Chapter 16 Evie
SIXTEEN
EVIE
The Saint Claire was a hit. GJ had already approved Friday’s breakfast special, a duck egg omelet.
She insisted that it be called the Fallen Eagle—after the neighboring town’s hockey team.
There was no sign of Nick, although I assumed that he was probably hungover.
Everyone in town partied hard all night to celebrate the Bobcats’ win over the Eagles in game one.
I’d had to put in earplugs to block out the noise from the street.
After my morning tasks were done, I rushed to the farm supply store to pick up a pair of coveralls. It had been a long time since I’d worked with horses, and GJ’s slippery purple suit would likely traumatize the horses.
Eddie let me borrow his car again. “Are you sure?” I asked. “I’m going to a farm.”
He swatted his hand at me. “It’s just a car.”
His car was a fancy Cadillac SUV that probably cost more than a lot of the houses in town. Great-uncle Eddie had worked at a couple of car dealerships in the Midwest and always drove nice cars. I assumed that he had a lifetime staff discount or something.
Dressed in the coveralls, I headed out of town. Sunbeams blasted me through the windshield and I pulled down the visor, hoping Eddie had a spare pair of sunglasses.
“Of course,” I muttered as I unfolded the arms of the blue blockers.
“They’re better than nothing.” I slid the cataract surgery glasses on my face.
They were hideous, but they sure did the job.
I followed Henri’s directions. The farm was actually farther out than I anticipated and I was glad that Eddie’s car had four wheel drive.
The laneway was long and rutted. By the time I reached the Lumber Ranch, clouds had started forming on the horizon behind the white farmhouse that sat high on a hill.
I parked the Cadillac in front of the barn, next to a truck with a plow on the front, and took a deep breath.
Henri jogged down the laneway looking chic and I wondered if she had any clothes that weren’t black. “Hi,” she shouted and waved.
I put on my gloves and waved back. “Hi.”
“Sick glasses.”
My hands went to Eddie’s blue blockers. I took them off and shoved them into the pocket of my canvas jacket. “It looks like I won’t need them anymore.” Minuscule, almost imperceptible flakes of snow had started to fall.
“They’re calling for a storm.” Henri bit her lip and looked to the sky. “Jack is already in the barn. Come on, I’ll take you.”
Some people might hate the smell of a barn, but I loved it. Manure and straw brought me back to a time in my life when everything was right. A time when my family was still…a family. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed the smell of shit.
“Jack.” Henri waved to a man at the far barn door. “This is Evie.”
The man’s back was to us, but he seemed familiar. I wondered if I had met him somewhere around town. Then he turned around. It wasn’t Jack, it was Nick.
From behind us, a low voice called out. “Hi, Evie.”
Jack wrapped his arms around Henri. “Are you getting me confused with the ranch hand?” He kissed her neck. It was a small gesture but seemed so intimate.
Henri blushed. “He’s wearing all of your clothes.”
It was easy to see how the two could’ve been mistaken for each other. They were similar in height and both had dark brown hair, although Jack’s was a little shaggier and he had a bushy mountain man beard. “Pleased to meet you, Evie.” Jack extended his hand.
“Nice to meet you.” I tried to keep my focus on Jack, but it was hard with Nick standing in the same building.
Jack slung his arm over Henri’s shoulders. “Come and meet Nick. Mom rented him the cabin and he’s going to do some help around the farm.”
No. This couldn’t be happening. Could I not get away from Nick Tinsel for just one day? I followed behind Jack and Henri. The world around me blurred as Jack introduced Nick to Henri, then Jack stepped aside. “This is—”
“We’ve met.” I crossed my arms.
Jack’s brow knitted and he exchanged a glance with Henri.
“I mean.” I softened my tone. The last thing I needed was to get fired because I couldn’t get along with the other “staff” member. “Nick stayed at the inn for a few days.”
Henri snapped her fingers and pointed at Nick. “I knew I recognized you. The Last Chance stripper night.”
Jack shook his head. “And with that, I’m going to go muck out a stall.”
Henri laughed. “This poor guy was hazed by the team. Stacey was all over him, but Evie here saved him.”
“Whatever.” Jack rolled his eyes but smiled. “Come on, Evie. I’ve heard that you might be able to help me with Kick-O.”
“Is that his name?” I followed Jack, thankful to be walking away from Nick.
“For now it is. You’ll see why in a minute…”
I spent an hour with Jack. He showed me around the barn and filled me in on the ornery horses’ background.
Kick-O was definitely an appropriate name, but I knew that I could work with him.
For the first day we agreed that the session should be a short one.
After spending some time in the ring with the horse, I pulled a plastic bag of apple slices from my pocket and held one out for Kick-O.
“We’re going to give you a better name than that.
” He grunted as he chomped on the apple.
“Do you want to meet some of the good horses?” Jack asked.
Kick-O grumbled and I laughed. We already had a good rapport. “They’re all good horses.”
“Whatever you say.” Jack introduced me to the rest of the livestock, including a beautiful mare named Nutmeg and a couple of alpacas named Dave and Simon. “Are these the stars of the parade?” The two bulgy-eyed creatures stared at me as they munched on the last piece of apple I had in my pocket.
“Yes. And it’s gone to their heads.” He was gruff like Nick, but a lot more serious.
“As it should. You’re beautiful.” I stroked the neck of Nutmeg “Hey, Jack?”
“Yeah?”
“Would any of your other horses like to be ridden, you know, on a daily basis?”
His face lit up. “Of course they would. I try to ride them as often as I can, but I’m in the middle of a construction project. I don’t get down here as often as I’d like. You can take one out today if you’d like.”
Adrenaline surged through my body. “I would like that.”
“Do you think you could teach Nick the basics? If he’s going to be working here, he should know how to be around horses. I don’t think he’s got any idea.”
Visions of flying down the driveway with the chestnut mare’s mane tickling my face disappeared. “I’ll do my best.”
Jack crossed his arms and bit his bottom lip. “Is there anything I should know about Nick? You seem to know him. My mom didn’t really do any reference checks, I think that she just took your grandmother’s word for it.”
I rested my hand on the door to Nutmeg’s stall while I tried to figure out how to answer Jack’s question.
“Like I said. He was a guest at the inn. He helped out a lot while he was there.” My mind flashed to his stealthy plumbing job.
“I think that he’s a good guy.” With commitment issues, I wanted to add.
“But why don’t we let Nutmeg here meet him, she’s probably a better judge of character than me. ”
The horse whinnied and I ran my head down the white stripe on her head. She nuzzled into Jack’s arm. “She is a good judge of character, unlike Kick-O,” Jack said.
“Kick-O will come around. Soon enough he’ll be…”
“Calm-O? Nice-O? Not Bitey-O?”
I smiled. “He’ll be Jack’s Favorite-O.”
Jack’s lips almost turned up into a smile underneath his dark beard. “Let’s get Nick over here and see what the horse has to say about him.”
A buzzing noise came from Jack’s pocket. He pulled out a cell phone and looked at the screen. “Shit, it’s one of the carpenters. I’ve got to take this.”
Nick wasn’t anywhere to be seen. I leaned on the door and looked into Nutmeg’s soulful eyes.
She blinked her long lashes and nuzzled into me.
It was going to be dark in a few hours. Fuck it, I thought.
I wasn’t going to stick around to introduce Nick to the horse.
I saddled her up, took her out to the paddock, and walked beside her around the ring.
“You can take her out to the trails.”
I had been so engrossed with the horse I hadn’t noticed Henri. “I was just getting her accustomed to me.”
“Oh, Nutmeg is a little tramp. She’ll let anyone ride her.”
That was all the permission I needed. I shoved my foot into the stirrup, and as soon as my leg swung over the saddle, I was transported to another place and time. “Come on, Nutmeg.” I clicked my tongue and we sauntered to the gate. As we approached, Henri opened it.
“Just be careful. Nutmeg likes to run.”
I grinned. “So do I.” I didn’t have to urge the mare very hard.
The two of us set off at a canter down the laneway.
I was wary of the ruts and didn’t want her to have a misstep, but once we were on the dirt road, I clicked my tongue again and we were off.
Her powerful legs moved beneath me and I was sure the grin on my face was going to be frozen there until the end of time.
She grunted as she galloped, steam puffing out her nose.
It was almost like skiing, with the wind in my hair, but unlike that sport, I was good at this. She was an intuitive horse and seemed to know exactly what I wanted to do.
By the time we trotted into the barn it was like we had been riding together for years.
I returned her to the stall, and after I took off her saddle, I wrapped my arms around her neck and buried my face in her mane.
One day I’d have a horse of my own, and I hoped that she’d be as cool as Nutmeg.
I’d just met her and I was already in love.
“Sorry to interrupt.”
Nutmeg stamped her feet. I didn’t have to turn to know that the voice belonged to Nick. “Jack told me to come in and meet…the horse?”
I rested my hand on Nutmeg’s neck. “This is Nutmeg.”
Nick approached slowly. “Can I pet it?”
“She’s not a dog, and yes, you can stroke her neck.” Nick hesitated. “They can tell when you’re nervous. Try to relax.”
“I’ll do my best,” he muttered. “Jack sent me up here with some carrots.”
“That’s cheating.” I smiled, but go ahead, but make sure your hand is flat.
“Why?” he asked.
I took a carrot from his hand and held it on my palm. Nutmeg took it gently, the hair on her muzzle tickling my palm. “Do you think that your fingers look like carrots?”
“Oh shit.” Nick examined his hands.
Nutmeg didn’t seem to have any issue with Nick, and by the time we were done, the horse was nuzzling into him. “She likes me.” He giggled like an eight-year-old kid.
“Don’t think you’re special. Henri says that she likes everyone.”
Nick brushed his hands together and shoved them into the pockets of his jacket. “I saw you out there.”
“You did?” I wasn’t aware that anyone had been able to see or hear me. I might not have hooted as loud as I did when Nutmeg and I really put on the jets.
“I’ve got a view of the road from my cabin, it loops down through the trees by the river. You’re a really good rider.”
“Thanks, Nick, but in all fairness, you wouldn’t know what a good rider looks like.”
His lips narrowed. “When you were watching the game, could you tell which players were good?”
He had a point. There had been one or two skaters on the ice who seemed to be a little better than everyone else. “But…” I held up my finger. “There was a whole team out there for comparison.”
He shrugged. “I don’t have to see anyone else to know that you’re meant to ride horses.
” We both reached to Nutmeg’s muzzle at the same time.
Our fingertips met over her blaze. He didn’t move his hand, and neither did I.
Nutmeg also stayed remarkably still, as though she knew the significance of that touch.
Nick and I would never not be attracted to each other.
The barn door opened and a beam of dusty light interrupted our moment. “Hey, you two,” Henri shouted. “Muriel made some stew. Come to the main house.” The door clattered as Henri disappeared.
Nutmeg whinnied and took a step backward. Our hands dropped. “Are you going to come in for stew?” Nick asked. “I’ve only been here for a day and I can vouch that Muriel’s cooking is just as good as Eugene’s.”
My stomach growled. I’d eaten the sample of the Saint Anne during breakfast and had been too busy buying my farm clothes and slicing apples to get lunch.
“I should get back into town.” I tried to think of a reason but couldn’t come up with anything. Everything at the inn was done. The only thing waiting for me was a book or a movie binge on my laptop.
We emerged from the barn into the darkness of a December afternoon. It was almost dusk, and the small flakes of snow had turned into flakes the size of quarters. Henri was walking back to the house, a stack of mail in her hands. “Come on, you two.” She waved with the mail in her hand.
“I’m going to go back to town,” I shouted.
Henri stopped. “My mother-in-law already has your place setting on the table. Do you know how rude it is to turn down a farmwife’s home cooking?”
“Is that a thing?” Nick whispered out of the side of his mouth.
I shrugged. “Not that I know of, but I don’t want to get on Muriel’s bad side.”
Henri was waiting, watching us. “All right. Just one bowl,” I shouted and jogged to her side.
“Good.” Henri continued flipping through the mail in her hand. “We can talk about your salary for working with Kick-O and for riding the horses.”
The three of us strolled toward the main house and I marveled at how quickly life could turn around. I had my dream job. Should I pinch myself? I was going to get paid for riding horses. The only problem with this dream arrangement? I was going to have to see Nick. Every day.