“Nice shoes,” I said, when what I meant to say wasI’m sorry I was such a dick last night. She had offered me a way in, cracking the door just a little bit, and what had I done? Kicked that door shut in her face because self-sabotage was my specialty.
I didn’t expect her to take the compliment at face value, even though it was sincere, so I was surprised when her eyes lit up and she held one foot forward to show off her shoe.
“My friends made them for me for my birthday. Well, they didn’tmakethe shoes, obviously. They bought the Converse and then each embroidered a side. Hannah created the design. It’s all our favorite flowers together. James is the columbine, Essie is the red rose, Janie is the sunflower, Hannah is the violet, and I’m the pink peony.”
I didn’t know shit about embroidery, but even I could tell a lot of care and effort went into those shoes. I doubted I had put that much effort into a gift, ever, and sure as shit no one had ever done something like that for me. But that was Chloe. Sheshowed up for people in a way that made them want to show up for her.
“How did they know your favorite flower?” I asked.
Her lips twitched. “They asked. It’s not exactly classified information, Steven.”
“How did they know your shoe size?”
“They’re sneaky.” She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head. “So, are you going to apologize or what?”
The look on her face said she didn’t believe for one second I would. But she was wrong about that. I wanted to apologize. The problem was I still didn’t know what to say that would make any difference.
There was a jagged part of me that believed every nasty thing Chloe had ever said about me, and then some. Maybe that was why I kept coming back for more, why I kept hoping that one day she’d smile at me like she used to. Maybe if I put enough good into the world, the good would eventually outweigh the bad, even if it couldn’t erase it. I wanted to believe that there was something worthwhile in the wreckage of my soul, and if she smiled at me again, then I’d know I found it.
“I’m in a coffee shop,” I said. “I’m here for coffee.”
It killed me a little that she didn’t look surprised when she said, “Get the hell out of here, Steven.”
That, at least, was something I could do.
The feedand supply store called, letting me know that the special pellets I had ordered for Stevie had arrived, so I swung by on my way out of town. Most hog feed was meant for livestock heading to the slaughterhouse, not backyard pets. Itwas formulated to fatten them up. I wanted my Stevie girl to live a long, healthy life, so I ordered her food from a fancy specialty store and had it sent to Aspen Springs Feed and Supply, since they didn’t deliver way out in my area.
“Got it right here for you,” Daphne said as walked through the door. She peered over the counter and her face fell. “You didn’t bring Stevie with you?”
Daphne loved Stevie, and Stevie loved people in general, so I usually brought her along when I was running errands in town. I never brought her on jobs, though, because cute as she was, she was also a menace, and I wasn’t about to let her get stomped by an annoyed horse.
“Not today. I’m going straight to work from here.” I hefted the ninety-pound bag over my shoulder and tipped my chin. “Next time.”
Daphne grinned. “Tell Stevie I said hi.”
“Will do,” I said, even though I definitely wouldn’t. Stevie might be the smartest pig in the world, but she was still a pig.
I took a step back, pivoted toward the door, and came face-to-face with Blaine Gunnell.
His eyebrows went up in surprise. “Steven.”
“Blaine.” I shifted the bag. Fuck, this was awkward. Blaine worked summers at Lodestar Ranch. I hadn’t seen him since the incident. “How’s school?”
“One more year. Then I’m off to vet school.”
“Right.” I nodded. Blaine’s dad, Jacob Gunnell, was the best vet in a hundred miles, and Blaine intended to follow in his footsteps. “Good for you,” I said, and meant it. We had gotten along great…until we hadn’t.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” He tilted his head like he was searching his memory, though we both knew damn well he remembered. “I haven’t seen you since Adam broke your nose.”
I sighed. God, I was so fuckingtired. “That was it, all right.” I stepped around him, pushed the door open with my hip, and went out ass first. “Good luck with school.” I still meant it.
But if I never saw a single person from Lodestar Ranch ever again, I would be okay with that.
I tossed the pellets in the passenger seat and slammed the door shut, hoping like hell the footsteps crunching on the gravel parking lot belonged to literally anyone else.
No such luck.
“I heard you’re in the farrier business now,” Blaine said behind me. Of course the kid had followed me out. He had never minded his own business a day in his life, so why start now?
