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So much was happening in her life. Did she have to add this to the list too? Watching out for thieves in the night? And becoming a detective to solve the case of the missing elephant figurine and jewelry box?
At this point, who knew what tomorrow would bring. She thought about that as she slowly fell asleep.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"Thanks, Millie," April called out from the doorway into the bed and breakfast. "I'll be back in a little while."
April wore a pair of denim overalls that fit tight around her form. The pocket had a flowery emblem and the pockets were big enough to fit her small gardening tools. On her waist, she wrapped a red bandana around the loop of her belt. It was soft from washing and many uses. Its edges were frayed, but she folded it in half to make it more manageable.
In her hands she held her normal tools, a rake and bucket for the weeds.
As she walked out to the barn, she saw Jackson, her recently hired ranch hand. He was wearing a pair of faded jeans, a plaid shirt, and boots that had seen better days. His brown hair was pushed away from his face, revealing his strong features.
He'd already done more than April had been able to get done in two days of work. And his section of the grass already looked much better than the one she was working on. How long had he been out here today already?
For a moment, she just sat back and watched his technique. If they were going to get this done, she would need to learn to be as efficient as he was.
"Good morning, Jackson," April called out to him with a friendly wave.
He turned around and smiled at her. "Morning, April. Ready to get to work?"
April nodded with a determined look on her face. "Yes, let's get these weeds out of here."
She set her tools down beside him and began digging up the horridly overgrown plants where she had left off the day before.
The two worked side by side in companionable silence. April enjoyed the peaceful moment, and was grateful for Jackson's help. It was almost like they had been working together for years, not days.
The sun shone brightly down on them as they labored away, and April felt a sense of contentment begin to wash over her. The air was filled with the smell of freshly cut grass and dirt, and the bright yellow birds sang sweetly in the swaying trees above them.
As time passed, they worked side by side without speaking much but still understanding each other perfectly. April found herself getting lost in the sounds of nature around her as Jackson's movements became mesmerizingly familiar.
Occasionally, one of them would stop to wipe their brow or take a drink from their water bottle before plunging back into their work with renewed vigor.
Just over an hour had passed when April was startled by a loud noise near the forest. The whinny of a large horse and heavy feet stomping on the ground.
Jackson and April looked at each other before rushing over to the animal. As soon as she saw it, she knew it was injured.
They approached cautiously, being mindful of the poor animal's space. It clamored its hoof against the ground, like a human stepping foot on a loose lego.
Jackson slowly stepped forward, getting low to try and check out its front right foot.
April stayed back, watching him intently. She could see the muscles in his back tense as he reached out to touch the horse's leg. She held her breath, waiting for him to report back to her.
"There's something lodged in there. It's some kind of metal post. If he stomps on it too much, it'll get too deep and really hurt him. I have to get it out while we still can," Jackson said, keeping completely still so not to scare the horse.
April couldn't believe what she was hearing. Of course, she wanted to help the animal, but she would have had no clue what to do in this situation. Her first instinct would have been to call animal control to help the helpless horse out.
"Are you sure we should be doing that?"
Jackson nodded. "Yes. It'll be alright. Just watch him for me. I'm going to get closer."
April watched nervously as Jackson slowly approached the horse, making soft, soothing sounds to calm it down. She could see the sweat glistening on his forehead as he knelt down beside the animal's leg and began to examine it more closely.
As he got closer, the horse began to relax, and Jackson was able to get a better look at the metal post that was lodged in its foot. Thankfully, from afar anyway, it looked like it hadn't hit anything important. It was stuck in a small portion of its hoof and scraped up the front of the shin.
It could have been much worse from the sound of it.
Carefully, Jackson began to touch the animal to get a feel for it. The animal began to breathe heavy and kicked its front leg just in front of Jackson.
