“Seabiscuit?”Remi smiled huge and unbothered.“Sir, I’m really sorry, this is where we’re practicing our canter.Important stuff cantering.Gotta practice.”
The trucker mumbled something under his breath.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear that.”
“I’m unloading this thing.”
“But the kids and theircantering.”I couldn’t keep the chuckle out of my voice.This whole thing was ridiculous, and if I wasn’t already head over heels for Remi this would have made it happen.
The crunch of dirt under tires joined our little group.Remi’s horse shook his head and took a couple of steps to the side at the arrival of a black truck that parked directly behind the semi-trailer.
Throwing his hands up, the trucker exclaimed, “You have got to be shitting me.”
Mrs.Creger stuck her head out of the driver’s side window.“Buddy, I’m gonna need you to pull forward.You’re parked right in the way.”
“In the way of what?”His face was bright red, and a vein protruded from his neck.
“Euchre.”She flicked her hand as if it was obvious.
“Euchre?!”
“Yup, I got a permit, right here.We’re going to be lining up for the next quarter mile and playin’ a tournament.”
Remi pressed a palm to his chest, his head falling back as he laughed at the overcast sky.My mouth hung open, and goosebumps prickled up my arms.
More cars turned on to the dirt road, and the driver cussed a string of swear words I’d never heard in quite that order.He looked like he was going to argue with Mrs.Creger who was yelling at him to watch his language, when more hoof beats on dirt announced the arrival of Brooks’ and four teenagers all on horseback trailing behind him.The kids’ riding in to save the day was less majestic than Remi’s with their thin limbs and uncoordinated movements.But they were absolutely perfect.
Equestrian team and euchre club to save the day.
Beautiful.
Too overwhelmed—my laughter sounding more like sobs—I hid my face in my hand not holding my still-streaming phone.
The driver shook his head in shock, his jaw clenched.
Remi lifted one large shoulder.“Canter practice.”
Throwing his arms in the air, the driver finally seemed to give up.“You’re all crazy!”
“That may be, but you are still in the way,” Deb yelled back.
“I’m movin’, lady, I’m movin’.”
“Thank you,” she said, but her tone did not sound grateful.
A battered, white work truck rumbled toward us from down the road.It slowed to a crawl, and one of the women in Deb’s truck bed called out, “Brian, I know you’re not here to operate that excavator.”
The man who wouldn’t sign my petition at Nora’s party brought his vehicle to a stop and rolled down the passenger side window.“Gran, it’s my job.”
“Well, you’ll have to find something else to do today, he’s packing it back up.”
“This is ridiculous,” he grumbled, casting a glare toward me and Remi.“I’m just trying to do my job.”
“Me too,” I shot back to which Brian rolled his eyes.
He turned back to his grandma.“You should go home.All you ladies, you’re gonna get sick in this cold.”
“We’ll be just fine,” his grandma answered.
