Page 7 of Make Me Whole
Too many guests.
Too many hours spent socializing.
Without looking up, Mavis quietly spoke, "Hailey might not know anything about ranch work, but she's willing to learn." I'd known Mavis for most of my life, so I knew the calm way she placed the mug on the drying rack was false. When she slowly turned to face me, I thought for sure she was going to give me a piece of her mind. Instead, she looked at me with so much pity in her eyes, it made my chest hurt.
"Now I know your demons follow you like a shadow. But don't let them blind you or turn your heart to stone." She studied me for a minute, eyes raking over every inch of my face. "Please, just keep an open mind. Okay?"
Even though it was forced, I gave her my biggest grin. "It's impossible to say no to you, Mavis."
She tapped my cheek twice. "One of these days that smile of yours won't work on me."
"But not today?"
"Not today." The smile gracing her lips warmed my heart. "Breakfast will be ready at 8."
Bending down, I pecked her cheek before grabbing my Stetson from the counter and securing it atop my head. "See you in a bit." With that, I made my way to the stable to get a start on my morning routine.
"You're late," Sawyer quipped, the instant I stepped inside. He didn't even look my way; his eyes lingered on Billy, a chestnut Montana Traveler. "Usually, you're in here long before me." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a carrot for Billy.
Sawyer—who was like a brother to me—had bonded with the beautiful Traveler within seconds of his arrival.
I'd had no intention of bidding on Billy when we'd seen him at the auction. He'd looked wild and untrainable. Two traits I couldn't risk on the ranch. Especially, since most of our guests had kids. But Sawyer had seen something the rest of us hadn't. He'd gone to bat for Billy; even offering up his paycheck.
He'd been so passionate, I'd had no other choice than to bid. Turned out the horse hadn't had the best life. He'd been mistreated and malnourished. But after only a month in Sawyer's capable hands, Billy had become one of our most popular horses.
"Ran into Talia and Mavis," I explained, when I came to stand next to him. "You're spoiling him."
"Never," my friend scoffed. When I cast a sideways glance his way, I caught sight of his mouth pulling into an impish grin. "So, I guess you heard about the latest development?"
A sound that could only be described as tortured filled the air. "I have and I'm not happy about it." I moved to the next stall and grabbed the halter and lead rope attached to the door. After making sure Max, my Percheron, was away from the gate, I rolled it to the side and entered the stall before closing the gate behind me again.
Max bowed his head while I ran my hand along his dapple coat. For the briefest of moments, everything around me went deathly quiet, and it was only me and my horse. My palm swept up, my fingers brushing through his thick mane.
It was possible Sawyer wasn't the only one who preferred the company of horses over humans.
Speaking of humans, my thoughts turned to the new woman on the ranch. The one I had yet to meet. As if he'd sensed where my mind had gone, Sawyer stopped in front of Max's stall. "Unfortunately, I didn't get to meet her last night."
My brows pulled together. "She wasn't at dinner?"
"Nope. Mavis said she'd been on the road for most of the day and wanted to turn in early."
I made a humming sound and turned my attention back to Max. After we haltered our animals, we started leading them to the pen. We were in the process of taking the last two out when Sawyer let out a low whistle. "That must be her."
Still holding on to the lead rope, I followed his gaze to the porch where Talia stood with a dark-haired woman. They were too far away for me to make out anything other than her height—which couldn't have been more than five-two or five four, at most.
I opened my mouth to speak, but quickly snapped it shut when laughter filled the air. The sound of it rolled over my skin; tiny pin pricks of electricity zipping through my veins.
It was sweet and melodious, and I never wanted to hear it again.
