“Not a cop,” Darcy gives her a smile, “Just a vet. We have to constantly check for lupine. It can be deadly for livestock.”
Ada nods in agreement, “It’s how I got hold of it.”
“You lived on a ranch?”
“A real small one,” she confirms, “It’s how I learned about cutting horses. My first was a buckskin mare; her name was Freida, but my father sold her when I was fifteen.”
“Fucking parents,” Darcy grumbles.
“I’ll drink to that,” Ada raises a glass and taps it against Darcy’s, taking a healthy sip. “But enough about that. Has he contacted you?”
I shake my head, “Silas took care of that.”
“Silas is a good man,” Darcy sighs, “Too good sometimes.”
I want to press her on what she means by that. How can a man be too good? She isn’t wrong in the fact that Silas is good, inherently, instinctively. He doesn’t think before he does; he just does it like it’s second nature to him. I’ve avoided him the best I can this week; I didn’t want to be distracted by him. No matter how hard I try, the moment I notice him, I can’t look away. He has power, but not the kind meant to oppress; it’s the type you want to study, to take apart to see how it ticks. He wants respect, but understands he has to show it in order to get it back. But it’s the way he is with horses… He is, by definition, an actual horse whisperer. The way he reads them, is in tune with their wants, and their needs, and then provides. I could write an entire book about it.
The glances I have stolen this week have been moments he’s spent with Dottie. He managed to get her into a snaffle bridle without reins, though that took several hours of constant reassuring on his part, slow and deliberate moves to show the horse she was still safe with him.
It had been fascinating to watch.
“He is a good man,” I eventually agree.
“So, are you sticking around?” Darcy asks, sounding hesitant. This is the first time we’ve talked properly since she lost it on me that second day Iwas here, but I still don’t blame her for that. In passing, she’s apologized repeatedly, but we’ve never talked more than that. She seems like a good woman, a caring woman, and I can’t fault her for looking out for creatures unable to look out for themselves.
“For a while,” I look to Niamh laughing behind the bar with her best friend, Ashley, whom I’d been introduced to a couple of days ago. “Not sure how long that will be.”
“So, you’re leaving?” Ada frowns. “I mean, eventually. You’re leaving?”
“Probably, yeah. I’m safe here for now and gathering strength, I guess. I don’t know what will happen next. I’m just trying to earn some money and then I’ll figure it out. I want to travel at some point, you know? See something more than fields and mountains; get out of Montana and see what else there is out there.”
“Well, you’ve got New York if you want a concrete jungle, Miami for the beaches. I would suggest Colorado,butthat’s mountains and fields.” Ada chuckles. “Seattle. Maine… you’ve then got Europe and Africa. Have you ever thought about going to Japan? I want to see Tokyo one day.” All of Ada’s words start to tumble together, her excitement making her practically vibrate. “And Egypt, maybe Australia too, but those spiders are a whole different level.”
“I got it,” I laugh, cutting her off, “There’s an entire world to see.”
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Darcy says softly, spinning her glass. “You’ve got time, right?”
“Right,” I agree. I do have time now and freedom. No one can hold me back or stop me, or yell at me for stepping out of line. It’s just me.
Since I’d stuck around after my shift, Niamh gave me a ride home. Darcy had offered since she’d only had the one drink, but I’d ultimately decided to hang out a bit longer at Sunstone Saloon while she took herself and Ada home. It was a different vibe, a whole new atmosphere I wasn’t used to, and people-watching is far more entertaining than I ever thought it would be.
“Are you ready to go?” Niamh plucks her keys from the counter.
“Yeah,” I hop off the stool and follow her to the door, stepping out into the warm night, inhaling the clean mountain air tinged with the smell of forest pine and wildflowers.
“You looked like you were having fun tonight,” Niamh says as we walk to her truck.
“Ada and Darcy are great,” I nod. “It’s nice to just be out.”
“I can imagine,” she says, “And you’re good?”
“I’m good, Niamh,” I smile at her. She’s becoming a fast friend too, someone who cares despite not knowing me all that long.
She beams at me, the grin sinking dimples into her cheeks, “That’s what I like to hear.”
The drive back to the ranch is short and quiet, and Niamh turns into the long drive that’ll lead up to Silas’s cabin and the main house, the ranch signage swinging in the slight breeze.
“Just pull up here,” I say, “I don’t want to wake the kids.”
