He paused the conversation and had me turn Gretchen to start walking along the bank. Between the sounds of birds chirping and the babbling river, I finally felt relaxed. The sun’s rays warmed every inch of my exposed skin.
When Calvin was beside me again, he continued. “It costs a lot of money to run a ranch, so Airbnb helps keep the whole thing afloat.”
“Ever think about giving it all up and starting over somewhere else?” I asked.
“No.” His answer was curt, and I think it had to do with his parents.
I noticed he didn’t say much about them, just that they’d passed and they had wanted him to take over. His shoulders would tense and his body would briefly stiffen at the mention of them. I could tell he was carrying a darkness inside of him. But I guess we all were though. Calvin just didn’t carry his well.
“Ready to trot?” he asked, changing the subject.
I reminded myself to ask him more about his past and his family. It felt like he was hiding something, something sinister or shameful.
I looked at Calvin and then Gretchen. “I think so.”
“All right, you’re gonna want to get loose like a noodle so you flow with Gretchen’s movements.” He shimmied his upper body dramatically. “Sit deeper in the saddle. Hands are still soft on the reins, and the cue is applying pressure with the legs or a little tap with your heels. You ready?”
I followed all of Calvin’s instructions but was still rigid. Gretchen went from a slow walk to a trot, bouncing me up and down as she scampered. It was jerky and uncomfortable, so I tried to loosen up and flow with her—but my body just wouldn’t. Calvin caught up, trotting alongside us. He moved with George nice and smooth—not like me. I held onto the horn tightly, trying to keep my balance and make the ride smoother.
“You got this, Grace. Loosen up a little more. You’re doing great.” He smiled.
I appreciated his encouraging words, but they weren’t working. I couldn’t seem to get in tune with the horse’s movements. Gretchen’s ears swiveled, and she started trotting faster.
“Woah, girl,” I said.
All of a sudden, she burst into a full run. I pulled back on the reins, but she just ran faster and faster. Nature had resurfaced.
“Gretchen,” Calvin yelled. “Yah, yah,” I heard him say, trying to get George to catch up to us. He sounded like a cowboy in one of those old John Wayne films my dad used to watch.
“Pull on the reins!”
“I am!” My voice was panicked.
“Pull just one side then,” he yelled.
I did, and Gretchen reared, lifting her front legs off the ground. My eyes went wide, and I screamed as she bucked me off. My body hit the ground first with a thud, followed by the back of my head smacking against the hard, dry dirt. I saw stars, and the world around me faded quickly. The last thing I saw before it went dark was Calvin standing over me.
16.
Calvin
“Are you okay?” I knelt beside Grace, pushing her soft blond hair out of her face. She was stiff like a board and covered in dirt. Her lids slowly opened, revealing those blue, blue eyes—now clouded with confusion.
She winced when she tried to sit up.
“Careful. That was a hell of a fall.” I gently pulled her into a sitting position and ran my hand across her cheek.
She turned her head away from it. “Owww.” Her eyes struggled to stay open.
“We should get you to the clinic and have Doc check on you to make sure you’re all right. You might have a concussion.”
“No, really. I’m fine.”
I pulled her chin up and looked her in the eyes. “Grace, I am taking you to the doctor. There’s no sense in acting tough.”
She didn’t say no but her eyes did. She was a stubborn woman, which is also what I liked about her. I enjoyed being challenged. It made life worth living. I helped Grace to her feet, and she winced again, putting her hand on her lower back and rubbing her butt. “Owww.”
“Looks like you need to be carried.” I picked her up in one fell swoop before she could resist.
“Put me down. I can walk,” she argued, but there was the faintest smile on her face so I knew she wasn’t serious.
“Now’s not the time to be stubborn, Grace.” I looked back at George and Gretchen and made a click, click with my mouth. They followed, in step with each other.
They always listened well so I don’t know why Gretchen freaked out the way she did.
I made my way along the bank, carrying Grace in my arms. She was light, and I rather liked having her this close to me, thankful, for just a moment, that Gretchen had bucked her.
“You’re not seriously carrying me all the way?” She raised an eyebrow. The sun highlighted her button nose.
“I most certainly am. I’ll carry you around for the next six days if I have to.”
A small laugh escaped her mouth, and she rested her head on my shoulder. I felt her body finally relax in my arms. “You smell nice, Calvin,” Grace said, looking up at me through them long eyelashes of hers.
“I think that fall might have rattled something loose and messed with your sense of smell,” I joked.
When we reached my truck, I gently set her down beside it and opened the passenger door for her. Grace stood in front of me, her hands resting on my chest to steady herself.
“I’m going to put the horses away quick, and then I’m taking you to the clinic.”
She let her fingers slither down my chest and stomach and then she brought them to her side. I thought she was going to protest, but she just nodded instead. She knew she didn’t have a choice.
Grace was seated on the examination table, fidgeting with her fingers and stirring her dangling legs. She seemed nervous, but I supposed a doctor’s office wasn’t the most comfortable place to be, especially on vacation. Dr. Reed stuck up his pointer finger and moved it in front of Grace’s face, asking her to follow it with her eyes. I had known Doc all my life. He was a short man, now in his sixties with a comb-over to cover up his bald spot. I think he thought he was pulling it off, but it looked like a bird’s nest was perched on top of his head. I’d never tell him that though. After all, he was the only decent doctor in nearly a hundred miles.
“Do you know what you were doing before you hit your head?” he asked.
“Horseback riding.”
He looked to me for confirmation, and I nodded.
Dr. Reed picked up his clipboard and jotted down some notes. “Do you know what day of the week it is, Grace?”
She looked around the room and a blank stare came over her.
“She’s on vacation, Doc. No one knows what day it is when they’re on vacation.”
He chuckled. “That’s true. It’s Thursday, in case you were wondering.”
Grace smiled tightly.
“What’s your full name?” he asked.
She squinted her eyes like she was trying to conjure up the answer, and a pang of worry flashed through me. Dr. Reed paused his note-taking and studied her. “You do know your name, don’t you?”
Doc shot me a worried look and pulled a penlight from his front pocket. He shined the light from the outer corner of each eye to the inside. Grace squinted but kept them open.