Page 12 of More Than a Fling
“Oh my God. You’re right,” Annie replied. She had seen a bald eagle on the trail ride with Gabe, and she couldn’t help but wonder whether it was a mysterious sign of some kind or simply a coincidence. She felt a quiver of excitement in her belly thinking about it. The stirring in her soul, almost a yearning, made her feel vulnerable but not in an entirely unpleasant way.
Ahead they could see the cliffs and where the shoreline disappeared, a little more paddling and they would arrive at the inlet. Zoey and Madison were the first to disembark from their kayaks. The small sandy cove was surrounded by steep cliffs and it was breathtakingly beautiful. A perfect place to rest and enjoy their snacks.
Since the first two had already pulled their kayaks to shore, they helped Abbey and Annie stabilize their boats so they could hop out and pull them to land, lining them up with the other bright colored boats.
“I want to live here,” Madison said.
“I know, me too,” Abbey agreed.
“I wish the others had come along, they are really missing out on something special,” Zoey said.
“I know, but sometimes you need to chill,” Annie said.
“Truth,” Zoey concurred.
They all munched on their snacks, silent now, taking in the beauty of their surroundings. Annie had taken off her sandals and snuggled her toes and fingers into the warm sand, enjoying the sensuous feel of letting the granules sift through her fingers. Leaning back, she stretched her long shapely legs out in front of her and leaned on her elbows for support.
“Sometimes I wonder what it was like to live a hundred years ago, no cell phones, and before everyone owned an automobile. Can you imagine? I know technology has made our lives easier in many ways, but I wonder at what price?” she mused.
“Yeah, I’ll take the modern any day of the week. Can you imagine having to hand wash your clothes in a stream, wringing them out, and hanging them to dry?” Zoey said.
“I know, everyone worked hard, but they had to use their imaginations and creativity for entertainment. Music, singing, games, talking, playing outdoors… it seems so peaceful…” Annie said wistfully.
“You can unplug, you know. Set a day aside and turn off all your electronics. No phone, TV, or internet, it’s amazing how hard it is but also how liberating at the same time.” Abbey said.
“I’m going to do more of that, this place brings me back to something deep inside of myself, a longing for…”
She was interrupted by Zoey exclaiming, “A cowboy.”
They all burst out laughing, Annie blushing at the hint of truth in her friend’s joke. She would keep that to herself though. She wasn’t ready to examine the feelings that her encounter with Gabe had aroused inside of her.
Annie jumped up, suddenly restless, and walked to the water’s edge, wading in up to her knees. It was still too cold to swim but the sun kissing her skin kept the chill at bay. The breeze ruffled wisps of unruly hair that had been freed from the confines of the elastic band. So deep in thought was she that a gull’s shriek startled her out of her reverie, and she laughed out loud in surprise.
“Girls, what do you think? Should we head back?” Annie asked.
“Yes, I’m ready,” Zoey replied.
The sun and the water had worked their magic, and everyone was relaxed and content.
6
Gabe rubbed his hands across his face and raked his fingers through his scalp, further tousling the already unruly mop of hair as he reread a letter with contractual forms attached, he’d received that afternoon. It was an inquiry about his availability to take on a young horse with some behavioral issues due to an early trauma.
The thing that had Gabe scratching his head was that this particular request had come from the owner of a prestigious horse farm in Lexington Kentucky, Imperial Farms, one known for breeding the most elite show horses in the competitive equestrian group of hunter jumpers. Some of their horses fetched up to a million plus in sales. A score like this would certainly be a big boost for his training credentials and portfolio.
He was curious to know if this could be a referral from Tucker Noll farms, since he had managed to work miracles on one of their champion mares several years ago. Since Tucker was also from Lexington, that made the most sense. Word did seem to travel in the horse world, reputations could be made or broken in an instant.
The timing wasn’t the best since Sam was currently away for a month. Gabe was not only responsible for his own duties as manager of the farm and horse trainer on his own time, but he was picking up the slack that Sam’s absence caused.He wished Sam were here to bounce things off.I’ll make it work.
“I’m done mucking the stalls, got something else fer me to do?” Gabe was startled out of his musings by Slim, who now stood at the office door fidgeting with his cowboy hat.
Five-foot-six-inches of wiry muscle, scruff, and grit. He was gruff in manner with a sarcastic edge, and it didn’t take more than a few minutes talking with him to understand that this guy had been around the proverbial block a time or two and had the cynicism to prove it.
He had started working there the previous fall, when he had answered their ad in a monthly horse journal. Slim had over forty years’ experience in the equine industry. He was worth his weight in gold as far as Gabe was concerned. A hard worker, albeit a little rough around the edges, he had a way with the horses; in fact, he was much better with animals then he was with people. Gabe had grown to depend on him, maybe not for sitting around bullshitting, but for keeping things running smoothly around the farm.
“Did you check on Whiskey?” Gabe asked. Sam’s horse had recently come up lame from a hoof abscess.
“He’s prit near sound. I soaked his hoof again this mornin and hand-walked him around a bit. Darn if he hain’t puttin full weight on that leg and I could hardly pick up on a limp.”