Paege
The mid-morning sun beamed overhead, without even a fraction of assistance from the wind. As a result, the barn heated up a few degrees, and if not for the opened windows to the back of each stall, I'd be cooked to a crisp by now.
Beads of sweat emerged on my upper arms, lower back and midriff. All unexposed areas that wouldn't find relief anytime soon, unless, I removed my clothing altogether. But that wouldn't be decent, now would it?
It may solve one problem only to brew another. Sure, I might get to cool down, but things would surely heat up again at the oft chance that I was discovered. And worse, just imagine some poor unsuspecting soul happening upon me in my indecent state.
Danny would surely blow a fuse.
The fabric of my t-shirt clung snuggly to my skin. Almost completely drenched. I hated the sensation but endured it, considering I was almost finished mucking out and bedding all of the horses' stalls.
No. There was no reason to risk Danny ripping any poor soul a new one. Or blowing the roof off the barn. That would only result in more concentrated heat and leave the horses exposed under the fury of today's unforgiving sun.
There was only one left before I could cool out and then freshen up. So I would have to suck it up until then.
Scooping up what remained of Angel's poop with the pitchfork, I gently shook it to filter any decent shavings that had been caught in the pile, and subsequently deposited the poop into the wheelbarrow at the entrance to his stall.
Next, I made a clear perimeter around his pee spot, shovelling the heap into the wheelbarrow. Soon after, using the pitchfork I removed any odd pieces of poop, depositing them into the wheelbarrow.
When the deed was done, I completed the task by pouring and spreading fresh shavings around the stall, with the odd cleared spot under Angel's feeding area and hay bin.
It may have been the most undignified of tasks, but it had to be done to promote the proper health of any horse. So I was more than happy to help.
The last thing I'd ever want is for someone to lose one of those darling horses. Not like I'd lost my Tempers.
It's been a few days since Danny adopted Tempers. And I was still uncertain whether it had been a dream or not. And in my shoes, who would?
It had been nine years, at the very least that she was sold to another. If not a decade.
I still couldn't believe that he'd actually done it. That he'd actually placed a bid. And a hefty one at that. But not only that. That night Danny seemed to be full of surprises because he entered a bidding war. With Casey of all people!
Let's not get started on the stupor that gripped me after coming down from the high of having my childhood horse in Danny's care.
It wasn't necessarily the sheer absurdity of the bidding war itself, but the cutthroat nature of it that seemed to imply something more. Something I'd apparently been oblivious to for a while.
After Danny and I met with Tempers at her temporary stall, in the barn nearby the Gala's venue, I excused myself to have a few choiced words with Casey.
I grabbed his hand, absolutely fuming before walking outside. When I whipped around to meet his gaze, he all but avoided mine. But he wouldn't get off so easily.
My mind had been having the darnedest time trying to ascertain what the hell was going on.
Casey had always been there for me. We had always been friends. Emphasis on the word friends. So I was completely mind-blown by his sudden erratic behaviour.
Folding my arms, I stared at him, completely silent until his eyes finally cast my way.
"Did we need to talk about something, Casey?" I began after a moment of drawn-out silence with just us looking at each other. "Like maybe what the hell was that?"
"I don't know what came over me, Paege," He looked at me sheepishly, his eyes dipping to the manicure grounds before meeting mine once again. "I'm sorry."
"Uh uh, you don't get to get off so easy," I countered, unfolding my arms and clenching my fists to alleviate some of my anger at the moment. "This was not just any bid, and I think you caught on to that."
He was silent.
"I know that I mentioned Tempers once or twice to you, before I left." I continued when he seemed unwilling to fill in the blank just yet. "You know what she means to me, and yet you chose to toy with her over a pissing contest?"
It was his turn to fold his arms. My words had clearly struck a chord with him, evident by the unrelenting glint of fury I saw in his eyes.
"Are you gonna just stand there and let me keep talking to mys–"
"–It's because I love you, Paege!" He finally spoke, cutting me off and effectively knocking the wind out of my chest at such a poignant revelation. "Always have! From the very first moment you walked into my family's ranch all those years ago!"
My jaw was shut and locked in place. My tongue hit the roof of my mouth and neither seemed to have the will, or desire to move at that moment.
"I tried to keep it bottled when you left. But seeing you again–" He raked his hands through his brown hair, evidently stressed, before continuing, "–I couldn't help that it carved up those feelings I had tried to keep buried and lived with for all these years."
He held my gaze, before delivering his next mouthful. "I thought that maybe this was my chance. That something might finally develop between us, but then when you started talking about him, I realized that I had missed my chance. That our moment had passed. And I was devastated."
"Casey, I love you, you know that." At his final piece, my jaw was finally free to move again. Though I'd felt my features soften, remnants of anger still seized me. "But I have never given you any impression–not once–that I loved you more than a friend. Have I?"
The despondent look in his eyes had given me my answer. Long before the words had even left his lips. "No, you haven't." He admitted, placing his hands on his hips in a macho stance as he regarded me. "I was hoping that maybe your love for him would burn out. And that with the recovery of your sweetheart horse, I would finally be able to claim your love."
We had stared at each other in silence again. Only that time, less anger radiated off us.
"But I was foolish to think so little of you," He finally added. "Even if only for a moment."
At his admission, all traces of anger had evaporated from me, releasing its hold over my limbs. I'd closed the gap between us, reaching out for both his hands.
"I'm sorry," He said more softly, and that's the one that pierced my heart. "Can you ever forgive me?"
"I don't know," I began, causing his head to dip in defeat. "You'll have to smooth things over with Danny first."
At my request, he seemed a bit uneasy but nodded with a small smile nonetheless.
"Danny, why don't you come on over!" I yelled at no one in particular.
I had asked for us to have a moment alone, but I know that the last thing my big hunky man would do was let me go outside without keeping an eye on me in case something went awry.
And sure enough, Danny emerged from around the corner of the barn, behind the lamppost that illuminated the area. He had carefully hid himself out of view.
The crunch of his footfalls reached Casey and I, causing us both to chuckle at how right I had been.
I could've been mad right then. But in that moment, my heart had just swelled at the fact that I knew him so well.
He cleared his throat upon reaching us, obviously a bit uncomfortable about being caught eavesdropping on our private moment.
"Hi," Danny said nervously, before gazing down into my eyes.
"Hi," I returned, before ripping my eyes from the man I love to one of my two dearest friends. "I don't believe you have been properly introduced."
They both shared a hooded glance.
"Danny, Casey," I gestured between the two, seeing the need to introduce two people I cared deeply about, and let cooler heads prevail. "And Casey, Danny."
They had each held the other under their smouldering gaze, unmoved.
"Heavens, you two better start shaking hands or so help me God, I will catch a cab, go home and neither of you will hear from me again."
It might have been a fib. But neither of them would ever know that. That is, unless they were brave enough to test me. I just hoped that they'd save me the embarrassm–
"–Hello," Danny reached out his hand a fraction of a second before Casey, to greet each other.
"Pleasure to meet you," Casey returned.
Once that was settled, now it was time to clear the air.
"Casey has something he would like to say to you." I turned to my friend, eyeing him expectantly. "Casey?"
Casey shifted uncomfortably under my gaze before clearing his throat, and regarding Danny. "I'm sorry for any confusion I may have caused. Paege and I are friends, and it will remain that way."
Danny nodded with a small smile, seeming relieved at Casey's revelation. However, after a brief pause, Casey added, "From henceforth, consider me her best friend but slip up once–hurt her–and I will be there so fast that you will get whiplash. And I will enjoy, making her forget you. And we'll see how long that barrier keeping me in the friend zone holds."
Casey shoved his hand in the front pockets of his slack cockily, squaring his shoulders, and offering Danny a smug grin.
Danny's jaw clenched for a moment. I thought that all hell would break loose. Undo all that I had tried to accomplish. But he had surprised me.
Extending his hand to shake Casey's, he responded, "Fair enough," pausing for a moment. "I'll just had to ensure that you'll wait the next thousand years, or so. Maybe even, eternity."
They looked at each other seriously for a moment, before eventually caving under the weight of their bellowing humour.
"Is the coast clear?" A hesitant familiar voice reached us, and we all turned to find Bell peeking her head out, partially shielding herself from any more explosive drama that may keep her restricted to that area.
I nodded with a proud smile, after which she emerged with a grin and walked elegantly over to Casey before slapping him in an unladylike manner on his shoulder. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."
We'd all erupted in laughter by then, ending the night together on a high note.
I smiled, remembering the scene fondly. I sure was glad that no one had called me out on my bluff. At least, not yet. And if they knew, I guess they decided that embarrassing me was not in their best interest. Or, more importantly, the quickest way to get back in my good graces.
I couldn't be sure, but a hint of a bromance seemed to be sparking between Danny and Casey. But I could be wrong.
I'm just glad that the misunderstanding was resolved, and more impressed by the way Danny had handled the situation.
Anyone who knew him well enough, would've surely thought that he would fly off the handle. Only they would have done a double-take at how cool he had been throughout their encounter.
Casey left Little Foot with the promise of keeping in touch this time. I was happy to have the two of the most pivotal men in my life on good terms. At the very least, cordial.
Now I could focus on the most amazing thing that had happened in my life. I'd reconnected with my soulmate. The horse that first fostered my love for horses.
I was indeed struggling to come to grips with reality. With the fact that in the expanse of time and space, Tempers had come back to me.
Was this really real?
Was it possible that a fight had indeed broken out between Danny and Casey, and I dunno–I'd somehow been knocked out in the squabble? And, was off in dreamland somewhere, on a bed recovering–and maybe a week hadn't passed yet?
I pinched my arm, trying to answer the baffling question for the third time today. Only, every time I got an answer, I could hardly trust it.
It was so surreal.
For as long as I could remember, I had imagined being with her again. But nothing–no amount of dreaming it up–seemed to measure up to this moment.
It was pure bliss. Made even more remarkable by the notion that she seemed to remember me.
The way she tilted her head into my touch a mere moment after reintroduction, was enough to make me cry buckets.
I knew legally she was Danny's. But, in my heart of hearts, she would always be mine.
Hours later, after I'd freshened up and completed the remnants of my tasks, I came back to the stalls to find the horses back in their respective stalls, mulling about in their own little world.
They'd all been brushed down, fed, played and had their fun in the sun, so now they were relaxed and sighed in contentment, at one moment or the other since my arrival.
One by one, I greeted every last one of these beautiful creatures, having gained a deep newfound appreciation that I had the pleasure of getting to know them. That they were all in my life.
Upon reaching Angel's stall, I realised he would always have a place in my heart. After all, he was the reason I'd been able to connect with Tempers after all these years.
I caressed his head, pressing my forehead lightly against his, and he neighed, leaning closer into me.
We'd grown so close over a short period. I marvelled at how much of an impact he'd had on my life during that time. He surely had his own spot reserved in my heart.
They all did.
After brushing my nose against his head briefly from side to side, I stepped to the other side of the barn aisle where a spot had been prepared for Tempers. Right across from Angel.
I marvelled, once again, at the odds while roving my hand lightly along her neck, in deep admiration. I was almost tempted to pinch my arm, but refrained because if it somehow turned out that I was only dreaming, I'd be very heartbroken.
At this point, I couldn't say whether I'd fainted, or was in the throes of some fantastical dreamscape. But I didn't care anymore. Only that I embraced this moment for as long as I had it.
All I knew was that this felt too good to be true.
It seemed like forever and a lifetime since I'd laid my eyes on the peanut-coloured mare. It felt so wonderful to brush over her skin with my hand again.
I leaned in, enclosing my arms around her neck to give her a warm hug, and near croaked when she leaned deeper into my embrace.
"I must have been completely insane to adopt another horse that would further diminish our time together, and your love for me," A deep timbre floated over to me from behind.
A smile creased my lips before I saw him.
Sure enough, Danny stood at the entrance to the corridor at the other end of the aisle, leaning casually against the frame with his arms folded, feet tucked one behind the other, gazing at me with a mischievous twinkle in his eye that made my belly do flops.
Removing my arms after another moment, I stood back from Tempers, swivelling before making a few steps to the middle of the hall.
Without warning, I broke into a light sprint, running toward him before jumping. He straightened up and easily caught me, digging his fingers into my ass as my arms wrapped around his neck and legs around his waist.
I moaned at the sensation before burying my face into his neck, breathing in his scent. He just held me for a moment. Not needing an explanation.
After a moment, I leaned back in his embrace to meet his gaze. He only smiled. A sexy riveting grin.
Without realizing it, I leaned in to kiss him. My lips met his sweet soft ones in a casual kiss. But the second I nipped at his lower lip, he groaned and turned us, making a brief stride before pinning my body between his and the interior wall.
He snaked a hand up my side, which came to rest near the nape of my neck on the partition, and the other stayed planted firmly on my ass, driving my lower region closer to his.
I felt stifled, but I didn't care at this point. I held on, pulling him closer by my arms around his neck.
A groan rumbled from within his chest. Our proximity was delicious.
Oh god!
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