Page 19 of Double Trouble

I really need a stepladder.

Thank you, I sign.

Next time, just holler at me.

I shake my head at his joke, giving him a slight shove in his very toned upper arm. He snags up a currycomb and crosses to June’s left side, circling her coat. June leans into him; she hates being tied up but loves getting pampered… especially by him. The man is the Yoda of horses.

I start working on her mane, running the strands through the teeth of the comb. June is a gorgeous girl, white with chestnut spots. Every fall, the Sherman’s open the farm up to the locals and have a petting zoo of sorts. They do hay rides and make apple cider, and of course, the mares get tons of attention. Last year, June was almost everyone’s favorite. She’s wild and fun and immediately draws people in with her beautiful coloring.

But she’s a darn right pain in the butt. I’d take my sweetie pie Mona Lisa any day.

Luke passes the currycomb across June’s back to me, and I take care of her other side. He steps in front of her and starts rubbing between her eyes, softly whistling. It’s the only sound I ever hear come from his lips. Luke doesn’t try to talk when he communicates.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and with June now calmed down, I don’t want to risk interrupting the process, so I let my phone sit there till I’m done.

Luke waves a hand to grab my attention.

You have the music on?

I make a sort-of motion.Audio book playing right now.

He gives me a look.No wonder she’s fidgety.He moves to the Bluetooth speaker, plucking it from the table sitting underneath bags of carrots hung from a hook on the wall. He gestures to my pocket, and I dig my phone out and hand it over. A few months into my employment here, I put together a playlist for June, who is super particular about everything, including music.

There’s a slight pinch between Luke’s brows before he scrolls through, setting up June’s playlist. Lee Brice bursts through the speaker, and his foot starts to tap. He’s only a tiny bit off the beat, but he catches it quickly through the vibrations.

June immediately starts bobbing her head, and Luke hands me my phone, fixes his glasses, then takes the speaker to her. I keep the volume where it’s at, even though it’s a bit loud. He pats her neck with the beat, and she ends up being the best girl ever while I finish up her grooming. I even get to braid her tail without her whipping it against my face.

One day I will learn from his horse Jedi powers, but today I’m way too damn tired.

“Come on, silly girl,” I say after Luke unhooks her from the crossties. “Let’s get you back to your stall.”

She clops along beside me, and I allow myself a small grin at the cathartic sound. Nothing like a horseshoes against a stable floor… Well, except for a set of wheels on concrete.

Once Miss Pain in the Butt is back in her stall, I close her in and take a hefty breath. Grooming should not take so much out of me, but I’m running on about two hours of sleep, and I have a full day still ahead of me.

Luke leans against the wooden post separating the stalls from the rest of the barn. He nods to my pocket.You had a message. I cleared it to get the playlist.

“Oh, thanks.” I sign after I say the words, and he laughs at me. I do that all the time, and he teases me that I don’t need to repeat myself.

I give my hands a quick wash before pulling my phone out again. Horses are unbelievably dirty, even when they are in the barn and they’ve just been pampered.

A rollercoaster dives into my stomach. Tanner’s name is at the top of my message list. Hopefully there wasn’t any information leaked that Luke saw. Not that he’d tell Candace about my late night illegal activity, but he probably would ask me about it.

I offer Luke an awkward grin and turn to read the message in private.

Hey, what you up to after work?

A giant sigh of relief escapes me, along with a stupid laugh. All that worry for nothing.

Gotta register Demi for middle school. Blargh.

The dots pop up immediately.

After that?

Dinner with my folks. Guess Dad has some big thing to talk about. Such joy is my life :P

There isn’t an immediate response, so after a few seconds, I message him again.

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