kellan! What does she like to eat besides stick horses?”
Kellan edged toward the kitchen. “Apples. I’ll grab some from the fridge. You keep her occupied.”
“How exactly am I supposed to—” But Kellan was already gone, leaving me alone with the destroyer of worlds.
I faced Debra, raising my hands in a placating gesture. “Hey there, girl. That’s not very nutritious, you know. How about you give me what’s left, and we can part as friends?”
Debra regarded me with suspicious eyes, her long lashes fluttering with what I could only interpret as calculated malevolence. Each twitch of her oversized ears seemed to telegraph her thoughts: I know what you did last night, and I’m judging you for it.
I’d spent my entire adult life managing classrooms full of unpredictable children, but nothing had prepared me for the psychological warfare of being sized up by a vindictive donkey.
Kellan returned, an apple held out in front of him like a peace offering. “Look what I’ve got, Debbie. Much tastier than a stick horse.”
To my surprise, Debra’s ears perked up and her attention immediately went to the sweet treat. She dropped Thunderbolt’s soggy remains and clomped over to Kellan. He backed slowly toward the front door, Debra following the apple like a donkey possessed.
He opened the door, and once she crossed the threshold, Kellan tossed the apple outside. She took off after it like a dog chasing a ball, and he slammed the door shut and locked it.
He looked me up and down with a slow grin. “I see you’re wearing Reid’s shirt. I’m starting to feel left out. I should leave one of mine out for the next time you need to cover up after a night of debauchery.”
Heat crawled up my neck. “I… uh…”
“Relax, Quinn.” His voice softened as he reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “We don’t have to figure it all out right now.”
But the gentleness in his touch made my chest ache with confusion. What were we doing here?
Kellan bent down and picked up the mangled remains of Thunderbolt, stuffing dangling from the torn fabric. “I think he’s seen better days.”
Something about seeing the symbol that had started this entire adventure destroyed in his hands broke something inside me. A lump formed in my throat, and before I could stop them, tears welled in my eyes.
“Hey, whoa.” Alarm crossed Kellan’s face. “We can get you another one, or sew this one up.”
But it wasn’t about that. It was about everything; the confusion, the feelings, the fact that this would end and I’d be gone. It was about how I’d never felt more myself than I did here, with these men, at this ridiculous ranch full of misbehaving animals.
Unable to articulate any of this, I turned and fled up the stairs, back to Reid’s room, where I could at least lick my wounds in private and try to make sense of this beautiful mess I’d created.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have a long time to mope since I had the kids’ camp. It was the fourth day and the second time seeing the nine-to-twelve age group. I was a little out of my element with the older kids, but none of them seemed to want to cancel me even after the second session.
Since the camp ended at noon, I spent my afternoon shopping for some necessities since I’d be staying longer. There was no reason to pass up a perfectly good excuse for retail therapy, and boy, did I need it.
After buying a few more outfits and personal care items at the mall, I found a family-owned western wear store that sized cowboy hats. I hadn’t even thought about purchasing one for my week-long stay, but now I wanted one.
I’d been staring at the wall of hats for at least ten minutes, overwhelmed by the sheer variety: black, tan, brown, white, and even a few turquoise blue options I hadn’t expected.
Who knew there were so many shapes? Each one looked slightly different from the others, with variations in crown height, brim width, and decorative bands.
A friendly saleswoman in her sixties approached me, her silver hair pulled back in a neat braid. “First hat?”
I laughed nervously, running my fingers along the brim of a chocolate brown one. “Is it that obvious?”
“Nothing wrong with that. Everyone has to start somewhere.” After measuring my head and telling me all the different options, she left me to try on hats so she could help another customer.
Several hats later, I was standing in front of the mirror with a tan hat perched on my head. Unlike the others I’d tried, this one seemed to fit, resting comfortably without feeling like it might topple off at any moment.
I tilted my head, examining my reflection from different angles. The hat gave me a confident look I hadn’t expected, transforming me into someone who might belong on a ranch.
A small gasp from behind me caught my attention. I turned to find a girl who was about eleven or twelve staring at me with wide eyes, her hands clasped over her mouth. A woman stood beside her, looking between me and her daughter.
The girl tugged on her mother’s sleeve. “Mom, it really is her! Quinn from the videos!”
I froze, suddenly feeling like I was under a spotlight.
This was new territory and surprising. I should have known eventually someone would say something to me since that video had over one million views now, and the other ones we posted every day on both my account and the ranch’s were also getting tons of views.
Luckily, I had April running my account so I didn’t have to deal with it.
The woman approached with a tentative smile. “I’m so sorry to bother you, but are you the woman from those ranch videos? The ones with the stick horse?”
“That would be me.”
The girl stepped forward. “I’ve seen all your videos. I watched the one where you did the jumps like fifteen times.”
Her mother placed a hand on her shoulder. “Maddie’s been obsessed since she saw you. She’s even been practicing in our backyard with a broom. We’re waiting on her hobby horse to arrive.”
“That’s amazing! How’s it going so far?”
Maddie shrugged. “Good, I guess. My friends said it’s babyish.” Her voice dropped to a near whisper. “How do you not care what people say online? There are lots of mean comments.”
My heart dropped into my stomach. I hadn’t been reading the comments on the videos. The thought of strangers dissecting me online was too anxiety-inducing. But, of course, there would be nasty comments; the internet excelled at cutting down anything joyful.
I adjusted my hat, buying myself a moment to think. “You know what? Those mean comments say a lot more about the people writing them than about you. When people see someone having fun and being themselves, sometimes it makes them uncomfortable because they’re too afraid to do the same.”
Maddie’s eyes remained fixed on mine, absorbing every word.
“The secret is to find the joy in what you’re doing that’s bigger than their meanness. I wasn’t trying to be cool or get popular; I was having fun, and that fun is real, no matter what anyone says about it.”
Her mother’s eyes softened. “That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to tell her.”
Maddie’s shoulders straightened slightly. “Do you think I could get good enough to compete someday?”
I smiled. “Absolutely. In fact, I bet you’re already pretty good.”
Her mother squeezed Maddie’s shoulder. “Are you planning on teaching classes? Maddie would love to learn from you.”
Learn hobby horsing? From me? I was the least qualified person on earth to do that. “Oh, well, I’m only here temporarily, but something that has helped me is watching horses and learning to ride. La Cuesta Ranch has lessons for all ages and abilities.”
The girl looked hopefully at her mom, who gave her a reassuring nod. “We’ll have to look into that. We’ll let you get back to shopping.”
After taking a picture with the girl, they left. I stood in front of the mirror again, my reflection staring back at me with wide eyes beneath the brim of the tan hat. What had I gotten myself into?
I tried on several more hats in different colors and shapes. Finally, after I must have tried on every hat in the store, I found the perfect one in medium brown.
I ran my fingers along the brim, then glanced once more in the mirror. It suited me more than I wanted to admit. The woman staring back at me looked a little different than she had a week ago: still unsure, still figuring things out, but maybe beginning to believe she could belong.
I took the hat to the register, wondering what else I’d end up carrying home from this summer that I hadn’t planned on.