Page 28 of Will to Run

“What do you think?” Hazel asks me as we finish the first few.

“It’s not exactly rocket science,” I laugh and rest on my pitchfork. “I think I’ll be okay. And if not, I can do anything for six weeks.”

Is it gross? Yes. I never thought I’d be doing something like shoveling horse shit, but there’s a lot I didn’t think I was capable of. Plus, although I am not versed in ranches, barns, or horses, this is not the worst. The company is great, too. Though Molly and Hazel are my favorite people I’ve met, they won’t be with me indefinitely. Luckily, I can see myself being friends with a handful of other people I’ve met today, too.

They both laugh back. “I mean, for what it’s worth, you look comfortable,” she says.

“Must be my new clothes. I certainly look the part,” I say as I do a full spin. Thank God for the internet giving me a rundown of what I need.

The afternoon stretches on, and besides the stall mucking, I learn about the other things I’ll be doing: feeding and watering, sweeping, and keeping up an impeccable appearance. Although this is the barn, Heart of Will is a luxury ranch. Appearance matters, and this place needs to be pristine at all times. I know something about that mindset.

As I’m going through the tasks, I am in awe of how pretty it all is. Beautiful horse after beautiful horse fill the stalls that still look brand new. Hazel said that the ones in this barn are mostly personal horses of family or Heart of Will staff, and the other two barns house the horses used for the public. I love seeing their colors and reading their names. Towards the end of the row, I’m drawn to one that looks like melted caramel. “Orion,” I whisper his name. He seems like he is questioning my arrival.

“Hi buddy,” I whisper. This horse is sizing me up the same way I am doing to him, before a commotion in the barn draws my attention away. They are bringing a second wave of horses outside, and given the way an experienced worker is moving towards me, I assume Orion is going out too. The man stops in front of the stall and gives me a warm smile.

“I’m Cody,” he drawls in an accent I can’t place. “Welcome to the barn. You new?”

“Hi Cody,” I return the smile. “I’m Della. Yeah, I’m here for six weeks as a barn hand.”

“Oof, how’d someone as pretty as you pull that job?”

His easy flirt makes my face blush. Though the ego boost doesn’t suck, he’s not the one I want flirting with me. “Aren’t you kind?” I say. “I’m just here for a little layover until my next stop.”

“Well, aren’t we lucky then?” he winks and slides Orion’s door open, heading in and smoothly slipping something over his head.

“Is he yours?” I ask.

“Nah, he’s Everest’s,” he replies as he walks the horse past me. First, I’m blown away by his flirty smile, then by the sheer size of the horse. I only come up to his shoulder.

“Hey Della, if you need anything, ask away. I know you said you’re here for a little layover, but this is a great place to be,” he says over his shoulder as he walks down the barn aisle. I smile to myself at how right I think he is, and grab stuff to clear the stall.

After two more hours, Molly, Hazel, and I are sitting outside the barn in the sun, and I peel off a layer, leaving me in my long sleeve.

“Have you ever had any jobs like this?” Molly asks as she sips her water.

“No. I did have a retail job at a fashion boutique, though. I’d rather scoop horse shit than do that again.”

“I’d choose shit shoveling, too,” Hazel says, as we all laugh freely. “Though we get a share of assholes here. Luckily, you won’t have to deal with them, Del.”

“How could people be assholes here?” I ask, looking around. Since I stepped foot through that gate, I’ve been nothing but enchanted with everything. But on the same note, I guess there are plenty of people in Chicago, surrounded by opulence, who are still assholes. Example one: Tripp Worthington and his entire stupid family.

“Oh, they think they know everything. My primary focus is horses and guest experiences, but I also step in to help with the wedding stuff, and in both those roles, I deal with a special kind of crazy. Not excusable, but the wedding at least makes a little sense, you know? So many people have that day planned in their head long before an engagement, so there is a part of me that gets why people get upset when we can’t make something happen for them. But the riding? I’m sorry, stranger, no, you don’t know more than I do. Promise. Those horseback riding lessons you had at camp three decades ago don’t qualify you to know what you’re doing.” Hazel rolls her eyes.

“Do you give lessons here?” I ask.

“Yeah, we offer everything from beginner to advanced trail rides with the experienced crowd. Have you ridden before, Della?

“I’m the eight-year-old camp lesson crowd.” At that, we cackle so loudly that it brings over ranch man Cody.

“You guys are having a good time,” he says, sitting next to Molly and kissing her cheek. The motion has me recoiling. This is the man who seemed like he was coming onto me in the barn. What the hell?

“Are we ever,” she replies. “Della, this is Cody.”

He tips his hat to me and smiles the same smile. The warm one that now feels smarmy. “We met in the barn; she was looking at Orion.”

“Ooh, Everest’s heart horse,” Hazel claps her hands together. “Come riding with us, Cody.”

Cody stands up, “I can’t right now, I’m on the clock,” he touches Hazel’s shoulder. “Boss’ll kill me.”