“She doesn’t have that kind of time for you,” Austin said, wrapping his arms around me from behind. “It’s in the Austin-and-Nova handbook; all of her free time is spent with me.”
“You squeeze a bird too tightly and it will die,” Marlo murmured playfully.
“We have a handbook?” I asked, turning around to face him.
“Well, uh, yeah…”
“Jeez, then just give me the stupid handbook so I don’t have to put up with so much of your crap.”
“You like putting up with my crap.”
I playfully narrowed my eyes at him. “Hmm, that’s what you think. I think that the handbook would say that you are full of crap.”
“Probably,” he agreed with a smile and a nod.
It was Christmas Eve at the Gaines’ home, and after a traditional meal of homemade soup and rolls, we were just about to watch a movie with the rest of the family. My Grandpa Clark was even in attendance, and boy was he excited to be invited up to Bakersfield for the night. Austin and I were going to take him back home the next day and spend Christmas dinner with Meryl and her family, and then I planned on spending the rest of my winter break at Harmony Acres.
School had been going well for me and I was pretty successful in all of my fall classes. Winter semester would begin in January, and after that I could apply for graduation in the spring.
Austin had finished first in Phoenix, his last race of the season. And yes I was there. It wasn’t even a decision for me because I knew I was going to go no matter what. After his last race in Roseville, I promised myself that I could keep my opinions about racing to myself. Austin’s happiness was more important to me than proving a point, but not only that, I knew it wasn’t a battle I would ever win. I could be the doting, supportive girlfriend, right?
Now it was the end of December, and the All-Star Showdown was just around the bend. Austin had been driving every week, and often I would be at the track with him. I’ll admit that I liked watching him race around the track with only a few other cars. Being that they were just there fine tuning their skills instead of competing with each other allowed me to actually enjoy watching him drive.
I wished he could be content with just that.
My grandpa had even come to the track with us a couple of times, but that old fart grumbled about needing to see a real race. He knew he was just getting to me, but I also knew there was a little bit of truth to his request. My grandfather loved the fast-paced world of racing as well.
“Well I’ll be damned!”
Speaking of Gramps, he’d just returned to the house with Dave after getting a look at the horses in the stable.
“Austin, it’s a good thing I’ve already gone bankrupt and learned my lesson,” he continued, “because I don’t think I could resist betting on that race horse of yours.”
I rolled my eyes and it made Austin smile. “Your granddaughter would kill me if I had someone place your bets for you,” he told him.
“I certainly would,” I agreed, giving him a nudge.
“She’s not the boss of you,” Gramps told him.
“Sure she is,” Austin replied.
I quietly scoffed and murmured, “Not when it comes to racing.”
I moved to the couch and sat down, just as Marlo was putting the movie into the DVD player. Austin and my grandpa gave each other a look, and I heard Gramps whisper, “Now look what you’ve done.”
I really was amused that they got along so well. My grandpa was just one of those guys that everyone got a kick out of, and Austin loved being around him.
Austin sat down next to me on the couch, cuddling me close to him. He knew I wasn’t really upset or anything, so while the movie began and the rest of the family came in and found seats, he whispered things to me that he knew I’d like to hear. At one point I had to laugh, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and I silently scolded him for whispering such a thing with the risk that someone might hear.
“Oh how I love you, and those rosy pink cheeks of yours,” he teased me.
The holidays were pretty great that year because I had Austin and his family to share them with. And it was true that employees of Harmony Acres were treated just like family. Jack was around quite often, which I loved, and of course Clara and Heath.
But just because the Tomlinson’s were around didn’t mean that Ben came around much. I did see him once in a while, though. I wasn’t sure if he held any particular feeling about being around the Gaines’, but Dave and Marlo treated him just as well as anyone else that was around. And I could tell that Ben had quite a history with them because of the way Marlo and Dave regarded him. I would even go as far as to say that Marlo treated Ben like her own child since he grew up on the ranch, and even though he appeared a little humbled by that, Ben seemed to always feel uncomfortable in the house.
Between Austin and Ben it was as if neither of them were there and they just avoided each other. There weren’t any spats between them because they just didn’t talk to one another. I wished it didn’t have to be that way, but I completely kept my nose out of it. I did talk to Ben when the occasion was there, but other than that, we really didn’t talk much.
That changed the day after New Year’s. Austin had headed out early for Irwindale to race, and I stuck around the ranch to do some work for Jack. I didn’t have to be at school for two more days, so I wanted to take advantage of my vacation time. I’d seen Ben a few times that morning, but we were both doing other things and only had time for a casual “hey.”
I was coming out of the guesthouse after having lunch with Clara when there was a commotion going on outside of the stables. Ben was there, and so were Dave and Heath. They all seemed to be gathered near a visitor’s truck and horse trailer, but what I noticed first was that Ben was holding Chap in his arms as he walked toward the barn, and the way he was holding him made my heart drop.
“What happened?” I asked, rushing up to the dog to check him out as we walked. Chap was conscious, but I could tell he was in pain. I followed Ben to Jack’s office while he explained that the Hoover’s horse got a little spooked, and Chap happened to get in the way.
“I think his leg is broken,” he said, gently setting him on the table.
“Aww, buddy,” I cooed to him, softly petting his head. “You’re supposed to stay away from the hooves, pal.”
“He tried. He was just passing by with Goldie when the horse jumped. The dogs scurried one way, but the horse swung around unexpectedly. And you know that this guy here isn’t that quick.”
“Will you do me a favor and call Jack?” I asked.
“How come? Can’t you fix him up yourself?”
“Mm, I think it’s his shoulder…” I couldn’t be sure without putting the dog under and x-raying him, so I prepared the anesthesia while Ben spoke to Jack.
“Yeah, she’s doing that now,” Ben told him. …“Okay, bye. …He’s on his way.”
“Thank you.”
Over the course of the next two hours, Jack and I fixed up Chap the best we could. The poor thing was going to be very uncomfortable with the cast we had to put him in, but it was the only option we had after the surgery that was performed. Chap was still out like a light when we left him in the back room, and Jack and I sat down at the counter to stretch our backs and rest for a bit.
“You did good job,” he told me.
“Thanks.”
“I think you could have done it yourself.”
I shrugged. “Nah, I just wanted to pull you away from whatever it was you were doing.”
“Her name was Melissa,” he smiled.
I gaped at him and we both laughed.
“I’m just kidding,” he said.
I studied him carefully and could read him pretty good. “But you were with a Melissa, weren’t you,” I stated teasingly.
He slowly smiled. “Yeah, but rushing away to save a dog’s life scored me some points.”
“ ‘Save his life’,” I murmured.
“Well it
sounded better than ‘I have to go babysit our intern.’ ” I scowled at him and he laughed. “Okay, you’re not an intern. My assistant. My assistant that’s almost as qualified as I am.”
“I’m not the one you need to butter up, Jack. But thank you.”
He ever so slightly nodded.
“So? Get back to Melissa, you dimwit.”
He looked surprised at first and then shook his head. “Nah, we weren’t actually together like on a date or anything.”
“Where were you?”
“Uh, at the Langley ranch.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Ah, Melissa Langley. Nice, Jack.”
“You think?”
“Yeah, she’s a pretty nice lady. She was here a few days ago.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, in fact…she was looking for you.”
He smiled. “Really?”
“Yep.”
“And you kept that from me?”
“Well she had an inquiry that I was able to help her with. I kind of wondered why she hadn’t just called, but then I figured she was already here or something. Jeez, had I known you were hot for each other, I would have feigned incompetence.”
He laughed and shook his head. “Good thing you didn’t. I’ve already bragged about my job here, including you.”
“You’ve bragged about me, Jack? I’m flattered.”
With a shrug he said, “I only speak the truth. You’ll have a lot of options in the future.”
“Wow, I don’t know what to say.”
“Well I was hoping you’d say this was the only place you’d want to work.”
“It is,” I smiled.
“Okay, then.” And with that he got up from the counter and said, “Well, I guess I better find me something to eat. I’m starving. When do you head south?”
“Tomorrow night.”
He nodded. “All right, if I don’t see you tomorrow, I’ll see you next weekend then.”
“Bye, Jack.”
I sat at the counter for a few minutes, reflecting on the last few hours of the day. I checked on Chap once more and then headed for the field that contained my horse. Born To Be Wild whinnied the second he saw me and came trotting to the fence.
“Hey, there,” I greeted him. I pressed my face against his and held it there for a second before I looked at him again. “Man, I’m gonna miss you, buddy. After being here for the last couple of weeks, I don’t know if I can handle going back to school.”
“I know I shouldn’t interrupt a girl and her horse,” I heard Ben’s voice say. I turned toward the stable to see him arrive with a halter and lead in his hands and he handed them to me. “But he really wants you to ride him.”
I smiled and looked between Ben and my horse. Wild even made a little whinny, like he was greeting Ben or agreeing with him.
“Okay,” I nodded, climbing through the fence to halter him. “But you have to come with me,” I added to Ben.
He looked surprised, and then slightly shook his head. “Nah, that’s okay.”
“What, don’t even tell me you can’t ride a horse, Ben.”
With a smile he said, “I can ride a horse—if I have to—but I just… Well, it’s not a good idea.”
I led Wild to the gate and Ben held it open for me.
“You mean because of Austin?” I asked him directly.
He waited until we were heading for the barn before he said, “Yeah.”
“Well I invited you, so it’s only polite to accept.”
We entered the stables and he smiled, but I didn’t give him a chance to turn me down and told him to grab a horse.
“I’m getting pretty good at this tacking up thing, so don’t let me beat you to the creek.”
He gave me a playful glare, but he seemed to accept my challenge and turned down a different aisle.
I led Born To Be Wild to the tack room and hitched him up to a post. By the time I had a saddle hoisted onto his back, Ben hitched Bench Rider next to me.
“Don’t hurry too fast,” Ben smiled. “I wouldn’t want your saddle to slide off.”
“You just mind your own duties and get that horse ready.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
We both worked in silence for another minute, occasionally glancing at one another with a smile. Finally Ben chuckled and said, “I feel like I’m thirteen again. My sister and I used to do this all the time.”
“Oh, yeah?” I replied, glancing at him over my horse’s shoulders.
“Yep. She was pretty competitive, no matter what we were doing.”
“So who was faster at saddling a horse?” I asked, just about to finish up with the bit.
“Me,” he smiled, grabbing the reins to lead the horse out of the barn.
I laughed to myself and quickly finished up, following after him about ten seconds later. He was waiting for me outside and hadn’t left for the creek yet. I mounted my horse just as Sam came around the corner from the fields.
“Hey, grab a horse and come with us,” I told her.
She paused, seeming to really think it over. It was obviously a struggle because she kind of whined and said, “Oh man, I don’t think I should but…” She glanced over to the barn and said, “My dad has something to go over with me, and then maybe I’ll catch up to you.”
“Okay, no problem. I think I’ll just take on the East Trail today.”
“Perfect. I’m not sure how long I’ll be but if I don’t catch up to you, don’t bother waiting.”
“Okay,” I nodded.
Sam headed for the barn so Ben pulled himself onto his horse with ease and we headed out.
“So you don’t do this much?” I asked him.
He slightly shrugged. “Mm, not really. This is actually the first time I’ve ridden a horse in a few years,” he added.
“Really?”
“Mmhmm.”
We passed the main house and took the trail for the creek. It was a beautiful day, sunny but cool, and I couldn’t imagine living anywhere but California at that moment.
“So what’s Austin up to today?” he asked.
“Mm, driving in Irwindale.”
He slightly nodded. “He’s gotta get his fix, huh?”
“Yeah, that’s his life.”
“And you don’t agree with that?”
“I didn’t say that. It’s who Austin is.”
“And what, you’ve ‘accepted’ that?” he chuckled.
I cast him a glare and said, “Why do you have to be so antagonistic?”
“Antagonistic?” he repeated. “Why do you have to be so sensitive?”
“I’m not sensitive.”
He gave me a look but only smiled, and didn’t say anything further.
“Okay, so maybe I am,” I admitted.
“There’s nothing wrong with being defensive about the things that hit close to home.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you know you and him have a difference of opinion, and the fact that an outside party can pick up on that bothers you.”
“It’s not a secret that his racing worries me.”
“Ah, but I sense that it’s more than that.”
I scoffed with a smile. “And what do you know about our relationship?”
“I know that you’re both on two entirely different roads.”
“That’s a pretty lame assessment,” I retorted, even though I felt really uneasy about how close to the truth he really was.
He shrugged. “Maybe so. But you gotta understand something about Austin. And maybe you know this, but maybe you just need reminded…”
I’ll admit I took the bait, so I said, “I’m listening.”
“Austin is…unbounded.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning you can’t hold him down. He doesn’t like to feel restricted. He likes variety, different routines. If he had the same thing, day in and day out, he’d get bored. He likes change. Life is more exciting to him that way. Why do you think he works a few
different jobs? Besides racing, if he was stuck with the same job everyday…he’d get bored.”
I slowly nodded my agreement. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”
“But do you understand what I’m saying?” he added, glancing my way. “Same goes with relationships. I’m actually surprised he even has a steady girlfriend.”
“Oh jeez, let’s not get on this subject.”
“Why not? I’m trying to tie it up here, in reference to my ‘two entirely different roads’ theory.”
I groaned to myself, but I’ll confess that I was really interested in what Ben had to say. He’d known Austin longer than I had, and I was curious to learn anything about him that could have an affect on my future.
“Okay, I’m listening,” I finally said.
He eyed me for a few seconds as we both crossed the shallow creek, Ben allowing me to go first. When we were both on the other bank, side-by-side on the trail, he smiled at me.
“You’re too curious to not let it go,” he stated.
“And you don’t have to rub it in.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “No, I’m not holding that against you. I’m only here to help.”
“Right, and what’s in it for you?”
He thought about that for a second. “Absolutely nothing. But look, Nova… I really am trying to be helpful here. I know Austin doesn’t think much of me, but I still care about him. I don’t know if we’re ever going to be friends again, but if we do, I doubt it will be anytime soon. But I do care about him and the things going on in his life. That includes you.”
Yeah, I could sense that from Ben and I knew it to be the truth. But I also knew that Austin probably wouldn’t be too thrilled to find out that I was talking to Ben about this kind of stuff. He had already agreed that I had the right to be friends with whomever I wanted—even Ben, since he was a part of the “family” again—but talking about such private matters most likely wasn’t included in that.
But Ben was right: I was too curious to not let it go.
“Okay, I’m willing to listen to what you have to say, but I reserve the right to disagree with you at any time.”
“Of course. And I wouldn’t expect anything different,” he added with a smile.
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