Hidden(19)

As Dillon walks towards me, I take a good look at him. He’s tall, definitely over six feet. He’s fit and tan from working on the ranch. His t-shirt stretches across his broad shoulders and muscular arms and his worn jeans hang low on his hips. His dark hair is a little unruly, sticking up every which way. His big brown eyes are kind and warm. Sometimes he looks into mine like he can see deep down into my soul. Like he can see everything I’ve been through and he wants to take it all away.

He sits on the edge of the bed and I immediately feel that flutter in my tummy. He smells so good. I want to bury my face in his chest and inhale. He smells like fresh laundry and coffee. He glances at all the books scattered on the bed. One in particular catches his attention. There are two men and a girl dressed in leather on the cover in provocative poses. He looks back up at me under his thick eyelashes and the corner of his mouth lifts. He’s trying not to laugh at me. He must see the embarrassment on my face and quickly distracts me.

“Were you okay last night?”

“Yeah.”

“I worked really late and then fell asleep on the couch.”

“It’s okay. I kept busy.”

He looks at all the books again and nods. “So, I was thinking. I could really use some help with the horses. How’d you like me to teach you how to run a horse ranch?” He claps and rubs his hands together.

“Really? I would love that.” I toss the books aside and smile widely at him..

“Good. Laney has some jeans and boots in her closet you can wear. Grab something to eat and some coffee. You’re gonna need it. I’ll meet you downstairs.”

I’m actually really excited. I was hoping to help out and make myself useful around here. I quickly dress in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from Laney’s closet and find some boots as well. Her clothes are a bit big on me, but they work for now. I braid my hair to get it out of my face and head downstairs. Dillon is leaning against the kitchen counter with his legs crossed at his ankles and his arms crossed over his chest. As soon he sees me, he whistles and tips his cowboy hat.

“Wow! You look like a real cowgirl. One thing you’re missing.” He turns and lifts a hat off of the counter. It looks similar to the one I saw his girlfriend wear. He walks over to me and places the hat on my head. I can feel his breath on my face, he’s so close. “Perfect. You’ll need it to protect you from the sun. It’s intense.” Then he taps my nose.

“Thanks.” Just the thought of him wanting to protect me from the sun makes me smile.

We walk past the first barn that holds all of the farm and tractor equipment and he takes me to a huge barn that has about twelve horse stalls.

“We have seven horses right now. Ben, Chester, Sierra, Levi, Buster, Ben and Daisy. They’re big, but don’t let their size scare you. They won’t hurt you.”

“Which one is this?” I ask as I stand in front of a beautiful black and white horse. He seems so tame.

“That’s Buster. He’s an old guy. When you ride, I’ll put you on him. He’s slow and gentle. You’ll like him. Once we’re all finished here, we’ll go for a ride.”

“Really?” I feel like a little girl. I’m so excited, I want to jump up and down. Since that first day I saw the horses, I dreamed of being able to ride. “So what do we have to do?”

“First we have to hay, feed and water the horses. Then each horse has to be groomed. Then we have to muck the stalls and then dump and spread the manure out in the fields with the tractor. We also have to record all the feedings, water changes and grooming.”

I stare at him blankly. I didn’t sleep last night. At all. Just listening to all that work makes me yawn. I cover my mouth as I try to suck in as much oxygen as I can.

“Don’t worry, it’s not that bad and with both of us working, we’ll get done fast and then we can relax. So, if you can start filling their buckets with water, I’ll start cleaning out the stalls and then we can fill them with hay.”

“I can do that.”

We work side by side. Dillon shows me where all of the supplies are. It takes a few hours to finish the stalls. We take a quick water break and get back to work.

“Now we have to make them all pretty.” He brings out a bunch of different shaped brushes and a bucket of water and washcloths. “They like to be groomed so don’t be scared of them. You can start with Buster. First we use this brush in a circular motion to remove the dirt and loose hair, then this brush we use in straight short motions, and then the soft brush we use last and on the more sensitive areas. This comb is for their mane and tail. Then we use a sponge for their faces and docking areas.”