Ride

JASON

“That girl Riley from yesterday,” I said to my dad, who was going through invoices in his office, “she spent last night up in the loft.”

He looked at me with concerned confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I think she spent the night and now she’s run off.”

We both looked out the window at the heavy rain.

We looked back at each other.

“Better go look for her,” Dad said, rising from his desk chair.

“Damn straight,” I replied.

We headed out to his 4x4 Chevrolet and jumped into the front, already half-soaked from the downpour.

“Poor kid must be a drifter,” Dad mused as we drove down the road.

The rain was so heavy it obscured our vision.

Dad focused on driving, while I tried to keep an eye out for Riley—or whatever her real name was.

It didn’t take long to find her. She was wearing a dark hoodie, and her jeans were splattered with mud.

She was soaked.

We slowed down to a crawl, putting our hazards on.

“Hey!” I called out the window.

She froze, terrified.

“Are you crazy? Do you know how dangerous it is to be out here in this storm?” my dad exclaimed.

“I needed to get to town,” Riley said cautiously. I hoped my dad would soften his tone because this girl was as skittish as a wild pony.

One wrong move or word and she’d run into the hills. And I couldn’t let her stay in this downpour.

“I didn’t have a ride and I didn’t want to cause any trouble,” she said.

“You could have asked. Jason and I would’ve been happy to take you back to town,” Dad explained as he drove slowly alongside her.

“Honestly, sir? I was way too embarrassed.”

“Riley, we’ll get you to town, but first I think you should come back with us and dry off. You’re gonna get sick,” I said gently.

“I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I can handle myself,” Riley protested.

“You are soaking wet, you have mud all over you, it’s freezing outside, not to mention the stuff in your bag is probably soaking as well. Come back to the ranch, dry off, and when the rain stops and you’re all taken care of, we’ll drive you to town.”

She just kept walking against the howling wind.

“Look, we know you were lying about a few things there. I don’t think your car blew up either.”

She shook her head guiltily.

“We aren’t mad about it,” I told her softly. She stopped and looked at me—appearing way younger at that moment.

“But why did you lie?” I asked.

“I had to leave home suddenly,” she said quietly. “I didn’t want to go into it all.”

I nodded. “You don’t have to tell us what happened. Whatever it was must have been pretty bad.”

I looked over at my dad, who had his classic I feel like I’ve been a butthole but I’m gonna ride this one out quietly and hope it blows over face on.

“I do have one question for you,” I continued, leaning out into the pouring rain.

“What?” she replied nervously.

“Someone raked our arena and folded our blankets last night, and it sure as hell wasn’t Max because he fell asleep on the couch and was still there at breakfast.”

She looked like she thought I was about to arrest her.

It was kinda cute.

“I’m so sorry! I did it. I thought it was a way to pay you guys back for me staying over, but I probably screwed it up.”

I looked over at Dad, who had a faint smile.

“I was gonna say you did a good job,” I said coolly. “Those blankets were folded real nice.”

Riley was trying to suppress a smile. “Thanks. It’s the Marie Kondo method.”

I didn’t know who she was talking about, but I nodded anyway.

“Well, I reckon we should keep that going. Maybe you can show me how to do it later.”

I looked over at Dad. He knew what I was getting at, though I couldn’t tell if I’d gotten him on my side yet.

I raised my eyebrows at him.

He raised his back at me.

It was our strange little way of secretly communicating.

“Maybe we could open up that trainee stable hand spot a bit early,” he said suddenly, and I grinned.

“On a probationary contract of course,” he added sternly. “And provided you get in this car before you catch your goddamned death.”

RILEY

I didn’t speak much as we drove back to the ranch.

I watched the rain fall and the sky light up with lightning. I was glad to be out of the storm, even if I felt like an idiot.

I guess this is what happens when you’re down and out. Or maybe I was just lucky to meet such kind and generous strangers.

I’d never really been in that position before. Growing up wealthy, I was used to people trying to use me. Certainly, no one did much for me without wanting something in return.

As embarrassing as this all was, I mainly felt relief and gratitude.

These guys weren’t calling the cops on me. They were taking me in. It filled me with hope.

Hope that most people were kind, and my new, badly planned life might work out okay.

When we drove in, I saw a guy around Jason’s age, with a stubbly beard and easy smile, watching the truck with curiosity.

“Max, meet Riley,” Jason said as I stepped out of the truck. “She’s gonna be our new Duncan.”

“Hi,” I said sheepishly.

“Howdy!” he replied with enthusiasm.

“Jason, get Riley set up. Put her in the guest room,” Mr. Walker ordered.

I wanted to give him a bear hug.

“Thank you,” I said simply.

I followed Jason through the house, which was cozy and folksy in a large-scale way.

It seemed to have been decorated bit by bit over the last century, with furniture and photographs that spanned the decades.

Rather than looking haphazard, the effect was warm and eclectic.

Everywhere I looked I saw happy memories. It was so far removed from the grand, austere mansion I’d grown up in.

“Here’s your room,” he said, opening the door with a smile. It was cute and retro. The handmade curtains looked like they were put up in the ’70s.

“I love it,” I said, with all sincerity.

“Get comfy. There’s a little en suite back there too.”

I peeked through a door and saw a cute little bathroom with windows draped in the same paisley pattern as the bedroom.

“Towels are in the bathroom. If you need a change of clothes, my sister Kate’s room is opposite and she won’t give a damn. Take a nap if you want. Can’t imagine the loft is the easiest place to sleep,” he said.

He was so kind I wanted to cry.

“When you’re ready, I’ll show you the ropes,” he continued.

“Thank you,” I said simply.

“It’s nothing,” he said as he stepped out from the room.

As the door clicked closed, I fell on the bed and let exhaustion take over.

***

It was about 3 p.m. when I emerged from the bedroom, dressed in Jason’s sister’s hoodie and sweatpants. I found Jason in the stable.

“Are you sure she won’t mind?” I asked him.

“I’m pretty sure she stole that sweater from Max. It’s all good,” he grinned. “You ready for the tour?”

I nodded and followed him to the stalls.

Two horses were already sticking their heads out to greet me.

“That’s Apollo, the golden horse; that’s Poseidon, the blue roan,” Jason explained.

“How many horses do you have here?” I asked.

“Fifteen,” he replied as he led me around. “Most are named after Greek gods and such. Over there is Zeus, he’s the patriarch of the place.”

He pointed to a black stallion with a proud vibe about him. Yep. He seemed like the big daddy.

“Then you have Hades, Hera, Athena, her brother Ares—they’re real laid-back,” he continued as we walked past each stall. I felt giddy as I saw each horse.

I get to look after you guys.

Twelve-year-old me would have been so proud.

“That pretty white horse is our sassy Miss Aphrodite, and, of course, here’s Barry. You guys have met already.”

“Hey, buddy,” I said, grinning as I rubbed Barry’s nose. “Let me guess. He’s the god of cunning escapes.”

“Exactly!” Jason laughed. “But he wasn’t that good at them, so he never got famous like the others.”

After Barry’s stall was the stall of a gray dappled horse who snorted at us in irritation.

“This is Oliver, he’s our rebel without a cause,” Jason explained.

“You bad mouthing my horse again, Jace?” a stern voice called out from the stall. A girl stepped out to greet us.

She was pretty, with dark features, freckles, and long thick hair. Her face was pinched and unsmiling.

“Sorry, Eliza,” Jason soothed. “Just showin’ Riley around. She’s our new stable hand.”

“Hi,” Eliza said without a touch of warmth, then resumed grooming her equally proud-seeming horse.

What a pair.

Now usually I’d react to such a cold interaction with greater or equal rudeness. But I was in a good mood that afternoon and wasn’t going to let this chick ruin it.

“Nice to meet you,” I said sweetly, extending a hand over the gate of the stall. “Do you come here often?”

Nice one, Riles.

Real smooth.

She looked at me suspiciously, trying to work out if I was being sarcastic or stupid. I glanced at Jason, who was holding in a laugh.

“Eliza’s one of the Angels’ star riders,” Jason explained as Eliza focused once again on grooming.

“I can’t wait to watch you guys in action,” I said as I followed Jason away.

“Sure,” she replied without a hint of enthusiasm.

How very angelic.

“She’s a little slow to warm up,” Jason whispered as we walked out of earshot. “And so’s her horse, to be honest. I’d keep clear of him for a while; he can bite.”

He continued, “The Angels should have practice tomorrow, so long as it stops raining. We’ll make sure you get a chance to watch. They are really something.”

Next, I was introduced to Hephaestus, Demeter, Dionysus, Hermes, and Artemis, whose silver coat gleamed like a newly minted coin.

“Most horses here are rescues, either from racing or rodeo. The only one that’s not is Oliver.”

We passed Barry’s stall again on the way out, and he stuck his head out and tried to nuzzle me.

“He’s a racer. Or was. And I think he has a crush on you,” Jason said, smiling as I rubbed the friendly horse’s nose.

I turned to him, sincerely.

“Thank you, Jason. To you and your dad. I’m really grateful.”

“No need to thank me. We needed a spare pair of hands, and yours seemed very capable.”

There was that hint of a smile again. I wanted more.

“I’m sorry you had to run Riley, but I’m glad you ended up here,” he said softly.

“Me too,” I agreed.

And I’m starting to think Barry’s not the only one with a crush around here.