“Not her exactly, but girls like her. And I really want to stay away from her.”
I stood and walked away.
I was a good ten steps outside the library when Jonah caught up with me. He halted in front of me, and I had no other choice other than to stop.
“I’m gonna talk to her,” he said, his blue eye shining with determination. “She has to stop this nonsense. I knew she was still hung up on me. I’ve seen her threatening other girls before, but I thought it was some kind of joke. Now I see she was serious. She is serious.”
“Jonah—”
“No, I want to. I’m gonna talk to her. I’ll make her understand there is and there will never be anything between her and me again.”
I shook my head. “Jonah, you—” I wanted to tell him that even if he did talk to Audrey and she did let him go, I wasn’t really into him but he interrupted me again.
“In fact, I’m going to do that right now.” He stepped into me and kissed my cheek. “I’ll call you later.”
He ran away while I remained frozen in place for a good five minutes. What the hell just happened?
***
Sunday morning, I entered the stable with a tray and a large brown bag.
Tom peeked out of the tack room. “I smell coffee.”
I smiled and raised the bag. “And pastries.”
He whistled. “Aren’t you the perfect girl? Pretty, has a way with horses, and comes armed with coffee and pastries. If I was younger, I would be all over you.”
“Good morning to you too.” I entered his office and dropped the tray and bag on the disorganized desk. There were paper, pens, notes, and folders everywhere. “Um, when was the last time you went through these things, Tom?”
He joined me in the office. “I don’t know. I pay attention to the urgent stuff and the rest just stays there.”
I tease-glared at him. “That’s not a good manager.”
“That’s what I tell him every day,” Garrett said, stepping in the office. He inhaled deeply. “Ah, coffee.”
I picked a travel cup and handed to him. “I only brought plain black, because I didn’t know what you like, but inside the bag are lots of cream and sugar.”
He took it from me and tipped his hat. “Just black.”
Tom opened the bag and took a glazed donut from inside. “I vote you spoil us with breakfast every morning.”
“Well, don’t get too used to it. I’m only doing it because it’s Sunday. During the week, I have classes all day.”
“Bummer,” Garrett said.
My cheeks warmed. “Where’s Carl? I brought coffee for him too.”
Garrett grabbed a cinnamon scone from the bag. “He doesn’t work on the weekends.”
“And you both do?”
“Sometimes, it’s twenty-four-seven.” Tom bit into his donut and moaned. “Are you planning on spending just the morning?”
I frowned. “I don’t know. Why?”
“Just trying to decide what tasks we should put you on.” He winked.
“Hey! Don’t push it. I might like helping, but demand too much of me and I might not come anymore.”
“Tom, take it easy on her,” Garrett said. “We don’t want her to leave.”
“Right,” Tom said. He picked up his cup and took another donut from the bag. “Well, I’ve got to finish cleaning saddles.” He walked to the door.
“Wait,” I called. He stopped in the doorway. “What should I start with?”
He shrugged. “If Garrett doesn’t tell you what to do, look for me when you’re done with your breakfast and I’ll find something.”
He left and I turned to Garrett. “What was that about?”
Garrett shrugged, taking the seat across the desk. “Beats me.” He took a big bite from his scone. “These are good. I agree with Tom. You should skip classes and bring breakfast for us.”
I scrunched my nose, as if the idea repulsed me, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. I loved being here. I wish I had planned on having classes only during the morning or the afternoon, so I could spend half of my day here.
“You always arrive this early?” I asked.
He glanced at the clock on the wall and I followed his gaze. It was not even eight in the morning, and he and Tom were deep into tasks when I got here.
“Yes. Though we come even earlier during the week.” He sipped his coffee. “We don’t leave before eight at night. Actually, I probably stay here until past ten.”
“And you still manage to party. I’m impressed.”
He stared at me, an amused expression on his pretty face. “I impress myself.”
I squinted. “Please, you’re not full of yourself too, are you?”
He tilted his head. “Who else is full of himself?”
“Your brother. Well, half-brother.”
“Oh yeah, he is. I don’t hold a candle to him in that aspect.”
In that aspect. What aspect did he hold a candle to Jonah? Good looks? Check. Athletic body? Check. Mysterious demeanor? Check. Powerful eyes? Check. Way to make me tingle? Check. However, I doubted he was talking about any of those.
“I don’t get you,” I muttered.
“I don’t get you either.”
I smiled and he showed me that lopsided, closed-mouth grin of his. I bet he was even more handsome with a full-fledged smile. For some reason, I wanted to make him show me one. How? I didn’t know.
“Well, do you want to get me?” I asked. He quirked an eyebrow at me, and heat flooded my cheeks. “You know what I mean. If you’re curious about something, ask. I have nothing to hide.”
He threw his empty cup in the trash can under the desk, stood, and walked around the desk, his eyes on me.
I gulped. Noticing he wasn’t stopping, I stepped back. He continued coming. I took another step back. And another, and another, until my back was against a tall shelf and Garrett was right in front of me. He raised one arm, grasping the shelf behind my head, and leaned in. I inhaled deeply.
“I like the whole mystery thing,” he muttered, his breath washing over my face. It smelled of coffee, cinnamon, and mint, as if he had chewing gum before I got here. And I got a sniff of his scent too. Woodsy, spicy, and just his. I took a deep breath, leaning closer to him. He stood still, but his eyes flicked to my lips.
I placed a hand on his chest and I swear I heard a low growl coming from his throat.
A loud crash rattled the walls, and Garrett jumped away from me.
“Oh crap,” Tom cursed.
Without looking at me, Garrett rushed out of the office. “Everything all right, Tom?”
“Yeah, yeah,” I heard Tom saying from the stable main corridor. “Just knocked a wall down.”
“What?” Garrett asked, his voice a higher pitch.
I took a couple of deep breaths to steady my racing heart, and followed them to the tack room. An entire wooden panel came down, spreading pieces of wood and tack everywhere.
“How did this happen?” Garrett asked.
Tom rubbed his neck. “I may have put more hooks and hung more stuff than I should have.”
Garrett shook his head. “Sometimes I think your head is going cuckoo, old man.”
“You know, some cultures respect and idolize their elders.”
Kneeling on the floor beside the fallen wall, Garrett snorted. “Elder. Are you living in a fantasy or sci-fi movie?”
I pressed a hand over my mouth to hide my laugh.
Tom shrugged. “Well, I’m the main character, so if I want it to be fantasy, then deal with it.”
This time, I couldn’t hold it in and laughed. They both stared at me.
“Are you two always like that?” I asked.
“Like what?” Tom asked.
“Like two young boys arguing about who is going to kick the ball first.”
Tom humphed. “I’m fifty-seven years old, Miss Fernandes—”
“Bia.”
“What?”
“Miss Fernandes
is too formal. My friends call me Bia.”
He smiled. “Bia. Okay. I like it.” He looked around. “What was I saying?”
I heard a low chuckle from Garrett, but he had his back to me, rescuing tack from under the mess, and I couldn’t see his face. I bet he almost had a full smile on. Droga.
“Was this wall part of the structure?” I asked.
Garrett stood with bridles and reins in his hands. “I don’t think so, but we should fix it before we have a chance to find out.”
I nodded.
“Someone has to feed the horses, make sure they have water, and then set up for the first riding group in about—” Tom glanced at his cell phone. “—seventy minutes.”
I wanted to volunteer to help fix the wall, because I was sure that was what Garrett would be doing, but I also didn’t want to push it. What happened in the office would happen again if it were meant to be. Besides, he rushed out of there so fast, he probably needed some time away from me right now. But why? Was he regretting have me cornered, saying that he liked how mysterious I was? He wished he hadn’t done it? More reasons to be away from him right now.
“I can do it,” I said.
“But—” Tom started.
“It’s okay, Tom. I got it. If I realize time is flying and I’m behind, I’ll ask for help.”
He frowned for a second. “Okay, okay. You win.”
I smiled and winked at him. “I always win.”
Chapter Eleven
I fed the horses, made sure they had plenty of water, asked Tom which horses to get ready, and after he spat out the names of eight of them, I got them tacked and into the arena.
The guide, Larry, a man of about forty with sand-blond hair and a mustache, arrived five minutes before the first customer did and he didn’t even say thanks for all I did.
By the time the group left, I was exhausted. I went inside, grabbed some water from the fountain inside Tom’s office, and sat on the second to last step of a flight of stairs directly across from Midnight’s stall. I could hear hammering and cursing coming from the tack room, but honestly, I was too tired to move a muscle, let alone stand to go see if they were all right.
Midnight stuck his head out of the stall and nickered at me. He had tried catching my attention all morning, but the most I did was pet him while I checked on his food and water.
“Hey, big boy. How is it going?” He moved his head up and down, and I smiled. “Sorry. Can’t move. Give me a few minutes and I promise I’ll pet you, okay?”
He nickered again and I watched him. He was so beautiful, so strong, so alive. If I were in any condition, I would be tacking him right now and taking him for a ride.
Tom came out of the tack room cursing.
“How is it going in there?” I asked.
He cursed some more and walked past me. He went into his office and came back a minute later, carrying a box of nails and a hammer. He branded it in the air. “Broke the other one.”
“What?” I laughed.
He glared at me. “It’s not funny.” He disappeared into the tack room.
I stayed seated on the stairs for over fifteen minutes, while hammering and cursing echoed in the background. Finally, I was able to move again. Midnight nickered as soon as I stood. Smiling, I approached him and embraced him. He nipped at my hair and muzzled my neck.
“Are you gonna make out with the horse?” Garrett asked.
I turned my face to his voice. He was under the doorframe of the tack room. “He’s not my type.”
Garrett raised an eyebrow. “What type is your type?”
Boldness filled me. “I like tall guys, with strong arms, who usually wear cowboy boots and hats. Oh, my kind of guy also rocks dirty jeans and a sweaty T-shirt.”
The corner of his lip curled up, and he shook his head. “Too much bark, not too much bite.”
I let go of Midnight, turned around, and leaned against the horse stall, staring at him while Midnight poked my back with his muzzle.
“Come closer and we’ll see about that.”
His eyes darkened and his jaw popped. He took a step toward me. Then Delilah entered the stable.
“What are you doing with my horse?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips.
Garrett sighed and I hung my head low, almost chuckling. That was twice that I thought something might have happened between us, but we were interrupted.
I glanced at his half-sister. “Good morning, Delilah. Come to practice?”
“Why should I answer you? I have no idea who you are.”
“Delilah, her name is Bia and she’s my friend,” Garrett said. “Be nice, please.”
“Friend?” She raised her eyebrows at me and gave me a disgusted look as if I wasn’t worth a penny. “Yeah, right.”
“What are you doing here?” Garrett asked.
“Came to see my horse,” she said, walking toward me. I stepped to the side, granting her access to Midnight. He neighed and retreated to the back of the stall.
I didn’t blame him for not liking her. Besides her pretty face, there was nothing there to like. The girl was too mean, and no amount of beauty compensated for that.
“How is he doing?” she asked.
“He’s well,” I answered.
She snapped her head to me. “I’m not talking to you.”
“Delilah,” Garrett hissed. “Bia has done more with your horse than any of us the last two days.”
“I don’t remember daddy hiring you,” Delilah spat. “You don’t work here. You have no right to spend time with my horse. I don’t want you near him.”
Whoa, Audrey version two, but instead of obsessing about a guy, she was obsessing about a horse.
“He responds well to her, better than to anyone else,” Garrett said.
She tsked. “I don’t care. He’s my horse and I say who gets to deal with him, and you—” She pointed her finger at me. “—have no right to touch my horse.”
My mouth hung open, ready to pounce at this spoiled brat. However, Garrett cleared his throat, and when I looked at him, he shook his head, his eyes on mine, pleading with me to leave this alone.
I swallowed the insults on the tip of my tongue and rolled them in my mind for release, but it wasn’t the same. After she left, I would yell them, even if it were to the wall.
She turned to Garrett. “Make sure he exercises for half an hour today. You ride him.”
Garrett nodded. “Yes, Delilah.”
“I’ll be back for practice tomorrow.” She flipped her long hair at me, giving me the stink eye, and then sashayed out as if the stable corridor was a catwalk.
Garrett approached me. “Sorry about that.”
I raised my finger at him, asking for a moment. When I heard the tires of her car squealing out of the parking lot, I opened my mouth and let it out. “Filha da puta, mimada, china, invejosa, rapariga sem vergonha, piriguete, recalcada.”
“Whoa.” Garrett took a step back, pretending to be afraid of me. “What was that?”
“A lot of bad names. In Portuguese.”
“You were cussing my sister in Portuguese?”
I couldn’t help the smile that took over my lips. It felt good to let that all out. “Yeah, I guess I was. Sorry.”
He shook his head once and that lopsided grin appeared on his mouth. Credo, he was handsome, and when he fixed his eyes on mine the way he was doing now, it took my breath away.
I wasn’t going to force it though. If he were supposed to kiss me, it would happen naturally. However, Meu Deus, I was rooting for it to happen.
I turned to Pepper’s stall. “Do you think she needs some exercise?”
It took him a full minute to answer. “Um, probably, yeah.”
Without another word, I got Pepper ready and took her to the trail.
***
Pepper and I rode past the lake. Droga, I had forgotten my swimsuit again. It would have to happen soon or I would have to wait until next summer.
I hadn’t even sur
vived one month away from home yet, and I was already thinking of next year. Good. That was how I was supposed to think. I wouldn’t let lies stop me from doing what I wanted. And I wanted to be here. I wanted to finish pre-vet and go to vet school. I wanted to spend a lot of time at this ranch.
I took a deep breath, feeling peaceful. Even with all the bad stuff, life was good.
After forty minutes, I brought Pepper back in. We exited the trail and headed to the arena ahead of us—a new riding group was setting up with the same horses from the previous group. I hoped that the horses weren’t too tired.
Among all the cars, a big black truck was parked in the parking lot beside the stable. I prayed Delilah wasn’t back or worse, Jonah. I didn’t want them to ruin my mood right now.
The riding group set off. Some waved at me as I neared the stable. It was odd how friendly Americans were. Everyone said hi or morning or evening to everyone, even if you had never seen them before. People in Brazil were friendly too, but only to their friends or acquaintances. We never walked around our neighborhood and said hi to anyone we found on our way.
Just outside the stable, I brought Pepper to a stop and jumped off her. I could hear Garrett and a new voice, but I couldn’t make out the words. Curiosity gnawed at me but I walked away. I tied Pepper to the fence. The voices still reached me here.
“Delilah isn’t happy,” the man said, his tone harsh. “She said Midnight isn’t collaborating. Is something wrong with that horse? He comes from a great lineage. There shouldn’t be anything wrong with him.”
“There isn’t anything wrong with him,” Garrett said, his voice strained. “He’s just too young to be jumping.”
“We’ve already discussed this. His age is not the problem. I can only think that the problem concerns you. She complained you’re not training her well. Midnight must be picking up on that.”
“I’m doing the best I can.”
“Apparently that’s not enough. I’m paying you to be the best trainer she ever had. Do you want me to hire someone else? Because I will.”
“No, sir. I can do it.”
“You better. She has to win the next competition. She will win the next competition. Got it?”
“Yes, sir.”
Breaking Fences (The Breaking Series) Page 9