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It took everything I had not to take off like I wanted to. Instead, I focused on the quiet rumble of Quinn’s voice as he explained to me how to wash King down and I ignored his watchful eye as I worked.
It was easy work and I found myself getting lost in the task of rubbing a rubber brush into the horse’s coat to loosen some of the dirt and sweat. By the time I was done, my shoes were sopping wet and my pants were damp, but oddly enough, it felt good…like I’d accomplished something. I followed Quinn’s instructions to lead King to one of the many pastures surrounding the barn and smiled when the animal began whinnying in excitement at the sight of another horse standing near the gate.
“That’s Pilot,” Quinn said as he motioned to the horse covered in brown and white spots. “He and King are pretty much inseparable these days.” Quinn opened the gate and used his body to keep Pilot back as I led King inside. I unclipped the lead from the horse’s halter and he immediately took off at a trot, Pilot right behind him. I chuckled when the very first thing King did was drop to the ground and began rolling in the dirt. Pilot pawed at the ground until King was up and then they both took off at a dead run towards the far end of the pasture. “He’s come a long way,” Quinn said as he closed the gate and secured it. “King used to attack any other horse we’d put with him so we had to keep him by himself.”
“But he likes Pilot,” I said as we began walking towards the barn.
“Pilot’s another rescue. A few nights after he got here, he got out of his stall and we found him and King in the same stall the next morning. Turns out Pilot is somewhat of an escape artist and not only did he let himself out of his stall, he managed to open King’s too. Could have been a disaster, but for whatever reason, King was okay with him.”
“Guess he was lonely,” I mused as we reached the barn and Quinn took the lead rope from me.
When Quinn didn’t say anything, I glanced up at him and saw him watching me. “I guess we’re lucky Pilot is such a pushy bastard or King would have spent the rest of his life by himself.”
Quinn’s words made me shiver…or maybe it was the way he said them. I shifted uneasily and was reminded of my soaked shoes and socks.
“Yeah, those aren’t going to cut it,” Quinn said as he looked down at my sneakers. “You have some boots at home?”
I shook my head. “Not really my thing,” I said.
“Come on,” Quinn said. “I think I have a pair that might fit you.”
I couldn’t help but glance at Quinn’s feet which I instantly regretted because it reminded me of how much bigger than me he was all over. But I followed him anyway and felt my pulse ratchet up as I realized our destination was one of the small cottages just beyond the barn. I really didn’t want to be confined with the man in any kind of enclosed space, but I knew I’d look foolish if I told him I wanted to stay outside, so I followed him up the couple of porch steps and into the house.
The outside of the house was a soft gray color with white trim. Inside was small but clean and surprisingly cozy. The furniture was simple, but looked comfortable and welcoming. There were a few pictures on the walls depicting horses and landscapes and there was a small flat screen TV hanging on the wall across from the single couch. The kitchen had modern appliances and a small table with two chairs.
“Have a seat,” Quinn said as he motioned to one of the chairs. “I’ll be right back.”
I watched him head down the hallway and disappear into a door to the left, a bedroom presumably. I used the alone time to pull out my phone and send my obligatory morning text to my parents and waited for the response I knew would be forthcoming. I hated the fact that my fathers’ days revolved around my texts, but I couldn’t argue the point. I just wondered if there would ever come a day when they’d be able to go more than a couple of hours without worrying I’d offed myself.
“Here, try these on,” Quinn said as he came back out of the room, a pair of boots in one hand and a cowboy hat in the other.
He handed me a dry pair of socks which I was supremely grateful for. He leaned back against the wall and watched me swap out my footwear for the well-worn brown boots that looked like they belonged in a western movie. They were a little big, but it felt so good to have dry feet, I didn’t care. “No way these are yours,” I mused as I glanced at Quinn’s feet.
“No, they were my husband’s.”
I stilled at that and shifted my eyes up to Quinn’s. I remembered him telling me his husband had died. The fact that he still had the man’s boots after a couple of years was telling. “Fuck, Quinn, I’m sorry,” I said as I immediately started to take them back off. “I shouldn’t-”
“Leave them on,” Quinn said softly and I froze. His words could have been an order, but they weren’t. His gaze was on the boots. “They look good on you,” he murmured. He seemed to lose himself for a moment before he straightened. “Besides, Griff would have turned over in his grave knowing a city slicker like yourself was working around horses with sneakersandno hat,” he said as he handed me the hat.
I smiled. “City slicker, huh?” I tested the texture of the hat before I tried it on. It felt awkward so I only left it on for a second before removing it. “I guess I am a little out of my element out here,” I said. I stood up to get a feel for the boots and then looked up to see Quinn staring at me.
And just like that, the air in the room changed as it came alive with energy.
“I don’t know,” Quinn murmured. “I think you fit in just fine.”
His words struck a chord deep inside of me and I momentarily forgot my insane need to step forward until our bodies were touching.
How many times in my life had I felt like I fit anywhere?
The answer was both simple and pathetic. I didn’t even need a single finger to count that high.
Quinn’s eyes held mine for the longest time, but, for once, the need to take control of the situation didn’t rear its ugly head. Nor did the need to escape and we both just hung there for several beats until Quinn finally tore his gaze free of mine. “You want something to drink before we head back out?”
“Um, sure,” I managed as I watched Quinn grab a couple of bottled waters from the fridge. “I’ll talk to Jax about taking me someplace this afternoon to get some boots,” I offered.
“No rush,” Quinn said as he handed me one of the bottles which felt good against my heated skin. “We actually need to head down to Clear Creek this afternoon so we can stop on the way if you want.”
“Clear Creek?” I asked as I followed him out of the house.
