The line, p.8
The Line, page 8
I pulled up to the barn and turned the engine off. We’d only been at it a couple of hours, but it was already hot as hell. That’s why it was early mornings here. We liked to be done by the time the full heat of the day happened.
I hopped to my feet and stretched before offering Everly my hand and helping her off the four-wheeler.
She looked at the red barn. “What are we doing here?”
“I’ve got some friends I want to introduce you to.” I smiled, grabbing her hand and dragging her to the front of the barn.
The shade the barn offered was a welcome reprieve from the blistering sun outside. I took my hat off and ran my hand through my sweaty hair as we approached the horse stalls. I placed my hat back on my head and pointed towards one of my babies.
“That’s Beauty,” I said, motioning to one of the horse stalls. The large, white horse was in the far corner from us, so I clicked my tongue a couple of times.
Beauty’s eyes met mine, and she slowly sauntered over our way, hanging her head over the stall door so I could give her a rub.
“Wow,” Everly breathed. “She’s huge. And gorgeous.” Her eyes were big with wonder. I could tell the horse intimidated her. She was nervous.
“Yeah, she’s big, but she’s timid, too,” I said, rubbing behind Beauty’s ear how I knew she liked.
Everly was watching me. Then her gaze darted behind me and got big again. Two seconds later, I felt my hat lift from my head and hit the ground beside me. I turned around, grinning.
“And this here trickster is Beast,” I said, stepping back to pet the black horse in the stall next to Beauty, his head hanging over the door. “He’s a troublemaker.” I smiled when Beast pushed his face harder into my hand.
Everly laughed. “Beauty and the Beast?” She grinned, her eyebrows raised.
I held my hands up. “Hey, don’t look at me! That was all Joe. He’s a romantic at heart.” I picked my hat up off the ground.
“I’m not surprised,” Everly said, her eyes on Beast.
I chuckled. “Yeah? Why?”
She shook her head. “Joe’s just… Well, he’s sweet. He’s just a really nice man. A good man.”
She wasn’t wrong. He was the best. He’d helped me when my family had lost everything. Back then, he hadn’t had much to offer besides this farm, but at the time, that had been more than enough. It still was.
I gave Beast one final pat and opened the door to Beauty’s stall. I grabbed a brush and stepped inside. Everly stood apprehensively outside of the stall, so I motioned her in.
“Don’t worry. She won’t bite.”
Everly seemed terrified, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at her being scared of the shy horse. I grabbed her hand, pulling her in. Beauty went back to her corner, far from us. I placed Everly in front me, her back to my front.
I dug into my pocket and pulled a baby carrot out. I always made sure to keep treats for the horses on me when I knew I was coming out here. I pressed my front close to Everly’s back and leaned in towards her ear.
“Stretch out your arm.” I placed my hand on her shoulder and ran it down her arm all the way to her hand. I lifted her arm straight out in front of her. “Now, open your hand. Keep your palm and fingers flat.” I turned her hand palm up. I placed the carrot in it.
It trembled slightly. My gaze moved up to her neck, and I noticed the goosebumps that pebbled her skin. I didn’t know if it was fear or if I had caused the reaction, but I couldn’t think about that right now.
“It’s okay,” I cooed into her ear, soothing her.
Her breath whooshed out and her hand trembled again, her fingers curled slightly around the carrot.
“Uh uh,” I mumbled into her ear, placing my hand back under hers, pulling her fingers straight with mine, and stretching her arm out towards Beauty.
“That’s it,” I said. “She’ll come. You’ll feed her.” I used my other hand to rub Everly’s back. “She’s timid. Scared, even, but not dumb.”
Everly turned her head, meeting my eyes dead on.
“You’ll talk to her, coax her, brush her, win her over. You’ll dazzle her. Eventually, she’ll fall in love with you. And, one day, you’ll ride her. But you have to earn that,” I said quietly. I looked at her lush lips, the creamy pink on her cheeks.
Her eyes shone with tears, and I knew she was remembering our time on the train, just like I was. How I’d fed her. How I’d talked until my throat had hurt. Had I dazzled her?
A ball of emotion swelled in my chest at her tears. I didn’t want to feel these things for her. I didn’t want to feel anything at all for anyone, but I couldn’t seem to help myself with her.
“Oh God,” Everly whispered, whipping her head back to Beauty, who was grabbing the carrot from her outstretched hand.
“It’s okay,” I said, smiling, holding her hand steady. “I got you.” I scooted even closer to Everly, encircling her, grabbing her other hand, and placing it on Beauty’s neck. “That’s it,” I quietly coaxed her. “Give her a rub. She likes it. I promise, and I got you.”
She trembled between me and the horse, but she never backed down. She was as brave now as she had been back then. I placed the brush in her hand, showing her the proper way to groom Beauty, all the while staying close to her so that I could reassure both of these timid girls.
“I know,” she whispered, using both hands to pet Beauty now. “I know you’ve got me.”
Fuck. That whisper. It did things to me. It made me remember that night long ago too clearly.
I laid my forehead on the back of Everly’s head, breathing in her sweet-smelling hair. “Why didn’t you come with me? Why didn’t you let me help you?” I murmured into her hair.
Her languid body grew rigid at my question, but I didn’t back down or back up. I leaned even closer to her, moving her hair to the side so I could see her face. Only, now, I could really smell her.
And fuck, it was heavenly—her honeysuckle smell, sunshine, this farm, and me. It was right, that smell, so I ran my nose from the spot where her neck met her shoulder to just under her ear, where it was stronger.
“You did help me, Cole. More than you know,” she said, breaking whatever spell her fragrance had me under.
“I wanted to do more for you,” I said, watching her face. I smiled. “I wanted to bring you back here, to Joe, so he could take care of you. I wanted to show you the peaches. My horses.” I let out a baffled laugh. “God, but you’re here anyway. Isn’t that crazy?”
And I wondered what would have been different had Everly come back with me then instead of showing up now. I wondered if maybe I wouldn’t have been so broken, so angry. I didn’t want to think about that now though. Not when I had Everly opening up to me. I wanted to know more about her.
“How did you end up there? At the train station?” I asked, reaching into my pocket and pulling another carrot out to hand to Everly.
She took the carrot in her palm and made sure her hand was flat before offering the food to Beauty.
“Good job. You’ll be riding her before you know it,” I said, smiling. And she would. She seemed to be a natural.
Her voice was small when she spoke and she wasn’t facing me, but I could still make out her words. She shrugged and I saw her body slump forward. “I was dumped there. The Everly Woods Train Station.” She let out a sarcastic laugh. “God, I hate my name. It’s just a constant reminder that no one loved me. No one cared. Of how lonely I was.” She got quiet. “Anyway, I was placed in several foster homes. Bounced around plenty. Some all right, some bad. The all right was just all right because they ignored me and collected their check from the state every month, but the bad was real bad sometimes, Cole. I’d run away, always back to the train station for some reason. Always. It just seemed to call to me. Maybe because it was the only home I’d ever had. A lot of the homeless hang there. That and it was easy to steal or find food.”
I gritted my teeth at the onslaught of emotions barreling through me. I couldn’t stand to hear everything she went through. It burned me to my soul how she’d had no one to love her. I couldn’t imagine waking up as a child every day without the love of a mother and father.
Her cheeks were red, and she frowned at the brush in her hand. I could tell she didn’t want to talk about this anymore, and I couldn’t stand to see her sad, so I grabbed her hand with the brush in it and brought it to Beauty’s side, helping her groom the horse.
My stomach sank. What the fuck did I think I was doing? I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t be there for her. I couldn’t help her. We were different people now; she was healing and moving forward with her life, and I was in pain and stuck.
I pulled away from Everly and the horse. “I’m gonna go and check on the boys and get a few things done. You stay here, hang with Beauty. I’ll come back and get you in a bit.”
I bolted out of there, not even giving Everly a parting glance. I had to get my emotions in check. I was feeling all over the damn place. On my way out of the barn, I ran into Leo. He was newer to the farm and young, but he was great with the horses and seemed like a nice enough guy. He’d also proven he could be trusted when he’d let me know that Everly had been in my house.
I didn’t stop walking when I said, “Hey, man. Keep an eye on Everly. She’s in there with Beauty and I have some things to check up on.”
He nodded. “No problem, boss.”
The sunshine almost blinded me as I made my way to the four-wheeler. I got on before cranking her up and gunning it. I headed for the north field, where a fence needed to be mended. I had a few other things to check on, but I needed the time to myself. I fixed the gate, but not before my flannel shirt caught on the side of it and I ripped a giant hole in it. I cursed the fence and gave it a firm kick, wanting to scream. Even the smallest things seemed to send me over the edge lately.
I stopped by the big house to grab some water for Everly and me before heading back to the barn to pick her up. Joe was hanging out in the kitchen.
“Where’s Everly?” he asked, but it sounded accusatory.
“Jesus, Joe, she’s fine. I told you I wouldn’t let anything happen to her on my watch. She’s down at the barn with Beauty. Totally damn smitten.” I grabbed a jug of cold water out of the fridge.
Joe smiled. “Yeah? Think she’ll ride her eventually?”
I shrugged. “I don’t see why not. She was a little scared at first, but she warmed up right quick. Seemed like Beauty liked her too.” I set the jug on the counter and took my flannel shirt with the hole in it off before chucking it into the trash.
“You know, Cole, in my day—” Joe started.
But I cut him off. “I know, Joe. In your day, people walked uphill to school both ways in the snow.” I laughed. “And, when a shirt got a hole in it, you’d just patch it up with fabric from an old pair of jeans.” I laughed some more. I’d heard this story too many times to count.
“Yeah, laugh it up, Cole,” Joe said, chuckling a little. “But it’s true. When I was younger, we didn’t have a lot of anything.” His face got serious. “Not a lot of money. Not a lot of material things. But we took care of what we had. We knew that nothing was really broken or irreparable. Not really. Anything could be fixed, even with something as small as a hug or friendship.” He smiled again. “Or a simple jean patch.”
I pictured Everly out in the barn, her tentative hand petting a skittish Beauty, both of them so afraid. Already, my protective instincts were back in full force when it came to her. Like four years ago, I couldn’t help but want to take care of her, no matter the drama happening in my own life. I was truly fucked.
I didn’t know if Joe was talking about me or that damn shirt. I didn’t need a patch. But Everly’s friendship? I’d take that, but only because I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist it.
One week. One week, and Everly had me under her spell. I’d drink too much at night, and then I’d wake my cranky ass up in the morning and head for the big house, determined to have a miserable fucking day. And there she’d sit in that damn rocker like she owned the place, all careless grace and unrestrained smiles. I couldn’t help but smile back, and when she threw her snark my way, I was gone. She made me laugh. I knew she did it intentionally. Whenever I was in a mood, she’d get this determined look on her face, and she never let my sour moods get her down. If I got surly, Everly only had to shake her head at me and call me cowboy while throwing some smartass comment my way. Then I was instantly better. She worked hard all damn day, helping Joe and Missy in the house but also visiting and grooming the horses most days. I couldn’t help but respect her work ethic. She was amazing like that. She was doing something I hadn’t managed to do in the months since Marla and Grey had left. She was making me happy whether I liked it or not.
Everly was fireflies and freedom. I couldn’t resist her.
I didn’t know how she was going to snap me out of it today though. Beast had managed to get loose, so I’d spent the better part of the day trying to find him, which put me greatly behind on the rest of my chores. To make matters worse, Marla had called. I don’t know why I’d picked up the phone, but I had. She’d immediately started crying, claiming that Austin had disappeared and taken all of her savings with him. I couldn’t say I was surprised, and I’d wanted to tell her that she’d made her bed, so she could lie the fuck down in it, but I hadn’t. I couldn’t stand for Grey to go without because of my fuck-up of a brother, so I’d transferred some cash from my account to Marla’s. Needless to say, I was in a mood, and not a good one.
So I wasn’t the least bit surprised to find Everly sitting outside the big house on a large blanket with some of Missy’s fried chicken, coleslaw, and rolls laid out in front of her. She was pouring something I could only assume was sweet tea from a thermos into a red, plastic cup. It was like she knew. The woman could sense my bad mood from a mile away.
She wasn’t doing this. Not today. I didn’t want her damn sympathy picnic. I would just walk right past her big, pretty quilt and dinner.
“Don’t act like you don’t see me right here, Cole,” she smarted from her spot on the ground.
And, even though I already felt the left side of my lip twitch with the need to smile, that’s exactly what I did. I continued on to the front porch.
“There’s no dinner in there, Cowboy. Missy ran Joe to town, so they’re eating out, but she left me and you quite the spread.” She grabbed a chicken leg and took a big bite, moaning.
God, I loved Missy’s fried chicken. Damn Everly and all of her meddling. I stomped down the front steps.
“Fine!” I yelled. “But I’m not talking about it.”
She shoved almost an entire roll into her mouth, chewed, and swallowed. “Fine by me. I didn’t want to talk anyway.”
I growled low in my throat as I eased myself onto the blanket. I’d give her two minutes and she’d be talking my ear off.
But I was wrong. Ten minutes later, most of the food was gone. Everly was lying on her back, staring at the pink sky, the sun almost gone. She had her hands over her stomach like she was full to the gills. And she was too quiet. I didn’t think I’d ever heard her this silent since our time together long ago, and I didn’t like it. It reminded me of the small, broken, young girl on the train. The one who wouldn’t talk to me until I’d practically begged.
So I lay back next to her, placing my hands behind my head. “It’s pretty out this time of day.” I squinted over at her.
Her mouth lifted into a lopsided grin before she turned her head to look at me, “Thought we weren’t talking tonight, Cowboy?” She batted her pretty eyelashes at me and smirked.
I gazed at the sky and laughed. I couldn’t help it. She was a damn nut. “Well, turns out I don’t like you quiet. And I have a feeling you could outwait me any day.”
She looked back over at me, pulling my attention in. Her eyes got soft before she said, “For you, Cole, I’ll wait however long it takes.” She turned her head back to the pink sky, breathing deep.
We lay side by side there, watching the sun go down together, the full length of her arm pressed to the full length of mine.
Before I knew it, it was dark. I could hear the crickets chirping in the background. I didn’t want to go in. I didn’t want to be alone. I didn’t want to think about Marla and Grey. I didn’t want to be pissed off about Austin anymore today.
“Play me a memory, Cole,” Everly whispered into the night.
I didn’t think I’d heard her right. “What?” I asked, rolling up onto my side so I could look down at Everly, my head in my palm.
“You heard me.” She grinned. “Play me a memory,” she said, her eyes dancing.
My smile was so wide that my cheeks hurt as I stared at her. She’d remembered. She had remembered our conversation about my momma on the train. I’d almost forgotten, but she hadn’t.
Play me a memory. I thought of Grey’s tiny face first.
Fuck.
I swallowed the emotion down in my throat. I closed my eyes at the ache in my gut.
I rolled back onto my back. I couldn’t look at Everly when I played this memory. It would be too much.
Placing my palm over my aching heart, I said, “It was the first time I’d heard him cry. I was there the day he was born.”
Everly gasped beside me, and I knew her eyes were on my face, but still, I couldn’t look at her.
“It took nearly all day for him to get here. We were all so excited. I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy as I was the moment he took his first breath.” I stalled at the emotion. “As soon as he did, the nurse handed him to me.”
