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“Yeah. They dropped the sponsorship the minute I got engaged. Not that I care. I’m more happy now than I’ve ever been.”
Mateo Domingo used to dominate the bronc riding circuit nationally, but even with all the fame and glory and women dripping off him, he’s never wanted anything more than a simple bungalow here in Starlight Canyon with a wife and kids. He craved that. Security was all he needed, the yearning for it was woven through every story he ever told. In fact, he’s shed just about all his shiny past now and seems so much more relaxed for it.
“Coffee?” he offers.
“No thanks. Just a quick question. It’s about the mustangs.”
Mateo’s known me a long, long time. Though he doesn’t know exactly why, he’s known that no matter how much we ever got to drinking the night before, I always ended up in the Valley for the wild horses.
I lean against the wall. “I wondered if you’d be able to visit the Valley for me a couple times a week and check the pipe. I can’t have those horses suffering but I really could use a day or two off duty every week.”
He nods, lips in a thin line. “No problem. Just text me what to do, and I’ve got it covered.”
“You sure? I know you’ve got your new school and training up your broncs. And a kid on the way…” Suddenly I feel like me, a bachelor with fuck all in my world, shouldn’t have asked my friend such a thing.
But as usual, Mateo slaps my back and makes me feel like I just did him a favor. That’s his energy. Total light. He’s the kind of guy a woman like Molly deserves. “I’ll look forward to it. I haven’t been around wild horses for ages. But what brought this on? Everything okay at the ranch?”
“Yeah. Great… I just… my alarm clock is bothering my new roommate.”
“You could, and I’m not saying this because I don’t want to help, just saying you could go to the Valley during the day like a normal person.”
But then I wouldn’t see Molly.
I don’t answer.
He narrows his eyes. “No problem, man. Like I said, just drop me a text or email with instructions. Or we can meet up sometime and go out there together.”
“Thanks.” I tip my hat. “I’ll leave you to enjoy the peace and quiet of nap time with your wife.” I lift my eyebrows.
He walks me to the door and stares at me from under his own. “Trust me. I will.”
* * *
Over the next few days, I don’t set my alarm, intending to get to the Valley at some point in the day, but out of habit, get up at the same time without it and hurry off, hoping I’ll get back quickly enough to make breakfast for Molly. Mateo will take over some Valley runs from tomorrow.
For a week straight, we’ve eaten together, and I swear I’ve never looked forward to a day beginning like I do now. In fact, I’m not sure I even really understood where one day ended and one began until I started having breakfast with Molly.
She’s all messy bun and giant pajama t-shirt off the shoulder this morning. She’s hugging her knees to her chest and drinking her coffee, giggling. She tells me about how down at the yard they discovered Romeo is even smarter than I thought. “So all of us are just beside ourselves yesterday. Like, how on earth are these damn horses getting out of the corral in the morning and into pasture? We put the Belgians back in twice yesterday. Then Georgie saw this…” She grabs her cell. “Come see this.”
I get up, brace my hands on either side of the table where she sits, and lean over her to see what she has to show me on her cell. She searches through her gallery, and in the meantime, strawberries call to me. Her messy bun smells like all that desire I pent up before we decided to be friends and reminds me all over again how beautiful this woman is. Even more beautiful now I’m getting to know her.
I find it hard to breathe her in, harder not to kiss her bare shoulder. I’m sure these feelings will pass. But wanting to touch Molly will probably be one of those things that gets worse before it gets better.
“Oh, here it is…” She plays a video, and there, caught on camera, is Romeo, with his mouth, undoing the corral latch. “Look at him.” She laughs. “What a rascal.”
Some people would find this a nuisance, Molly finds it funny. It is pretty cute when horses get into mischief, most of the time.
She turns her head to talk to me, her face close enough to mine for me to see she has a few freckles on her nose I never noticed before. Maybe she covers them up with makeup most days, but in the morning, her face is raw, natural, dewy, and has a smattering of, well, sunshine.
She asks, “Are there any latches we could get he couldn’t undo?”
“Probably not. Horses like Romeo can be relentless. We’ll need to padlock that corral but we can keep the key there for convenience.Thathe won’t be able to do without fingers.”
She glances back at her phone. “I’m glad he made it through. He’s my favorite horse here now. He has so much personality.”
“Why don’t you have him?”
Her eyes are all wide when she whips her gaze around to meet mine. “What do you mean?”
