Page 29 of A Chance Fall

April sat on Alice's deck beside the beach with a coffee mug in her left hand and her phone in her right. "Do you know about these rumors? About me doing the horse ranch thing?"

Alice raised her brows. "Is it really a rumor if it's right?"

The rumor was right, but April didn't like that her plans were getting around town. "I mean, yes, because I didn't tell all of those people. Now, the city is asking questions. This is why I never listen to gossip." She shook her head and took another sip of her warm coffee.

The sky was a light blue, with fluffy clouds floating by intermittently. The sun was just over the horizon, sending bright red beams of light at various angles across the water.

Tastes of salt and coffee mix on her tongue and created something beautiful in the late morning air. The small waves crashed onto the shore and threatened to rise to the deck that never seemed to get wet.

"Well, I have a rumor you might be interested in knowing," Alice said, brows raised and a smirk across her face.

April leaned forward in her chair. "Tell me everything."

She wasn't keen on gossip, unless of course the rumors were about anyone other than herself. Then and only then did she absolutely love it. Besides, she needed to know what was going on in town to figure out what to do next. Why was the city after her when she hadn't done anything wrong?

Alice leaned in, looking both ways as if someone was going to surprise them and listen in. "I've heard that Isaac Greenfield is running for mayor. One of the first times there's been someone so young."

Young was an interesting way to put it. He was fifty-one and still chipper as ever. April knew that he owned a few buildings in town. He was remarkably wealthy, but that was about all she knew about him.

She shrugged. "What does that have to do with my problem?"

"He's running to try and 'modernize' the island."

Alice's brows raised, and she held out her hands. April still didn't understand. "Which means..."

After a few seconds of waiting, Alice let out a big sigh. "He's trying to take away your horses. The wild horses on the island? He wants them out. Says that it'll become a safety hazard once they put in a highway and all these other tourist attractions. He was spewing all these reasons the horses need to go."

April's heart sank. She had always admired the wild horses on the island. It was a part of her childhood. And what about her plans to incorporate them into her horse ranch? What would her ranch be without any horses to help?

If Isaac Greenfield was successful in his campaign, it would mean the end of her horse ranch plans as well.

The wild horses on the island were a part of its charm, its history.

"That's ridiculous. The wild horses have been here for centuries. They're a part of the island's identity," April said, her voice laced with anger and frustration.

"I know, but you know how these politicians are. They only care about their own interests," Alice said, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, April."

April sighed, feeling defeated. She had already been dealing with the city council's permits.

Things were beginning to get extremely hard. April didn't have unlimited finances. It was hard enough to save money for the renovations, and now she was employing two people to help her. How would she ever have enough money to pay for the permits, inspections, and all of the fees that came with the bureaucracy?

Sitting back in her chair, April stared out at the ocean. She felt trapped and helpless. "What am I going to do?" she muttered.

Isaac was definitely the one who sent the town hall after her. Who else would have the influence and motive to try and shut down a horse ranch that hadn't even started renovations or paperwork?

It made sense. He didn't want horses here, and April was literally building them a refuge.

She felt a knot form in her stomach as she thought about the possibility of losing the wild horses and the impact it would have on her own plans. But she wasn't going to let Isaac Greenfield take away something so integral to the island's history without a fight.

Alice put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll figure something out. Don't worry."

"I have to go to town hall and figure out a way to get them off my back. They want my paperwork when I don't even know what I'm doing yet. It's impossible."

April couldn't help but feel a sense of determination wash over her. She wasn't going to give up on her dream of creating a horse ranch on the island, and she definitely wasn't going to let Isaac Greenfield or anyone else take away the wild horses that had been a part of the island's identity for centuries.

She was going to have to fight for what she believed in, no matter the cost.

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