Page 56 of The Crush
Daniel moves to the first one on the left, a black horse with a similarly dark mane. “All right, Sue, settle down. You going to be a problem today?”
“Considering you named himSue, you probably have it coming,” I say, missing our family horses back home as I reach out to stroke the horse’s velvet soft nose. “Why did you name him that again?”
“The Johnny Cash song,” Daniel answers easily, although, when I don’t immediately show that I catch on, he stares at me in something akin to true horror. “Please tell me you know who Johnny Cash is.”
“Of course I do.” I roll my eyes at him. “That prison guy, right?”
“Theprisonguy?” Daniel repeats. “FolsomPrison?The Man in Black?”
Tadeo chuckles behind me as he walks back out of the tack room with a saddle under one arm. He tilts his head for me to follow him past the dark chestnut across the aisle, but before I do, I look back at Daniel and begin whistling the chorus of “Ring of Fire.” I’m rewarded with a smile that makes my heart skip.
“Here, mija,” Tadeo says, coming to a stop in front of the last horse’s stall. “You can ride María’s horse.”
Daniel’s grin flickers immediately, and I pause, my good mood wavering along with it.Does he not want me to?
Misinterpreting my hesitation, Daniel quickly walks over to me and asks in a low voice, “You still feel good enough to ride? I could take you back to the house?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s, um…” I glance over at Tadeo to see him greeting a painted horse with dark brown-and-white coloring. She whickers in return, immediately nudging his hand for treats once he’s close enough, and he obliges by pulling a few sugar cubes from his pocket. She swipes them with a loudcrunch, crunch, crunchbefore Tadeo looks back our way.
Now is not the time. Later, when Daniel and I have a few moments alone, we could talk about things again. I would make sure he’s okay with this, and if he isn’t…I’ll have to figure it out.
I take an unsteady breath and Daniel’s brow furrows. “Isabel?”
“I’m fine,” I tell him, leaning up to give him a quick peck on the cheek. “You go tack up.”
Even after I walk away, he lingers, only heading off to the tack room for his own things once I give him one more reassuring smile over my shoulder and join Tadeo in front of the stall.
“Reina, you remember Isa,” Tadeo says warmly when I’m next to him. “Don’t you?”
The mare’s brown eyes fix on me for a few moments as if to decide, and in that time, I remember, too. María on horseback, her curly hair tied back in a red ribbon under her hat, laughing as she reached down with one hand to boost me up.
“This is okay?” I ask Tadeo, the question covering more than one thing. “You don’t mind?”
“Not at all.” Tadeo frowns as he pats the horse’s neck. “Besides, Reina will love it. She’s always preferred women anyway. Barely tolerated me for a while after…” He clears his throat. “You two will do fine with each other.”
“I’m sure we will,” I say, unable to help adding, “Sorry. I’m so sorry,Tadeo.”
He sighs, shakes his head, but not in an angry way. “You and Danny really are a pair, aren’t you? Always apologizing for things that aren’t your fault.”
Not sure how to respond, I watch as he unhooks Reina’s halter from the front of the stall, fixing it over her nose and ears so he can lead her out into the aisle. Once he has her secured, he reaches down for a small container of brushes near her stall door and passes me one with long soft bristles. The circular comb he keeps for himself, using it to start making quick work of the mud on Reina’s coat.
“You don’t owe me an apology, mija,” he continues after a time. “If anything, I owe you a thank-you.”
“A thank-you?” My brush goes still from where I’d been sweeping away the dirt off Reina’s coat. “But yesterday…I’ve caused so much trouble for you with my family. And I’ve been lying to you.”
“I know you have. And while I wish you didn’t feel like you had to, I also understand.” Tadeo’s own brush stops as he glances away, and I follow his gaze in time to see Daniel disappear into Sue’s stall with a halter and another bucket of brushes.
“Sometimes you do what you have to do to protect what matters to you. I saw what you did in that church parking lot. You could’ve caved when everyone found out, but you didn’t. You stood by him.”
Tadeo turns so he’s fully facing me. “I don’t really care whatproblemsit creates, because you’re both good kids, and you’re worth the trouble. And if you’ve decided that one another is worth hanging on to, you won’t hear disagreement from me.”
“But what about my father?” I argue quietly, somehow about to cry again even though I thought I was still spent from yesterday. “Iknow this makes things harder for you with the ranch, and it’s my fault he’s so angry with you, but I promise I’ll do whatever I can to—”
“Isa.” He holds up a hand for me to slow down before placing his other on my shoulder. “Listen to me, the things your dad is really angry about? They have nothing to do with you, all right?”
Much as I had done with Gabe, I rush forward to give him a hug, and he holds on, patting my back like I’m still a child. For once, I don’t mind so much.
Forty-Two
