Chapter 7
Archer
Holding the reins loosely in my right hand, I allow my chestnut mare, Lady Liberty, to make her way through the maple trees. Metal buckets are nailed to a few of the trunks at varying heights, though maple won’t be collected until winter.
The air around us is soft and quiet, despite the gentle thudding of horses’ hooves against solid ground. When I don’t have anyone booked for trail rides, I get to exercise the herd myself. It’s always a really peaceful experience–usually the best part of my day.
But not today. I can’t focus on Lady Liberty or on Aunt May’s maple trees or on the scent of the quiet, wooded grounds around me.
Instead, my mind spins, replaying the moments I shared with Juliet earlier today.
Will she take me up on my offer to help her relive her teenage fantasy?
She must have known the suggestion was purely to annoy her dad.
But will that make her avoid me now? And will that be for the best?
“You seem quiet today.”
I glance at my riding companion, Sadie Stevenson. I almost forgot she was here, watching me with that unusually scrutinizing gaze. Her shock of copper hair falls down around her shoulders in a flattering way, and her bangs almost hide her brows entirely.
“Sorry,” I mumble. “Just thinking.”
“It’s fine. There’s no need to talk. You know that.”
The two of us have been taking these rides for the last four years now, and she’s never been one to push me.
When she first approached me years ago to ride my horses, keep them exercised, and provide support around the stables, I was hesitant. I wasn’t in the best headspace, due to the mayor and his accusations. Sadie reassured me, however, that her presence would go veritably unnoticed, so I accepted.
Her promise had worked...for a while. Then her personality burst forth.
I don’t mind talking with her, though, despite us not having much in common beyond our love of horses and baked goods.
Her friendship has been much appreciated, especially when my cousin James was gone and my Aunt May’s arthritis and knee problems getting worse.
“If you do wanna talk,” Sadie continues, “I’m here to listen.”
She reminds me of my little sister back in Texas. They both have red hair and a propensity for talking.
She shifts in her saddle atop Charlie, my bay gelding, and the leather creaks. “So...whatcha thinking about?”
“No one—” I stop abruptly, my tongue freezing. “Nothing.”
She catches my slip, an excited glimmer in her eye. “Okay, who is it? Please tell me it’s a girl.”
I shake my head. I’m not going there. Our conversations have always centered around our families, jobs, and horses. Never anything personal, and I prefer to keep it that way. Personal life tends to muddy waters, so I don’t share much of mine with anyone—not even past girlfriends.
In fact, I can count on one hand the number of people who know the real reason I created Horseshoe Holler, and none of those individuals even live in Autumn Ridge.
“It’s no one,” I say, ending the conversation before it can begin. “Whatcha been baking lately?”
She sighs, clearly annoyed with my lack of spilling the tea, but she launches into an explanation of all the usual baked goods she and Mrs. Keller whip up at Keller’s Bakehouse.
“She still won’t let me bake anything but what’s been on the menu forever, even though I know they’d sell well.
So I’ve been busy making all the usual stuff for her, then we’ve got to provide the dessert for the mayor’s birthday this Saturday, so I have like thirty cheesecakes to make, plus the glaze.
I really shouldn’t even be riding right now because I have zero time for anything.
On top of all that, I have to find a date for it, and a dress, and—” She stops. “Are you going to the party?”
I scoff. “No.”
“Why not?”
“Um.” I pause, pretending to think. “Let’s see. Oh, right. Because I don’t want to.”
She gives me a dull look. “Archer, I don’t mean to offend you, but you’ve got to be the most boring person I know.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
I’m not offended by her words. Sadie is fun-loving, sweet, and without an unkind bone in her body. She would never mean to offend anyone, so I know there’s no animosity in her words.
“I’m serious,” she says, playing with a lock of Charlie’s black mane. “You never do anything but ride. Don’t get me wrong, it’s the best. But you’ve got to do something else. Don’t you ever get lonely?”
I contemplate her words. I really don’t do much unless it’s related to horses. Even when I came across Juliet on the highway, I was coming back from meeting a man about purchasing Percherons for hayrides this year.
But what else am I going to do? I don’t have to work for a living anymore—my rodeoing days and subsequent investing have secured me for life. Other than seeing my parents and little sister in Texas once a year during Christmas, I have no family obligations either.
Now that my cousin James is finally back in Autumn Ridge, I guess I could see him more often. But he’s spending the majority of his time helping his mom with the maple farm.
Sure I can get lonely. But with my horses and ponies, I don’t really have time for anything else.
“See?” Sadie says. “I can tell you’re thinking about it. You’re lonely. So lonely, you can’t even stand it. You need something more in your life. Or...someone.”
I look at her warily. “You’re not suggesting...you...”
She pulls a face. “What? Ew, no. Gross. That’d be like dating my brother.”
I laugh at her repulsion, though I feel the same. “Only making sure.”
“Yeah, no thank you.” She shakes her head, then resets. “No, I’m saying you need to get out of your comfort zone and meet someone. It’s not good for people to be alone all the time, you know?”
“I guess.”
We turn the horses around at the usual spot and head back toward the stables, but Sadie isn’t done. “Come with me to the mayor’s birthday party. You can be my solely platonic date.”
“I don’t think the mayor’s birthday party is the best way for me to get out there.”
“Why not?”
We’re on our third round of exercising the horses—six down, six more to go. The other horses are in the fields, so I won’t need to ride them today. But there is no way I’m going to make it through another three rounds through the maple trees without Sadie finding some way to pry the words from me.
Fine.
“I just had a little run-in with Mayor Monroe earlier today, that’s all.”
“A run-in? How can you have a run-in with the nicest person in town?”
No one knows about my sparring relationship with the mayor. I discovered long ago that even if I did say something, no one would believe me. The mayor’s too loved. Sadie’s words only prove that belief.
“I just meant I ran into him,” I correct.
“With your car?”
That really would send me to jail. “No, figuratively. On the sidewalk. Him...and his daughter.”
Sadie’s eyes swing to mine. “Juliet? I thought she was still at BU.”
“She’s back for the semester. You know her?”
“We were a couple years apart in school. She was always super sweet.” She eyes me. “And really pretty.”
Oh, boy. It’s starting already. “She’s all right.”
Sadie’s smile grows, but I ignore it.
I share how I picked her up and drove her into town, only to find out the mayor is her dad.
“You didn’t know? Everyone does. I’m pretty sure she’s ridden here before, too.”
I stare intently as she pulls out her phone, presses the screen a few times, then holds it up for me to see.
She’s on the Horseshoe Holler Instagram account. When I remember, I take photos of trail riders and post them there, but it’s been a while since I’ve updated it. I get enough people finding me through metadata anyway, so keeping up on socials isn’t on the top of my priority list.
“There she is,” Sadie says. “In the middle.”
I take her phone and read the caption.
“Trail rides can be used for anything. Even day dates for high school dances. These cute couples enjoyed time in nature on our horses before dressing up to dance the night away.”
I cringe at the cheesy caption, then zoom in on the photo with my forefinger and thumb.
The group is made up of two girls and two boys.
I recognize one of the guys as the youngest Walker brother and the girl on the far right as Landrie Langford, but I already knew she’d been here.
That’s why she’d chosen Horseshoe Holler as her wedding venue with Jaxon Walker.
I look closer at Luke Walker’s date, the one standing in the middle with a blonde bob. Squinting, I peer at her wide, blue eyes and pull back in surprise.
It’s Juliet, and I took the photo of her. No wonder I didn’t recognize her. She looks completely different here with her dyed hair and rounder face, though those blue eyes are still the same.
I vaguely remember leading the couples out on the trail ride, but not much else. It’s no wonder I didn’t log Juliet away. She would’ve been jailbait.
“So you saw her yesterday?” Sadie asks.
“Yeah.”
“And you’re going to see her again?”
I give the phone back to her. “Nope. I got the picture that the mayor would cut my eyes out if he caught me looking at her again.”
“The mayor would literally never do anything to hurt anyone. He is an absolute teddy bear. Not to mention eye candy,” she mumbles.
“What?”
“Nothing. But yeah, it’s no secret he’s really protective of his only daughter. I don’t think he has anything against you personally.”
I avert my gaze.
“Do you think she’s going with someone else to the dinner?” she asks.
“Dunno. Haven’t thought about it,” I lie.
“Then come with me as a safeguard. If you’re with me, the mayor will have no reason to become defensive, you’ll save face if she ends up coming with someone else, and you’ll help me save face because then I won’t be there alone.
If she’s there alone, and the mayor turns his back, then you and Juliet can, you know, do what comes natural. It’s a win-win-win...win.”
I don’t know how to respond to her plan. Honestly, it’s sound. But what the heck does she think I want to do with the mayor’s daughter, hook up?
“I don’t even know her,” I say weakly.
“Then get to know her.”
“And if the mayor sees me and runs me out with a pitchfork?”
“It’s not like we’re going to the Walkers’ farm.
There won’t be any pitchforks there. I mean, if anything, he’d use a very tiny salad fork, but I think that’d be more entertaining than threatening.
Anyway, our mayor’s more professional than you give him credit for.
Come on. I already have an extra ticket next to my brother and his date.
We can get all dressed up and eat fancy food. It’ll be fun.”
“Your idea of fun and my idea of fun have nothing in common.”
I’d rather sit down in my jeans and look up at the stars with a cup of hot chocolate and donuts than wear formal clothes and eat food I can’t pronounce the names of.
“Okay. I’ll sweeten the deal,” Sadie continues. “You come with me, and I’ll bring you some maple bars.”
I pull in my lips. She knows she has me. “Only if it’s two dozen.”
“Deal.”
I don’t like what I’ve just agreed to, but at least I’ll be getting something out of this now. And like Sadie says, it’s a win-win-win...win.
Unless Juliet shows up with a guy, Sadie becomes too busy with dessert, I end up alone, and the mayor runs me out with a tiny salad fork because I’m unable to stop staring at Juliet and her azure eyes.
This is why I usually stay home with my horses. They’re much easier to handle than politics.