Page 26 of A Reckless Memory

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Aggie

Sutton: Are your pants on?

I was leaving work when I saw the message from Sutton.

I slid into the pickup but didn’t start it so I could reply. The wind was bitter, but inside the cab, I was fine.

I puzzled over Sutton’s text. Did she mean to send this to Wilder?

Me: Yes?

Sutton: So he hasn’t charmed them off?

I sputtered out a laugh.

Me: Pants have stayed in place. Haven’t seen him much this week actually. It hasn’t been bad.

He’d also been busy. I caught glimpses of him, all in the name of making sure my new employee was doing what he was supposed to. I spent too many mornings watching him sprinkle flakes of a bale over the fence and slowly let the horses get used to him. He was also Mr. Handyman around the rescue and a shopaholic with my card. The fencing supplies and horse gear were expensive, and a neat stack of receipts was tucked into the door each day.

My reaction to seeing the receipts was like a thrill at getting some secret message from a boy I liked.

Sutton: Wilder has been asking about you. Someone called Cody to make sure Ansen wasn’t back working there.

Me: Why?

Sutton: His old boss. I told Wilder about the rescue but not about Ansen.

I didn’t specifically ask her to not talk to Wilder about me. I would never encourage secrets between the two, but I wasn’t sure what Sutton and Wilder talked about these days. My brother got stuck in his head a lot and seemed to be married to his job more than his wife.

Me: He’s not my dirty secret.

I groaned. After the way my brothers chased Ansen off, they would have opinions with a capital O about me hiring him. And they’d let me know it.

Me: He kind of is. I’ll figure out what to do.

Sutton: I won’t say anything to Wilder yet. Should be easy enough.

Would she talk to me about Wilder if there were problems? I was his sister, so it could be awkward. Yet, I grew up in the same house as him, with Daddy. I knew we were all fucked up in our own way.

I stared out the window. Cody didn’t need to be bothered with this, but as the oldest and with Daddy sick, he hoisted the world on his shoulders and wouldn’t let go. If he didn’t hear what I was doing from me, he’d be hurt, and he was going through enough right now.

Dialing him, I prepared what I was going to say. He picked up with an “Alcott,” telling me he hadn’t bothered to check to see who was on the other side.

“Hi, Cody.”

His voice warmed slightly. “Aggie, how’s the new place? You still sure the builder was decent?”

“Everything’s still attached.” I tolerated his questions because he’d raised me when Daddy wouldn’t. It was nice to know someone cared. Cody looked out for me in his own way. “Listen, before we get too far, I want to talk to you about something.”

“Everything okay?”

“It’s fine. Really. And keep that in mind while I talk. I opened a horse rescue.” I left out the drunken part of my final decision, or he’d never take me seriously.

His breath hissed in—or out. I couldn’t tell. “You have a full-time job already.”

“I found someone to work the rescue.”

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