by Wendy Ely
“That’s good to hear from someone, Daddy.”
“Even though I meant what I said, I’m glad you’re here for the summer.” He shielded his eyes with his hand to defray the bright rays of the dropping sun.
“I’d like to stay all summer, but Mom…”
“Let me talk with her tonight to see if I can get her to take it easy. Sound good?”
“Not this time. My relationship with her is part of the reason why I’m here. I need to do my part in fixing it.”
“Okay,” he said softly and then yelled out, “Noah?” He pushed open the heavy wooden stable doors to peek inside. No answer from whatever he was looking for.
“Let’s go inside. Noah has to be around here somewhere.” He guided her into the stable.
She smiled up at him. His skin was dark and weathered from the long days outside but his eyes stayed clear. He’d never lost that spark of his youth. That was one trait she hoped she’d inherited from him, aside from her slender build.
Chapter 2
The familiar sweet smell of hay and heady scent of horses and earth made her worries disappear. Many people couldn’t stand the smell, but she loved it.
When she was a little girl and couldn’t sleep, she’d tiptoe down to the stable with nothing but a flashlight and blanket. The next morning, Daddy would come find her, since Mom would never be caught dead in the barn. He always found her curled up in a pile of hay. She felt more at home amongst the horses than she did in the house with her mother.
“Who or what is Noah?” she asked as she pulled her long blond curls into a bouncy ponytail.
“You’ll see him soon enough.”
Silence greeted them. The animals were still outside, so the only noise was the sound of their shoes against the dirt floor.
“You haven’t brought the horses in yet?” He always had the horses in before this time of day.
“No. I will after dinner.”
“Do you need help?” She paused in front of Culata’s stall and slid her hand over the name plate she’d made shortly after getting the mare. Daddy had taught her how to burn Culata’s name into the wood. Lopsided flowers finished the project.
“He should be around here somewhere,” he muttered, then called into the barn, “Noah? Nooooah?” He turned from the door.
“I want to visit with Culata while you look for Noah.” Culata must have smelled her scent because she galloped right over to her.
Dad dropped a sugar cube into her hand before turning away.
She held it up to the mare, who greedily snatched it out of Samantha’s hand.
“Did you get a new dog or something, Dad?” She called over while she continued to stroke Culata’s mane.
“Noah isn’t a dog. Maybe he went home to eat dinner. It’s getting kind of late.”
“You’re confusing me.” Was he losing his mind? She turned toward the house. “I guess I’m kind of hungry. Have you eaten yet?”
“No. I waited for you.”
Samantha gasped and covered her mouth in a fake shock. “You mean Mom let you wait?”
“She did indeed,” he said with a laugh.
Tires crunching on the gravel driveway filled the evening air. A car door shut toward the front of the house. Mom had returned from dropping the pie off.
“I think it’s about time for us to have some dinner.” Mimicking her mother’s voice, she said, “Martin, you’re showing your ribs again. Eat, I say, eat!”
They laughed all the way to the house.
The table was set as usual. Samantha’s plate was in the exact same spot as it had been since she could first remember, across the table from her mother with her father at the end. The table would only seat four people at the most and suited the homey kitchen.
As soon as Mom spotted them walking through the back door, she started filling plates with steaming food. “It’s your favorite tonight. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and corn.”
When had those items ever been her favorite? She’d never cared for chicken, no matter how it was prepared.
“Thanks, Mom.” She sat down and smiled at her dad when he took his spot at the head of the table. His presence always tamed her mother. Thank God she wouldn’t be forced to make small talk.
She hurriedly took a bite, afraid if she didn’t, Mom would start harping about her weight again. It was true she’d lost weight, but she’d lost it in a healthy way.
Her roommate at school, Megan, had been a few pounds heavier and wanted a gym partner. They’d agreed to work out three nights a week. Megan lost extra weight while Samantha toned up. She saw no reason to explain it to her mother, who always considered her daughter to be malnourished.
“Did you stop by to see Jackie?” asked Mom.
“No.” She used her napkin to wipe the grease from her lips. “Why?”
“I’m surprised you didn’t go see her first before coming here.”
Why did she have to explain every move she made to her mother? “I wanted to get settled. It was a long drive.”
“She was your best friend in the whole world before you ran off to that university.” The words dripped with bitterness. “New home, new school, new job, new friends… I hate it.”
“I didn’t run off. I wrote her several times.” She looked down at her plate.
“Oh. So she knows you’re here?”
“No. I’ve been busy.” The words fell flat as soon as they left her mouth. To deter herself from making any snappy comments, she bit into the chicken.
“She’s getting married, you know.”
The news should’ve made her happy, but it didn’t. In fact, Samantha almost choked on her food. She knew what was coming next. The exact same argument she’d heard since she began at the university. “Oh. I didn’t hear that. Who’s she marrying?”
“Wiley Day. He was in your grade…”
“I know who Wiley is, Mom.” The words were like acid on her tongue. No one knew Wiley as well as she did—not even his future wife. “If I would’ve been told ahead of time, I wouldn’t have come home.”
Mom did nothing to hide her acid tone. “And that’s why I didn’t call you at school when I found out.”
“How’s school been, Sammy?” Dad asked, leaning back in his chair. He crossed his arms over his chest. His mouth twisted in a frown, but she knew his anger wasn’t directed at her.
“Great. I think I might get the scholar award—”
“Oh well, they’ll be married soon. I’m sure she’ll invite you once she finds out you’re in town. Maybe you could meet a nice farmer and quit that silly idea of yours,” her mother cut in.
Samantha took a deep breath to try and push the anger boiling inside her back down to the pit of her stomach. “I went off to the university because I wanted to see the world beyond Alban. I love you and Daddy very much, Mom. I didn’t do any of this to hurt anyone. It was for me.” There. It was out, but the question was—would Mom accept that?
“It’s not how we raised you. College was never an option.”
“Now it’s time to make my own decisions.”
“This is where you belong. You’re a farm girl.”
She dropped her fork onto the plate. “I can’t believe it. This is where you want me so you can continue to control my life.”
“You’ll never be accepted in the business world or anywhere else but here. If we wanted you to go off to school, then—”
Daddy put his hand up to stop the harsh words. He always took her side and calmed her frayed nerves after one of Mom’s rants.
Samantha jumped from the chair and darted out the back door. She hastily swiped at tears streaming down her cheeks as she ran through the yard. The barn was the only place she felt welcome. Things weren’t ever going to change. School would’ve been the better choice for the summer.
She dropped down onto the grass and leaned against Culata’s fence, out of view of the house. The blades of grass tickled her bare legs, but she didn’t care. She lowered her face in her folded arms and this
time, she let the tears flow freely down her cheeks. Culata nudged her back for a treat. Samantha didn’t bother to move.
She didn’t know how long she’d sat in the same position, but it seemed like hours when she heard him.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She looked up into mocha-colored eyes. A tight black t-shirt clung to his muscular chest, showcasing a tanned face and bulging arms.
Her pulse quickened. “I guess.”
“You don’t look it. Do you mind if I sit with you?”
She paused before responding, worried she looked like a mess from crying. “Who are you?”
Chapter 3
Culata nudged her back. Samantha stroked the horse for a minute and wished she’d remembered to bring some sugar cubes. When she tired of petting her, Samantha flicked her hand at the horse’s nose, sending Culata away.
“I’m Noah. Your dad hired me about a year ago. I have a trailer set up in the clearing in the woods.” He cocked his full head of black hair in the direction where the farm ended and the tall trees started.
“Oh.” She wiped her tears again and then patted the ground next to her.
“You look surprised.”
“I am. My father doesn’t usually hire people to help him on the farm. He always preferred to run the farm himself. He’d mentioned your name earlier, but I thought he’d gotten a new animal.”
“An animal?” Noah gave a hearty laugh.
“Yes.” She forced a smile. “I thought you were a dog.”
“I sure hope I’m more useful than that.”
“We’ll see.” She winked at him. She couldn’t believe she was actually flirting with the handsome man who worked on the ranch. Maybe this summer wouldn’t be so bad. Her pulse raced from being next to him, and scared her a bit.
“Do you want to share?” he asked.
“Share what?”
“Whatever’s troubling you. Sometimes it helps to talk to a stranger.”
She rose from the grass and brushed the dirt from her clothing.
Noah grabbed the hand she held out to him and got to his feet as well.
“But you’re not a stranger anymore.”
He laughed as she started walking in the opposite direction from the house. “You have a point. However, I’m a good secret keeper.”
“I’m not totally convinced yet.” She shook her head.
“I don’t know anyone around here, so you’d have a hard time trying to find someone to vouch for me.”
“You? I doubt it.”
“It’s the truth. I work every day so it doesn’t leave much time for a social life.”
“So?” She only pretended not to care about what he did in his free time.
“So your secret is safe with me.”
For some reason, she couldn’t picture Noah as a gossip even if he’d known the entire town.
“Let’s go for a walk and maybe I’ll share.” She normally wandered around the farm alone but didn’t mind Noah being with her this time. The long walks had become her solace away from her controlling mother. The only other person she’d confided in had been Jackie, but she’d always been busy doing something else.
“Sounds like a plan. I’m done for the day anyway. Where are we headed?”
“Wherever the ground takes us,” she said, smiling at him. She looked straight ahead to avoid eye contact with him while she spilled her guts. “I don’t get along very well with my mother. She’s the reason why I attend a university so far away from Alban.”
“I see. So what made you come back this time?”
“After talking to my father a few weeks ago, I sensed he needed me here. For what, I haven’t figured out yet. I also had the crazy notion I could fix my relationship with my mother. I’m between semesters and figured it was a good time. I missed it here, but I’m having a difficult time just getting through the first few hours of my visit.”
“Why?”
She’d just revealed her problems to a total stranger. Could she trust this Noah character? He was so handsome and worked for her family. She hadn’t even considered how well he knew her mother, or taken time to evaluate his unexpected presence. Who knew? Maybe she would find her stuff on the front lawn in the morning because Noah would blab everything she said.
Noah shrugged. “Maybe she needs you?”
“I doubt that.”
They walked past the stable toward the woods. Even though it was getting late in the evening, there would be enough light left for a quick walk. The large trees cast dark shadows over the trails. They took a right, which wound back to the main road.
“So what are you opposed to? Marrying a farmer or making your mom happy?”
“That’s a good question, but I don’t have an answer.”
His laughter filled the air around him. “By the way, I can picture you married to a farmer.”
“Oh,” she said with a giggle. “Do I look like a farmer’s wife?”
“No, but you seem to love this place.”
“Really?”
“I can see it in your face when you talk about it.”
“I do love it. The farm is the best place in the world. I would have married someone local, but…”
“Your mother pushed you away?”
A small tree had fallen across the path. Noah held his hand out to help her over. She didn’t want to let go of his hand but he pulled away as soon as she was over the fallen tree.
“Yes, and she continues to do so.”
They reached the main road and saw the lights glowing from the large blue farmhouse in the opposite direction of her parents’ farm. The sight would forever be like a knife in her heart. She took a deep breath. “See that house over there?”
“Yes?”
She turned toward home. “My best friend Jackie grew up there. She’s getting married soon. My mom is so delighted and insists I go to her wedding but I don’t think I’ll be invited. I hope not, anyway.”
“Why wouldn’t you be invited?”
“I promised to write her every week, but I stopped about a month after I went to school. I only contacted her when I was home from school. As far as I know, she hasn’t forgiven me. It was like I just wanted all of this to go away,” she said, holding her arms open wide. “Jackie knew how much I hated my life here but she felt as though I abandoned her.”
“That must be hard to deal with. Will you go to the wedding if you’re invited?”
“No. I don’t think so.” She tucked her hands in the back pockets of her jeans as they walked down the dirt road back to her house. She sucked in her breath and let it out. “Sorry to rattle on about my problems.”
“I invited you to share them, so it’s totally okay with me. You know, if she does invite you and you need a date, I would be honored to go with you.”
She blushed and wondered what it would be like to go on a date with Noah. “Okay…” she said shyly, then looked up at him. “So tell me a little about you.”
His pace quickened a bit. “Not much to tell you. My name is Noah.”
“Noah what?” She bumped her shoulder into his.
“Combs.”
“And?”
He sighed. “I have a parrot named Blue.”
“Anything else?”
“Nope. That’s all there is to know about me.”
“Ever been married? Kids?” Getting him to open up was like pulling teeth. Maybe she shouldn’t have told him so much.
“Neither of those.”
“By the way, I’ve figured it out already.”
“What?” he asked as he played with his small hoop earring.
“You’re better than a dog.”
“And I’m glad you came home.” He looked away, but the smile remained on his lips. “It’s going to be a fun summer.”
Samantha could see the distance between them and the house closing in. Her heart skipped a beat. This stranger took her heart to places she’d never been, and she didn’t want the visit to end.
; Being around Noah would make the summer a little more tolerable.
He shook her hand, and walked back down to the barn. Was he really done with the job, or had he been fibbing so she wouldn’t worry about taking his time?
She climbed up the steps to the front door. Should she knock to prove her point to Mom? No. She didn’t need to add to the already brewing pot of problems and that was exactly what knocking would do.