Page 48 of Spur of the Moment
I frowned, but let it go, knowing I wouldn’t be able to convince her otherwise. She was as stubborn as I was, which is why we got along so well. We were unstoppable when we put our minds to something.
I followed her out of the small room, the dewormer in her hand. Reed was in the aisle bent over with a file, shaving away ata horse's hoof. The sound echoed through the barn as we walked by him.
“Good morning, Reed,” I said to him.
He grunted in response, but must have seen I wasn’t alone, because he gently dropped the horse’s leg and straightened.
Brandy opened Nova’s stall door and walked in, talking to the gelding.
“You better not be about to stick dewormer down that horse's throat,” Reed warned.
She peeked her head out of the stall. “Why’s that?”
He tossed the file in the bag that sat open on the floor and set his hands on his hips. “Do I need to remind you that your finger is broken?”
She rolled her eyes at him, disappearing inside the stall again. “It’s a broken finger. I can still work.”
He stomped over, his boots echoing on the mat. “Brandy if you so much as-” He stopped as he saw her with her hands already opening Nova’s lips, emptying the tube in his mouth. His tongue darted out as he worked the green substance around in his mouth before swallowing it.
I tried to hide my smile as Reed scowled at Brandy. She wiped her hand on her jeans, the saliva leaving a wet mark on them. “See? All done.” She walked past him, her hip brushing his hand. “Don’t forget to close the door,” she yelled back over her shoulder.
She disappeared back into the room we had come out of. Reed pulled the door to Nova’s stall shut and turned to me. “What?” he snapped.
I blew air out of my nose, shaking my head. “So grumpy,” I said before continuing down the aisle to head outside.
It was time to get to work on the barn despite my desire to go back to bed and crawl under the covers and never come out.
26
Bailey
The morning air was cooler as summer began its transition into fall, so I opted for my red flannel over my white t-shirt. Once the sun warmed up, I’d shed it, but for now, I was comfortable as I headed over to Bottom of the Buckle Ranch to start my chores.
Aside from Brandy breaking her finger, last night went great. It brought up feelings of nostalgia as we all sat around the table. We’d done it plenty of times in the past few years, but without Lettie there, it always felt like something was missing. I’d been awestruck watching the sun set, the colors dancing across Lettie’s features, her eyes blazing sapphires against the orange glow.
I parked my truck and hopped out, leaving it unlocked on habit. Halfway to the white barn, a whistle sounded from my left. My head swiveled toward the sound. “Over here.” Lettiewaved her hand in the air from where she stood bent over a pile of two-by-fours.
I made my way over, my boots kicking up dust with each step. “I’ve got to muck the stalls before I can get started,” I said when I approached her.
“Our volunteer, Cathy, offered to do it so we could get a head start on the barn before it got too hot.”
She wrapped her hands around three boards at once and I quickly bent to grab them before she hurt her back. “I can whip it out real quick. Won’t take longer than thirty minutes if you’d wait.”
She let me take the planks of wood from her and then bent to grab another three. “You’re going to hurt your back lifting them like that,” I said.
She ignored me, lifting the boards with a grunt. She headed around the side of the barn, awkwardly maneuvering the beams before tossing them down on the dirt behind the building with a loud slap.
She dusted her hands on her jeans as she said, “Things should speed up now that we have all the lumber and a nail gun.”
“I don’t see why we couldn’t get it done before winter then.”
“If you don’t let the volunteers keep up with your chores, there’ll be no way. Do you see this thing?” She gestured to the barn but I kept my eyes on her, already well aware of the state the structure was in.
“You doubt my ability to keep up with our project and get other work done around here?”
“No, but there’s only so much one person can take on. I don’t want you stretching yourself thin.”
I leaned a shoulder against the outside wall of the barn, smirking at her. “You worried ‘bout me, Huckleberry?”
