Page 55 of Cruel Fate

We get off the train at a stop in the middle of nowhere. Well, not exactly nowhere. We’re on the outskirts of King’s Crossing, and there’s a hint of woodsmoke in the country air.

We don’t talk much but being with her is enough, and I don’t think to ask where we’re going. She could be leading me to my death, and I would still trust her. We catch a bus and the ride lasts two minutes, then she’s urging me off, a wide smile on her face.

We’re standing on a dusty road near a farm, and cars fill a haphazard parking lot made out of a roped-off piece of grassy land.

A smile quirks my mouth. “What are we going to do? Feed cows?”

“You’ll see,” she says, tugging on my tie. I don’t know how she knew I needed out of the city, but I follow her, enjoying this playful facet of her personality. Everyone in my life is so heavy, so serious. Even Ash, lately, is more bluster and anger, and I hope it’s not because of Stella.

The farm is open to the public for a fee, and Stella pays for both of us. She hands the woman two fives, and I suspect she had this planned all along. The pudgy, older woman who stores the cash in a lockbox eyes me, and she stifles a little gasp. I’m surprised she recognized me, but it’s always the people who you’d think would never follow celebrity gossip that know my every move.

Stella gives her side-eye, and I push back a laugh while looking around. She’s brought us to more than just a farm, and a large board offers us things to do: visit a petting zoo, walk through a pumpkin patch, decorate a gourd, pick apples.

There’s even an area where food trucks are parked, and we can eat a late lunch.

We could spend the rest of the day here.

I want to.

I cuddle her against my chest and whisper a kiss over her lips. She leans in, melting into my embrace, but reluctantly, I let her go. Dressed in our office clothes, we make a strange pair, and I pull off my jacket and roll up my sleeves. She shrugs out of her trench coat, too, and we roam around debating what we should do first.

I want to pet the animals, and holding her hand, I impatiently tow her in that direction across the grass. She laughs, and I haven’t heard a prettier sound.

Baby animals segregated in their pens fill the huge barn, and the pungent aroma of manure hits me in the face, but it doesn’t deter me enough to back out. The miniature cows delight me. The tiny goats charm me. To make things even better, Stella digs into her bag for quarters, and I feed them pellets of grain. She must have given me ten dollars’ worth before she finally cuts me off. “There are other babies to feed.”

Children run around shrieking, but the animals don’t seem to mind. There are lambs, too, and miniature donkeys. I pet them all, their wet tongues licking at my hand. When we’re done with the animals in the barn, Stella tells me there are more pens outside. It strikes me she’s been here before, and I fight a wave of jealousy she’s brought other men out here with her.

I rub baby horses on the nose, and when they run off, a lake glimmering in the distance catches my eye.

“What’s over there?” I prepare for something glib because we can both see it’s water.

She says, “It’s special and I wanted to save it for last, but since you asked, we can go that way.”

I want to see what’s over there even more now, and I urge her in that direction, our fingers tangled together. We walk over the bright green grass, and I’m sweating as the sun beats down on us. Stella must be dying in her sweater dress and boots.

There are more children this way, running everywhere. Little girls and boys giggling and playing tag, sucking on candy and pulling balloons behind them. Their shouts fade the farther we walk, and after a while, the wind rustling the dried leaves in the trees drowns them out completely.

The water isn’t a lake but a manmade pond, and large groups of ducks have made it their home. Out of nowhere, Stella drops more pellets into my hand and sits under a tree. To my surprise, the ducks approach us, and I follow Stella’s example, tossing the feed into the grass and along the water’s edge.

I laugh as the ducks converge on the treats.

We run out, but Stella doesn’t get us more. Maybe she’s out of quarters, or maybe she doesn’t want to leave my embrace. I hope it’s the latter. My arms are wrapped around her, and I rest my chin on top of her head. Only my growly stomach gives away my discomfort, and she kisses my cheek. “Hungry?”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to move.”

“We have plenty of time. There’s no rush, Zane. Really. Enjoy yourself.”

I push to my feet, and offering her my hand, I help her stand. I drape my suit jacket over my arm, and we amble back to the center of all the activity.

We eat subs and chips (and again, she pays), and I try not to notice people snapping our pictures. I’ll never be able to escape the scrutiny or the curiosity. I guess the last thing Zane Maddox should be doing is enjoying a sunny afternoon with his girlfriend.

Stella can pack the food away, and I tease her a little to watch her blush.

After we eat, in an old, repurposed barn surrounded by kids, harried parents, paint, glue, and glitter, we decorate gourds next. White ones shaped like pumpkins, their green stems poking from the tops, are available for purchase, and Stella buysus two. I feel like I should offer to pay for something, but she materializes cash like a magician, and all I have is my credit card.

I sit next to a little girl who has dark brown skin and soulful eyes. She reminds me of Stella’s friend’s daughter on the train. Her guarded look hits home after my recent conflicts with Denton and Cramer.

“Hi, I’m Zane,” I say, hoping I don’t scare her.

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