Page 5 of Nate

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A week later, Nate strode through the barn to check on the newborn filly. He leaned against the gate and couldn’t help but smile as he watched the mare nudge her foal.

“Hey, Nate.”

He turned to see Brenna, Beau’s wife, walking toward him.

“Hi, Brenna. What brings you out here on such a hot day?”

“I had to come see the new baby again.” She leaned against the gate beside Nate and smiled while admiring the little foal standing next to its mother.

“She’s a beautiful filly,” Nate commented.

“Stunning. I love how much black she has with those four white socks.”

“I wonder what Lisa will choose for her name.”

Brenna chuckled. “Knowing Lisa, it’ll probably be something simple.”

“That’s true.” Nate turned to face her. “So, how’s married life treating you?”

“It’s amazing. I adore that man.”

Nate laughed. “I know, and he feels the same way about you.”

“He damn well better.” Brenna shook her head with a grin.

“Oh, he does. I’ve never seen him happier.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“He deserves happiness after what Liz did.”

“Yeah, and with my husband at the time.” Brenna sighed and shook her head. “Well, I should probably head back inside. It’s just too hot out here today. This is not normal for this time of year.”

“Very true. Have a good one, Brenna.”

“You too, Nate. Try to stay cool.”

“I will, once I get home to some air conditioning.” He grinned.

Brenna smiled and walked away from the barn. It was early May but already hot outside. What would summer bring?

At the end of his workday, Nate strolled down the aisle of the barn, double-checking that everything was in its proper place. He loved being the manager for Beau’s ranch. Even though it wasn’t a huge operation, it still required constant attention. Beau worked as a livestock agent and also bred and sold Appaloosa horses. Ten ranch hands were under Nate’s supervision, all of them hardworking men.

On any ranch, there was a lot to take care of, not just the animals, but also the fields, fencing, and regular maintenance. The ranch had a total of twenty horses, including Beau’s, Brenna’s, and Nate’s personal horses. Beau owned over three hundred acres of land, with the majority dedicated to grazing pastures for the horses. However, they did set aside ten acres for hay production.

Nate climbed into his pickup truck, started the engine, and headed home. All he wanted to do was take a hot shower and watch some TV. Since he usually had weekends off, he planned on doing absolutely nothing unless he decided to go to Dewey’s for a few hours.

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That Saturday evening, Markie sat on a barstool at Dewey’s with her friend Sydney Wright. They had become acquainted after Sydney brought a stray cat to the animal hospital, and they hit it off right away.

“I’m so glad you called. Things have been non-stop at the store,” Sydney said as she sipped her glass of wine. In addition to running her family’s ranch, she also owned a bookstore in town.Her parents had moved to Florida since her father had rheumatoid arthritis in his hands and couldn’t do it anymore. Sydney took over six years ago and the place has flourished.

“It has been one long week,” Markie responded as she swirled her whiskey around in her glass, watching the water droplets form on the sides.

“I want to dance some line dances tonight. I’ll see if Siobhan will hold onto our purses behind the bar.” Sydney got up from her stool and caught Siobhan’s attention.

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