Chapter 4 #2
“Landon—” I hear the argument forming in that one word, so I place my finger to her lips to shut her up. Have her lips always been that full and… kissable?
“I’m helping you. Now tell me what I need to do.”
“He’s a big baby,” she relents. “But if you get some feed in a bucket and give him some time, he’ll come to you.”
“Okay. Where’s the food?”
“Out in the barn. I can show you.” She moves to get up.
“No.” My voice is firm. “You’re staying put. Here.” I hand her my phone. “Call your number on my phone.”
“What?”
“I said call yourself from my phone. That way, you can talk me through it, and you won’t be tempted to get up to see what I’m doing. When we’re done, you can delete the call so I don’t have your number.”
“That’s crazy. Why would you want me to delete my number?”
I shrug. “I want to earn it, Tess. Now call yourself.” I don’t know what I’m doing.
This is the perfect opportunity to get her number, but I meant what I said.
I want to earn it. There’s something to be said for having to work for her affection.
It’s not something I knew I wanted or even needed in my life until I saw her fall to the ground.
I can’t explain it. I was worried about her.
Not just “oh no, I hope she’s okay,” but worried.
I don’t understand what’s happening here.
I barely know this girl, but she consumes me.
One small interaction of banter and her not throwing herself at me is apparently all it takes to have me hooked. Who knew?
I see a slight tremble in her hand as she takes my phone.
Her fingers slowly press against the screen as she dials her phone.
It’s sitting on her desk, so I grab it, lifting it to my ear.
“Tessa’s phone.” I grin. To my surprise, she grins back.
“I’m going to get Buckwheat. Keep your ass in that chair.
” I point to the chair as I speak into her phone, talking to her.
I’m staring her down when she shakes her head, and a slow smile crosses her face.
It hits me in the gut and has me puffing out my chest at the same time.
I did that. I put that smile there, and I can’t wait to do it again.
“Go.” She points toward the door, and I salute her. Her chuckle follows me all the way down the hall.
Outside, I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to be up against. I spot Buckwheat over by the barn. “He’s by the barn,” I tell Tessa.
“Good. Horses are smart. He knows where he’s fed, and it’s feeding time.”
“I can do that. How much?”
“He gets one scoop, a chunk of hay, and his water needs to be filled.”
“Got it.” I reach the horse. “Hey, buddy.” I hold my hand out to let him smell me. “Can horses smell fear?” I ask Tessa.
“Yeah, all animals can. Are you scared, Landon?” Her voice is teasing, and I love it.
“No, but he looks scared.”
“He probably is. Poor baby.”
Buckwheat turns his head, bringing himself closer to me. “Hey, bud. Let’s get you back in the field, okay?” He snorts, and I take that as a yes. Stepping away, I open the gate, hoping he’ll just walk right in. He doesn’t. “Gotta be stubborn, huh? You get that from Tessa?” I ask.
“Hey.” She laughs.
“You know it’s true,” I tease. “Okay, so the feed’s in the barn?” I ask, even though she already told me.
“Yes. We keep it in a barrel to keep rodents and other animals out of it. There’s a scoop inside.”
I make my way into the barn, and sure enough, there’s a large blue plastic barrel with a Horse Feed label written on the side. Twisting off the top, the scoop is there just as she said.
“Did you find it?” she asks.
“Yeah, he gets one scoop, right? Heaped or even?”
“What?”
“A heaped scoop or an even scoop? These things make a difference, Tessa.”
She laughs again, and I love the sound. “Heaped is fine.”
“Noted.” With my heaped scoop in one hand and the cell phone held to my ear with the other, I make my way back outside to Buckwheat.
His head rises, and I swear his eyes grow wide when he sees the scoop of feed in my hands.
“This is for you, buddy,” I tell him. “Come on.” I hold it out, letting him get a whiff, and he sticks his tongue out, trying to take a bite, but I pull the scoop away.
A little of the feed falls from the scoop to the ground, so he bends to try and devour it.
“Come on, Buckwheat, this way.” I hold up the scoop and slowly walk into the field.
I’m glad that I left the gate open earlier.
“Is he following you?” Tessa asks.
I turn to look over my shoulder. “He’s thinking about it. Where do I feed him?”
“Just on the ground is fine. There’s a bare spot next to the water trough. You see it?”
“Yes.”
“That’s where we usually feed him.”
I dump the scoop of feed onto the ground and hear galloping feet. I turn in time to see Buckwheat come to a halt and begin to eat. “He’s in,” I tell Tessa.
“Oh, good.” I can hear the relief in her voice. “Now, some hay.”
“Right.” I make sure the gate is secure and head back to the barn to return the scoop and make sure the lid is sealed tight on the drum. “The bale of hay lying beside the feed?” I check.
“Yeah, just a chunk.”
“How big is a chunk?”
“I don’t know, about a four-inch piece. He gets grass, but we still like to give him hay because that’s what he’s used to.”
“Okay. And where do I toss this?”
“Next to his food.”
“Easy enough.” I toss the hay over, but Buckwheat doesn’t seem to notice as he’s still hoovering the feed that’s spread out on the ground.
I don’t have to ask where the water is, as there is a spout that hangs over the trough.
I pull the handle and lean against the fence as it fills. “How’s the ankle?” I ask.
“It hurts, but I’ll be fine. I’ll go home and rest it tonight, and she’ll be good as new.”
“It’s your right foot.”
“Yeah.”
“You can’t drive.”
“Autumn will come and get me.”
“Or I could take you home. Maybe we can grab some dinner on the way there.”
“Landon, we’ve talked about this.”
“No, you said no to dinner, not a ride home.”
“No.” She says the words, but it’s not with the same conviction as before.
“Come on, Tess. You know who I am. It’s not like I’m some mass murderer.”
“That’s comforting,” she says dryly.
“Let me finish up whatever you need doing here. We’ll hit a drive-thru or order pizza, and I’ll take you home. Easy.”
“I’ll need my car.”
“Who says you can drive tomorrow? I have to be at the field at nine. I can swing by and pick you up.” Or I could stay, I think, but keep that thought to myself.
“Autumn can pick me up.”
I want to argue, but even I know when to stop. Besides, what’s she going to do when I show up at her place in the morning? “What else needs to be done?”
“Just the night check. I need to make sure all the animals have water and that the cages are secure. Everything else that I had on my list today can wait. The animals are what’s important.”
“You sure?” I ask as I shut off the water and head back toward the building.
“Yes. If you don’t mind?”
“I told you I didn’t. I’m on my way back inside now.
” As bad as I hate to end the call, I lock the screen instead of snooping to get to know her better.
Working for her attention has merit, and that smile she gave me earlier…
I’m definitely going to work for more of those.
I’m not sure what that means, or if I want it to mean anything.
For the time being, I’m just going to go with what feels right, and we can figure out the rest as we go.