Chapter 7 Claire
Claire
“What do you mean you can’t come?” I growled into the phone, pacing along the length of my house.
I probably needed to stop, given how hot it was outside; the last thing I needed was pit stains when the Cavendish representatives showed up, but I had all this restless energy I didn’t know what to do with.
I still hadn’t come up with something to set me apart from Circle M—something positive. I needed something. Anything.
“I’m so sorry, bear,” Delilah said. Her car broke down two towns over at a hookup’s house. She didn’t have the guy’s name or number to call him for a ride, and the tow wouldn’t be there for another hour.
Just my fucking luck. I leaned against the house, taking deep breaths before I puked.
“I can stay on the phone and talk you through it? Ooh, that sounded kinky. Have you ever had phone sex before?”
“Delilah,” I groaned. “Now isn’t the time.” Delilah’s brain was like a pinball machine of chaos sometimes. Okay, most of the time.
“Right, sorry. But really, do you want me to stay on the phone?”
I swallowed back the bitter taste in the back of my throat. “No. It’s okay. I got it.”
“I swear I’m gonna make this up to you.” I didn’t need her to make it up to me. I needed her to be here now. It was already a major balancing act to line this tour up as it was. Gran was watching Mama, and Emmett had helped me pick this place up until it looked brand new. Kind of.
“I’m sure you will. I gotta go, they’re pulling up. Let me know when you get home.” I hung up before she could respond, and wiped my sweaty hands on my jeans.
I plastered on a smile as the Cavendish reps parked in the same polished truck I had seen at Circle M yesterday, and I wondered if it got washed every time it was driven, given how spotless it was.
“Good morning,” I said as the two men rounded the truck. I extended my hand, hoping they wouldn’t notice it shaking. “I’m Claire Hayes. Welcome to Golden Bridle.”
They took a brief moment to look around before meeting my gaze. “Claire, lovely to meet you,” the first one, a tall redhead, said. “I’m Oliver, and this is my partner, Trent.” Trent’s hair was so perfectly styled, it looked like a helmet.
I made sure the handshake was firm, but not too firm; I had Emmett practice with me last night, despite his eye rolling.
“So great to have you here. I really appreciate you taking the time to come out.” I couldn’t believe how in control and unbothered I sounded.
It was like my body had been taken over by some kind of parasite that calmed me down.
“Of course,” Trent said with a tight smile. “Want to show us around?”
“Yes!” I started to lead them to the stables. “I hope you don’t mind walking, I don’t have a golf cart like Circle M,” I said over my shoulder before I could stop it.
I stopped and turned, wincing. “Sorry, that wasn’t very professional of me. There are…extenuating circumstances between our ranches. I’m usually an extremely levelheaded person.”
Trent’s smile seemed more genuine this time, if not nosy. “Oh, we know all about the failed merger. Don’t worry.”
I didn’t know how to take that, so I just nodded and continued on. “Right, so this is our main barn. There are five stalls now, but I was thinking of an extension to add another five and a vet bay.”
They looked around as if to say, This is it?
“And how many stalls are already occupied?” Oliver asked, scribbling on his clipboard.
I hesitated, knowing the answer would probably go in their cons column. “Four currently.” I didn’t tell them about the stall Emmett had converted into a mini home gym.
Trent’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. “So really, there’d only be space for six of our horses.”
“Yes, but I was thinking, after we get some traction, we could expand further. You know, don’t want to bite off more than you can chew, right?” I chuckled awkwardly.
They gave me blank stares. My stomach knotted.
“And how many people work here currently?”
“Just my brother and me, but our family friend is an equine therapist, and she’d be joining the team. She was actually supposed to be here today,” my voice trailed and weakened when Oliver started writing more things down, “but she’s having car issues.”
Beau’s voice from last week slammed into me like a wrecking ball: At least I have people working for me!
I was definitely about to vomit.
“And turnout space? Arena space?” Trent asked, looking around as if there was more to Golden Bridle hidden behind some magic portal.
“We really only have space for one arena, which we’d make an indoor one for inclement weather. And there’s room for another corral, but we just have the one pasture.”
I could feel the dream slipping through my fingers as I watched Oliver write on that stupid clipboard. I desperately wanted to know what he was writing. It wasn’t like my ranch’s future hung on it or anything.
Thoughts tore through my mind like a windstorm, desperate to say anything that would impress them. That would set me apart from Circle M. Then the idea hit me like a crack of lightning.
“The friend I mentioned, Delilah Chase, the equine therapist, she’d come on full time,” I blurted.
“We were thinking of expanding your program beyond performance horses. We want to help”—panicked, I looked around and saw Emmett’s pickup truck—“veterans with PTSD. There have been studies that taking care of the horses and working with them helps.”
The words finally registered in my mind. What the hell did I just say? God, Delilah was going to be pissed. Sure, she had offered to help with the proposal, but not work here.
“That actually sounds really interesting,” Trent said while Oliver nodded in agreement.
I froze. “Wait, really?”
“Yes, really,” Oliver laughed. I let out the breath I was holding, and the ground stopped feeling like it was going to swallow me whole. “We’d definitely want to meet with you and Delilah together to go over this plan.”
I grinned. “Of course! That’d be no problem at all.”
But nothing ever went well for me for long, so everything just kind of…went to shit from there.
Vincent van Goat, our most mischievous goat, squirmed his way out of his pen and barreled straight for us. “Vincent, no!”
He dodged my attempts to stop him and slammed his head right into Trent's shin.
“Oh my God,” I gasped, hands cupping my mouth as Trent doubled over. “I’m so sorry. He’s our escape artist.”
“It’s okay,” he gritted out, clutching his leg. Oliver bit back laughter, hiding his mouth behind his clipboard.
I chased Vincent around for an embarrassing amount of time before I got hold of his collar. “I feel terrible. Can I get you some ice?” I asked, breathless, as Vincent fought me, bleating like a banshee while I dragged him back to his pen.
“It’s fine. Really,” Trent said. His pant leg had a smear of dirt, and his pristine Lucchese boot was scuffed to hell and back.
Before I could even lock Vincent’s pen, the sound of pounding hooves made my heart drop.
I turned to find our newest colt, Nip, spooking.
I had been working with him all week, trying to desensitize him, but nothing really desensitizes one against the sound of goats screaming.
Nip reared back, kicking up dust and knocking his water bucket over.
Said dust turned into mud, and that mud got slung right at Oliver’s face.
So there went the partnership for me.
I wanted to panic, but knew that would only make it worse. I went over to Nip slowly, stroking his muzzle and whispering softly to him. He calmed within seconds as if nothing had happened. If only recovering the situation his freak out put me in could’ve been that easy.
Once I scraped up enough courage to face Trent and Oliver again, they looked less than pleased, and I knew it was really over for me.
The sun seemed to grow hotter the longer we stood in heavy silence.
Sweat trickled down my back. The men wordlessly turned and began walking back to their truck, and my chest caved in.
I looked over their shoulders to find Beau leaning up against a paddock, smirking with triumph. He’d seen everything.
Call it desperation or determination, I didn’t care, but this could not be how I lost to Beau McLeod. I refused.
I chased after the reps, my muddy braid flopping against my shirt. And when I stopped in front of them, they let out exasperated sighs. Trent opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off.
“Look, I know I don’t have the space or money Circle M does. Or the perfect pitch. Or the flashy brother-in-law. And y’all are covered in mud and pissed. But I have the perseverance that they never will.” Their hardened expressions faded slightly, so I kept going.
“My family’s blood, sweat, and tears are in this land. And I truly mean that. After the merger fell through, my family had to devote everything they had to training horses. They gave their lives to this ranch, to horses, because they didn’t have any other option.”
“Our livelihood for the last two hundred years has been training horses, something Beau knows nothing about. In fact, I know he’s been thrown off more horses than you can count.
And while Joseph’s reputation is stellar and he is a gifted trainer, he doesn’t have what I do—passion.
Horse training is in my blood, in my soul.
Honestly, it’s my life at this point.” Trent’s brows raised a fraction at Oliver, and I took a step towards them.
“Your company values pedigree, but it also values legacy. They might have the pedigree and can offer you pristine arenas and never-used stables, but I have the legacy and can offer you heart and care. So, if you give me the chance, I really think we can create something special together.”