AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I nodded with a hoarse, “Fine. Just…fine.”
Her brows pinched together with concern. I couldn’t stop staring at her hand—a soft contrast to the corded muscle of my forearm, hardened by years of work and tanned brown after a lifetime in the sun.
“Well, I was saying I got the horses settled in your barn while you were in the hospital. Could I maybe…pay you rent or—”
“No,” I cut in, shaking my head. “I’m not taking a single penny from you.”
“ButLandon…” Callie said, exasperated.
“Look, if you want to fight me on this, you’re going to quickly find out that I’m as bull-headed as they come. Besides, rebuilding that barn won’t be cheap.”
She sighed and withdrew her hand. I wanted to catch it, sheltering her hand in my palm. But I curled my fingers into a fist instead and shoved it under the table.
“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of,” Callie replied. “I contacted my bank for a loan but they said I don’t qualify and they can’t help me.”
Even though her downcast gaze shielded her expression, there was no disguising the heaviness in her voice. This was weighing on her more than she wanted to admit.
“You’re welcome to use the barn as long as you need to,” I pointed out.
Callie gave a small smile.
“Are you sure? You risked your life to save my horses. Now I’m taking over your barn. And you won’t even let me pay you.”
I gestured to the peach cobbler.
“This is payment enough. Believe me. I can’t cook for shit.”
“Sounds like you’re letting me off the hook easy,” Callie countered.
“I’m not about to add to a lady’s troubles. You have your hands full as it is.”
She pushed her bowl away, cobbler half eaten.
“I was thinking about selling one of the horses. Hera, probably, since she’s the purebred. That would cover a lot of my expenses, although it kills me to say it. Grandma Cora rescued every single one of those horses and gave them a purpose on her homestead.”
I felt as if I’d been kicked in the stomach. The thought of Hera getting sold off left a foul taste in my mouth. When I moved in three years ago, she was skittish after a lifetime of neglect from an owner who didn’t give a damn about her. She wouldn’t come anywhere near Cora, let alone me.
Every once in a while, I spotted Hera watching me, though. Her ears pricked forward, betraying her interest.
It took a year to earn her trust with soft words and a world of patience. When she finally opened up, I couldn’t shake her. She was at the fence every morning, whinnying so loud that I could hear her in the kitchen. And if I dared to show up without treats, she would nuzzle at my pockets like a hound dog on the hunt.
It would be too damn quiet without Hera.
I swallowed my protests. I couldn’t say anything—it wasn’t my place. Callie needed the finances to rebuild her barn, to get her homestead back on track. Her animals needed food and shelter to weather the harsh, snowy winters.
Callie shook her head and gathered her dishes.
“Oh, God, please ignore me. I didn’t come over here to bother you with my money problems. I’ll figure something out.”
She turned away, washing her bowl in the sink. I studied her back, the set of her shoulders so determined to claw her way through this disaster on her own without being a burden to anyone else. I scrubbed my hand over my mouth as an idea began to take shape in my mind.
If I had any hope of making my plan come to life, I needed help. And a lot of it.
Chapter Seven
Callie
I swore under my breath as I twisted and tugged at the wire. Since Landon had surrendered his barn to me for the foreseeable future—and refused to take any payment in the process—I was determined to fix the hole in my fence so my horse didn’t escape and eat his laundry again.
