AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hope you’ve got something in that crate you brought better than those,” the driver says and drops the van into gear. “Get comfy, everyone. We’ve got an hour on the road.”
After turning on my hot spot, I pull out my laptop and settle in for the ride. The team is silent except for someone who starts snoring in the back. Country music twangs over the radio, and I do my best to block it out and focus on the latest testing statistics the team sent over. Everything appears on track, so I send out a “great work, team” email and close the computer just as we pull off the pavement onto a dirt road. There’s a sign on the side of the dirt path:Welcome to the wild west. Thorouhood Ranch: 10 miles.
The van bounces, and I look for something to hold on to. There’s nothing but the backs of the seats in front of me. I reach forward, when the front right tire dips into a huge rut. My laptop goes flying onto the floor between the driver and passenger seats, and the only thing that keeps me from sliding onto the floor myself is Geoffrey’s arm extending across my chest.
He arches one brow. “Maybe you should buckle up.”
Luca
Retreat day came too quickly,and I feel like I haven’t sat down in over twenty-four hours from all the preparation. Wyatt, Emma, and I huddle, and look over our final plans, knowing that a van full of LivFit’s finest will be arriving at our doorstep.
“Let’s let everyone get settled in their rooms, and then we’ll have happy hour where we can go through expectations before having dinner,” Wyatt says.
“It looks like Jack is the organizer for Liv Fit, so let’s sit down with him as well so he can let us know everything we should be aware of with their group,” I say to nodding heads.
“Are you sure you want to take Jasper out on his inaugural retreat?”
“He’s ready, Emma,” I say. “He’s been working so hard, and his temperament is getting better. He deserves to be out there with his buddies.”
“I think you’re right,” Wyatt says.
“They should be here any minute, so I’m going to tend to the horses, do a double check on equipment, and meet you all inside in no time at all.”
As I walk to the barn, a dark van with tinted windows comes into view as it goes underneath our sign welcoming them to Thoroughgood Ranch. Wyatt and Emma tell me that I come off as a curmudgeon, and maybe I do, but the excitement I have when a group shows up is unparalleled. The first time I visited this ranch was when Wyatt brought me home for Spring Break our freshman year of college. I fell in love with it at first sight, and my hope is that everyone else loves it as much as I do.
I do horseshoe checks on the twelve horses that will accompany us on this cattle drive, and then I make sure we have enough food packed for them for our five-night trip.
“It’s going to be an adventure,” I say to no horse in particular. “We’re going to make these city folk fall in love with our open-air office, do you hear me?”
There is a lot of gear packed for this trip, and hopefully all the attendees realize that they’re the ones who have to haul a lot of it. Everyone will sleep in a single tent they’ll need to pitch. There’s food, tools, horse gear. As I look at everything placed in neat piles, it looks like we’ll be away for five months, not five nights.
As I walk inside, I hear voices ringing out from the great room, but instead of checking on the group, I decide to retreat to my room in hopes of getting in a quick shower before I join everyone for happy hour.
I turn the doorknob, but it’s locked, so I grab my key from the front pocket of my jeans. During non-retreat times, this is my private bedroom with a spacious ensuite. But when we’re hosting a retreat, I’m room number five. All the way down the hallway, last door on the left.
“What are you doing in here?”
My heartbeat nearly escapes my chest as I look across the room at a woman who was starting to unzip her skirt just as I walked in. Her mouth hangs open, her lips a beautiful shade of red to match her blushing complexion. Her dark hair is tucked behind her ears. And the sound that comes out of my mouth surprises us both.
I... laugh.
“Who are you?” she asks again. “Geoff threw me a key for room number five. Said that’s where I was assigned. I assumed I had a private room.”
Her voice sounds shrill, and I look at her suitcase—pink, leopard print. Figures. Her clothes are strewn across my bed. All of her belongings. Onmybed. And I wonder: what did shenotbring?
“I’m so sorry, ma’am,” I say, trying to compose myself. “There must be a misunderstanding. This is my bedroom.”
As if she doesn’t believe me, she puts her heels back on her feet, marches over to me, and shows me the wood carved horse attached to a key with the number five on it.
“Five. I’m in room number five.”
“Ma’am, again, I’m sorry for the mix up. I work here too, and we were expecting an all-male group, so someone has accidentally put you into a room with me.”
“I won’t room with you,” she says, planting a fist on her hip. Her shoulders are rigid as if she’s trying so hard to take up more space than her little frame will allow. This little lady obviously has a lot to prove, but in truth, she’s not a very large woman.
“No, of course not,” I say. “I’ll talk to Emma, and because we are out of beds, I’ll make arrangements for you to bunk with her tonight, and Wyatt can bunk with me. My bedding is clean. I’d be happy if you took my bed.”
“That’s the least you can do,” she says but then her voice takes on a slightly less sharp tone. Maybe she is aware of how shrewish she sounded with that remark. She shoots out a hand, making me blink. “I’m Jacqueline. People call me Jack.”
