Page 8 of Make Me Whole
Chapter Five
HAILEY
"It's not funny." I planted my hands on my hips and tried my best to stare at Talia who was having a hard time containing her laughter.
She brought her hand up and pinched her thumb and index finger together. "It is a little funny. The look on your face was…priceless."
After Mr. Walker and I had discussed the terms of my employment, Mavis had shown me to my room. She'd sat with me—to make sure I was all right—while I unpacked, reminiscing over her and my mother's glory days, as she liked to refer to them.
As much as I loved hearing stories about my parents, by the time my suitcases were empty the hole in my heart was gaping. The pain of it almost crippling. I'd asked Mavis if it would be okay if I skipped dinner and went straight to bed, and to my surprise she'd simply kissed my forehead before leaving me alone with my thoughts.
As expected, sleep didn't come easy. I'd tossed and turned until morning, reliving the past. Going over every mistake I'd made with a fine-tooth comb, vowing to never repeat them again.
And I wouldn't.
By the time the sun filtered through the window, I figured it was time to face the day—and the people. I'd emerged from my room only to be plowed down by an abnormally large border collie. A yelp had left my lungs right before the pooch assaulted me with its tongue.
That's how Talia found me.
I laughed, despite of myself. If I looked half as horrified as I felt, it must've been quite a sight. "I almost had a heart attack."
"But you didn't." Lifting her shoulders, she added, "I'm sorry. I thought for sure Mavis had warned you about the gentle giant roaming the property."
"You should consider putting a bell around his neck or something."
Another laugh fell from her lips. "I'll pass your suggestion on to my brother. Come on. I want to show you the cabins before breakfast." She hooked her arm through mine and my body immediately tensed at the contact. This was unfamiliar to me. I wasn't used to people intruding on my personal space in this manner.
If she noticed my reaction, she didn't show. As we headed toward the cabins I'd seen when I'd arrived I willed my shoulders to relax and begged the uneasiness to leave my veins.
We'd walked a couple of steps when I got the feeling that someone was watching me. Angling my head to the right, I spotted two men. They were standing in what I presumed to be a horse pen, their attention fixed on us.
Although the both of them were looking our way, it was the man with the black cowboy hat who drew my interest. I couldn't see his eyes; he was too far away and the hat too low on his head, but something about the way he was looking at me sent a shiver down my spine.
I just didn't know if it was the good or bad kind.
"Don't mind those two," Talia's voice sounded next to me. "You'll meet them at breakfast." Raising her arm, she wiggled her fingers in a small wave. "Helloooo, boys." Then she picked up her already hurried pace.
As I stumbled after her, I couldn't help but steal one more glance at the mysterious guy. With his gaze still trained on me, he lifted his hat to run his fingers through his dark hair. I swallowed hard while trying not to shudder from the shiver working its way down my spine again.
Weird.
Averting my gaze, I chose to focus on where we were going instead. It wasn't long before we stepped onto the little porch of the first cabin. In contrast to the main house, the cabins all had a dark finish.
The inside was as beautiful as the outside. The same wood stain ran through the entire cabin, even the furniture matched. If ever a place seemed cosy, this was it. It was easy to picture myself living in one of these in the middle of nowhere. Heaven knew, not dealing with people would be great.
"So, there are four cabins in total," Talia explained. "My dad wanted to keep it kind of intimate, so we could get to know our guests on a personal level." I didn't know Mr. Walker, but what she said seemed to fit with the man I'd met yesterday.
Even though Mavis had explained to me what a dude ranch was, I still had no idea what theirs offered. "I probably should've asked this yesterday, but what kind of activities do you have available here?"
Her eyes lit up. "Oh, you won't find hiking trails as beautiful as ours for hundreds of miles. I have yet to see a sunrise that compares to the ones I've seen here." An easy smile lifted her lips. "But then again, I might be biased." After glancing at the open door, she continued, "Bradley and Sawyer offer riding lessons to little ones. You should see those two giants with the kids. It's adorable." She clapped her hands together. "If we have guests on Sundays, we take them down to the creek where we have a big ol' picnic. So. much. fun."
I really hoped the picnic wasn't mandatory. The thought of sitting around with a bunch of strangers terrified me. It wasn't so much the people but the questions they asked that scared me. It was human nature to want to know about someone's past, however, mine was something I would've preferred to forget.
"Are you still with me?" I blinked a couple of times and found Talia staring at me, a deep frown pulling her brows together.
Heat crept into my cheeks as I tucked a few strands behind my ear and scrunched up my nose. "Sorry, I guess I'm still processing."
Her brows dipped even lower while she studied me. She didn't have to voice the questions floating around in her head; they were written all over her face. The problem was, I didn't have any answers for her.
