Page 79 of Grounded
“Did you do it on purpose?” her grandmother asked in her usual way of getting right to the point.
“No! I mean, yes, but I thought she could handle her. I didn’t want her to get hurt. I didn’t even think she would fall off, but I thought it might take her down a notch or two. Ahhhh!” Annie pressed her hands against her head. “Why am I acting as if I were in junior high school? What has come over me?”
“Better see to that horse before she gets tangled in the reins.”
Annie had forgotten about Nutmeg. She found her standing near the entrance to the pasture, perplexed as to what had happened. The reins hung loosely to the ground. Annie went to the horse, buried her face in her neck and let the tears flow. She breathed in the animal’s rich, leathery scent and wiped the tears from her eyes with Nutmeg’s shiny mane.
Annie led the horse back to the barn lot and shut the pasture gate. Removing the saddle, saddle blanket, and girth, she carried them to the tack room, leaving her bridle for last. Nutmeg stood still when Annie changed out the bridle for the halter, then brushed her down after her brief exercise. Annie’s adrenaline was flowing and she felt like she could crawl out of her skin.
“Annie, what happened?” The calm, deep voice startled her.
“Is Camille okay?” Annie asked, turning to face Jake. He must have walked over, coming through the crossover on the stone fence.
“She’s not hurt. What happened?”
“Camille fell off Nutmeg and ruined her expensive boots. That’s what happened.”
“She says you pushed the gate open to spook the horse. I didn’t believe her.”
Annie laughed. “Jake, there are things about Camille not to believe, but that happens to be one thing that is true.”
“What is it between you two? It took some persuading to get her back down here again and now she’s packing to go back home.”
“Jake, she has no intentions of living here. That was settled long before she came over here to ride today.”
“What do you mean?”
Maybe it was her business after all. She seemed to be right in the thick of it. “She wants to go to New York. Her father has it all worked out. Your future, if you plan on staying with her, is all planned, whether you like it or not. And ask her about her meeting last weekend. It had nothing to do with sales, believe me.”
His face was flushed with anger, but Annie couldn’t stop now. There was nothing to lose. It had to be said.
“Jake, she is all wrong for you! You will be making the biggest mistake of your life if you stay with her. I’m sorry, but it’s true.”
She turned and started away.
“How do you know she’s wrong for me?” his voice called after her. “You haven’t been around me for years!”
She wheeled around. “That’s right, Jake. And why is that?”
He walked closer. “You know why,” he said, and grabbed her shoulders with firm hands. “You knew how I felt, what the necklace meant. That’s when you chose Brett Bradshaw and went your own way. You’ve been going your own way ever since.” He almost spit the words out.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, but the tremble in her voice betrayed her.
He released her shoulders and said, “Forget it. It’s in the past.” Annie watched him walk across the barn lot, his body taut with anger. What could change if she ran after him? He was angry, and she deserved it. How she had managed to screw up every good thing in her life was beyond comprehension.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Beulah admired the four arrangements of fresh flowers in the trunk of Evelyn’s car. Three were the same size; the fourth was smaller. They were all made with vibrant spring colors, a feast for the eyes.
“Those are real nice. The florist did a good job.”
Evelyn agreed. “I put a fresh one on Charlie’s grave for Father’s Day.”
“This is the first year I’ve missed getting flowers out on Decoration Day. Did Dixie take care of your people this year?” Beulah knew this was always a tender subject. Evelyn’s sister was ten years her junior and not the most reliable person. Twice divorced, Dixie managed to float through life on one drama after the other.
“No. But when she called this morning and I told her about taking flowers to Charlie’s grave for Father’s Day, she thought that was a wonderful idea. She said she would plant a morning glory on Father’s grave and let it twine around the tombstone.”
Beulah chuckled. “One round with the caretaker’s weed eater and that will be the end of that,” she said.
