Chapter Seven
We were crowded by two people with puffy red eyes, shaking our hands and ushering us inside while I tried to apologize profusely for their loss, and they tried to apologize for the shock they presumed I’d had at the news, while reassuring me that I still had a job and place at the farm.
When we finally got a little space between us, Yvette introduced us to Joel Casey, Jessica’s husband, and their “right hand man” and main trainer, Harvey Greenwood, who was hovering in the doorway to what looked like the main living area.
Joel was tall with sandy hair, barefoot in jeans and a T-shirt, while Harvey was older and an inch shorter.
With his tight riding pants and open-neck T-shirt, he looked like he’d spent the day in the stables.
“Jessica didn’t say you were arriving today, or maybe she did and it slipped my mind from the shock.
It’s been a horrible day and we’re all beside ourselves with the jolt of losing Jessica.
I’m not sure I even really believe it. This must be such a blow for you two,” said Joel Casey.
“I’m sorry, you are?” He dropped my hand, turning his attention to Lily.
“Lexi’s assistant,” said Lily. “She can’t work without me.”
“Jessica didn’t say you were bringing an assistant,” said Yvette.
“What did Jessica say?” I asked.
Yvette and Joel exchanged looks and he shrugged.
He appeared exhausted and defeated and slightly dazed.
“She was very insistent we hire you to oversee some training clinics and that you were very exclusive so we should take whatever we could get. She said you’d revolutionize things for us within the month,” said Yvette.
“Of course, we know we’re so lucky to get you and I’m sure you understand that with… ”
“Oh, I see. That’s nice,” I said, cutting in as she trailed off. I flashed a frown at Lily. She returned an equally confused look.
“Well, we’re here to help now,” said Lily, decisively. “You don’t have to worry about a thing. You concentrate on what you need to do and we’ll pick up everything else.”
“Yes, yes, we are,” I agreed, the opportunity to infiltrate the farm laid so wide open that I could leap through it.
Jessica had orchestrated it without even telling me, giving me the perfect opening to snoop around.
“I’m sure you’ll have your mind on other things so we can take some of the load off.
” I didn’t add, so long as I didn’t have to actually do anything with the horses.
“That would help so much. The police only left an hour ago and we have to formally identify my sister and there’s a funeral to plan and…
and… I only saw her this morning and she said she was running errands.
” Yvette trailed off with a sob. She lifted her handkerchief to her eyes, dabbing.
“I actually don’t know what to do. I’ve never had to do this before.
Even when our grandparents died, Jessica managed everything.
For our dad too. She was the planner. The organized one.
The one with the lists and the schedules and… and now I’m alone!”
“You’re not alone,” said Harvey as Yvette turned and buried her head in Joel’s chest. He wrapped an arm around her and patted her back gently and she heaved another sob.
“I’ll take over the management of the farm while you two concentrate on doing what needs to be done.
Everyone will pitch in. You won’t even have to think about it. ”
“Thanks, bud,” said Joel, clapping a hand on his shoulder. He stood there, unmoving, frozen in the moment as Yvette sobbed against him.
“Why don’t I see you to your cabin?” said Harvey softly, drawing us away from the pair. “I think we should leave the family for a bit. It’s all been a terrible shock.”
I didn’t think Joel or Yvette noticed us leave as Harvey guided us out of and around the house, back along the path we’d arrived by.
Even though it was still light, the warmth of the day was ebbing and for the first time, I noticed the orange tint to the trees.
Fall was coming. “As you can see, this is truly a terrible day and it’s unfortunate you arrived now when the news is so fresh. One of the stable hands told you?”
“What happened to Jessica?” I asked, skirting that question, with one I already knew the answer to.
“Joel said a detective came a couple of hours ago and said there was a car accident this morning. Jessica’s car ran off the road and hit a tree. It sounded like she was killed instantly. I guess something might have startled her. We get a lot of deer around here.”
“My gosh,” said Lily softly.
“I know. Just terrible. I really can’t get my head around it. I only saw Jessica this morning. It was so normal. I can’t believe this happened but an unfamiliar car, deer, wet roads… it’s a tragedy. I’m glad I can take some of the load off Joel and Yvette.”
“An unfamiliar car?” I asked, even though I knew that answer too.
“She took Yvette’s. I think she had a flat or something.”
We reached the parking lot and waited for two cars to cross the lot, turning onto the road, before continuing to the hedge on the other side.
Leaves and branches were heaped into a large pile in a cordoned off section of the lot by a young man wearing an Ashgrove Farms T-shirt and rubber boots.
More of the large green leaves had been packed into big plastic bags, ready for removal.
“Make sure you burn all of that,” said Harvey and the young man nodded and gave a thumbs-up sign before returning to shoveling the leaves.
“We’re doing some landscaping. This type of hedging can turn into trees in the blink of an eye,” Harvey continued.
“Jessica was really keen on the farm having a good presentation, especially for our high-end clientèle. I think we should get rid of the hedge entirely but it’s not my choice. ”
“The riding school clientèle?” I asked.
“No, well, yes, some. We do have some clients who stable their hobby horses with us, and we supply riding instructors to cater to them, but it’s more for the high net-worth professional equestrians.
They want to see their horses stabled at the best farm, getting the best treatment. Presentation matters.”
“Jessica mentioned rehabilitation,” I said, hoping my prompt made it sound like I knew what I was talking about.
Jessica must have had a plan for me to pass as a riding instructor but it clearly hadn’t involved throwing me into the deep end.
More likely, she intended to shadow me, or keep her employees away, while I took a look around. I would never know now.
“That’s right. We rehabilitate horses for injuries, and for attitude problems too.
Sometimes, the horses just come here in their off season for rest and recuperation.
Even horses need to horse around at times,” he said with a small laugh.
Then he sobered up quickly. “I’m sorry, I feel terrible for making a silly joke like that at a time like this. ”
“There’s no specific way to act when you’ve received terrible news,” I told him. “If humor gets you through a rough time, I think it’s okay.”
“I have no idea what will get me, or any of us, through this but I’m glad you don’t think I’m being flippant.
” A row of small cabins hugged both sides of the path, placed with a good chunk of space between each one, and small fenced-in yards.
Harvey took us to the first cabin and paused, adding, “I don’t know how to deal with this at all.
It doesn’t seem real that Jessica is never coming back.
I can’t believe she’s gone.” He turned away, jaw stiffening, punching a code into the keypad.
When it clicked, he pushed the door open.
“It’s not glamorous, but it’s exclusively yours while you’re here,” he said, leading us inside.
He opened the doors one after the other, saying, “There’re two small bedrooms through these doors, here’s a bathroom in between, and then this is the living space.
We keep this cabin stocked for short-term guests and I think you’ll find you have everything you need.
I don’t remember Jessica saying how long she’d contracted you for? ”
“I’ll check the dates,” I said, dodging the question as I took in the rustic cabin. “It’s very nice.”
The room was one long rectangle with a kitchen at one end, and a seating area with a worn tan leather couch and an easy chair at the other.
A small dining table with two chairs occupied the middle.
The seating area had a bookcase, artfully arranged with some glossy books and horse-themed trinkets, and there was a row of horse shoes pinned above the door.
French doors behind the easy chair led onto a small deck with two garden chairs overlooking a patch of grass.
The cabin was decorated with warm reds and oranges, plaid blankets, and rustic wood elements.
I felt like I’d stepped into a Ralph Lauren catalogue.
“I’ll let you get settled in. If you need help with any luggage, one of the stable hands will assist you.
You’re welcome to go anywhere you like on the property but not in the rehabilitation yard.
The horses can be skittish or problematic and we don’t want them to injure themselves further so we don’t like to introduce too many new people to them.
They won’t be on your schedule anyway. If you find me later, I can give you a proper tour, or get someone to give you one, but I’m sure you’ll appreciate we’re all a little on edge right now. ”
“Oh, of course,” I said. “We don’t want to overstep at all so please don’t worry about us. We can take care of ourselves.”
“I appreciate it,” said Harvey. He paused when he reached the front door, half turning to say, “The kitchen should be stocked with some basics. There’s a small farm shop on site near the office with an honesty box but otherwise, the other on-site workers tend to carpool to a supermarket once a week. ”