Chapter 20
Harper turned onto the long driveway that led up to the Bigsby’s house that sat to the right, and to the stables, pastures, and the storage buildings on the left.
She pulled Maia’s truck up almost all the way behind the stables with just the tail end of it visible before she finally turned off the engine and climbed out into the heat of the day.
She pulled Maia’s hoodie off over her head and tossed it back into the truck before she started toward the stables but stopped and looked down at her feet.
Flip flops. How the hell was she going to love on her horses while wearing flip flops?
Deciding she needed the horses more than she needed proper foot wear she walked into the barn and directly to the first stall.
She stood outside it and snuggled the horse who immediately popped his head over.
He nickered and nudged her with his nose, sniffing her clothes for treats.
Harper laughed. “I’m barely dressed. Bathing suit and a pair of shorts only.
Where would I hide a treat?” She scratched his head for a few moments then went into the storeroom intent on grabbing a handful of treats she could carry for the horses.
When she flipped on the light, she smiled when her gaze fell on the ferrier’s apron hanging on a hook, and an old pair of muck boots sitting below it.
She shook them out and after making sure that they were both spider free, she slipped her feet into the boots and tied the apron around her body and her neck.
She filled both pockets with treats and went back into the stall area to commune with the horses.
She took her time loving on each of them, whispering her secrets to them, asking their advice.
Each of them stood peacefully, allowing her to find her own way back to balance through them.
She was so focused on the horses and the bond she shared with them that she didn’t hear the footsteps that would have normally let her know someone else was there long before they even stepped into the stables.
“Well, since it’s you, I guess I won’t be running you off.”
Harper smiled at the familiar voice and turned to see Mr. Bigsby standing in the wide open entrance of the stable. “Hey, Mr. Bigsby.”
“Hey, yourself. Where’d you get the fancy new truck?”
“It’s my Aunt Maia’s. She loves classic trucks.”
“I’d say this one is cherry, as we used to say back in the day,” he said with a chuckle.
“Yes, sir. It is.”
Mr. Bigsby was quiet for a second or two, really looking at Harper. “What’s wrong, girlie? You don’t seem yourself.”
“No, sir. I’m not. But it’ll be okay. As long as I have these babies to come visit, I’ll be okay.”
He walked a little closer to her. “Something happen?”
Harper laughed and shook her head as a tear or two slipped through when she looked up at the ceiling beams high overhead to try to control the tears.
“All kinds of little things that seemed to snowball into one big thing when they all hit my breaking point at the same time.” She finally looked at him again. “I’ll be okay, though. I always am.”
“Oh, well, that’s good. I thought maybe you’d heard and weren’t happy about it.”
“Heard what?” she asked, taking slow steps toward him.
“I suppose now is as good a time as any… I sold the place, Harper. And it’s the best deal for me and the buyer. As much as I didn’t want to sell, I couldn’t pass up this chance.”
Harper’s expression went through several evolutions before she managed to snap a stiff smile into place. “Are they going to take care of the horses you own, instead of just sending them to auction? They can’t just send them to auction.”
“No, I don’t think that’ll be a problem. They paid for everything, lock, stock, and barrel. Every building, every animal, every piece of machinery. They wanted it intact. Think they’re going to try to make it a successful working equine center. I believe they can do it.”
“Well, good. Good for them.”
“They’re good people. I think you’ll be happy about it once you meet them.”
She looked up at him from where her focus had dropped to the ground. “You think? Maybe they’ll let me help out here if they need some help.”
“I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”
Harper nodded. “That’s good news, then. It’s all I can ask for. I’ll come to introduce myself once they get settled.”
Mr. Bigsby wanted to smile at her complete lack of knowledge, not having any idea that this place was hers now, but at the same time he didn’t want to give away any surprise that Clay hadn’t had a chance to present to her, and he was honestly a little worried about her.
She’d never seemed as down as she was today — it wasn’t like her.
“So, the sale of your property, when did it happen?” Harper asked.
“This morning. Deal’s been in the works for a little over a week, but we just signed everything this morning. They love the place. This is a good thing. A really God sent thing.”
Harper nodded. “I’m sorry I was out of pocket for a little bit, my father sent me on a business trip. When I got back there was some family drama and I haven’t even been home for more than a few minutes since then. I’ve been staying with a friend.”
He stepped closer to her, his brow furrowing beneath his old, stained ball cap. “You alright? You know, I’ll do anything you need to make sure you’re safe.”
She smiled sadly at him. “I know that, Mr. Bigsby, and I appreciate it. But I’m safe. Now at least. I’ll probably be going home in a few days. I’m just sorry I wasn’t here to help you out when they came offering to buy this place. I hope you got everything you hoped for.”
“Harper, I got more than I ever thought possible.”
The sound of a car racing up the drive caught their attention, followed by the sound of it coming to a sudden stop, the door opening and slamming, and footsteps crunching through the gravel toward the barn. “Harper?! You in there?” Clay called out.
Harper blew all the air out of her lungs and let her head fall forward tiredly. “I don’t need this right now,” she whispered to herself.
“Harper,” Mr. Bigsby said quietly.
She raised her head and looked at him.
“Hear him out, girlie. He’s one of the good ones.”
“You don’t understand…”
“No, I don’t. But I don’t think you fully understand whatever it is that has you all tied up like you are either.”
“Harper!” Clay exclaimed when he finally made it to the entrance and saw her and Mr. Bigsby standing there talking.
“I was so worried about you! Do you know I searched the property out behind my place over and over again looking for you? Finally Summer texted me and said Riley wanted me, now, right now, so I had to stop. Then they told me what happened and I…”
Harper held up her hand to indicate that he should stop.
“You need to know that…”
“Stop, Clay! Just stop. You don’t owe me any explanation at all.
It’s okay. You told me weeks ago that you thought you’d found your mate and I let myself think we might have had a moment and got hopeful about it.
I’m happy for you. It’s okay. Just go and be happy.
I’m visiting with my horses for a while.
They’ve been sold and I don’t know how long I’ll be able to.
So, it’s okay, with you and me. I’ll get over it. Just go.”
Clay and Mr. Bigsby shared a slight smile that told her there was something going on that she wasn’t aware of. They had a secret and wasn’t that strange, since they’d only met once that she was aware of.
“What’s going on here?” she asked.
“I’m going to leave y’all to it,” Mr. Bigsby said. He reached out and very awkwardly patted Harper’s shoulder. “It’s going to be fine, girlie. Just give him a chance to talk.”
She opened her mouth to ask more questions, but Mr. Bigsby held up a finger. “Unh unh! Let the man speak.”
Harper snapped her mouth closed and simply watched Mr. Bigsby as he walked past Clay, patted him on the shoulder, and relaxedly strolled out of the stable whistling happily to himself. When she focused on Clay again, he was wearing a soft smile.
“What’s going on?”
“First things first… Erica isn’t my girlfriend. She’s my attorney.”
“Your attorney?” Harper asked. That was not even an option in her mind. “Why do you need an attorney?”
“After we finished everything I needed handled, I offered to buy her lunch in celebration of the deal we’d just completed. Then you arrived at the restaurant, and everything blew up. It’s nothing like you thought it was. It’s a completely professional situation.”
She just barely shook her head, lifting an arm just a few inches as she started to speak, only to let it fall to her side again. “I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions. No matter what she is or isn’t to you, it’s none of my business.”
“Oh, but it is your business.”
She simply watched him, not sure what the hell was going on.
Clay stepped closer to her, stopping just a couple of feet from her. “You look confused.”
“So confused,” she said quietly.
“Okay, let me explain. I know that you love this place and these animals, and the Bigsbys more than anything else in your life except maybe your immediate family.”
“My mom, yes. My dad’s kind of an up and down thing at the moment.”
Clay grinned. He actually grinned widely at her. “I have more to tell you about that, too. I talked to both of them earlier today. Just give me a chance to get it all out. If you’ll promise not to interrupt, I’ll tell you all of it.”
“Can’t promise that.”
“You’ll be glad you did,” he teased.
“Fine. Go ahead,” she said.
“I didn’t know what you would think or feel about the situation when I first made this decision, and granted it was spontaneous, especially for me. But after everything that happened between us, I know I was right. I have no doubt I made the right decision.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but when he raised an eyebrow, she closed it again and pressed her lips together, obviously irritated, as she crossed her arms over herself.