Page 46 of The Tryst

Chuckling, I stretch my arms up and arch my back, relishing the satisfying crackle of my spine. “What is it with us Blackburns and secrets? Ethan had a secret child, you secretly dated the enemy, I secretly dated one of our friends, Abby secretly tried to infiltrate and take down a puppy mill ring under Kellan’s nose.”

“We’re not boring, that’s for sure,” Kat muses, but her smile fades slightly, replaced by a look of concern. “Have you seen Wade?”

I shake my head, my chest constricting at the thought of the fight we had. “I took Holland to her mom’s house after we talked to the family, and then I went home, hoping Wade would show up so we could talk, but he didn’t. I haven’t seen him all day.”

Kat sighs, running a hand through her hair. “I saw him earlier. He’s been around but he’s quite grumpy. When I tried to talk to him, he told me to leave him alone. Normally, that would just egg me on to harass him, but I don’t know… this is different. He’s really bent out of shape and I can’t figure out why.”

“If I knew, I could fix it. I can’t believe his feelings are that deep for Holland. She’s never given him anything but genuine friendship. There’s never been anything on her part to make him think it would be otherwise.”

She gives me a pointed look. “I’m guessing it was the whole part about you pushing him away from her because you had her, rather than telling him the truth.”

“Okay, fine… that’s it. I get it. But I can’t make it better unless he lets me apologize.”

“He’ll calm down eventually. He always does and then you can make it right. Until then, you just move forward. That’s all you can do. How serious is it with Holland?”

I look at my sister, my heart overflowing with love, consumed with a zealous commitment to what Holland and I have. “I love her, Kat. To the ends of the earth. I’m going to marry her and have babies with her and if she wasn’t planning on coming back here to Shelbyville, I’d follow her to Zurich. I’d give all of this up to follow her.”

Kat’s eyes widen in surprise. “Wow, thatisserious.”

I nod, feeling a sense of conviction. “Now I get it, Kat. What you have with Gabe and how important second chances are. Holland gave me another chance because she saw you do it for Gabe.”

“That makes me happy that my example opened the gate for you to walk through. And I’m truly happy you and Holland are together. She’s always been a part of the Blackburn family, but it’s going to be for real one day and I can’t wait to officially call her my sister.”

Images of engagement rings and wedding bells fill my head but before I can respond, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out, seeing Ethan’s name on the screen. I answer quickly. “Hey, Ethan. What’s up?”

“Trey, I need you out in pasture eleven. Max got himself stuck in some mud and brambles. Bring ropes, planks, anything you can think of to help get him out.”

Stupid Max. That horse is always getting in trouble. “I’m on my way.” I hang up and turn to Kat as I stand from the desk. “Max is stuck in the mud. Ethan needs help.”

Kat laughs, rising from the couch. “I thought when a horse retired, they were supposed to just eat grass, get fat and be lazy. Max has been a pistol.”

The horse has been a continual source of frustration because he’s not content to be fat and lazy. He’s broken fences, tipped over water troughs and is always finding mud to roll in. Now he’s gotten himself stuck and while it’s not the first time this has happened on the farm, it is a pain in the ass to get them out. Luckily, Max is a pretty chill horse when he’s being human-handled so it should be easy.

“You guys need any help?” Kat asks, thumbing over her shoulder. “Otherwise, I’m going to head home.”

“We’re good,” I say, grabbing the keys to one of the ATVs with the intent to brush past her to enter back into the barn. The vehicles are on the opposite side.

Except Kat steps into me for a hug. “Really, really happy for you, Trey.”

My heart thumps with devotion for my sister. “Thanks, baby sis. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

I quickly load up the ATV with two sturdy planks, two coils of rope, a halter and a lead line. As an added measure, I grab a bag of carrots, Max’s favorite, out of the barn fridge to entice him. Ittakes me less than five minutes to reach pasture eleven and as I approach, I see Wade already there standing by Ethan as they discuss the predicament.

Max is chill but up to his knees in thick, sticky mud, probably tired out from efforts to free himself. Wade turns at the sound of the ATV approaching and as soon as I turn it off and step out, he looks at Ethan. “What the hell is he doing here? We don’t need his help.”

Ethan sighs but his tone brooks no argument. “Don’t start that crap here, Wade. We’ve got to get the horse out.” He may be our older brother, but he is CEO of the farm and the ultimate boss. Wade knows this and although grumbling, works alongside me as Ethan directs us what to do.

I lay down the planks to create a more stable path.

“All right, let’s get these ropes around his belly and chest,” Ethan instructs and we work efficiently. “We need to pull him out slowly, make sure he doesn’t panic.”

Ethan stands at Max’s head, efficiently putting on a halter and attaching a lead line to it. He offers Max a carrot, strokes his neck and talks softly to keep him calm. “It’s okay, Max. We’re going to get you out, buddy.”

Wade and I work together to reposition the planks closer to Max’s legs to give him a more stable surface to push off from. The mud is thick and clingy, making every movement a struggle as we both sink into it.

When we’re finally set up, Wade on one side, me on the other, with good grips on the rope, I give the order. “On three,” I say, my voice steady despite the tension. “One, two, three.”

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