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“I should beat you for that, Justin. And why are you even talking to her?”
“I’m not,” he responded, laughing. “Grace told me.”
“Oh. Well, tell Grace to keep her stories about Amber to herself, please.”
“I’m sorry she still bothers you.”
“Yeah, well, whatever. At least with her and Phil Adler, it’s not like we travel in the same social circles.”
“This is true.” He finished shaving and turned to her. “You know, no matter what you think, I don’t give a rat’s ass about Amber.”
“Yeah, well, we have unfinished business about her, Justin. I hoped to just let it go, but since she keeps popping up in conversation, I guess she’s not going away.”
Leaving the bathroom, Justin followed her out. They stood face-to-face.
“What?”
“Why, number one, didn’t you tell me she worked with you a day last spring, and number two, why was she there in the first place?”
“You’ve let this fester for four months?”
“More than that. It was for the sake of peace.”
“Ted sent her to me. I was desperate that day, and he just happened to call and said he was closing for a half day, which he does on Wednesdays, and could I use a hand.”
“Knowing how I felt about her.”
He hesitated and then nodded. “I guess knowing how you felt about her. It’s the same thing as you getting on the back of a horse nine months pregnant, knowing how upsetting it is for me.”
She bit her lip to keep from lashing out at him. “That’s a piss-poor comparison, Justin. Go off with your former lay because your live-in girlfriend ticks you off? Is that the case?”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
She didn’t say anything, not wanting to make it worse, but at that moment, the hopelessness of being in any relationship with a man rang through loud and clear. He was a jerk.
“I’ll go make coffee.”
“Maggie…”
“Best let it alone at this point,” she said, resolute.
There was nothing more to say. For Justin, it appeared to be tit for tat. She was never going to hide what she did from him again. He could like it or lump it, as they used to say in grade school.
She started the coffee and slipped on her cowboy boots. He was still upstairs, doing whatever, so she’d make her getaway. The last thing he saw before coming downstairs was Maggie Angel on the back of Dale, her hair whipping in the wind, galloping at top speed toward the woods. But he noticed she was standing in the stirrups, her knees bent just enough, not bouncing in the saddle, and that made him grin.
In the cool of the woods, the crickets chirping, no other sounds but the occasional whinny of a horse, Maggie found her peace. The first horse she saw was Raven, with Lightning not far away. At only four months, he wasn’t weaned yet, and the traumatic experience of separation that was done in commercial horse breeding operations wouldn’t be done here. Their separation would be gentle and natural.
Raven perked right up when she saw Maggie and came over to her. Maggie stayed on Dale now when she was out; it would be too cumbersome to get up in the saddle if there was an issue with Lightning. But he didn’t come over today, unaware of the treats Maggie had. She slipped Raven an alfalfa cube, scratching the side of her face.
Then Raven did something she’d never done before, rested her head on Maggie’s thigh. It was so intimate, the horse communing with the human. She wondered if it had anything to do with Raven knowing Maggie was upset. There seemed to be more interaction with Maggie when her emotions were in upheaval.
“I’m alright, girl,” she said. “I’m good.”
Flies were buzzing Dale, and his tail started to swish, so Raven backed off.
“I’ll see you later.”
Turning Dale around, they took their time getting back to the cottage. She rode around the back and headed toward the barn. Slipping down out of the saddle, she noticed her back was sore and a little bit of a cramp under her belly.
