I chat with Beau about my family while he ladles soup into bowls for the three of us. It’s broccoli cheddar, with fresh bread on the side, which I suspect he actually made himself. While we eat, we regale Candice with stories from our time cowboying together on my family’s ranch, and all the shit we used to get into with my brothers. This seems to suit her just fine as it allows her to consume as much food as possible without pausing to speak.
We end up sprawled in the living room, with Candice taking up the entire couch by herself. She lays flat on it, and wraps herself in the blanket her grandma knit for her.
“So,” I say. “I’ve got a proposition.”
“A what?” Candice asks around a yawn.
“Well, it’s more like an idea. Or an offer. Someone made me an offer and I can’t really refuse it, but I need you guys to okay it so?—”
“Just spit it out,” Beau says.
“Western Horsewoman wants to do a follow up article on me. And they want to shoot it here. Next week.”
“O-kay,” Beau says slowly. “Why?”
“What do you mean why?” I splutter.
“He’s America’s favorite cowboy and all that. Isn’t the why obvious?” Candice says, waving her hand around. She’s propped up on the couch now, and is staring at me with an inscrutable look on her face.
“They interviewed him a few months ago. How much more could he have to say?” Beau asks.
“Fair point. He’s all brawn, no brains, after all,” Candice jokes.
“Laying aside the issue of my brawn,” I start. “They want to do an article about my time here working with the rescues. I told my manager that they’d have to feature you and Beau in the article, too.”
“I’ll pose for a photo, but I won’t talk,” Candice says.
“I won’t pose, and I won’t talk.” Beau crosses his arms as he says this.
“Great, I’m sure the magazine will love that,” I say in an exasperated tone. “You know, if you want to raise some actual money for this place, an article like this is the perfect opportunity.”
“That’s true,” Candice says.
“A quote or two from the owner, saying how much she wants to help more horses, if only she had the money, wouldn’t hurt,” I encourage.
“Fine,” she says. “I’ll talk. A bit. But you better do most of the work. I’m not good at that shit.”
“Honey, don’t worry. This is exactly what I’m best at.” I grab my phone off the coffee table and immediately send Amber a text.
“I need to get going,” Candice says, yawning yet again and hauling herself up off the couch.
“Where to?” I ask.
“I’m going to sit with Storm,” she says. “Just for a few hours. I want to make sure she’s okay.”
“I’ll come with you,” I offer. I hate the idea of her sitting there alone, worrying herself sick over the mare. If I’m there, at least I’ll be able to keep her spirits up and keep her mind occupied.
Candice goes to put her boots and coat on, and Beau catches me alone for a moment before I follow her.
“Nate,” he says. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For offering to sit with her. For caring.”
I think for a moment about what to say—about how much to reveal. The look in Beau’s eyes tells me that it’s time to lay all my cards out on the table.
“You told me once that there was no one more dedicated to these horses than Candice,” I say. “And you’re right—each and every one of them is part of her family, and it’s a beautiful thing to behold. But she deserves someone that’s dedicated to her just as deeply. And that’s all I’m trying to do.”
