by Deb Kastner
Griff hesitated and shifted his gaze away from hers. She could see him debating the issue in his mind.
“I don’t know…” he hedged.
“About what? Killing birds?” she joked, hoping to lighten him up a bit.
He didn’t so much as crack a grin. Tough sell, that one.
“Look. You don’t have to wait for me if you don’t want to. I’ll understand if you feel you’ve got too much to do to hang around here any longer. I’m sure you’re anxious to get settled in your new life.”
“I’ll wait.” With such a clipped answer, made with such tight body language, she wondered what kind of company he was going to be. But she’d promised Vivian that she’d be helpful and nice, and besides, she really did have things to do in town.
Eli and Mary approached and Alexis did her best to put her troublesome thoughts about Griff aside.
“Thank you guys again for coming out,” she told her friends. “It always sets the kids up for their month of new learning experiences.”
“Of course. Where else would we be other than here with you and the teenagers? And if that wasn’t enough of a reason, I’ve got another. Watching Eli perform with Bullet stirs up whole realms of good memories for me.” Mary kissed her palm and blew it at Eli, who grinned and made a grand gesture of snatching her invisible token of affection from the air and planting it on his cheek.
“You two are almost nauseating in your happiness.”
“Aren’t we, though?” Mary agreed with a blissful sigh. She linked arms with Alexis and drew her forward, away from the two men, and then leaned in with a conspiratorial wink. “Now who is the tall drink of water you were just speaking with? A new employee?”
“Oh, goodness, no,” Alexis exclaimed. “Griff is in no way affiliated with the ranch, except as a guest. He’s a friend of Viv’s from Houston.”
“I didn’t realize Vivian was in town.”
“She isn’t.”
Mary chuckled. “This guy Griff came out here on his own?”
“Hmm,” Alexis answered vaguely. “It’s a long story, and I’m sure an amusing one, now that I’m a little distanced from it. Not so hilarious when it actually happened, but you know how it is with life stories. Let’s walk toward the stable and I’ll fill you in on the juicy details.”
Eli and Griff were deep in conversation, as well, and they followed at a distance behind Alexis and Mary. Farther behind them were the kids, escorted by the counselors. Keeping her voice low so she wouldn’t be overheard, Alexis divulged the tale of finding a strange, handsome man making breakfast in her kitchen.
“How romantic,” Mary said as Alexis wound her story down.
“Trust me, it was the absolutely furthest thing from romantic that there could possibly be. He nearly frightened the daylights out of me. I was on the verge of calling the police on him. I wonder how it would have turned out if I had.”
“Yes, but still—a handsome stranger suddenly arrives in your life. Sounds like the beginning of a love story to me. It kind of reminds me of when Will showed up unexpectedly at Samantha’s store. And we both know how that turned out.”
Alexis’s skin prickled. She had to admit, privately, at least, that there were many nuances of the situation that mirrored what had happened between their other best friend, Samantha, when she first met her husband Will back when he and his little daughter were newly arrived in town. But there was no conceivable way the outcome would be the same.
“You’re beginning to sound a lot like Vivian,” she accused lightheartedly, not wanting to admit to the truth of what Mary had said.
“Don’t tell me Vivian is playing matchmaker.”
Heat rose to Alexis’s face. She hoped Mary couldn’t see her distress.
“She is,” Mary exclaimed. “How exciting.”
“How annoying is more like it. Vivian and her crazy schemes. She manipulated a situation that was rather touchy to begin with and now poor Griff is paying the price for her foolishness.”
“Well, not really, honey. It seems to me that he got a pretty good deal out of it, getting to stay at Redemption Ranch. With you,” Mary added impishly.
“I’m sure Griff doesn’t see it that way, especially since I relegated him to the bunkhouse.”
“You didn’t.”
“Yes, I did, and I’m proud of it. It wasn’t as if I could allow him to stay at the house with me. Can you imagine what people would say?”
“Oh, I imagine people are going to come to whatever conclusions they please anyway, no matter where you’ve got Griff bunking. But I still say meeting you was a good thing for him. At least he knows someone in town who can help him find what he’s looking for.”
“I suppose. Speaking of which, I need to get the kids started with the horses. I promised Griff I’d take him into town and introduce him to Jo Spencer. Just to get the ball rolling, so to speak.”
Mary clapped a hand over her mouth but was unable to stifle a laugh. “That ought to stir things up.”
Alexis’s throat constricted and she coughed to loosen her breath. She hadn’t thought through the implications of how it would look to the townsfolk when she went around personally introducing Griff to everyone. If Mary was seeing romantic possibilities between Alexis and Griff, then Jo was bound to imagine the most fantastical scenario imaginable, what with her flair for the dramatic.
Alexis didn’t especially look forward to the flak they were going to receive, but she supposed she could handle it. She was used to the inner workings of small-town life. But poor Griff, fresh off of a broken heart, might not be so acquiescent. The last thing she’d want for him would be to discover he’d been romantically paired with her by ladies with vivid imaginations and too much time on their hands.
“Oh, no. I already promised him,” she said with a groan.
“Don’t worry about it, sweetie. Griff’s presence in town will be discovered sooner or later, if it hasn’t been already. This way you can take the offense in letting people know why he’s here instead of letting rumors percolate before they come to you.”
On the defense, more like. But Mary was right. Better to have the opportunity to offer as many facts right up front at the beginning to waylay the inevitable speculation.
She reached the stable and stepped through the large double doors, inhaling deeply. One of her favorite scents was the barn with its horses and hay. If she could, she’d live on horseback 24/7.
“All right, ladies and gentlemen,” she announced. “It’s high time you guys started contributing some effort into the ranch. Who wants to muck out some stalls?”
Her question was met with a collective groan.
“It’s not all bad,” she promised. “You’ll also get to spend some time with the horse that you’ll be caring for throughout the month. Anyone here know how to ride?”
Only one girl, Destiny, raised her hand, and she snatched it back down again when she realized she was the only one who knew anything about horses.
“No matter. We have expert wranglers on staff to teach you everything you’ll need to know. Fun, fun!”
She chuckled under her breath at the mixed reactions. The kids were acting as though they weren’t interested, yet their eyes were alight with curiosity. They didn’t know they were about to meet their equine therapists. Alexis had found that animals oftentimes met the teenagers’ needs better even than humans could do.
“Go ahead and take a walk through the stable. The names of the horses are on the stall doors. Pick out whichever mount looks good to you and spend some time getting to know your horse. There’s a bucket of carrots hanging from that beam over there,” she continued, gesturing toward the bucket. “You’re welcome to feed your new horse a snack.”
The teenagers burst into chatter as they rushed to pick out their horses.
Only Devon held back
. Alexis knew enough of his past to take an educated guess as to why he wasn’t responding as well as the others. His mother had passed away a couple of years ago after being diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer. His father was an affluent politician who was often out of town, leaving Alexis to wonder just how much time he spent with his son. Relationship building was bound to be tough for a kid like that.
Caring for a horse might be especially beneficial to Devon, allowing him to connect with a live creature who would respond to his attention. And it would give him something worthwhile to do with his time, a trait she’d discovered was often lacking in the teens’ lives.
The other kids had all selected their horses and were being attended to by the wranglers, who were showing them how to feed and groom their mounts. Alexis started to move in Devon’s direction but came up short as Griff appeared at the boy’s side.
“You like horses?” Griff asked, laying a hand on the boy’s shoulder.
Devon shrugged noncommittally.
“Sure.” Griff didn’t appear ruffled by the teen’s moodiness. “I get it. You’ve probably never been up close and personal with one. Am I right?”
Again, Devon shrugged, but he looked up and met Griff’s gaze.
“You’re gonna like this. Here, let’s go pick you out a decent mount.” He pressed the young man’s shoulder, urging him toward the stalls.
Alexis watched inquisitively as Griff led Devon down the row of stalls, reading the names on the doors as they went. “Midnight. Beauty. Shazam.”
Griff turned and grinned at Alexis. “Wow, lady, you’ve picked such original names for your horses,” he teased.
“Lady is the next stall down,” Alexis quipped. “Try the appaloosa across the way. His name is Pitonio. Original enough for you?”
“I’ve never heard of the name before,” he agreed with a chuckle. “Here, Devon. Let’s give him a carrot and see how he responds to you.”
Devon backed up and shoved his hands into the pockets of his trench coat, fear flashing in his brown eyes as he stared at the spotted horse. Alexis nearly stepped in to slow Griff down, but something held her back.
“When I was about your age,” Griff said in a storytelling tone of voice, “I had trouble at home. I didn’t like to be around any more often than I absolutely had to be. You get what I’m saying?”
Devon’s gaze darkened and his body language remained muted. “Yeah.”
“Well, there was this ranch I passed every day on the way to my high school.” He reached across the top of the stall door and ran his hand along Pitonio’s withers. “There were these two wild mustangs in one pasture. I’m pretty certain no one ever rode on either of them.” He gestured for Devon to move closer. To Alexis’s surprise, the boy complied.
Griff held out his hand palm up and placed a carrot across it, allowing Pitonio to nibble on it. Then he offered a carrot for Devon to feed the horse, all the while distracting the boy by continuing the story.
“I used to crawl through the fence and spend hours with those two horses. They were my best buddies back then. Horses have a sense about people, you see. They didn’t judge me by my hair or the clothes I wore. Here. Just hold your hand flat, son. Pitonio won’t bite.”
“Did you ever ride one of them?” Devon asked.
Alexis leaned in to hear the answer.
“I believe I’m the only one who ever did. I earned their trust little by little. I used to save my apples from lunch to share with them.”
“Cool,” Devon replied, although Alexis wasn’t certain if that was in response to what Griff had said or because Pitonio nibbled the carrot right off Devon’s hand.
“Give the horse a chance, okay, buddy?”
Devon nodded and hesitantly ran a hand down Pitonio’s muzzle.
Griff’s gaze met Alexis’s and her heart did a little flip. When he smiled at her she swept in a breath that made her feel dizzy.
He’d accomplished more in ten minutes than she might have been able to do in the whole month. He’d set Devon down a positive path. He’d reached out and showed the boy it was okay to connect. He’d thrown the young man a lifeline.
Did he realize how amazing he was? Because right then and there, Alexis did.
* * *
Griff gawked as he and Alexis entered Cup O’ Jo’s Café. The outside of the building had looked like something out of an old Western movie, from the clapboard siding to the hitching post and water trough out in front of the wooden sidewalk. Inside was a different ambience altogether. He was surprised at the modern coffee shop feel the place exuded, complete with computers lining the tables along the back wall.
With it being the middle of the afternoon, he hadn’t expected the café to have many customers, but at least half the booths were filled with everyone from a chattering group of preteens to three old men wearing matching bib overalls. Alexis had been right when she’d told him that folks of all ages gathered here.
When the patrons spotted Griff, their conversations came to a momentary halt before the buzz started again—he suspected most of it having to do with him. The hair prickled on the back of his neck as he acknowledged openly curious stares and friendly waves. The townspeople looked harmless enough, but Griff felt as if he was about to be eaten alive by a pack of hungry lions.
This was a bad, bad idea.
Alexis apparently recognized his hesitation because she grabbed his hand and tugged him forward.
“Hey, Jo,” she called to the curly redheaded woman behind the cash register.
Jo looked up from the stack of receipts she was ordering and squealed in delight. Her ample frame bounced with every movement and her lime-green
T-shirt proclaimed Ready or Not, Here I Come.
An apt saying, Griff thought wryly.
“It’s about time you brought your young man around,” Jo exclaimed, prancing out from behind the counter and enveloping first Alexis and then Griff in her vigorous embrace.
Griff stiffened. He wasn’t big on public displays of affection, most especially directed at him by a woman he’d just met. And she was wrong on two counts—he wasn’t young and he wasn’t Alexis’s man.
“You must be Griff,” Jo said, her voice boisterous and loud. Griff was thankful when she took a step back, leaving him at least a modicum of personal space.
Griff still felt as if he had lead running through his veins, but for Alexis’s sake if nothing else, he forced himself to smile. “And I would have to say you are Jo Spencer. Nice to meet you.”
“Yep, that’s me, dear. The infamous Jo Spencer. I’m not a bit surprised you’ve heard of me.”
Maybe not, but Griff was definitely surprised that she’d heard of him.
“We’re here for the latest 4-1-1,” Alexis informed Jo, “but I also wanted to introduce Griff to the best cheeseburger in Texas.”
“You’ve got it. Let me get you kids settled in a booth so you can relax while you wait. Right this way, my dears.”
Griff smothered a chuckle as he followed the dynamic hostess to their table. He hadn’t been referred to as a kid in—well, it had been a long time. Jo seated them but didn’t offer a menu.
“Two cheeseburgers,” Jo said. “And I know Alexis wants a diet cola. What would you care to drink, Griff?”
“Water is fine, thank you.”
“Be sure to save some room for dessert,” Jo warned as she left the table to turn in their order and tend to her other customers.
“She’s quite serious about saving room for dessert,” Alexis informed him. “Our Phoebe Hawkins bakes the best pastries on the planet. Cookies and pies, too. You’ll have a hard time choosing.”
“Jo seems to know you pretty well,” he commented after Jo had dropped off their drinks.
“Oh, she knows everyone in town. Diet cola has been my standing
order since I used to come here with the Little Chicks as a teenager.”
“Little Chicks?”
Alexis giggled. “That’s what the boys on the football team nicknamed my two best friends and me when we were teenagers—probably because of our chatter. You know how high school girls are. We grew up, of course, but the nickname stuck. I don’t know whether it’s a blessing or a curse, but most folks around here still see us that way.”
“Who are the other lucky ladies?”
“You’ve met Mary, and my other BFF is Samantha, the owner of Sam’s Grocery.”
Griff was more fascinated by the glimpse into Alexis’s world than he should have been, gathering hints as to what made her the extraordinary woman she was. At the moment she was so cheerful she was glowing and gushing. She took his breath away.
Her expression now was a far cry from the way he’d found her crying over her bills in her office. Had she discovered a solution to her dilemma since then?
“How goes the fund-raising?”
Instantly the smile dropped from her lips and her blue eyes took on a translucent quality. “It’s not.”
Way to go, Haddon.
He’d just singlehandedly managed to ball up her happiness and heartlessly sling it into the trash.
A strained silence reigned between them as Jo arrived with their burgers, set them on the table and returned to the counter.
Griff bit into his, chewed and swallowed but tasted nothing. The problem wasn’t the cheeseburger. It was him.
Alexis opened the ketchup bottle and turned it over, popping the bottom with the flat of her palm to start the flow. Nothing happened for a moment and then suddenly it all came out in a rush, globbing onto her plate.
Alexis laughed, joy instantly returning to her countenance. The tension dissipated, but the lump in Griff’s throat grew.
“Count on me to make a mess. If there’s a way to do it, I will find it. I don’t suppose you need some ketchup with your fries?”
Griff spooned some of her ketchup onto his plate.
“Problem solved,” he said with a grin, relieved that the friction between them had passed and that he hadn’t completely ruined her day.