7
Camila
The morning air at Birdsong Hills is deceptively gentle.
The light falls cleanly across the sheds, gilding the weathered wood and casting soft glints on the specks of dust floating in the air.
The smell of hay and damp earth hits me with an uncomfortable familiarity, as if someone had kicked open the door I’d spent ten years determined to keep locked behind seven bolts.
I take a deep breath.
The truth is, this place doesn’t just smell like the countryside. It smells like the past. And the past, when it decides to reappear in its usual boots and with those heart-stopping honey-colored eyes, never does so gently.
I clench my fingers around the edge of the fence. I notice that the wooden post has a splinter protruding exactly three millimeters to the left. Carefully, I pull a handkerchief from my pocket and smooth out the surface without a second thought. Much better.
“I need a horse,” I say.
Darana is a few yards away, inspecting one of the horses.
She’s wearing a light-colored shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing arms sculpted by hard work, jeans that fit her unfairly well, and dust-covered boots.
As always, she’s wearing her braid, with several stray strands framing that angular face that has so often starred in my nightmares.
She doesn’t flinch when she hears me. Instead, she tightens the saddle girth before replying:
“Good morning to you too, Bennet.”
I clench my jaw. Good grief, rural arrogance in all its glory.
“Good morning, Calloway.”
Now we’re talking. She turns slowly and fixes her gaze on me.
“Are you looking for a pony to go sightseeing, or have you just gotten tired of cleaning your car’s windshield?” she asks, crossing her arms with a wry smile.
“The peat bogs and narrow trails on this property are inaccessible to Viento. Not to mention that it could damage the equipment I’ve installed,” I retort, pointing toward the hills in the distance as I defend the honor of my beloved, pristine vehicle.
“I need to go up there and install some sensors right away. On foot, I’d lose valuable hours, and my team isn’t about to delay the study because of these trails. ”
“What a nuisance,” she says with exasperating slowness, savoring every syllable. “You should’ve chosen a real vehicle instead of that scientific toy.”
I ignore the insult to my car and get straight to the point.
“I need a docile animal that knows the terrain well. Byron would be perfect.”
But as soon as that name slips out of my mouth, I know I’ve screwed up.
Darana’s gaze hardens instantly, turning into two blocks of ice. She takes a fierce step toward me, closing the distance until I can smell the scent of soap wafting from her skin.
“Don’t even think about laying a hand on Byron, Bennet,” she snaps in a cold, cutting voice that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. “I’m not going to risk my best horse just because some smart-ass scientist has forgotten how to hold the reins after a decade of city life.”
The blow lands clean and directly on my pride.
“I haven’t forgotten how to ride, Calloway,” I snap, stepping forward, standing my ground, and holding her gaze. “I’ve just gone ten years without riding regularly, but I’ve got enough skill to handle him.”
“Exactly. Ten years,” she replies, tilting her head with that insufferable air of superiority that makes me want to slap her. “More than enough time for everything to have changed around here. Including my animals’ patience.”
The silence that settles between us is a ticking time bomb.
“Well, well, well… What an exciting scene we have here!” a drawling, amused voice interjects.
Maddie Strong appears out of nowhere, leaning against one of the posts with a blade of straw between her teeth and that cheeky smile that doesn’t know the meaning of the word “shame.” Her eyes slide over me in an unabashed up-and-down scan.
“If the expert’s a little rusty at the controls…
” Maddie continues, straightening up cockily and brushing the dust off her pants as she walks toward me, “I can personally give her a few refresher lessons…” She stops dangerously close, invading my personal space.
“And while I’m at it, I’ll teach you how to tame other things on the ranch that also require a firm hand. ”
I’m speechless for a second. Holy cow, what do they eat for breakfast around here? I don’t know whether to burst out laughing or run in the opposite direction.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Darana’s gaze fixed on us. If looks could kill, Maddie would already be buried under ten feet of fertilizer.
“I don’t think that’s necessary…” I try to stop her with a nervous giggle.
“Of course it is, sweetheart,” Maddie cuts me off, giving me a mischievous wink. “Because up there, there are no second chances if you lose control of the horse. Or of whatever you’re holding. Things have changed quite a bit while you were away. Right, boss?”
Darana presses her lips together until they’re almost invisible. She turns to me and, in a tone that could freeze the Australian desert itself, says:
“Dakota is steady and knows the trail by heart. Use her if you’re so eager to go up. But don’t expect anyone to come rescue you if you get lost staring at the clouds.”
Maddie lets out a hoarse laugh and moves even closer, brushing her arm against mine with incredible boldness.
“Come on, let yourself be pampered. I promise to be a very, very patient teacher… and a very hands-on one at that. What do you say?”
I hesitate for a moment, hating with all my might that I have to make this decision with Darana standing right there, watching us like a hawk about to strike. But the work is urgent, and the sensors aren’t going to install themselves by magic.
“All right,” I concede, crossing my arms to try to put up a physical barrier between myself and the drill sergeant. “But let’s keep it a quick lesson. I have a strict schedule to stick to.”
“Whatever you say, sweetie,” Maddie assures me, winking at me again. “Although, between you and me, the good things in life are never fully enjoyed when you rush them.”
My jaw drops.
· · ·
The outdoor arena is a veritable monument to sun and sand.
The heat beats down on us, and my shirt is already sticking to my back.
I’m perched on Dakota’s back, a chestnut mare who, fortunately, seems to have a lot more patience than her owner.
The real problem isn’t the animal; the problem is me, my nerves, and the trainer I’ve been stuck with.
“Relax those legs,” Maddie instructs me from behind. Suddenly, I feel her firm, warm hand settle directly on my thigh, making me flinch in the saddle. “You’re gripping too tightly. And mares need to be treated gently, just like us.”
“I’m not…” I try to protest, my eyes widening at her audacity as I adjust the seam of my pants so it’s perfectly aligned with my boot.
“Don’t worry,” she says with a low, playful chuckle that echoes far too close to my ear. “It’s normal to get a little stiff at first. Especially when we have a first-class audience watching the show.”
I try to focus on my breathing. I inhale, I exhale.
I keep my back straight. But the peace lasts less than a breath, because Maddie’s hands settle on me after she asks for permission, this time resting on my waist to correct my posture, her body pressing against mine in a way that’s anything but academic.
“Not like that,” she murmurs, leaning in so close that I can feel her breath on the back of my neck. “If you’re that stiff, Dakota’s going to get upset. You have to trust your guide and go with the flow. Can you feel how your body responds?”
“To be honest, I don’t know how…” I murmur.
“Trust me,” she replies. “I’ve been teaching people to ride for years. And I assure you, I’m great at it. Relax your shoulders… that’s it. Now your hips. That’s it, perfect.”
Relying purely on instinct, my body begins to synchronize with Dakota’s trot. I turn to the left, then again, regaining my confidence by leaps and bounds. The rocking motion brings back sensations I thought were long buried.
“See?” Maddie says, brushing against my back as she moves just far enough away. “Once you’ve got it, you’ve got it. You just needed the right person to remind you how good it feels to regain control.”
I can’t help but smile, swept up in the energy of the moment, even though I feel dangerously exposed. She steps away, and then… I feel a chill run down my spine that has nothing to do with the wind.
I look toward the shadow of the main stable and see Darana leaning against one of the wooden pillars, her arms crossed and her body rigid as a granite statue.
The muscles in her neck are taut, and her eyes are ablaze.
With that wild fire that always flares up when someone dares to get too close to what she considers her property. But… I’ve never been her property.
Maddie, who’s no fool and seems to know exactly how to push the drama button, returns to the fray by standing next to the horse and placing her hand directly over mine on the reins.
“Now let’s pick up the pace a little,” she suggests. “Imagine that I’m the one guiding you.”
The provocation is so obvious you can almost taste it. I keep up the trot, but my full attention is fixed on the shadow of the stable—on the way Darana doesn’t take her eyes off us for even a single second.
“Camila!” Ethan’s voice breaks the spell, snapping me out of it.
I turn toward the entrance to the arena with a huge sigh of relief. He and Kira are rushing over, loaded down with tablets, cables organized by color—thank goodness—and various weather sensors.
“You have to see this right now!” Ethan exclaims, almost out of breath, planting himself next to the fence and handing me the tablet.
“The electrometers installed on the northern fence are registering massive fluctuations in electrical potential. This ground has a highly unusual static charge—something the computer models didn’t predict.
It’s going to fry our system if we don’t calibrate it right now. ”
My scientist’s brain kicks in instantly. This is right up my damn alley!
“How unusual?” I ask, dismounting from Dakota with an agility even I didn’t expect. My boots hit the sand, kicking up a small cloud of dust, and I stand next to Ethan, analyzing the computer graphs with a furrowed brow.
“Very,” Kira interjects, crossing her arms with a suspicious little smile. “Although I get the impression that the static charge in the ground isn’t the only thing about to cause a high-voltage short circuit around here.”
I follow her gaze, which goes straight to Maddie, then to me, and finally toward the back of the stable, where Darana’s silhouette is still outlined against the dim light.
“Great,” I mutter, running a hand through my hair. “Just what I needed to finish today’s report.”
“Hey, what are you complaining about?” Ethan jokes with a grin from ear to ear.
“The rural atmosphere here is… incredibly stimulating, isn’t it?
Although, judging by the look on your face, I’d say there are more thermal currents and storms brewing here than all our devices combined could ever record. ”
Kira bursts out laughing.
“You bet. The boss looks ready to jump the fence and eat us all alive. Don’t you think?”
I shrug, grab the tablet, and sling my backpack over my shoulder with determination.
“Thanks for the lesson, Maddie,” I say, keeping a safe distance. I’m not in the mood to reminisce about all the times I rode around here. “We’ll save the next ones for when the scientific schedule gives us a break.”
Maddie puts a hand on her hip, letting out a laugh that shows just how much she enjoyed the game.
“Whenever you want to do it again, you know where to find me.”
I nod. However, as I turn around, I catch exactly what Darana is doing.
She takes a step back into the shadows, stomps her foot on the ground—practically sending sparks flying—and spins around abruptly, turning her back on us with immense frustration.
Then she disappears into the stables without deigning to look at me one last time.
I feel a strange twinge in the middle of my chest, though I immediately shake my head. I don’t have time for this.
“Let’s go,” I order Ethan and Kira, adjusting the straps on my backpack. “We’ve got a problem to solve before the sun roasts our brains. I want to review that data right now.”