Page 16 of His Wilde Little
I glanced at my reward chart on the inside closet door. “We’ll need to add a new one for being good around horses, and definitely two stars for all the work I did yesterday,” I grumbled to myself. “Maybe remove one for the kiss because it was unprofessional, but I think he initiated it, so maybe don’t remove one.”
It was still just my mom awake when I was finished getting ready. Layering up in a quilted jacket that was a lifesaver in early fall and even sometimes winter. I headed out for my morning routine with a coffee thermos in one hand and a cupcake in the other.
Walking slowly, I tried looking to see if Lorenzo was coming from the guesthouse, but he was nowhere to be seen. I went by the barn since the goats and alpacas were in there overnight, and especially since there was rain.
The door ajar. Panic set in my stomach. Someone had gotten in during the night. Maybe it had been left open. Maybe I’d left it open? It was definitely closed after the evening milking. I approached slowly, the pit in my stomach becoming heavier, and a shiver down my back almost made me throw the cupcake… or eat it.
“Get back here!” a voice called out, settling my stomach at ease.
From the doorway into the barn, I watched as Lorenzo chased after one of the billies. I knew immediately it was a billy because of the beard, and the way it was running away from him. I could only begin to wonder what he’d been trying to do to it.
With a shoe in the doorjamb, I pulled it open to see Lorenzo, low to the ground as he finally thought he’d caught the goat.
“Good morning, I guess,” I said.
He swiped his hair back under his hat and sighed. “I don’t know how you do it,” he said. “She wouldn’t get on the stool, soI couldn’t do anything, and I remember you saying sometimes they get a little agitated if they aren’t milked regularly, and I just—”
I couldn’t help myself from laughing, and it seemed like all the other goats were laughing too. The alpacas on the other hand were nestled away on the hay; their heads tucked like they were wearing them as scarves. “I’m sorry for laughing,” I said.
“It’s not nice,” he said.
“But you—” I began, biting the end of my tongue. I didn’t want to embarrass him. “You tried to milk one of the billies. One of the guys.”
Whatever smile was on Lorenzo’s face faded and he quickly covered it with his hat, over his entire face. “You’re kidding,” his voice muffled. “I didn’t, did I?”
“Any consolation, some billies can be milked if they’ve got hormonal imbalances, but none the ones we have. And we only have two,” I told him. “Actually, a real consolation is this cupcake.”
Pulling his hat away and planting it firmly on his head, he was blushing. “I thought I was getting a head start on the day, and I just made a darn fool outta myself.”
Presenting the cupcake to him, I needed him to see the detailing that had gone into it. “I’m just glad you didn’t try milking the alpacas. Although, I might’ve paid to see that wrestle match go down.”
“I shouldn’t, but I will,” he said, taking the cupcake. “And I was steering clear of the alpacas, and the cats, wherever they’re hiding. They’re like CCTV, caught one of them in the rafters, just skulking around like I was their prey.”
“In their defense, you are in their home,” I said. “So, what got you up so early?”
“I slept pretty early,” he said, licking the frosting like it was ice cream. “And so, I woke up early, didn’t have much to do,saw a text on my phone from your dad about the horses, so I got up, saw Mary in the stables, and decided to come give the goats a try.”
I wondered if we’d both gotten to sleep early because our brains couldn’t shut off about what had happened between us yesterday in the hay. And I couldn’t ask him, he’d know I was thinking about it; after saying I wouldn’t mention it to anyone—and what he assumed would be mentioning it to him.
“You come alone?” he asked licking the frosting nearly clean off the cupcake.
“I always come out here alone,” I said. “I also brought fresh coffee. I didn’t know if you had that stuff at the house. If you wanted some.”
“That kiss,” he said.
He brought it up.
He was thinking about it.
It wasn’t all in my head. It never was, it was on my lips, and apparently on his too.
“What about it?” I asked.
“I hate the idea that it’s something I’m telling you to keep secret, because that kinda implies there’s something bad about it, and I know there isn’t,” he said, unable to look me in the eye again. “I respect whoever you tell. It was just a kiss, and I am not in the closet, if that’s what you’re—trying to see, with this.” And there was the smile, but still not direct eye contact.
“I’m not sure if I told you then, but I don’t have anyone I would tell,” I said. “Even Diane, I wouldn’t say anything to, because she’s a bit of a gossip. I’d probably only tell the animals anyway, and unless you’re you, who seems to talk to animals, I’m pretty sure everyone else has a language barrier.”
He smirked, finally locking eyes with me again, still blushing pink cheeks. “I’m not Doctor Dolittle, I don’t speak to them, it’s just an understanding, and it seems to only be anunderstanding with horses. I’d say you were more of a Dolittle with how you work with all the other animals.”
