Page 57 of Promise You Forever

She smiles and goes back to it. “I’ll never stop loving living here.”

I hope that’s true. It’s a slower pace than what she's used to. I’m sure there is so much less to do, but these views can’t be beat. I’ll be everything she needs, do what she needs. I don’t want to overwhelm her though, so I keep these thoughts to myself.

We walk side by side through the store, talking about what we want to make over the next few days. When she’s not looking, I slip some of her favorites into the cart so I can surprise her. Luckily for me, Linda and Jasmine are shopping together and distract her while I check out. She joins me to help load the truck.

“Do you think Linda and Jasmine are dating?” she asks.

“What?” I look over at her, surprised by the question.

“They’re always together, and they finish each other’s sentences. I just caught a vibe, you know?”

“I guess they could be. I’ve never really thought about it, but Linda’s never had a boyfriend or really even talked about romantic relationships with me.” The more the thought settles in, the more it actually makes sense. “Should I ask?”

“No, absolutely not. If they are together, they can tell us themselves in their own time.”

“I don’t want them to think I’d think less of them or something. Some people around here are pretty small-minded.”

“I think they know you well enough to know that you’d be fine, if they are dating. Like I said, it's just a vibe. I could be wrong.”

“Good for them, if they are, though.” I open her door and wait for her to get in before closing it.

The drive back home is quiet with both of us lost in our thoughts while Noah Kahan plays softly in the background. I still have quite a few things to get done before I call it a night. Even though it’s the weekend, my work never ends. I wouldn’t trade it for the world though.

“Do you need any help getting all the animals ready for the storm?” Eli asks.

“I do need to blanket a few of the horses and make sure the goats and sheep have enough food. You can help with that if you want.”

“I’ll take care of the goats for sure. I’ve never blanketed a horse solo, so I might come watch you so I know in the future.”

We part ways after putting away the groceries, she goes to the goats, and I head over to the sheep. Once I get a few bales of hay out for them and make sure the dogs have enough food and water I close the barn down enough to keep the wind out but leave a big enough opening if some want to venture outside. I make sure to give the dogs all the pets and scratches they want. They’re self-sufficient and focused on their jobs, but I still think they need to get that human interaction as much as possible.

Eli’s already in the stable feeding treats to all the horses. I keep in the shadows to watch her unnoticed. She’s always been competent around all the animals, but her comfort with them has really grown since she’s been back. She speaks quietly to each horse, brushing their forelocks to the side or giving them kisses as they whinny or knicker quietly back to her. I’mespecially intrigued by how easily Clover took to her. That mare has tried to kick every single one of us who works here, and her ears are constantly pinned back.

“What kind of magic spell did you put on her?” I ask as I walk over to her hand feeding apple biscuits to Clover.

“Maybe she just doesn’t like grumpy people.” Eli looks over at me pointedly.

“She doesn’t like Sam or Colt either.” As if to punctuate my statement, Clover nods her head. “See.”

“Maybe she doesn’t like men.”

Another head nod from Clover.

“Smart girl,” Eli coos, petting her neck. “Who gets a blanket?”

“Clover, Sky, and Lucky. Marco and Phil have longer coats.”

We start with blanketing Sky and Lucky. Both horses have even temperaments, and I could easily handle them on my own. Eli grabs Clover’s blanket and opens the buckles before carrying it to her stall. I’m interested to see where she’s going with this.

“Let me try on my own?” She looks at me for approval.

“Okay, I’ll be right here though.” I open the stall door for her and watch her approach the skittish mare.

“Want to smell it first?” Eli holds the blanket up so Clover can check it out. “See, that’s not scary. I’m going to put it over you now.”

Clover whinnies and side steps, her ears going flat. My stomach tightens as does my hand on the door. I’m ready to spring in and save her if necessary.

“It’s okay,” Eli says to the horse. Or maybe me. We both need to be soothed at the moment. She tosses the blanket over Clover’s back and moves to the front of the horse. “I’m just going to buckle it now, okay?”

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