Chapter Six #2
Although I've never had a horse of my own, I have always loved them.
I worked at a country club stable in high school as soon as I was old enough, and for the little bit of summer I was home from college before football started.
I didn't realize how much I missed it until stepped in this barn and had the horse trust me—enough to lean over the side of the stall and rest its head on my shoulder.
I run my hands down its neck.
"Huh." A voice huffs from behind me, making me straighten.
The horse's head slides off my shoulder, and it takes but a moment for it to relay its annoyance.
Nana DuVall is standing in the door, her small frame backlit by the sun pouring in from outside.
"Hello, ma'am."
"Chief." She nods as she eyes me suspiciously. "To what do we owe your visit?"
The horse is still fussing beside me, so I start running my hand over its neck while I decide what to tell Nana. I don't know if she could be an ally in getting Jo to give me a shot, or if I'll have to win her over as well.
"I'll be damned," she mutters.
My brows furrow with confusion.
"You weren't wrong about that being Jolene's horse."
"Lucky guess, but what's with the 'I'll be damned’?"
"I've never seen a single male get close to her, let alone love on her the way you are currently.
Rogue came to us about ten years ago. Her previous owner abused the hell outta her, and the rescue had a hard time placing her because she couldn't stand to be around men.
The rescue showed up here one day to see if we would consider taking her on since it's well known we're predominantly a female-run-and-owned farm.
As soon as Jolene heard about her, there was no way we weren't taking that horse. Jo's done a lot of work with her, to the point Rogue will tolerate the few male hands we have helping and doesn't fuss much with Thatcher, but I've never seen her demand attention from a man the way she did you."
"Well, alright then. I get it now."
"I'm not so sure you do, but you will soon enough. Whatever you need around here, you let me know and I'll do my damnedest to make it happen. I don't trust many people right off the bat, but I do trust animals. If our Rogue will let you near her, that's good enough in my book."
Looks like I owe Rogue all the treats in the world , I muse.
She bumps her head into the side of mine, demanding more affection. I place my forehead on hers, give her one more quick rub, then place a kiss on her snout. It's hard to walk away, especially now that I know her story, but I'm on a mission.
"I came to see if Jo needs any help getting ready for the party in town. It's a mighty fine thing you all do, supplying the pigs and crops to help keep the costs of the events down."
"Oh, posh. It's what you do for your neighbors and friends. You help where you can and expect nothing in return. That's how Aspen Hollow was a long time ago, and how it should be now and going forward."
"I don't disagree. So …" I come right up to Nana and stuff my hands in my pockets to keep from fidgeting.
"I don't know where Joey is, but I haven't seen her in a minute. Since Rogue is still here but the quad is gone, my guess is she needed it to go work on the fence somewhere. Chances are you wouldn't find her even if you tried."
"Maybe I'll hang around to see if I can catch her."
“Suit yourself, but that girl’s like a dandelion floating on the breeze. She comes and goes as she pleases, and me and her mama can never pin her down."
"Well, maybe there's something I can help you with, then. Do you need anything around here, or can I do anything for the festival?"
"Is that your truck over there?"
"Sure is."
"How would you feel about loading her up and taking some things into town for us? We use hay bales for seats and to make a barrier to contain the kids."
"Umm, contain the kids?"
Nana lets out a hoot at my confused expression.
"Yeah, the kids. The baby goats that Jo brings in for the littles to see. Kind of like a petting farm."
"That makes way more sense. I was going to say we might need to have a discussion if parents are dropping their kids off in a hay bale enclosure while they go enjoy themselves."
"I mean, that's essentially what they do, but we always have a few trustworthy teens manning the area, so there are no injuries to either kid, child, or animal there."
"Alright, then. I can definitely take a load of hay in. Where's it at so I can load it up?"
I walk to my truck, Nana hot on my heels.
She makes her way to the passenger side door and hops in with ease.
I'd be lying if I tried to say I wasn't impressed. Not that Nana is decrepit or anything, but my truck is pretty damn high, and Nana DuVall is a peanut. She’s what my mom would call “tiny but fierce”, standing at just an inch or two over five feet.
Climbing in on my side, I turn the truck on before looking at her expectantly.
"Follow that path around the barn and keep going until we hit the smaller barn. That's where we store our hay for the winter."
I follow Nana DuVall's instructions as I marvel at how stunning their land is.
I didn't get to see much of it the other night since it was already dusk when I got here for the fire.
It's breathtaking and impressive as hell.
I almost miss the barn because my head is turned in the other direction, taking in the expanse of some kind of grain waving in the wind.
Nana and I both hop out of the truck. I trail behind her as she heads to the small yet still impressive barn and pulls the door open. It's stuffed to the gills with hay, making me wonder if they'll have any room for more this season.
"Grab what you can. We'll need quite a bit, so the more we can get in your truck, the less trips we'll have to make back and forth."
"Sounds good."
We get to work, and once again, Nana DuVall impresses me with her work ethic and strength. It takes her one trip for every two of mine. The bales are heavy, and she's not even breaking a sweat.
"So, how's it feel to be home? Or I guess I should say back in Aspen Hollow. Not sure how much it feels like home, what with all you went through here. I'm real sorry about your mama. She was a sweet girl."
I'm taken off guard by Nana's bluntness, but I shouldn't be surprised. A lot of people have been curious about my past and why I came back, but not many of them have come right out and asked or mentioned my mama.
"That's definitely a loaded question. I miss my parents and little sister a lot, but I think I've always missed the country.
While this didn't so much feel like coming home, since I don't have a whole lot of happy memories from when I was young, it still feels pretty damn good to be here.
After I left, I grew up in a nice subdivision, with a great school and even better sports programs, but I missed being in the woods or running through a field to catch fireflies. "
"I can see that, for sure. My daughter married young and didn't have the option to leave, which was why it was so important to her that our Joey got out and spread her wings.
Girl only lasted a few months before she hightailed it back home.
She said she felt stifled in the big city where her college was located.
She couldn't breathe right until she hit the fields and trails— sometimes on her own, but a lot of the time with Rogue. Where'd you get so good with horses?"
"I worked at a country club stable near my folks’ house.
They told me I didn't have to, but being a foster kid at one point in my life always made me want to make sure I wasn't a burden. I tried giving my parents the money I earned, but my mom was secretly stashing it away for me. When I went off to college, she gave me the information for the bank account she’d set up for me. It had every penny I’d earned and then some. "
"Sounds like she's a good woman."
"She's the best. So are my dad and little sister."
"I'd love to meet them if they're ever in town. I always appreciate people who step up when they don't have to. Let's ya know they're good people."
"They definitely are. I think they might be heading to town for the Fourth even though I told them I had to work."
"Oh, how wonderful! Even if you are working, the town is much more laid back than the big cities.
The most you'll probably have to worry about is folks getting too drunk and causing a ruckus.
If anything, our poor volunteer fire department gets the brunt of it with these idjits firin' off those blasted illegal fireworks all damned night. "
I can't help the chuckle that escapes my lips as Nana's speech turns into a rant about fireworks. But really, I don't blame her one bit. Most of the incidents I’ve dealt with on the Fourth could have been avoided if people weren't so stupid when it comes to booze and explosives.
"I'm not looking forward to those calls. I'm sure my folks would love to meet you. I may or may not have been talking up the DuVall women and what ya'll do for our little town."
"Ah, well, bless you. Aren't you the sweetest boy." Nana's smile is beaming as her knobby hand pats my cheek.
I can't hide the blush her praise brings. I'm not sure how, but I'm pretty sure I've landed in Nana DuVall's good graces, and I'm damn happy to be here.