AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“But—” Gina pointed at the form. “He plays soccer.”
“FIFA.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“The International Federation of Association Football.”
Gina went over the acronym in her head. “That doesn’t match.”
“In French it does.”
French. Right. Sometimes Gina felt as if the whole world had moved on while she’d remained right here, frozen in a long-lost decade.
“So all the things he’s said he can do,” Gina tapped a fingernail against the sheet, “he’s only done them on a video game?”
“Why do you think we’re here?”
Gina was beginning to understand the source of Jase’s crankiness. She was even grinding her teeth.
Tim saw the movement and panicked. “Don’t kick us out. I’ll pay extra. Twice as much.”
Gina couldn’t charge the guy more, even if taking his kid into the mountains was probably going to be one of the dumbest things she’d ever done.
Tim interpreted her hesitation as denial and blurted, “Three times.”
“That’s okay,” she began at the same time Jase said, “Will that be cash or charge?”
* * *
“We can’t take his money,” Gina insisted later that day and for the umpteenth time.
Jase, who was watching the guests groom their horses as he’d taught them, ignored her. He’d already taken it, and, as he’d informed her, she couldn’t make him give it back. They needed the money too damn bad.
“If you want to send someone packing,” Jase murmured, “get rid of that guy.” He pointed at Teo.
“He’s the only one who knows what he’s doing!” Gina threw up her hands in exasperation.
“Shh.” Jase put a finger to his lips.
Gina glanced at the guests, but they were occupied with their horses and didn’t appear to have heard. Except for Teo. His gaze met hers, and Gina’s stomach did a little shimmy. Must have been the Southwest burritos they’d had for lunch.
“No one knows what they’re doing,” Jase said. “Or at least not completely. That’s why they call it a dude ranch. You do know the meaning of dude, don’t you?”
“If you listen to Mel and Melda, it’s a generic term for anything from a squirrel to your mother.”
Jase laughed. “Did you see her face when Melda asked if she could have ‘more of this ass-whompingly fine corn bread, dude?’”
Fanny’s expression had been priceless.
Jase’s gaze returned to Teo and his laughter died. “There’s something about that guy I do not like.”
Jase often got it into his head to dislike people. He said his Native American blood gave him a sixth sense. She thought his Native American blood gave her a pain in the ass.
But she now understood the true source of his earlier behavior. He’d taken an instant dislike to Teo. Which was too bad. She thought the two of them might have become friends. They were of an age—or close enough—and Teo knew his way around horses. One of Jase’s favorite subjects.
Laughter erupted, the sound scraping along Gina’s eardrums like the cry of a dying rabbit in the depths of the night, so shrill and disturbing it caused one of the horses to skitter. Jase muttered a word he must have learned earlier that day from the Hurlaheys and aimed his seemingly eternal scowl at the final two members on their guest list.
Amberleigh, or perhaps it was Amber Lee, Gina couldn’t recall, and her BFF, Ashleigh, or maybe that was Ash Lee, had asked for and been given this trip by their obviously doting parents. Or perhaps it was by their nearly deaf parents who wanted to save their last sliver of hearing by sending the girls anywhere but home. If Gina got through the next few days without a horse stampede, it would be a miracle.
