“You didn’t let me finish,” I say quietly. “I was going to say that I’ve never pushed Ballantine like that. But I’ve seen people do shitty things to their horses. Seeing those people just makes me more determined than ever to do it right.” It’s the closest I’ve come to talking about what I saw the day of the competition, and even though it sets me on edge, it feels good to let some of it out.
“Well, good,” she says. “Maybe after I’m done with you, you’ll have a future career as a trainer.”
I laugh. “Maybe. I’m not sure anyone will want to work with me now. Not after the fight I got into.”
Candice is quiet for a moment. “I’m sure that’s not true.”
“Well,” I say. “That’s a conversation for another day, then. Because I’ve got to get going. My family’s having a big dinner tonight and I said I’d make the drive over to the ranch.”
Something on Candice’s face shifts as I say this, almost like she’s hurt. But about what, I can’t guess. For a second, I think she might be upset that I’m leaving but no—it can’t be that.
“Okay,” she says. “Have a nice time. And send me the photos you took. I’ll post some of them later.”
I blink. Oh. Right. She’s going to see the photos I took of her. I guess I won’t send her the five photos I took of her face in profile, illuminated by the sunlight. Those feel a bit too, uh, intimate, to say the least. I quickly send her the ones that are worth using and consider deleting the others. But something makes me hesitate, and I end up keeping them.
I tell myself I keep them because she’ll want to post them once she’s more comfortable with social media. No other reason aside from that.
15
CANDICE
On Jenny’sday off she manages to convince me to take a couple of hours off and head into town to do some shopping and eat lunch. She has to pick up a few things for her small soap making business, and she also wants to find Lila a new winter coat at the thrift store.
“Are we taking Lila?” I ask Jenny.
“Nope,” she says. “I convinced your brother to look after her.”
“I’m sure he caved easily,” I say. “He loves Lila and loves babysitting her.”
I don’t add that he’s halfway in love with Jenny, too, but refuses to acknowledge it. Jenny isn’t interested in romance. She told me that when she showed up at the barn for her community service two years ago. She said, and I quote, “Spread the word all over town: I shot my last husband in the foot, and I’m not looking to find another one.”
“He does,” she admits, a blush stealing over her pale cheeks.
“Someday Beau is going to have a house full of babies. I can’t wait for the nieces and nephews.”
“And what about you?” Jenny asks, carefully steering the conversation away from my brother.
“What about me?” I ask, hopping into the passenger seat of my grandpa’s old pickup.
Jenny always drives. She knows I hate it, and I only do it when I absolutely have to. I’m better in the summer, when there’s no chance of there being snow on the roads.
“Don’t you want to have tons of babies, too?”
“You know I do,” I say as we drive down the long dirt road that leads to the barn. “But there aren’t many men around here who I can imagine settling down with.”
“It is certainly slim pickings out here,” Jenny mutters. “I didn’t see one attractive, eligible bachelor at the Horseshoe the other night. Except for Nate, that is.”
“Nathan isn’t exactly an eligible bachelor.”
“Why not? Does he have a girlfriend now or something?” Jenny asks. “I remember a year ago he was pictured with the same woman a few times, but I figured they broke up or it was never serious.”
“I have no idea if he’s seeing anyone at the moment,” I say primly.
Though, he better be single given the interaction we had the other night after he saved me from Ralph.
“But even if he is single, he’s not an eligible bachelor, Jenny. He’s a playboy,” I add.
“So?” she asks. “Don’t reformed rakes make the best husbands?”
