by Allie Bock
“Mr. and Mrs. Peterson, this is Delilah Allen. She’s the one I was telling you about, how she’d like to take over my lease on the stable and continue Happy Hearts Therapeutic Riding Center.”
“Oh yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you, dear,” Mrs. Peterson drawled as she held out a limp hand for me to shake. “Bless your heart for wanting to continue what our dear Leah started. We’re sure going to miss her.”
“Yes, ma’am. I just love this place and helping the children,” I said.
“Young lady,” Mr. Peterson said, as I shook his hand, “We want to continue the program. We’ll talk to our lawyer to draw up a lease for you.”
“That would be great.” Mrs. Peterson handed me a little notebook where I scribbled my contact information down and handed it back to her.
Mr. Peterson glanced at the page. “Excellent. Look for an email tomorrow with the contract and lease.”
My head already was spinning with everything I had to do. I couldn’t wait to start on this adventure. I shook their hands one more time. The promise of the future never looked so exciting.
FIVE DAYS LATER, MY phone buzzed as I was jogging down the sidewalk after a long night at the ER. I fumbled with my water bottle until I was able to get the phone out of my pocket. The screen said, UNKNOWN CALLER. I hit the answer button on the sixth ring.
“Hello, this is Delilah Allen.”
“Hello, dear this is Mrs. Peterson. How are you doing this blessed morning?” Her Texas drawl came through the phone.
“I’m good. How are you?”
“Just fine, dear. I wanted to call and talk to you about the riding stable.”
“I sent back the signed lease and I mailed you the deposit a couple of days ago...Did you not get it?” My heart pounded in my chest as my breath came in short puffs. I tried to control my breathing so as not to be panting on the phone.
“Yes dear, we received your check this morning with the mail.”
I leaned against the side of a brick building. The blood pounded in my ears for a totally different reason than that I was out jogging. “Okay,” I said hesitantly.
“The thing is that we got an offer from a developer for that tiny bit of land, and we just can’t refuse his offer.”
The thudding in my head increased as I processed her words. The sun beat down warming my already warm face. “But what about the stables, the horses, and the children?” I asked.
“Well, honey, we are going to return your check and void the contract. As for the horses, they are Leah’s problem. She has a month to move them. I’ve got to go. Bye, dear.”
The phone went dead in my ear as I continued to stand there. Now what? I had already closed out my retirement to have enough money to buy the horses. They weren’t Leah’s problem anymore; they were my problem, too. I had given my two-weeks’ notice at the hospital and going back to request to stay made me sick thinking about it. And the children and the horses. There wasn’t anywhere else in San Antonio for them to get those experiences. I shuffled my way over to a bus bench as I dialed Leah’s number.
“Hey, Delilah.” Her voice cracked when she answered the phone on the first ring. “I was expecting your call.”
“I just finished talking to Mrs. Peterson. So, it’s true?” I twirled the end of my ponytail. I heard her sigh on the other end.
“Yep, and I don’t know what to do. I’ll return your money because I know you don’t have a place for them. A month isn’t long enough to find the horses good homes and I don’t want to see them end up on the kill truck.”
I shuddered at the thought of old Billy’s greying muzzle poking through the slants on the truck, heading for a long drive to Mexico, confused as to why he was packed on a trailer with strange horses.
“No, we can’t have that.” I agreed.
“What are we going to do?” She cried into the phone, the sadness and despair clear in her voice. “I can’t take them with me. We have a small house and no funds to care for ten horses. I’m going to have to sell them at an auction.”
“Can you give me a week to figure something out before you do that?”
“Do you think you could find homes for them?” Her voice pleaded with a touch of hope.
“I hope so,” I said before disconnecting. Hopefully, inspiration would strike, and I could save those horses, get a new job, and help the children; otherwise, the horses would be sold, I’d be stuck in my burnt-out career, and the kids would have nowhere to ride.
Chapter 4 August 11th
Kade
My backside ached. That was a new development in the last week since the accident and the reconstructive surgery to fix my shattered leg. I tallied my aches and pains: my leg hurt, breathing hurt, sitting hurt, and any moving at all left me breathless for several minutes. At least, the headache went away and so did the blurry vision. Dr. Glanders, my orthopedic surgeon, said the broken bones would take eight weeks to heal, the reconstructive surgery on my ligaments would take sixteen weeks, and my ribs would be at least eight weeks. It was going to be a long recovery, and I hated every moment of my current situation. I rang the little bell beside my recliner and waited for what seemed like forever until a little Hispanic woman bustled into my room.
“I needed you ten minutes ago,” I growled and she cringed away from me. The black mood that controlled me rejoiced in her fear. “This chair is uncomfortable. Bring me a different one.”
She nodded as she backed out of the room. The darkness of the room settled on my soul. The docs said I wouldn’t be ready to ride at the Bull Riding Finals in November, if ever again. Three months away from living my dream, the accumulation of all the years of scratching it out in dirty hotels, poor arenas, and long days on the road. One ride and everything was torn away from me. I threw my glass of water against the wall. The glass shattered with a loud crash. The door whipped open and slammed against the wall. Kaleb’s large frame blocked out the light from the hallway.
“What’s going on in here?” He demanded. His eyes roved from me to the fragments glittering on the floor. “Was that necessary?”
“The woman has not brought me a new chair.”
“All of this over your butt hurting.” He stalked closer to me. His brows pulled down over his eyes. “The family’s bull riding golden boy throws a fit when his backside hurts so much that he has to smash things like a two-year-old.”
“It’s uncomfortable.” I ground out.
“Deal with it.” He turned to go.
“Is she bringing another chair?”
“No, she quit.” He tossed over his shoulder before leaving the room.
I swore under my breath. My body rocked from cheek to cheek, seeking comfort. I slouched and tried to sit up straight. No relief was found. I grabbed a couple of pain killers, swallowing them dry. The glow from the TV dimly lit the room as cowboys rode their horses across the screen. My eyelids got heavy, and I reclined back into the chair, drifting off to sleep.
The house was quiet when I woke back up. The TV was still playing. This time, John Wayne raced through a field shooting off rifles in each hand like the legend he was. I straightened in my chair, grimacing as the pain came back. My neck cricked with the way I fell asleep. I rolled my neck and shoulder, gently, trying to work out the tension. My bladder begged to be empty, but there was no way I was calling Kaleb. He would do his big brother thing and make sure I knew how much I needed him, which I did not. I could go by myself without help from anyone.
I stretched to reach my crutches because the emasculating wheelchair sat in the corner, out of reach. I couldn’t get to it if I wanted to. With each armrest firmly tucked against my body, I took a step. The pain. It shot through me, leaving black spots covering my vision. My chest clenched as I drew in a ragged breath. I gritted my teeth and kept going. Step. Hop. Step. Hop. I was going to do it. Step. I swung the crutches forward.
The foot of one crutch hit the water still on the floor. As I transferred my weight forward from my good leg, the crutch slid out
to the side. The next moment, I was sitting in a puddle of water. My boxers were soaked, my side hurt, and my legs pointed in opposite directions. The darkness spun around me as I tried to breathe through the pain. One breath in. One breath out. Grimacing, I repositioned my legs so I wasn’t doing the splits anymore, and I pushed up with my hands, but I couldn’t balance on my one good leg. I didn’t have the strength to get my body up as pain coursed through me. With a sigh of defeat, I laid back down.
I didn’t know how long I was like that before the door swung open in my room. A sliver of light fell across my eyes, causing me to shield them from the bright light.
“What are you doing on the floor?” Kaleb towered over me.
“Having a tea party. Wanna join?”
“Not particularly.” He wheeled the chair over to me. Grasping me at the armpits, he hoisted me into the chair. “You could’ve called.”
“Didn’t want to bother you.” The sarcastic tone colored my words.
“You can just say you’re sorry.” He muttered as he pushed the chair out of the room. “And maybe, ‘thanks for taking care of me, big brother.’” The chair rolled down the hardwood floors. One of the wheels squeaked. “I’ve had to give up things to help you.”
“Thank you, Kaleb.” What else could I say to that?
He grunted in response. “Use your chair next time.”
I hated that chair.
Chapter 5 August 15th
Delilah
The rest of the week passed uneventfully as Leah and I tried to come up with ideas for the horses and children. I was still drawing a blank when my best friend, Melanie Baker, invited me over to her fiancé’s ranch to help them put up hay for the cattle.
Melanie and I were in the hayloft of the barn stacking the hay as my older brother, Damien, threw the bales onto an elevator to bring them to us from the trailer; while, Pete, the fiancé, brought in full wagons from the field.
The children and the horses, what was I going to do? I only had a couple more days before Leah had to put them up for sale, and then I could say goodbye to my dream of running the stable. My internal thoughts ran on repeat with no new solutions.
“Earth to Delilah!” Melanie called. A hay bale toppled off the elevator and almost hit my head. Startled, I picked up the bale and carried it to the end of the line we were stacking. Melanie stood with her hands on her hips. Old, tattered jeans and a baggy T-shirt replaced the fashionable clothes that she usually wore. Her brown hair was tucked up under a hat and her face was devoid of make-up. We’d been best friends since college, and she moved to Sunnydale a couple of months ago after she lost her job in New York City. She ended up reopening the dress shop in town and falling in love with Pete Thompson, Damien’s best friend. Country life agreed with her and she was happier than she had been in years.
“What’s up with you?” She realigned the bale I’d just put down. “You’ve been in Lala land all afternoon, and I’m totally beating you in the number of bales being stacked.” She took a swig of her water bottle, waving the tally book in her hand before continuing, “Especially, since I’m a city girl and you grew up doing this.” The taunt was nothing new. Ever since she moved to Sunnydale, Texas from New York City, Melanie teased me about her becoming a country girl while I stayed in San Antonio.
“A lot on my mind,” I muttered as yet another bale fell from the elevator.
“Well, tell me about it.” She faked a southern drawl while hoisting the bale to its spot.
“Remember how we talked about Happy Hearts Therapeutic Riding Center?”
She nodded.
I went on to tell her about Happy Hearts Therapeutic Riding Center and my dreams for it.
“But now I have to figure out what to do with the horses within the next couple of days, otherwise, Leah is going to have to sell them.” I took a cool drink from my water bottle, wiping the sweat from my brow. “I have enough money to buy them, but I don’t have anywhere to keep them. And once I do have them, I’ll have to beg for my job back at the ER because I won’t be able to feed them.”
Melanie stood with her hands on her hips, waving her hand at me to continue as bales piled up next to her as they fell off the elevator.
“Plus, the children. I’d never be able to afford to buy a place to run the stable out of, and it brings happiness to their lives that they don’t have.” I sighed in frustration.
Melanie was about to say something when Damien called up, “Are you girls stacking those bales or painting your nails?”
“Stop the elevator and come up here. Your baby sister has a problem that she hasn’t been sharing with anyone.” She narrowed her eyes at me in mock condemnation. The whirling of the motor stopped and the elevator ground to a squeaky halt. Melanie and I quickly stacked the fallen bales while Damien climbed the ladder.
While perched on the scratchy hay bales, Melanie and I recapped my problem for Damien. He pulled out a long stalk of hay and chewed on it thoughtfully. My big brother was a retired Marine and he never faced a problem without a game plan. His muscles in his arms bunched as he straightened a few bales out.
“Oh! I know, why don’t we keep the horses here for a little bit.” Melanie jumped up from her hay bale. “I’m sure Pete won’t mind. His cows aren’t calving until January, so you have a few months yet.”
I mulled that over. “That would buy me some time.” I watched Damien pace back and forth across the bales. He never fell between them once. I couldn’t do that; I stepped between them all the time.
“Why don’t you ask Mr. Giffery to help you?” He muttered as he sat next to me. “He loves you, Dee, and I bet he’d like that idea too.”
I rolled my eyes at the nickname. Damien and his friends have been calling me ‘Dee’ since I was little and couldn’t pronounce Delilah. It was kind of cute in a way.
“You think he would help?” Hope blossomed in my chest. I knew Mr. Giffery for most of my life. He had a large ranch outside of town, next to the Kisment ranch. Damien and I used to pick up odd jobs for Mr. Giffery when we were in middle school. Painting fence posts, stacking hay, mowing his yard, washing windows on his house. He was gruff and a little scary to young children with his shaggy beard and the way he would frown down on me when I’d do silly things; until, I realized that he was very lonely on his ranch without any family around. Mr. Giffery was like a grandfather to us. He taught us how to ride, make hay, fish, and swim in his ponds. He had his own grandchildren, but they lived in Dallas and never came to visit.
“I do. He has that big barn that is empty now since he sold most of his horses. His cattle won’t bother anyone since he keeps them out to pasture all the time. If that doesn’t work, you can always ask Kaleb Kisment to help you.”
I wrinkled my nose at that. The Kisments were the kind of people that would give you the shirts off their backs, and at one time, I considered them family. But after the break-up with Kade and losing the baby, things were never the same. I couldn’t ask them for help unless it was my last option.
Damien leaned back and closed his eyes. “Now if you girls don’t mind, I’m going to take a nap before the boss man gets back from the fields.”
I bounced on the balls of my feet. I thought about the big barn at Mr. Giffery’s place and the indoor area. “I’ll be right back,” I called to Melanie, climbing down to the ground floor of the barn.
“Where are you going?” She stuck her head down the ladder.
“Gotta call Mr. Giffery.” I sprinted to the house to call him on the landline; maybe, this was the answer to my prayers.
I PULLED ON THE SLEEVES of my steel grey suit. It was uncomfortable and foreign. I was used to wearing scrubs, workout clothes, or jeans and T-shirts. It pinched in my stomach and was restrictive across my shoulders. Glancing at myself in my bathroom mirror, I brushed my long black hair until it was untangled and shiny. I dug through my makeup bag to find my plum lipstick. It would match the pinstripes on my suit. My hand shook as I raised it to my lips; the lower lid
applied smoothly. I was halfway through my upper lip when my phone buzzed. I jumped. “Now there is lipstick everywhere!” I dabbed at the wayward color as I read the message.
Melanie: I’m outside of your apartment. Time to go!!!!