Page 60 of Cavern of Silence
Wish we had more time by ourselves.
"Is there any food we can take for the ride?" Hunter asks.
Julieta picks up a yellow canvas bag off the counter. "Already ahead of you. And Ryker said you liked breakfast sandwiches, so I made some and wrapped them up for you."
"Ummm...thanks."
Hopefully, he isn't a dick today.
I pour the coffee in smaller metal containers and hand them to Julieta and Vanessa. I toss Hunter an empty one.
He pours the rest of his current cup in it. "Ready to go?"
"Yep."
We sling our backpacks over our shoulders, and he grabs the food bag from Julieta. "I'll take this."
"Thank you. I also added extra bacon to yours. And onions and cream in your scrambled eggs. Ryker told me you have a thing about that."
Hunter freezes. "Really?"
"Yeah."
"That was nice of you."
"It's no problem."
Vanessa holds the door open for us, and we leave the house. We get to the Jeep and put everything in it.
Julieta instructs me to drive to the back of the barn, and I go inside it with her.
The sweet smell of hay fills the air. Yellow bales are stacked high next to several stalls. A brown horse neighs, and Julieta pulls a bright-red apple out of her pocket. "Here you go, Sweetpea," she coos and pets its face while the horse devours the fruit in one bite.
I lean against the gate and pet her mane. "Do you ride?"
"I used to. Sweetpea is my horse." Her face falls, and she quietly says, "Was my horse."
Another one joins us, and she pulls a second apple out of her pocket and feeds him.
"You came prepared."
She sadly smiles. "We only had this place about a year before I found out about...about them being together. Before I knew, I used to stay out here for hours cleaning the barn, brushing the horses, or riding. Things were going on at work, and I felt something wasn't right in my marriage, but I wasn't positive. These horses were the only bright thing in my life when everything fell apart, and I didn't know how to stop or fix anything."
Sweetpea nuzzles into Julieta.
I kiss Julieta's head, wishing I could take her pain away. "I think she missed you."
She strokes Sweetpea's face. "I missed her."
"So you're a country girl?"
Julieta shrugs. "Never thought about it that way, but I guess I am."
"I used to ride all the time."
Her face lights up. "You did?"
"Yeah. We lived in the country on the outskirts of Dublin. For years we had horses, but it became too much for Maureen to handle when I had to travel for work. She was weak from her cancer, and the guy I hired to take care of the animals wasn't reliable. I didn't want her to deal with the stress anymore, so I convinced her to let me sell all the animals."
