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I glared at him for all I was worth. “Wow. You’re a real asshole, you know that? Don’t worry, message received, loud and clear.”
I pushed off from the fence, turning to walk back to the friendlier people.
“I didn’t mean—”
“Don’t worry. I got it.”
The burn from his stare seared through my back the entire walk back to the group.
***
THE RIDE BACK TO THEranch was incredible. I held Cody back so we were bringing up the rear. It allowed me the gift of closing my eyes as he meandered along, following the others. I imagined what it must have been like years ago, in the real Wild West. Immersing myself in the reality of proper cowboys and galloping horses across the desert, I almost convinced myself I heard the clinking of spurs and the neighing of desperate horses, giving their all to their riders.
The lanterns the wranglers held as they rode made it all the more real as the five lights struggled to illuminate the whole group of us. All the horses plodded on, not bothered in the slightest by the dark or their footing.
By the time we got back to the ranch, I was more relaxed than I ever had been. This was what I missed about horses—their ability to calm me and take my mind to places I couldn’t take myself. It brought me to tears as the sheer joy and relief of it flooded through me, soothing me into a new sense of being.
We reached the barn, all the others handing their horses over to the wranglers. The youngest wrangler, Greg, came over to take Cody from me.
“Can I sort him out? Please?” I asked.
He smiled, his freckled face creasing. “Please don’t feel like you have to, Miss Woods. We don’t expect our guests to tend to the horses.”
“I want to.” I blushed and shuffled my feet. “I’ve kinda missed it.”
He nodded. “I understand, Miss. His stall is the last on the left.”
I thanked him before leading Cody to his stable. He stood stock still, his face expressionless as I tended to him. He was barely warm from the sedate walk. I started taking his boots off, the loud Velcro ripping through the air.
“What are you doing?”
I sighed as Brady’s voice haunted me again. I stood up, facing him. “Sorting my horse out.”
“I can see that. It’s also not your job. I told Greg to tend to him.”
“Well, I told Greg I wanted to do it. Ok?”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “No. It’s not ok. You’re not insured to be in here. There’s a reason we don’t let the guests in here with the horses. I would have thought you would possess the common sense to realise that.”
I stared at him in disbelief. I couldn’t believe he was insulting my intelligence on top of everything else. “What is your problem with me?”
“I’m fed up with your type thinking they can walk in here and do as they please all the time. Just because you earn more than us, you think that gives you the right to saunter around like you own the place. Well, reality check, sweetheart, you don’t. Out here, one wrong move can mean your life. A bit of respect wouldn’t go amiss.”
As much as I didn’t want to, I couldn’t help the tears welling up. I’d had a rollercoaster of emotions in a short few hours and to come crashing down from a high like this was about as much as my fragile mind could handle right now.
He shook his head. “And there you go, turning on the waterworks. Just finish up and leave. The horses are not your concern.”
I nodded, turning my attention back to Cody’s boots. I heard Brady’s footsteps stomping down the concrete. A burst of hot air ruffled my hair followed by a gentle nuzzle. I smiled, the tears flowing as the sweet gelding tried his best to cheer me up.
“I think he likes you.”
I jumped, turning around to see Greg peering over the stable door. I wiped at my wet face, faking a smile. “I presume you mean Cody?”
His blue eyes bore sympathy as he nodded. “Don’t take it to heart. He can be a bit harsh at times, but he does mean well.”
“Sure.”
“Here.” He passed me an apple for Cody. “That horse has shown no one any affection in the five years I’ve been here. You should be jumping for the stars right now.”
I giggled and thanked him, offering Cody his treat. He sniffed it before nibbling at it with caution. Taking a sample bite, he satisfied himself it was safe before chomping through the entire thing.
“G’night, Miss.”
I said my goodnights before walking back to my room, alone. Right now, I felt my only friend in this world was that horse.
