“She’s such a pretty girl,” Juni whispers, “Too good to be around here.”
“Have you named her?” I ask.
“I like Dottie,” she says softly, “I think it suits her.”
“That’s what you should name her,” I agree, “Give her something.”
“Cal doesn’t like to name the horses,” she tells me. “Says giving them a name makes you attached and they’re just here for business. They’re not pets.”
“Yeah, well Cal is a fucking prick,” the words slip out on a bite. “Shit, I shouldn’t have said that.”
She chuckles, the sound of it melodic, light like a summer breeze swishing through the trees or long grass. “It’s okay. It’s quite refreshing, actually.”
“How so?”
She shrugs her shoulders before she begins to fiddle with a loose thread on her shirt. “No one says what they really think around here.”
“Does he do that a lot?” The question is prying, but I can’t help but ask.
“Cal has a temper,” is how she chooses to answer, her words careful, “It’s just easier for everyone to stay on his good side.”
“That’s no way to live,” I can’t stop looking at her, tracing her features, looking for clues. Her eyes are such a dark brown, they almost appear black from beneath the shadow of her hat, and they holdso much weight. She wets her plump lips and gives a gentle shrug.
“That’s just how it is.”
“Juni,” Her name tastes sweet on my tongue, like honey and sugar, “If you need help, I can—”
“Juniper,” Cal’s stern voice calls for her from outside the stables.
“I’ve got to go.” She brushes past me, the smell of her wrapping around me. Fresh and sweet—mouthwatering.
My fingers curl into my palm, and I purposely keep myself facing away so I don’t watch her leave. She rushes out of the stables and toward her husband, taking her soulful eyes and pretty scent with her.
“Just you and me, Dottie,” I say to the filly, returning to her stall. “Do you like that name?”
Her ears flick.
“Yeah, I agree. It suits you.”
I remember how my brothers teased me when we were growing up about talking to horses.They can’t talk back, Roman had laughed, but he had been wrong; he just didn’t know the language. Now he’s older, he understands it better, so does Remy, but not quite like I do.
“What should we try to do with you today?” I lean my elbows on the top of the stable door, keeping mydistance but pushing just slightly more into her personal space. Gentle nudges and consistent behavior are the surest ways to get a horse to trust you. She backs up a little, but her posture remains relaxed, curious. We are nowhere near me being able to go inside that space with her, but I want to do that soon, give her a good groom and thorough look over to check her general health. She’s got a good weight to her and her coat looks shiny, but appearances can be deceiving. I don’t know where she’s come from or who Cal purchased her from, nor do I have access to her genetics. I could have Darcy, Knight Falls resident vet, come down, get a few tests done to check for any genetic issues she may have, but not yet. It’s too soon for anyone to attempt to get inside there with her.
I reach my hand over the door, giving her a part of me to get used to. She doesn’t shy away from it and takes a tiny step closer, close enough I feel the huff of her warm breath brush across my knuckles before she smacks her lips against my hand and retreats.
Small steps are progress.
I spend the rest of the day with her, turning her out into her own private pasture for her to graze, but she remained close to the fence where I stood talking to her. At six, I returned her to her stable, topping off her food and gave her a treat, which she had taken from my hand, and then I left her to get ready for dinner with the Scotts.
I’d usually have said no to dinner, not wanting to be anywhere near Calvin; Juni, however…
I shake my head. She’s fucking married, I shouldn’t want to be anywhere near her, yet I’m drawn to her, like a damn moth to a flame.
It’s to figure out what the hell is going on here, I tell myself, but I know it’s deeper than that. I want to get these horses out, but a part of me wants to getherout too.
Chapter Four
“Be on your best behavior, sugar,” Cal presses to my back, and my skin crawls with the contact.
