12. Cider and Confidences
Cider and Confidences
Ilooked over at him. “So, you want to know which food truck is the best? There are at least ten worthy of tasting tonight, so the best I can do is give you a list, and you’ll have to taste at your own risk.”
“Sounds like a challenge,” he said, quirking one brow. “And I accept.”
We walked around that way, my arm tucked into his as I expounded the glories of each food truck, and I tried not to get too distracted by the warmth of his arm against mine.
He eventually settled for Colorado craft bison brisket, and I had a steaming hot slice of pumpkin bread with melted butter and corn on the cob.
Then I told him no Pumpkin Festival meal was complete without sampling the local apple cider.
We took our food to one of the dozen picnic tables that had been set out for the event and watched the crowd around us.
Someone had started a touch football game in the middle of the park, and lots of families were either eating at the picnic tables or had spread blankets on the grass for their small children to eat on.
Most of the people, however, were still perusing the booths, much as they did at the farmers market, and several carnival rides had been set up further down the green.
“Do you make a habit of driving six hours away every weekend?” I asked him, hoping I sounded teasing.
“I knew I’d be coming back a lot more when my dad moved here and I got stationed nearby,” he said before biting into the brisket. Then he let out a moan. “This is insanely good.”
I laughed. “Jacob would be glad to hear you say so.”
“To answer your question, though,” he said, wiping his mouth with a napkin, “no, I don’t usually drive this far all the time.”
I watched him, my heart hammering away in my chest. “So what made you decide to come today?”
He fixed me with a piercing gaze, his brown eyes seeming to see into my soul. Taking my hand, he lightly rubbed my knuckles with his thumb. Then he leaned forward, his eyes never once leaving me. When he answered me, his voice was low and smooth.
“For the brisket, of course.”
I stared at him for a second before yanking my hand out of his and throwing my wadded up napkin at him. He covered his face with his hands, laughing as he did. I shook my head but couldn’t help smiling. The man was ridiculous.
And I loved it.
After we finished eating, he took my hand and twined our fingers together before walking slowly past the line of booths.
“Where’s your stepmother’s booth,” he asked, “so we don’t accidentally walk by them?”
I snorted. “Over there, in the far corner.”
“Perfect. We can avoid them all night if we feel like it.”
I was absolutely fine with that.
“So,” I said as we paused in front of a leather stall. “I know you’re in the Air Force, but I hardly know anything beyond that. Do you fly?”
He snorted. “Do you think everyone in the Air Force flies a plane?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea. No one around here is in the military. The closest base in Colorado is hours away.”
He nodded. “Fair enough.” We walked to the next stall and stopped again to watch a woman spin pumpkin-flavored cotton candy. “I’m what you call an intelligence officer.”
“So… you’re smart?” I asked, knowing that’s not what he meant, but unable to stop myself from teasing him.
“I hope so.” He playfully pretended to elbow me.
“Actually, I do a lot of research to gather intelligence about what’s going on in the world.
That way I can do pre-mission briefings so the teams who are conducting missions around the world have the most up-to-date information about the areas where they’re conducting the mission.
I update maps, explore possible scenarios, enemy capabilities, training, equipment, personnel…
” He shrugged. “A little of everything, I guess. I also brief teams pre-deployment so they’re aware of the situation they’re heading into. ”
“So…” I said, “another way of saying you’re smart.”
He laughed. “Well, my goal is to do the job.” Then his expression sobered slightly.
“Unfortunately, it can also mean that they can ship me around the world whenever they want as well. If I’m needed somewhere across the world, I don’t really have a choice.
They say go, and I go.” He looked around us.
“I guess that’s one of the reasons I’ve been visiting as much as possible.
I’m probably going to be going out of town for a while soon, and I’m trying to get in as much time here as I can. ”
I felt my own smile slip from my face. “How long do you think you’ll be gone?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know, to be honest. Sometimes it’s a short assignment. That’s called going TDY. It stands for Temporary Duty. But I can also deploy, and deployments are usually longer. They generally run anywhere from six months to a year, or even longer.”
“That’s… a long time.” I felt like the air had gone out of my lungs. Six to twelve months?
“What about you, though?” He nudged me. “You said something about school.”
“Oh.” I sighed.
“Oh?” He frowned down at me. “That doesn’t sound promising.”
I shook my head. “No, I’m going to school. My major’s in business. Unfortunately, I’m really busy, and money’s tight right now, so I’m only taking one eight-week class at a time.”
“Tight for you, or tight for the business?” he asked.
“Both.” I glared in Casey’s direction. “Casey seems determined to run the business into the ground with all her spending, and she pays me minimum wage. Besides, I don’t have the time to be in school full time. The horses need too much care.”
He didn’t reply immediately. We just continued walking slowly, the sounds of carnival rides, games, and music floating all around us.
Children’s screams of delight rang out as we made our way past the hay maze that had been put up for small children, and down the way, children and adults alike picked out their own pumpkins at a pumpkin patch.
Still silent, he took my hand again and led me farther down the green.
For a moment, I felt disappointment crash over me as I was sure he was walking me back to my family’s booth.
But instead, he took me to the covered circular raised stage, where musicians were performing live music.
Several couples were twirling in the center of the stage to the sound of the slow country song the band was playing.
Pulling me up the steps, he took me to the far side of the stage and turned me to face him.
And then, before I knew what we were doing, we were dancing.
“You feel trapped, don’t you?” he murmured in a low voice.
I swallowed hard against the way my eyes suddenly stung. “Is it possible to be trapped by something you love?”
“I don’t think the horses are the ones holding you hostage,” he said kindly.
I pulled back and studied him. He was just so handsome in his boots, button-up plaid shirt, and blue jeans. His haircut was short and sharp against his head, and I had to resist the urge to run my hand over it to see what it would feel like.
“I don’t want to abandon them,” I whispered. “But I can’t stay like this forever.”
It was only as I said the words that I realized just what I had said.
I can’t stay like this forever.
And it was true. If tonight had proved anything to me, it was that I couldn’t stay under Casey’s thumb indefinitely. But where did that decision lead me? I had no idea what to do without the ranch or my beloved horses.
“Would you ever consider leaving the ranch for any reason?” he whispered, his lips dangerously close to mine.
Once again, I said the first thing that came to mind.
“It would have to be a really good reason.”
He studied me for a long moment before a slow smile crept across his face. “Well,” he finally said. “That’s a good thing to know.”
After a few more dances, I looked at my phone to realize that it was nearing nine.
“I really do need to get back to Nevada to make sure they took care of her,” I said apologetically.
Much to my relief, Asher didn’t look annoyed or even put up a fight. I could only guess this patience had come from owning a horse of his own. I’d seen the way he’d said goodbye to Tomcat, and the parting had been more sorrow than sweet.
We stopped by Miss Margaret’s stall along the way. As always, she’d come with her pop-up shelves, where she and Belle ran their little store on the grass. And as soon as she saw us, Margaret got the slyest grin I’d ever seen.
“So,” she said, sauntering up to me. “Have you been reading your storybook every night?”
“I’m trying,” I assured her. “But it’s been progressing… slowly.”
She snorted. “If that’s the case, dear, then it’s your own fault.”
Asher laughed. “Margaret, what are you up to this time?”
She waved her hand dismissively at him. “Mind your own business, boy.” Then she gave me a hard look. “I mean it, Ella. Read the book. You’re a smart girl. You’ll figure it out soon enough.”
“What was that about?” Asher asked as we left her stall.
I shook my head. “Honestly? I’m almost as confused as you.” Which was true.
Also, I didn’t really want to tell him that Margaret had given me a magical book that had seemingly dubbed him Prince Charming. There were a whole lot of ways to chase a guy away, and I could only guess that that was one of them.
We were nearing my stall now, but before we got there, he gently pulled me to a stop behind a tree that hid us from Casey’s view.
“I have to drive back home tomorrow,” he said with a grimace. “But before I go, I wanted to tell you that I am actually going out of the country soon. And I’ll probably be gone for a while.”
“As in… months?” I asked, trying not to let the disappointment show on my face.
He grimaced. “I can’t say for sure.” Then he drew a deep breath. “But… I was hoping that maybe I could call you sometimes. If you’d like to talk, I mean.”
I grinned. “Of course I’d like that.”
“Good. Um, timing may be something we have to figure out. We’ll be in different time zones and all that. But I figure it’s only right I call now and then.” He shrugged. “Seeing as you’ve got my horse and all. We’ll need to discuss his diet and exercise regimen.”
I crossed my arms. “Oh, of course. We’d be remiss if we didn’t constantly communicate Tomcat’s every need.”
He smiled, and for a brief moment, there was a light in his eyes that I hadn’t seen before. “Thanks, Ella,” he said. “Tomcat would like that.”
I stared at him a moment longer before whipping my purse off my shoulder and working a keychain off the zipper’s pull tab. Then I shoved it toward him, the little silver horse shoe on the keychain catching the festival's lights and glinting as it did.
“Take this,” I blurted. “My parents gave it to me after my first show when I was eight. You should borrow it. For safekeeping.”
For a moment, I was afraid he’d reject it. But then he slowly reached out and took the keychain from my hand.
“Thanks,” he said softly. “I will.” Then his eyes moved back to me, and he took a step forward. Carefully, his hand cradled my cheek, and slowly, he began to lean down toward me.
“Ella! There you are!”
The sound of my stepmother’s voice washed over the moment like a bucket of cold water.
“I’ve been looking all over for you!” she exclaimed with a laugh.
There was no way she was ignorant to the moment she had just interrupted, so I had no doubt that the glee in her eyes now was absolutely genuine.
“I really need to take Jaelyne to the bathroom. We’ve been waiting for you to get back. ”
Asher looked the way I felt, his brows drawing down as he stared at her. But my stepmother only continued to smile at me, unperturbed.
“Can’t Harper take her?” I asked, too annoyed to pretend to hide my frustration.
“Harper’s off with friends. Now come on. You’ve had enough play time. Let the rest of us have a break.”
Turning back to Asher, I sighed, and he gave me a small smile. “Take care of Tomcat for me,” he said in a quiet voice. “And yourself. Take care of yourself as well.”
I stared at him for a long moment before darting back to him and throwing my arms around his middle. “And you stay safe!” I whispered, afraid if I spoke any louder, I would cry.
At first, I wondered if he might be mad at me for going with my stepmother. But then his arms wrapped around me in return and squeezed gently for an impossibly blissful moment. Then he let go. And without anywhere else to run, I followed my stepmother back to my horse.
“Don’t expect to get paid for tonight!” she whispered sharply as we went.
I didn’t bother answering her. I might not be getting paid, but tonight had been worth every cent.
By the time I got home that night, however, Casey had done everything she could to make the remainder of my evening miserable.
Little verbal jabs here and there. Leaving me to back up the entire booth and trailer by myself.
And in spite of my promise to myself not to let the miserable woman affect me, tears began to run down my face the moment my door was shut.
As always, Casey had managed to ruin what might have been the most beautiful moment of my twenty-three years. And now Asher was leaving, and I didn’t know when I’d see him again.
And, I knew deep down, it was my own durn fault. I could have told Casey to get lost. And instead, I’d returned with her to care for the horse she’d chosen to ignore.
Tears falling shamelessly down my cheeks, I pulled Margaret’s book off the shelf and opened it. Sure enough, there were two new spreads.
The first was a scene of beauty and joy. The prince had returned, and he had talked with the girl once again, this time at a well near her home. It made me smile through my tears as I looked at the unmitigated joy on their faces.
But the second scene stopped me cold.
As the girl waved goodbye to the prince while he rode away, her stepmother was hiding around the corner of the barn. And that didn’t bode well for me at all.