Page 42 of The Only Seconds that Matter
“I would rather just people leave me to my horses and stay out of my business.”
“Shouldn’t live in a small town if you want people out of your business.”
“Sadly it’s hard to fit twenty-five horses into a city apartment.”
Ramona shook her head.“I get it.I love living in the middle of nowhere, but the loneliness can get to you.I met my wife online and was somehow able to convince her to move here.”
“The dating prospects are slim to non-existent, that’s for sure.”
“Well, lemme…” Ramona patted herself down before pulling out the phone from the back pocket of her jeans.“Lemme get your number and I’m going to send you some info on a rodeo in September that a friend of mine is hosting.It’s gonna be small, and we’re not doing much advertising so that we can avoid the bible thumpers, but we want it to be a safe celebration space for the community.You should come, if you’re interested.”
“Sure, if I can make it.”Victor then gave her his number, and she tapped it into her phone.
“I’ll be there with my wife.If you have any questions, just give my friend a call… I’ll put his number in my text.He’s run it for about ten years now, and it’s always a great time.”
“Thank you.”
Ramona reached out and roughly patted him on the arm.“It’s always nice to meet another one of us, huh?”
Victor let out a long breath and smiled.“Yeah.It sure is.”
* * *
Usually when Johnny dropped Taylor off, she was chomping at the bit to get into a saddle.Yet after Johnny drove away and Victor found Taylor in the barn, she was instead huddled in a stall with Midnight, her arms wrapped around Midnight’s midsection, her face pressed into her stomach.
“Hey, kiddo,” Victor said gently.“Something wrong?”
Taylor shook her head morosely, running a hand along Midnight’s sleek black coat.Considering what a smiley kid she was, Victor already sensed something was up.
“Do you want to ride first or muck stalls?”Victor asked.
“Can I muck stalls?”Taylor asked, voice hushed.
“Yeah, sure.”
Taylor nodded, and Victor left it at that, deciding to give Taylor some time with Midnight to consider whatever was ailing her.He spent the next thirty minutes with Cyclone in the indoor ring, teaching him to disengage his hindquarters from the ground.Victor kept the lesson short, then put Cyclone back into his paddock.When he returned to the barn, Taylor was just returning from emptying the wheelbarrow into the manure spreader outside.
“How’s it going so far?”Victor asked.
“Okay,” Taylor replied.
“You ready to ride then?”
“Um…” Taylor ducked her face, biting her lip.“I—I don’t think I can ride today.”
“Why not?You feeling okay?”
“Yeah.”She squeezed her hands around the end of the pitchfork perched in the wheelbarrow.“I just don’t… I don’t want to ride.”
Words Victor had never thought she’d utter.The girl practically had to be dragged kicking and screaming out of the saddle.“Why not?”
She shrugged, avoiding his eyes.
Victor glanced down the corridor, where a boarder and Jade were currently having a conversation and Hannah was filling water buckets.He took the pitchfork from Taylor’s hands and leaned it against a stall.
“Come to my office.Maybe we can chat a little there.”
Taylor followed Victor to his office.He left the door open so as not to seem inappropriate, then pointed Taylor to the couch.
