He hung his shirt over one of the stall doors and patted the horse there on the nose before returning to the haystack. Then he turned to Kyra and said, “Do you want to hang something of yours? You’ll be warmer if you’re dry.”
“Uh…” Kyra failed to answer as her eyes grew wider and wider the more she thought about it. Every piece of clothing, save her socks, seemed like a bad idea to remove. “I’m not sure that would be a good idea?”
“Why?” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Because I’m here?”
There was no right answer for that. Saying no would be an obvious lie, but saying yes would be an insult to his character. “Well, it’s just… I don’t mean…” She couldn’t seem to finish any of the sentences she started.
“It’s not part of your job description,” he said with a partial smile. “So not required, but it’ll keep you warmer while we wait. I promise not to watch.”
Somehow, his assurances did not make her feel better. “I’ll go into a stall to change.” She’d gotten friendly enough with the horses that she trusted them not to get nippy.
But Adam didn’t seem to want to allow it. “Let me. You don’t want to stand near manure to change, do you? I’ll go into the stall, and I promise not to come out again until you give me the all-clear.”
He went into the stall, and she wound up removing her shirt and overalls before hanging them next to his. She then sat back on the haystack and wrapped herself in the blanket that was now the only garment she wore aside from her underwear. It was strange how quickly and how much she trusted him. But they had been in a number of situations he could have taken advantage of if he wanted to, and he hadn’t. Something about him seemed so honorable. She got the very real impression he would never compromise his own character, not for any reason.
After she told him she was ready, he came back out again with his own jeans in his hands, which he hung up next to the rest of the clothes. The blanket was wrapped around his waist like a towel, while Kyra had hers clutched closed at her chest. Sheinvited him to share the haystack with her, as there was nowhere more comfortable to sit in the barn.
They sat in awkward silence for a while, until Kyra felt obligated to break the silence. “So…” she began. “How many horses are yours?”
He glanced over at her, and she quickly looked away for no good reason. “Two,” he answered. “The other four belong to people in town who pay me to look after them.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “Plenty of people who appreciate horses don’t necessarily have the property to keep them. They’ll rent a stable on someone else’s property. I look after their horses for a monthly fee. Those two are mine.” He pointed to the two horses closest to them.
“I had no idea you could rent out stables,” she said. “Is that something you knew you wanted to do as a kid?” This question had become something of a new obsession for Kyra, as she felt that a person having no idea what they wanted to do with their life was weird.
Much to her surprise and delight, Adam shook his head. “The only thing I knew I wanted to do as a kid was to get away from my father. I succeeded by joining the military. After that, I couldn’t bring myself to work in an office. This seemed a viable alternative. Aside from the isolation, I don’t regret it.”
Kyra stared down at where she clutched her blanket closed from the inside. She was feeling much warmer now that her skin had begun to dry. “That’s funny,” she said. “I didn’t think you were much of a people person.”
“I’m not asocial, just picky,” he admitted. “It takes me a while to warm up to people.” Then he turned to her and shrugged with a half-smile. “Trust issues, you know.”
She leaned back and stared at the lights above them. “I’m picky, too, but not about people. I can’t seem to decide what I want to do with the rest of my life. All my friends have everything planned out. Most of them have families or careers already. I feel like such a loser sometimes, being so indecisive. But every time I think about making a choice, all the other options suddenly seem so much better. Whatever I choose, I’m scared I’ll be stuck with it, but not choosing can be hard in a lot of ways, too. It’s hard to stay close to friends you don’t have anything in common with anymore. Even if you still talk, you don’t really talk, you know?”
Adam leaned back beside her, looking far more relaxed than she’d ever seen him. “It’s the same when you get out of the military. Finding people you have much in common with becomes a challenge. I’d lost touch with normal civilian life, so I decided not to force it.”
“Doesn’t that get kind of lonely, though?” she asked and then realized how ridiculous she sounded. “What am I saying?” She laughed quietly. “I’m just as lonely, and I kept in touch with everyone in my life. I guess it makes no difference in the end. Fake friendships aren’t any better than being alone.”
He turned to look at her, and she suddenly feltoverlywarm. “There’s no such thing as not choosing a path, you know. No matter what you do, you’re moving forward. There are no breaks in life. It’s just the direction that changes.”
“Good point,” she said under her breath. “I guess I never thought of it like that.” She couldn’t handle the way he was looking at her,like he was seeing all the way through her to something she’d tried and failed to bury.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before muttering, “I’m a terrible boss.”
“Why?” She scooched closer in her haste to comfort him. “I think you’re the best boss ever. You’re fair and helpful, and look how fast I learned the job. What makes you a terrible boss?”
It took her too long to notice that his cheeks were turning red. “Because I want to kiss you right now,” he said. “And I know I shouldn’t.”
Kyra’s heart started beating faster. She couldn’t believe she’d heard those words come out of his mouth. “Why?”
“It would be unprofessional,” he answered.
“Aren’t we kind of past that already?” Kyra surprised herself with her forwardness. Apparently, he’d inspired her with his own. “Professionalism is overrated,” she added for clarity.
Suddenly, the lights flickered and went out. Several horses whinnied at the change, and Kyra sat up, thinking she should do something about it. But what could she do?
“They’ll be fine,” Adam reassured her.
