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I was dumbfounded as Gabriella returned her attention back to Quinn and said, “I’ll leave you guys to it then.”
Quinn nodded. “We’ll take good care of her,” he said as his eyes shifted to the girl standing next to Gabriella. I finally managed to take notice of her myself and my first thought was that she looked really young, younger than me even. I guessed her to be barely over the five-foot mark. Her long, dark blonde hair was pulled into a neat braid and she was wearing loose-fitting jeans, worn sneakers, and an oversized T-shirt with what looked like a sports team logo on it. A sweatshirt was wrapped around her waist and her hand was protectively clutching a tattered duffle bag that looked like it could fall apart at any moment.
I managed to nod at Gabriella as she walked past me. My feet were frozen in place as my eyes returned to Quinn and Brody and I saw them both send me worried looks.
The fact that they could both read me so well made something inside of me twist in a way that wasn’t at all painful. I forced a smile to my lips and walked towards them.
“Beck, this is Delilah-” Quinn began.
“Lilah,” the girl interjected and then blushed. “No one calls me Delilah,” she murmured. I didn’t miss the way the girl’s eyes shifted to Gabriella as she left the barn.
“Lilah,” Quinn corrected. “Lilah, this is Beck. He’ll be showing you the ropes.”
I put out my hand. The girl hesitated before taking it and I didn’t miss the wariness that crept into her gaze as her eyes met mine and then shifted back to Quinn and Brody. It was a feeling I was all too familiar with and my automatic instinct was to try and put her at ease.
“Hi,” I said. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too.” Her voice was barely a whisper. Quinn glanced at me and I saw the silent question and nodded. I knew all too well how intimidating being around two big guys like Quinn and Brody could be.
“Brody and I are just going to finish up out here and then get started on dinner,” Quinn said, his focus on Lilah. “Lilah, you’re welcome to join us. We’re having lasagna.”
She shook her head before he even stopped speaking. “Um, no…I’m really tired. And I ate at the center before Gabriella…Miss Phelps picked me up.”
Quinn nodded. “Okay, well, if you get hungry, the leftovers will be in the fridge. Help yourself. And if you need any help moving your stuff in, let us know.”
Another shake of her head, but this time she remained silent. Brody and Quinn didn’t linger. Quinn moved past me, his body brushing mine in the briefest of touches. Brody was next and I had to keep from smiling as his fingers touched mine for just a split second.
I couldn’t help but watch them both head out of the barn, Brody grabbing his toolbox as he went. I forced myself to return my attention to Lilah and noticed her watching me curiously. I cleared my throat and smiled briefly. “How about a tour?” I said.
She nodded and slung her bag over her shoulder.
“You can leave that here,” I offered.
“It’s okay, I can carry it,” she responded, her tone firm.
“Okay,” I said awkwardly. I began the tour, introducing her to each horse as we went and explaining what I knew about their individual personalities. Her coolness evaporated as she began interacting with the animals so I began opening each stall door as we went so she could touch the horses.
“Have you worked with horses before?” I asked about halfway through.
“No…but I’m a quick learner,” she said defensively.
I wasn’t sure how to put her at ease. A full minute passed before I said, “I’d never even touched a horse until three weeks ago when I got here.”
Her eyes shifted to me. “Gab…Miss Phelps said you’re just here for the summer and that you’re going back to working on a ranch when the resort opens?”
I nodded. “The CB Bar…it’s about half an hour from here.”
“Where are you from?”
“Seattle.”
When she didn’t respond, I asked, “Have you ever been there?”
She shook her head. “Never been outside of Montana.” Her voice was low and slightly pained.
“There’s still time,” I said.
I’d meant the comment to be a way to lighten the mood, but she kept her eyes downcast.
