“Did you hang up on me?” he asks.
He answers himself with a scoff a moment later. That sounded a lot like the rare phone calls between me and my sister.
It was pretty obvious from the lack of family photos around the house that there may have been issues. But this firsthand look at the rockiness of his relationship with his daughter is rough. I’ve still yet to meet her, and I suspect we may have a lot in common. After all, I make Everett sound just as annoyed when I try to talk to him about my plans for the ranch.
I realize I’m still just lingering in the middle of the hall, and force myself to start moving. Skipping breakfast won’t kill me, and I don’t want to bother Everett when he’s worked up like this. The sneakers don’t make anywhere near as much noise on the floors as my heels usually do, and I make it about halfway to the front door before Everett’s voice stops me.
“Ms. Bryce.”
I wince slightly before turning to face him, hoping my smile doesn’t look too strained. Everett is leaning against the counter, and he looks exhausted. Well, he kind of always looks exhausted, but it’s worse than usual.
“Good morning,” I say.
I’m unsure of where we stand, and I haven’t really figured out how to put my whirling thoughts to words.
“I’m riding out to check on the herd and make sure all the fences are intact,” he says as he straightens and slips his phone into his pocket. “Want to join me?”
Surprise rockets through me. I don’t manage to respond as quickly as I’d like to. He’s tried to stay as far away from me as he can manage since I showed up. Part of me wants to be suspicious of his motives, but maybe he’s feeling as awkward as I am about the kiss. This is probably just an olive branch, and it fits in with what I was planning for the day anyway.
“Sure,” I agree with an easygoing shrug. “That sounds nice.”
He nods, a flicker of a smile on his lips. Together, we head toward the barn. I’ve never been on a tractor before, or whatever he plans to take out there. I don’t think the trails that lead farther back into the property are big enough for his truck, but I also haven’t had a chance to get all that far away from the main buildings.
It’s not until we pass where all of the ride-along equipment is parked that I start to question my initial idea of how we’re going to get out there.
My feet follow in Everett’s footsteps towards only to find two horses tied to hitching posts. One is already saddled and ready to go, and the other is freshly brushed and bridled. My mouth drops open as the realization of what he plans for us to do sinks in.
When he saidride, he meant…
My nerves spike as he steps forward and rubs his palm up one of their faces, settling the little lock of hair that laid between her ears. He glances over at me, his brow raising when he sees how wide my eyes are.
“Never ridden a horse before?” he asks.
And it’s stupid, but I lie. I know the teasing in his voice is playful, not derisive, but my hackles raise nonetheless.
“Of course I have,” I scoff. “It’s just, y’know, been a few years.”
It’s just a horse, I reassure myself. I mean,kidsride horses. It can’t be that hard. I’ll be fine.
At least I’m dressed for the occasion.
I don't allow myself to hesitate any longer, not wanting Everett to catch my lie. It’ll probably be a little awkward for the first few minutes, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it. He won't notice a thing.
“I'll go bareback if you want the saddle,” he says, nodding his head towards the horse to his left.
She's mostly white, dappled with spots of brown and gray. I skirt around the front of the posts to reach out for her face, copying Everett’s movements. She snorts a bit and pushes her face into my hand, and I laugh, charmed.
I like animals perfectly fine, but I never imagined I’d think something as big as a horse wascute.
“What's her name?” I ask as I run my fingers up the outside of her ear
“Milky Way,” Everett says, smiling when she immediately looks over to him. “We call her Milky. My son, Wayne… he named her when he was a kid… said her spots looked like a galaxy.”
I pull my attention away from the soft look in Everett's eyes to focus on the horse in front of me. It’s the first time he’smentioned the fact he has a son, and I can tell by the strain in his voice that it’s a touchy subject.
“Nice to meet you, Milky. I'm Mary. Go easy on me, would you?”
She tosses her head in what I hope is agreement, and Everett chuckles. He rounds his own horse to stand at Milky’s side.
