Page 73 of Happily Never After

“Okay, let’s get going. It’s going to take us either twenty minutes or two hours to get to the ranch.”

Mindy backed the car out of the spot and sped toward the hills. As they drove, Claire checked the doggy daycare app. With everything going on, leaving the dogs home alone was no longer an option. They had enrolled Winston and Rosie in a twenty-four-hour daycare the day before, and Rosie had been so exhausted she had to be physically carried out to the backyardto go pee before bed. The app had a live camera available at all times. Both dogs were safe and sound. Rumor had it that Rihanna’s dog attended the same facility.

Thirty minutes later, they rolled into a dusty parking lot. Claire and Mindy stepped out into the sunshine.

“It’s a beautiful day!” Mindy stretched her arms out and twirled in the light.

“Are you just saying that because you’re going to see Sawyer this weekend?”

“Maybe.” Mindy booped Claire on the nose. “Riding boots?”

“Right.” Claire popped the trunk and pawed through half a dozen garment bags before finding the right one. She slid on a pair of socks and her rarely used equestrian boots.

“Ready?” Mindy brushed a bit of dirt off her jodhpurs.

Claire glanced over her own outfit and tossed her French braid over one shoulder. She may have copied her equestrian outfit from an American Girl doll. “Ready. The website said the ranch is about a quarter of a mile up that way. It’s too narrow to drive.”

“That’s fine. I could use the steps.”

Claire locked the car and nodded. After a quick bout of hula dancing, they were on their way. Sweat pooled on her lower back by the time they reached the check-in area of the ranch. This hunt coat wasnotbreathable. A flannel-and-denim clad woman greeted them inside.

“You must be Rita. It’s so nice to finally meet in person.” Claire extended a hand to the woman. The woman reached over and returned the handshake with a strong grip. She couldn’t have been more than five foot two, and there was a gold tooth where her incisor should be. “This is the saddle I told you about.”

Claire handed over a shopping bag containing the saddle they had picked up that morning. A pang hit her. It wasn’t theoriginal. She had lost something irreplaceable. Would Karen be able to tell?

Rita whistled through her teeth. “Well, goll-dang. That’s a beautiful saddle.”

“And it’ll fit the horse okay?” Claire knew nothing about horses.

“I don’t see why not,” Rita said, rubbing the saddle with the end of her sleeve. “You wanna ride Sugar today?”

“Sure,” Claire said. She had never ridden a horse before, unless she counted the pony at a classmate’s tenth birthday party. If she could handle the quick jaunt on Sugar, there was no reason to think that Karen, an accomplished equestrian, would fair any differently.

Twenty minutes later, they trotted down yet another dirt path at a fair speed. Sugar had not been impressed with Claire’s attempts to get in the saddle, but she seemed to have forgiven her. Mindy had ambled onto Rhone, a majestic brown thoroughbred, as if she did this every day. They captured a quick selfie as the horses plodded down the path.

It was peaceful out here in the hills, far away from the hustle and bustle of downtown. Aside from the arid beauty of the hillside though, the ride was exceptionally boring. Visually, there was nothing to look at but patches of dirt and scrubby little plants. This wouldn’t do for the country’s most romantic and over-the-top proposal. This wouldn’t do at all.

“Scenery kind of sucks, no?” Mindy whispered.

Claire nodded fervently. “Some adjustments are definitely needed.” But what would be appropriate? Lanterns? Floral wreaths?

They rounded a bend. The back of her neck prickled. She turned abruptly and peered over her shoulder. No one was behind them. The path ahead was clear as well. So why couldn’t she shake the feeling that she was being watched?

Her gaze probed the hills as Rita chatted about the history of the ranch. Something down the hill flashed, like sun hitting glass. Her heart leapt into her throat. As hard as she looked, nothing jumped out of the arid terrain. Was someone down there watching them? Was that the sun flashing across the scope of a rifle? Or was it just an influencer with a malfunctioning ring light?

Mindy nudged her. “What’s up? You’re on high alert.” She looked over her shoulder.

Claire patted her cross-body purse. Her Taser, at least, had not fallen out during her attempts to get on the horse. “Just a weird feeling. It’s probably nothing.”

Mindy puffed herself up like a cat, staring all around them with a glare that would intimidate even the scariest misogynist.

Claire’s shoulders hunched and the reins went limp in her numb hands. They were here. Even if they weren’t watching right now, ESA was in the city. What were they planning? How much time did she have before they made their move? And who would they hurt in the meantime?

Her vision darkened at the corners. Sugar’s ears flicked. Everything seemed far away. Her breath hitched. Numbness tingled up and down her arms.

Mindy leaned forward and peered at her. “Hey. Take a breath. Do you need to stop?”

Claire shook her head. She was not about to give ESA the satisfaction of a dramatic reaction. What did Dr. Goulding say she should do? Deep breaths, mindfulness, find a focus object. This was just a panic attack, and she wasn’t dying. She swung her head left to right, fighting the tunnel vision. A scrubby tree stood at a fork in the path.

---