by Raeann Blake
“I like that. And I like when it’s cold. Get close to the fire and snuggle down in a sleeping bag. Wake up to the smell of coffee over the fire,” she said quietly then narrowed her eyes when Clay’s head came up slowly with a slight smile on his face.
“See…I knew coffee was gonna get in there somewhere,” he said then started eating again when she laughed at him.
She stuck the last bite in her mouth and chewed it slowly, savoring it. “Clay, that was so good. Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. You obviously have a hard time relaxing, but why don’t you go try while I clean up.”
“Absolutely not. I’ll wash, you dry,” she said as she started for the sink.
“I guess there’s no point in arguing with you, is there?” he said as he followed her with his dishes.
“Nope,” she said and started running some water in the sink. “What nights does Isobell normally take off? I can’t match your steak, but I can make a really great ham and cheese sandwich.”
“She’s off on the weekends. She usually cooks on Friday night then takes off. I clean up and she’s off until Monday morning. You know, you should take tomorrow night off. Especially since you’ll be working through the weekend.”
“Oh, that’s not work. That’s play. But maybe I will if I’m at a good spot. I want to get the line item detail in for all of the bills we just paid and those coming up. Then I’ll start working my way backwards as I have time. Once all of that’s done we can get some good reports. And then there’s the list of supplies I need to pull together that…”
“Hailey?”
“Yeah?”
“Take the night off,” Clay said quietly.
She chuckled slightly and nodded. “We’ll talk about it,” she said and cut one glance at him to see if he recognized his own words. He did.
“Okay. We’ll talk when we get done here. Maybe fix a drink and go sit on the back steps. Smoke a cigarette. Is that alright?” he asked quietly.
“Sure it is. That sounds nice,” she said lightly and flashed a bright smile to him.
He turned his head as he dried the dish in his hand and shook it slightly. This wasn’t going to go well. He could just feel it. But he was right about this. She shouldn’t ride that horse out with the herd yet. It was just too dangerous.
When he took the second plate and started drying it, he let his eyes glance to her then back down at the plate. This felt good. Just doing something so small as washing a few dishes. He’d never been around any couples before. Not really. He’d spent an hour here or there with Kathy and Gage, but never to see how it really works. He hadn’t experienced anything like that with Gail. They’d never been a ‘couple’. Certainly not his old man and his mother, either. He would have choked before he stood at a sink drying dishes. Or cooked the meal that went in them either. Still, if this is what it feels like, it felt pretty good.
“That’s it,” Hailey said then handed him the last glass.
“Thanks. Why don’t you go fix us a drink? The cigarettes are in my room. I’ll go up and get them and meet you outside.”
“Okay. Clay, this was nice. I like this,” she said then quickly turned and went through the door.
He stayed where he was for several seconds before he whispered, “Me, too.”
He shook his head as he put the glass in the cabinet then slowly folded the dishtowel. He knew he was procrastinating, but she was bound to get mad. And he was really enjoying the night. Still it had to be done. He blew out a long breath as he went through the rooms then started up the stairs. He went through his room to get the cigarettes then out the door, across the balcony and down the steps.
As soon as he sank down beside her, he lit two cigarettes and handed one to her then took the drink she handed to him.
“Thanks. I didn’t realize it was so late. I love this time of day,” he said as he watched the burnt orange of the sunset fading into a deep purple.
“So do I. Everything here is so…beautiful. I can’t seem to find any other words for it. It’s just…”
“Montana,” Clay said then smiled slightly when she turned to look at him then away again.
“Montana,” she agreed.
They smoked and drank in silence for a few minutes until she turned her head to watch him for several long seconds before she spoke again.
“Can I tell you something?”
He smiled just slightly and cut his eyes to her then looked away again. “Haven’t been able to stop you from it yet.”
She kicked his boot with hers with a little grin, but then waited a couple of seconds before she spoke. “I know it’s not right, but I’m so glad you hired Pepper and she messed up so badly,” she said as she looked down at the ground. She heard the slight snort and knew he turned his head to look at her silently. She waited for a little while before she finally looked back up at him.
“So am I,” Clay said softly then quickly looked away. The voice inside his head kept telling him to get it over with but he kept putting it off. He should say it now.
“Let’s talk about that horse,” he finally said quietly.
“Okay. I take it you don’t think he should go.”
“No. I don’t. He’s not tested. It’s not safe. It would be better to take him out for a short visit to the herd one day. Test him out moving around them, through them then bring him home. We should acclimate him to it gradually.”
“Do you do that with every horse you buy?” Hailey asked quietly.
“No. But not every horse we buy shows the propensity to turn into a bucking bronco at the slightest whim, either.”
“He doesn’t do that with me, Clay.”
“For now. He’s done it before. He could do again anytime.”
“So could any other horse that you’ve got. Given the right circumstance, any one of them will buck. Flinch when they shouldn’t. Jump the wrong way. There are any number of things that could happen to any horse you’ve got in the stables.”
“It’s not safe, Hailey. I can’t take the chance,” he said lowly.
“You can’t take the chance? I’ll be the one riding him.”
“No, you won’t be. That’s final,” he said evenly.
“But Clay. He’s born for this. Just give him a chance. He’s locked up out there in that stall and never gets a chance to do the one thing that he was put on this earth to do. Please, give him a chance.”
“I’m sorry, Hailey. Not until he’s tested.”
“But…” She finally stopped talking and looked the other way as she took a drag off the cigarette and put it out on her heel.
“Do you want another one?”
“No,” she whispered.
He sighed deeply and shook his head. “Hailey…”
“I need another drink. Do you want one?” she asked quickly as she rose and then waited for his answer.
He clenched his jaw a couple of times then downed what was left in the glass and held it up to her. He lit another cigarette then laid the package and lighter down beside him. If she wanted one she might light it herself, but he was pretty sure she wasn’t about to ask him for it.
“Thanks,” he said softly when she came back out and handed him the drink. And he’d been right. As soon as she sat down she lit another cigarette then looked up at the stars without speaking.
“So you’re not talking to me now?” he asked.
“I ran out of things to say, I guess.”
“That’ll be the day,” he grumbled then immediately bit his tongue when the glass stopped momentarily on its way to her lips before she lifted it and took a long swallow.
“I didn’t mean that.”
“Yeah, I think you did. That’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. I don’t know how to be any other way, Hailey. But I didn’t mean it.”
She took one drag off the cigarette and another long drink. “You never talk about your mother.”
She saw him flinch slightly and he took a short drag then blew it back
out slowly. “Not much to say. She was here and then she wasn’t.”
“How old were you?”
“Seven,” he snapped, then swallowed hard and softened his voice some. “I was seven. I got up one morning and she was gone. Never came back.”
“You mean…you mean she just left?” Hailey asked in surprise.
Clay shrugged his shoulders and turned the glass up without saying anything.
“She just left you and Kathy here with him?” she whispered hoarsely.
“What do you want me to say, Hailey? Yeah, she left us. Or maybe he killed her. I don’t know. I never knew. All I know is that we never heard from her or saw her again. And we were forbidden to even mention her. Is that what you wanted to know?” he asked lowly.
“Clay, I’m sorry,” she whispered hoarsely. When his head turned slightly to glance at her she looked away quickly so he wouldn’t see the tears. But she knew he had when his fingers pulled her chin back around to him.
“Don’t do that. That was twenty years ago. Don’t cry over something long gone,” he said softly then used the backs of his fingers to wipe away the tears.
The breath got bottled up in her chest so quickly that she had not even had time to get ready for it. His fingers against her skin had completely taken her breath away. The way his eyes followed the trail they made sent the desire that had been smoldering since the first day flooding through her. She knew he was going to drop his hand. She saw it in his face first before his hand moved.
She didn’t move her own hand. It was just suddenly around his and pulling it back to her face as she watched him.
“Hailey…” he whispered. Then she didn’t know what happened but his jaw settled into a firm line and he pulled his hand free.
“Don’t play games,” he growled.
“Wh-what?”
“I had enough of that crap from Pepper. I don’t wanna have to avoid you, too. Don’t play games with me to get what you want. The horse is not going,” he said flatly.
The short laugh of disbelief came out quickly and she sat up straighter. “What did you say? What did you say to me?”
“You heard what I said.”
“You’re goddamned right I did. Fuck you. I don’t play games,” she hissed then dropped the cigarette down and ground it out with her boot before she went quickly up the steps and inside without saying another word.
He heard the glass hit the bar soundly, followed a few seconds later by a slamming door. He shook his head and downed the last of whiskey.
“Sure you don’t, baby. There’s not a woman on this earth that doesn’t play games,” he muttered then shoved himself up and went through the door, locking it behind him.
* * *
“Good morning, Isobell,” she said quietly as she crossed to the coffee pot without looking at Clay.
Isobell turned to her in surprise then glanced at Clay then back to her. “Good morning. Are you not feeling well?”
“I feel just fine. I just have a lot to do today. A lot on my mind. Do you have anything to add to the supply list before I make the orders?”
“No, I’ve got everything in. Sit down and eat, Hailey.”
“I’m sorry. I’m not hungry today. I’ll just go get busy,” she said then went back through the door.
She waited several seconds before she looked back at Clay again. “What happened, Clay?”
“How the hell am I supposed to know? You’re a woman. You figure it out. There’s not a goddamned man on this earth that knows how a woman’s mind works,” he snapped and shoved out of the chair without touching his plate.
Isobell sighed and shook her head. “That’s the last time I take a day off during the week,” she said quietly then started gathering the dishes.
She worked steadily but silently until she had everything together before she called Laine.
“Good morning, beautiful. What can I do for you this morning?” Laine said with a bright smile. One that collapsed quickly when he heard the momentary silence on the other end. Just long enough for him to double-check the light on his phone to make sure that it showed that it was Hailey’s office.
“Hailey?”
“Good morning, Laine. I’m about to place the orders. Do you have any last minute things to add before I do?”
“No, sugar. Everything’s in there. Hailey, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. I need to make these calls. I’ll come out to get the keys later,” she said then hung up.
Laine put the phone back on the hook and frowned at it a few minutes then shoved out of his chair and started out the door. He strode quickly across the yard and took the steps two at a time. He glanced at her door but found it closed so he went straight to Clay’s.
“What the hell happened?” he said as soon as he was in the doorway.
“Well maybe if you tell me what you’re talkin’ about, I might be able answer it,” Clay snapped back at him.
“What’s wrong with Hailey?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. She’s busy. It is Friday.”
“I know what day it is. Did you fight about the horse? Was that it?”
“There’s nothing to fight about. I said he’s not going and he’s not going,” Clay said evenly.
“Oh, that’s great. Is that the way you put it to her? Goddamn, Clay. Couldn’t you have used a little tact?”
“I don’t have time to get a lecture on how to handle my employees from you. If you don’t have anything to do, go help Shack get ready for tomorrow.”
“Well, that didn’t last long, did it? That’s a shame. I really liked that guy that was here yesterday,” Laine said lowly then turned and walked out.
He went straight across the room to Hailey’s door and waited until he couldn’t hear her talking before he knocked softly.
“Come in,” she said then looked up and right back down when he opened the door.
“Good morning,” he said softly then stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
“Good morning. I didn’t mean to cut you off earlier but I wanted to get the orders in early so I can pick them up before lunch.”
“Are you done?”
“I am. Let me ask you a question. I don’t have a sleeping bag or ground blanket. He said that Shack would take care of that. Is there anything else I need?” she said quietly without looking up.
“A jacket. But you know that. What’s wrong, Hailey? Is it about Soldier?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “He’s not going. That’s fine. There’s supposed to be a bar between here and town. Do you know where it is?”
“Sure. A lot of the guys hang out there. I don’t go very often, but once in a while. Why?”
“I have the night off. I thought I might go. Do you think any of them are going tonight? Could I get a ride?”
“You can take the truck, Hailey.”
She shook her head and lifted a solemn gaze to him. “No. I really can’t. I intend to get drunk and I don’t want to drive.”
“Huh. How’s that hangover gonna feel when you roll out at four in the morning and climb up on a horse?”
“I’ll live. It won’t be the first time. Do you think any of them are going who wouldn’t mind giving me a ride there and back?”
“I’m sure any number of them would give you a ride if that’s what you want. I’ll ask around. Did you fight? About Soldier?”
“No. We didn’t fight. I really need to get these entered and the checks signed before he runs off somewhere.”
“Uh-huh. You get ready to tell me what he did, you let me know.”