Page 44 of Heart & Hope

I spin back, and he deposits a mug in my hands, nodding his head toward inside. “Come on, house tour first.”

I follow him inside. The home is small but cozy, and it’s exactly what I imagined a farmhouse would be like. The kitchen is to my left and a living room with a hearth is to the right. You could settle in and lose hours here.

Reed walks up the stairs, and I wander behind. When we reach the top, he waves a hand to the right. “Spare bedroom.” Then to the door in front of him. “Smallest room in the house; and this”—he walks to the open door on the left and leans on the doorjamb—“this is my new master.”

I walk past him and into the room. It’s rustic. Large. The polished wood gives it such a warm feel. Nothing like the concrete and glass of my place. The long window has an inviting bench seat underneath it, and I sit, taking in the view of the surrounding mountains. It’s magnificent.

“It’s gorgeous, Reedsy.”

I sip the coffee; it’s hot and earthy. Amazing.

“Looks better from the back of a horse. Come on, let’s see the rest.”

Reluctant to leave my spot by the window, I sigh and rise. We finish our coffees and Reed rinses the mugs, leaving them in the sink.

“So, what do we have planned for the day?”

“I told you, baby. We’re riding. You want your own horse, or do I need to get comfortable with you getting all handsy with a double?”

I slap his arm. “I will have my own, thank you very much.”

The barn is huge, as big as the ones at Harry and Hudson’s place. Inside sits a giant red tractor.

“Morning, Red,” Reed says as he walks past the behemoth machine, tapping the hood with a hand. He named his tractor. I stifle a chuckle. Gosh, this man loves his trucks and machines.

“Tack is in here.” Reed leads me inside a small room. The walls are covered in hooks and metal brackets holding up bridles, saddles, and saddle pads. “You alright to carry your own?”

“Sure, load me up.” I hold my hands out, and he does.

He grabs his own gear, and we head to the stables behind the house. I recognize Reed’s horse, Magnet, right away. Two others are in the long building. The smell of hay and horse closes in around me. It’s been years since I have been on a horse.

My heart picks up the pace as I tentatively hold up a hand to Magnet. He nickers and sniffs the extended offering.

“He likes you, baby.”

I huff a nervous laugh. “Maybe.”

“This here is Mira. She will be your ride today.”

I raise my eyebrows.

“Mind out of the gutter, Rubes.”

My mouth snaps open. “Hey! I said nothing!”

He taps the brim of the cap on my head as he leads Magnet past to a small concrete area at the end of the stables by the door. “You didn’t have to. Your face is the same color as your name, baby.”

Ugh, shit.

“Do I unbuckle this colored one and cover her face?”

Reed turns back, dropping Magnet’s lead on the ground and closing the space between us. “Been a while?”

He takes the colored bridle thing from my hands and walks into Mira’s stall. He unbuckles the side of it and slips it up her nose and over her ears before doing up the buckle. When he throws the lead over her neck and runs a hand over her leg, she shifts on her foot, plucking it off the ground instantly.

“Damn,” he says, taking her hoof in his hand. “She’s got a stone bruise.”

He lets her foot down and unbuckles the colored bridle from her face.

---