I swing by the horse barn to check on Bonnet. She behaved normally this afternoon, so I don’t expect any surprises, but I’m not taking any chances.
When I walk in, Blue pokes his head out of his stall.
“Hey there, fella, you keeping an eye on Bonnet for me?” I give his nose a rub and peek into Bonnet’s stall.
She looks peaceful lying on her side. When I open the door, she lifts her head, then gets up.
“Didn’t mean to wake you. Just making sure you’re feeling better.”
She nuzzles me, and I spend a few minutes giving her attention before heading to the tool barn.
Thanks to my horse and a random squirrel, today is ending much better than yesterday started.
The lights are on in the barn when I arrive, and Archer has his head buried in the engine of a tractor.
I make noise as I walk up so that I don’t startle him. “Why are you working on a tractor at this time of night?”
He straightens and wipes his hands on a rag. “Why are you running around like you’re getting ready for a calendar photo shoot? Did you lose a bet? Or maybe Grayson messed up and needs help making a video to apologize to his wife. Which is it?”
“Neither. It’s kind of a long story. But the important part is that there is a squirrel in my bathroom, and I need the trap.”
“A what? Where?”
“It crawled out of the toilet. I didn’t know they did that, did you? They come in through the plumbing vents.”
He blinks, then scrubs his face. “And now I’ll have nightmares. Thanks for that.”
“No problem. Soon, I’ll get up on our roof and put screen over the vents. That might help deter adventurous squirrels.”
“Good thinking.”
“Back to my question. Why are you in here so late?”
Archer pulls out his phone and shows me a picture. “This was my girlfriend. I thought she was the one. But the day after graduation, she broke up with me. She didn’t even give a reason. Just that it wasn’t working. And I could tell she was lying, but nothing I said changed her mind. Anyway, today’s her birthday, and I’m having trouble sleeping.”
I stare at the photo, familiarity clawing at me. “How long ago did y’all break up?”
“It’s been a while. And I’ve tried moving on, but I can’t help but think about her.”
“Does she live around here?”
He shakes his head. “Unfortunately, no. She’s still back in my hometown. At least I think she is. She was there when I went back for my grandma’s funeral.”
“I’m sorry. I know what it’s like to be hung up on someone and thinking it’s hopeless.” I’m not going to kiss and tell, but I can throw a little hope his way. “But you never know. Life has a way of surprising us.”
“I can only hope.” He waves a hand. “Now grab that trap and go. I’m tired of looking at your chiseled abs.”
Laughing, I pick up the metal trap, then strike a pose before walking out of the barn. “Catch you later.”
“Tell that to the squirrel.”
When I walk back into the cabin, Bluebonnet is sitting on the couch. She’s wearing one of my T-shirts, and I’m never not going to love that.
“Did you get my note?”
“I did. And thanks for leaving it. Because for a second, I was concerned.”
I lift the cage. “Grabbed this so we can set the little adventurer free.” I toss in a bit of food and set the trap. “Now I just need to get it in there without letting him out. Keeping the toilet water confined to the bathroom seems like a better idea.”
