Second Chance

chapter 1




The First Dimension of Earth, Wyoming – Present Day

“Scoop, lift, toss. Scoop, lift, toss”.

Ava Clairmont kept grunting out this mantra as she mucked out King’s stall. Sweat ran in tiny rivulets down her face, grabbing the dust and grime left by a hard day’s work.

“Scoop the poop, lift it up, toss it on the pile,” Ava chanted in a sing-song voice. It sounded much nicer than the way she had been groaning the words.

Her stallion, King, stood tethered outside his stall, munching on hay and watching her with dubious eyes. Really getting in the groove, Ava started shaking her hips while singing to the beat of her work. She gave a quick grin toward King.

“Come on, King, Old Man… sing with me. You gotta scoop the poop…poop for scoop…I’m a poooo-per scoooo-per”.

Sliding her shovel under the last of King’s “contribution” to her work, Ava chuckled to herself over the silly song she had created. She dumped the last of the droppings into the large pile outside King’s stall, and told herself she needed a bit of a break before she moved the pile over to the back field. Ava removed her work gloves and tossed them onto an old pine bench that stood against the far wall. A five dollar find at an old antique store in Casper. Ava mentally high-fived herself for such a thrifty yet practical purchase.

Still humming her little tune, she led King back into his stall and refreshed his water. She took a moment to admire her horse. King was a chestnut colored quarter horse with a beautiful blaze of white running down his back right leg. She thought it made him look unique. Giving him a pat along his neck, she stepped out of his stall and closed the door.

“See you soon King ol’ buddy. And let’s keep this little poop song between you and me,” Ava whispered conspiratorially.

Ava left the old barn, relishing the smell of the horses, fresh hay, and even the poop she just scooped. These were the smells of her ranch. Stopping at the water spigot just outside the barn door, she quickly washed her hands and wiped them dry on her jeans. Grabbing her water bottle she had left outside, she drained the rest of the contents and crossed the enclosed paddock that connected to the barn.

Looking beyond that, she saw the majestic snow-covered peaks of the Teton Mountains. It was a bright, sunny day in Wyoming and the snow glistened as if covered with crushed diamonds. The sky was a pristine blue with huge, fluffy clouds floating on a lazy breeze. They were just the sort of clouds that would cause Ava to want to spend a day laying on the front lawn, trying to imagine funny faces emerging from the various hills, nooks, and poofs that made up the cottony billows. It was warm outside for early July in Wyoming. Hell, sometimes they had snow in July.

The exertion of stall cleaning had left her shirt soaked in sweat. Her biceps burned from the constant shoveling and her lower back was sporting a nice ache. It was a feeling she relished because it confirmed that she alone had the strength to make this old ranch work. Yes, satisfaction indeed. Ava, my dear, you can do anything you set your mind to. Climb the highest mountain, become CEO of the largest corporation in America, row a boat across the Pacific Ocean carrying nothing but a ration of Tang and saltine crackers. Ava snickered over the image of her sailing across shark infested waters, offering peace with the deadly beasts by throwing crackers in the water.

Giving herself a mental shake to bring her mind back to the real world, Ava started mulling over the rest of the chores that she needed to complete before sundown. Walking over to a cooler sitting by the paddock gate, she itemized in her head what else awaited her attention today. She had to move the pile of poop to the north field. Thank goodness I’ve got a front loader. She also had to bathe her two mares, Macy and Beastie Girl. Oh, and she had to replace that loose board on the gate to the entrance of the ranch. Her muscles were already screaming in protest.

Opening the cooler revealed a large supply of ice and bottled water. Grabbing another bottle and discarding her empty, Ava removed her Stetson hat and wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her arm. Looking at the streaks of dirt left behind, Ava grimaced. Oh well, nothing a hot shower later on won’t take care of. Just as soon as I finish saving the world.

Another chuckle slipped out and she took a long drink from her water bottle. She really had a lot of pride in her ability to run her horse ranch, small though the ranch may be. Being a woman in a male dominated field of horse breeding was full of trials and tribulations, no doubt about that. But in the past few years, Ava had proven to everyone that she could do it on her own without needing a big, strong man to help her out…or any employees to help her out for that matter. So, if she wanted to equate that to “saving the world”, she would. She was darned proud of her accomplishments.

Ava thought of her parents. God, I’d give anything for them to see what I’ve accomplished. Ava’s parents had been killed almost four years ago in a car crash while she was in college. Whenever she thought of them, she felt a hurt so deep in her chest, it took her breath away. She missed them so much and without them, she was truly alone in the world.

Ava had no other family members, and while she didn’t think it totally weird, she really didn’t have any close friends. Oh, she had acquaintances in the horse community, but no one with whom she really could share her inner most thoughts. No, Ava didn’t have that luxury, unless she counted Bing. Bing—short for Bada-Bing—was the fluffiest, most awesomest —was that even a word?— dog in the entire world. He was a Golden Retriever of the utmost variety. He was smart, and mischievous, and handsome, and warm, and he just made Ava gooey inside. When he turned those big chocolate-drop eyes her way, she was a sucker for anything he wanted.

So outside of her horses and dog, Ava didn’t have much of a social connection in Moose Gap. Being a woman in a man’s world of ranching was a little bit isolating. Her dating prospects had been a little slow lately too. Still, the solitude of her life seemed to fit Ava. She felt most at peace on the ranch, nestled and protected in the shadows of the Tetons, surrounded by raw beauty and the soft nickers of horses happy to see her every day.

Bing was usually by Ava’s side throughout the day but he was apparently off chasing a rabbit, or a chipmunk, or some other creature that would dare take his attention away from her. Oh, I’m so pathetic. She missed him already and he’d only been gone from her side for about half an hour. Can you say “co-dependent” Ava? Draining the remainder of her water, Ava put her Stetson back on and headed back to her poop pile. It was time to get those vocal chords working and sing her way through the rest of her chores.

By 8:00 p.m., Ava had everything finished outside and had polished off two microwave meals. She’d just finished a hot, steamy shower that did wonders to help work the kinks out of her sore muscles. She still had some bills to pay, but then she had the rest of the night to herself.

Should she start a new book or watch a movie? Probably a movie, where she could cuddle up with Bing on her bed and munch on a bowl of popcorn. Hea-ven! However, she had just bought a new fantasy romance novel and was really looking forward to losing herself in that for a while. Ava had always been a dreamer and there was no finer way to dream than reading about magical lands and a steamy, sexy love affair.

Oh, who was she kidding? She was so exhausted she seriously doubted she could last through the opening credits of a movie or the first paragraph of her new book. Looked like another night where she would be in bed and asleep before nine o’clock. Which is fine by me. My life is exciting enough! Yup, I have plenty to do and new experiences to be had all the time. Except…Ava couldn’t help but think that her life boiled down to one day after another of back-breaking work and early nights to bed snuggled with her dog.

It’s not that she minded hard work. Quite the opposite. Ava’s parents had instilled in her a diligent work ethic and she took pride in running the ranch. Still, she often dreamed of a day that she might meet someone with whom she could share her life.

Ava grabbed her brush and hair dryer, and went to work on her wet head while she enjoyed a little day dream. Yes, Ava dreamed, it would be nice to have a strong, gorgeous, sexy hunk of a man. One who would appreciate Ava for her accomplishments, and who would make crazy love to her every night. A man who would hang on every word she uttered and think that Ava hung the moon and stars. Oh, and he couldn’t be jealous that Bing was the number one man in her life. That’s not asking for too much, is it?

Ava mentally frowned at herself. Why was she obsessing so much about all the ways her life was lacking. Why did she feel a need to have a man in her life? Why this...loneliness? What the hell? Loneliness is exactly what I’m feeling!

And this was completely baffling to Ava. When had this happened, and why was she now just recognizing it? Okay, slow down Ava and let’s Freud this a little. Ava had always prided herself on her independence, her resourcefulness, the fact that she didn’t need to depend on anyone. The hurt she suffered when her parents were killed was so consuming, she never wanted to feel that way again. The easiest way to avoid that was to never depend on anyone again. To never love anyone again.