Page 31 of Seeing Harper

“You made me lunch.”

“Dad helped. He fried the chicken breasts for me. He said I was doing it wrong. I did make the sandwiches, though. That was all me.”

“Clay Vega, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re trying to sweep me off my feet,” she teased.

Clay grinned at her. “Wouldn’t be fair if I was, would it? Since I know so much inside information already.”

“No, it wouldn’t. But I know you’re just being nice. You already told me you found your mate. I hope she appreciates just how good you’ll no doubt be to her.”

“I didn’t say I’d found my mate.”

“You didn’t say you didn’t, and I scented a lie when you shook your head at me when I asked.”

“Maybe your sniffer is broken.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me, the bitch is ignoring me.”

“What bitch?” Clay asked.

“My Tiger. She’s ignoring me. And she’s got a serious attitude.”

Clay laughed.

“It’s not funny,” she said, taking the ice chest from Clay and putting it in her trunk before getting in her car.

“It kind of is. I mean, she’s a Tiger, she doesn’t have to take shit from anybody,” Clay said.

“I’m her person. She’s my Tiger. She’s got to work with me. It’s about co-working. Co-habitating in here,” Harper said, tapping her head.

Clay buckled himself in and looked over at Harper. “My Panther only gives me trouble if he really wants something and I don’t do it. And it’s about cohabitation here,” he said, tapping his heart.

Harper hesitated after she’d put her car in reverse, and looked at him with a funny expression on her face.

“What?” he asked.

“She did seem to want something,” Harper said.

“What did she want? Give it to her and maybe she’ll be nicer.”

Harper held Clay’s gaze for a second, then shook her head, and backed out of her parking place. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I wouldn’t know how to give it to her anyway.”

“Won’t know until you try,” Clay said, as he reached behind himself and pulled a brand new pair of gloves out of his back pocket, laying them on his thigh.

“You even brought new gloves!” Harper said as she pulled out onto the road in front of her house, then took a right to take them toward the equine center.

“I had some. I bought a few pairs at the beginning of the summer, and hadn’t used this pair yet. I thought it might be better using a fresh pair instead of a pair soaked in grease, paint, sweat and whatever else they smell like.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you. Horses have a keen sense of smell and don’t like things they’re not used to.”

“It was thoughtful of me, wasn’t it?” he said confidently as he nodded.

Harper laughed as she just shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Hope you’re ready to work hard today!” she finally said.

“I am. Just point me where you need me. And if it’s something I don’t know how to do, explain it, then consider it done.”

“On the agenda today,” Harper said in her best official voice, as she cleared her voice exaggeratedly, “is turning the horses out to pasture so they can have a leisurely day, mucking and completely cleaning out their stalls, including removing any uneaten hay from the hay nets and the floor, clean their water and food buckets. Then we’ll put down fresh shavings, and replace their hay and water. The last thing we’ll do before we leave for the day is bring them in and give them some feed. But between all that, we need to walk the fence lines to make sure they’re all intact, and there are two fields in the back of the property that we need to check for readiness.”

“Readiness?” Clay asked.