Chapter 6

The two of them spent afternoons enjoying iced tea, great conversation, and homemade vanilla ice cream topped with delicious berries grown in Aunt Gabby's garden. June was in full swing and Ohio was getting hot. Aunt Gabby's home had a swamp cooler, but it was hardly sufficient for the entire house. On certain days Jen felt she would die of heat stroke.

On the second Saturday after the "mud incident", as Jen appropriately named it, Aunt Gabby woke her early. "Get up Jenny." It wasn't a suggestion.

Jen rolled onto her side refusing to acknowledge her aunt's existence at that particular time. Maybe if she ignored her, she'd go away and let Jen sleep. It was a vain hope.

"Jennifer, I said get up."

Jen suddenly felt like she was in high school again with one of her stepmothers trying to get her up so she wouldn't be late. Luckily, she loved Aunt Gabby far more than any of her father's flings. "What time is it?" Jen asked.

"Quarter to," Aunt Gabby responded.

"Quarter to what, Aunt Gab?" Jen was trying not to sound annoyed.

"Six."

Jen cringed and buried her face in her pillow.

Aunt Gabby sat on the side of the bed. "You need to get up honey, you can't hide here forever. I won't let you make my home your little escape from the world. It's time to get back in the saddle."

Jen looked up at Aunt Gabby; her wrinkly old face didn't match her bright, fierce blue eyes. "And what saddle might that be?" Jen asked. "I'm not going branding again if that's what you're saying."

"Nope, not branding, the next best thing," Aunt Gabby said excitedly. She stood up and opened the closet. "Annie will be here at six-thirty to pick you up, so you'd better get dressed." She opened Jen's closet doors and began throwing shirts on the bed. "Don't you have any jeans?"

"No." Jen still wanted to sleep.

"Are you kidding me?" Aunt Gabby looked incredulous. "My goodness child, what do you work in?"

"Skirts and slacks." Jen refused to open her eyes. She burrowed deeper into her blankets and focused on the dream she'd been having before she was so rudely awoken on a Saturday morning.

"Well, I know that, but what do you do real work in?"

Jen rolled her eyes and looked at her aunt. "Real work?"

Aunt Gabby just nodded slowly, her hands on her hips waiting for Jen's reply. They looked at each other for a moment and Jen decided she wasn't going to step into Aunt Gabby's trap and make an argument about it. She knew that's what she wanted so as to wake her fully. Instead, she rolled over and covered her head with her blanket.

"I'll call Annie and tell her to bring you a pair of jeans and some boots," Aunt Gabby said as she walked out of the room.

"For what?" Jen called after her.

"I told you darling, you have to get back into the saddle." And with that she headed downstairs.

Jen grumbled under her blanket, "Stupid... saddle... dirt... mud..."

"Coffee's done!" Aunt Gabby yelled up the stairs.

Jen heaved a sigh of defeat, threw her covers off and made her way downstairs, not even bothering to get dressed. Annie was there twenty minutes early.

"Good morning, good morning, good morning!" she sang as she walked in the house. Jen held her head and mentally thanked God that Annie had never been around when she had a hangover.

"Hey, I brought you some clothes!" Annie began as she sat down next to Jen at the kitchen table. "Aunt Gabby said you don't own a pair of jeans. I can't believe that! I didn't think there was a person in the world that didn't own a pair of jeans." She giggled to herself as she pulled some pants out of the bag she was carrying. "Well, maybe not the whole world," she went on, "I mean, I really have no idea what people wear in other countries but if they haven't tried jeans they sure should!"

Jen stared in silence. She liked Annie, but she couldn't help but imagine duct taping her mouth shut. It was far too early to be so chipper.

"Well, you wanna get dressed so we can be on our way?" Annie asked.

"I'm not going anywhere," Jen said flatly as she sipped her coffee. "I refuse to go branding again."

"Oh!" Annie smiled and her brown eyes and long eyelashes made her look like a deer. "We aren't going branding. Now, come on, you can't go riding in those skimpy things." She gestured to Jen's pajama shorts and tank top.

Riding? Riding? Riding what? Jen was sure she heard the word riding. She looked at Aunt Gabby who just nodded her encouragement.

"Now I know that you're a little thinner than I am," Annie started, "but I brought a couple of my skinny jeans so you can try them both on and see which fits best." She handed Jen the jeans and smiled enthusiastically. On the way upstairs to get dressed, the thought crossed Jen's mind that it was a good thing Annie had pretty teeth, otherwise her smiles would be much harder to take.

Ten minutes later Jen came down the stairs in blue jeans, boots and a light blue, short sleeved blouse with ruffles down the front. At Annie's suggestion, her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She couldn't remember the last time she wore her hair that way. "These fit best," she said, gesturing to the jeans.

"Oh, you look adorable!" Annie exclaimed. "The pants look a little big, but we'll just have to go shopping later and get you a pair that fits. Once you go denim you never go back." She waved her finger at Jen and laughed at herself. Jen felt tired again. This was going to be a long day.

A few minutes later Jen was in the passenger seat of the same truck she had been two weeks earlier. Except this time, she wasn't covered in mud... yet. After a few minutes of driving, Annie spoke up.

"Are you okay with getting that shirt a little dirty?" she asked reluctantly. "I don't want you to ruin any more of your nice expensive clothes."

"All my clothes are nice and expensive." Jen tried not to sound rude, but it was useless.

Annie smiled. "Of course, you work in New York, and you have to dress nice. That's one thing Zack always said. He said he never saw so many rich and so many poor people as he did in New York."

Jen was suddenly attentive. "When did he go to New York?"

"Oh, he was there a lot when he was in school," Annie said as if it were no big deal.

"School? Where did he..."

"We're here!" Annie cried as she pulled the truck onto a long dirt driveway. As they drove closer, Jen could see a barn and three saddled horses that were tethered to a post. Annie put the truck in park and jumped out without another word. She ran to one of the horses, a dark black beauty with a single white diamond on its forehead. She started cooing at the animal, kissing its nose and petting its neck.

Jen sat in the truck, her heart racing. "There's no way," she said out loud, shaking her head.

The passenger door opened, and Zack was there. He was dressed in his usual garb, plaid shirt, boots, jeans, a hat. Jen couldn't put her finger on it, but even though he never varied from his country attire, there was something attractive about the way he dressed. "You ready?" he asked but didn't stick around for a response. He walked toward the horses before Jen could say one word.

"I'm not going," Jen stated as she got out of the truck. "No way. No way am I getting on that thing." She pointed in the direction of the horses. "I've never been on a horse. What if I get bucked off? Or trampled?"

Zack turned and looked her way but said nothing, and Jen realized she was bothered by that little trait of his. She could handle anything anyone had to say. What she couldn't handle was silent looks that were hard to read. She didn't like it.

"Jen, you'll ride Stallion," Annie said, pointing to a big brown horse.

"No, this isn't a good idea." Jen was holding her hands up. "Seriously, I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've even seen a horse in person."

Zack was suddenly beside her. "Horses have a sixth sense. They can feel if you aren't comfortable. Just pet him. He's a Stallion, hence his name," he said and then winked at her.

Jen looked at Annie, who was still petting the black horse. "What's its name?" she asked.

Annie smiled. "Her name is Ember. We helped raise all these horses. Ember is the youngest."

Jen relaxed a bit. "You raised them? That's really cool."

Zack piped up, "Stallion is the oldest, the most experienced and the calmest of the three." He looked at her teasingly. "He's the only one that would be able to handle you."

Jen glared at him and responded sarcastically, "Really?"

A chuckle escaped him, and Jen rolled her eyes. She turned toward the horse in front of her; he was big, really big. She was sure he was bigger than the other horses. I can ride this thing, she encouraged herself. She took a step towards him, then two; she held out her hand and closed her eyes. She touched the tip of his nose and he reared slightly. Jen jumped back and so did Stallion.

"I can't do this! I tried and he doesn't like me." Jen backed away and put her hand over her heart, breathing deep to try and slow it down.

"I thought New Yorkers weren't afraid of anything," Zack said mischievously as he put some things in the back of the truck. He jumped off the bed and jogged to where she was standing; about fifteen feet from the horses. "You need to let him know that you trust him," he said. "He'll take care of you."

"But I don't trust him," Jen stated honestly. She glanced at Stallion and he seemed to be watching her. She looked back at Zack, awaiting his response. He smiled at her, his dimple appearing. Annoying!

"Do you ever get tired of not trusting?" Zack asked her.

Jen scoffed, "I trust. I trust some people."

Zack raised his eyebrows and tilted his head to the side. He looked like a puppy when he did that. Jen was still angry at him from the branding episode, so it was quite irritating that he could be so adorable.

"I do! I trust my dad and Aunt Gabby," Jen declared ardently.

"I didn't say you didn't trust any people, I asked if you got tired of not trusting in general," Zack replied.

Jen felt slightly confused but before she could respond Zack went on. "Sometimes we lose trust because we believe there isn't anything we can't do on our own. But that isn't true. People need people. And I believe," he reached for Jen's hand and poured some grains into it, "I believe that people can learn a lot from animals, horses in particular." He walked behind Jen and slipping one hand around her waist and the other under her outstretched hand, gently pushing her toward the horse. "Horses can teach you how to trust."

"But what if he just doesn't like me?" Jen quivered, truly concerned.

"Not possible," Zack whispered.

Jen tried to focus on the large horse that was getting closer with every step, but all she could concentrate on was Zack's hand around her waist and his breath on her ear. When they were a couple feet from the horse Zack stopped her. "Now wait," he said softly.

Jen stood there, arm outstretched, waiting. Stallion looked at her for a few seconds as she gazed back at him. She realized for the first time how pretty his coloring was. The white on his legs made it look like he was wearing socks, and the white mark on his forehead was much like Annie's horse. But Stallion's wasn't a diamond; it was more like a star. She smiled inwardly at that and when she did, Stallion took a step toward her. She instinctively tried to step back, but Zack still had his arm around her and stopped her. "Just wait," Zack encouraged, "don't be afraid of him."

One, two, three steps; Stallion was close enough to sniff the grains in Jen's hand. Suddenly, he was eating, and Jen felt the hot breath on her hand. Once the grain was gone Zack gently led Jen's hand up to Stallion's nose, and then down his neck. He sniffed and shifted but seemed calm. Jen smiled in amazement. The wonder and admiration she felt being so close to such a magnificent animal was unlike anything she'd ever experienced.

"He likes you," Zack said with a smile. "You two will do great together."

Jen let out a relieved smile and nodded.

"Well," Annie's voice broke the moment. Jen suddenly felt somewhat embarrassed. She had forgotten Annie was there and knew she had witnessed the entire scene between Jen and her brother. However, she didn't seem bothered by it one bit. "Let's get this show on the road!"

Zack showed Jen how to get on the horse and they adjusted the stirrups for her height. Then, Zack and Annie mounted their horses and they were off. Starting slowly, they made their way across the countryside. And what beautiful country it was! Jen had always thought of herself as a city girl, but after seeing the wheat fields, open rolling hills and breathtaking vistas that day; she started questioning whether that was still true. Stallion remained calm and steady, as if he knew that was what Jen needed. The three of them rode all morning, and as noon drew near, they stopped for a picnic in a meadow at the top of a small mountain. Jen was again taken aback by the beauty of her surroundings.

"Ready to pick up the pace a little?" Zack asked her when they were done with lunch.

"Oh, I'm not sure," Jen said hesitantly, "do you think I'm ready for that?"

"Honey, it's so easy, just move with the horse," Annie chimed in.

Jen laughed and agreed to try a trot and then a gallop. By the end of the day, she was sure she had found a new love and his name was Stallion. She adored and respected the animal. Zack was right, he was a sweet and gentle, and it had taken only a short time to learn to trust him completely. It was one of the best days Jen had had in a long time.

They returned to the barn around three o'clock. After almost eight hours of riding, Jen was glad to be able to walk around. She was sure she would be sore the next day, but didn't mind and exclaimed enthusiastically, "That was so much fun!"

Zack laughed as he and Annie unsaddled the horses. "I'm glad you had fun," he said as he pulled Stallion's saddle off him.

"We'll definitely have to go again," Annie added, and held a brush out to Jen. "Want to help me brush them down?"

Jen smiled and accepted the brush. They chatted about the day as they brushed the horses and put them in their stalls.

"Who's up for dinner?" Zack asked as they put away the brushes, saddles and bridals.

"Oh, I wish I could." Annie made a sad face. "But I actually have a date with Jack tonight."

Zack rolled his eyes. "You would choose Jack over Zack?" He put his hand over his heart and pretended like he'd gotten shot. "That hurts Ann, it hurts real deep."

"Oh, stop it," she said pushing his shoulder slightly. "Why don't you guys come with us?"

Jen and Zack looked at each other; Zack made a scared face and shook his head slightly, to which Jen let out a slight giggle.

Annie folded her arms. "Zack I'm right here, I can see your facial expressions."

Zack smiled at her and put one hand on her arm. "As much as I would love to crash your date with Jack, I think I'll stay home. Thank you though."

"I'm with Zack on this one," Jen agreed. "You guys go and have fun."

"Well why don't you two go to dinner then?" Annie was trying to act nonchalant. "You might as well; I think Aunt Gabby has Bingo or something tonight anyway."

Jen laughed, "I think it's gambling night actually."

"Bingo, gambling, it's all the same," Annie said waving her hand.

"I know a great place if you're interested." Zack turned to Jen, taking the lead.

Jen froze. She wasn't sure if going to dinner with Zack was such a good idea. It was clear they had chemistry, but they were a little like oil and water – they didn't mix very well. It seemed like every time they were together, they argued over something. Well, except for today. Today had actually been nice. Maybe Jen just wasn't giving him a chance; everyone deserved a chance, right?

"Okay," Jen nodded.

Zack smiled, "Great! I'll meet you at the Pizza Shack in town. You know where it is?"

Jen held in a laugh, "The Pizza Shack? Are you sure it's safe to eat at a place with the word 'shack' in the name?"

"Don't be a snob," Zack countered. "It's the best pizza you'll ever eat."

"It really is good," Annie agreed.

"I don't think I know where it is, but I'll find it." Jen wondered briefly why he hadn't offered to pick her up. Because it's not a date stupid, she scolded herself mentally.

It was as if Zack read her mind. "I can pick you up if you want me to."

"No," Jen said more forcefully than she intended. She composed herself. "It will be good for me to get to know my way around a little more."

Zack nodded in agreement. "I'll see you at seven?"

Jen nodded and followed Annie to the truck. She caught sight of Zack one more time before they pulled out of the driveway. Her heart skipped a beat; she was more excited than she should be. She and Annie chatted until they got to Aunt Gabby's house. Jen thanked Annie again and wished her a good time on her date; Annie returned the sentiment but didn't wait for Jen to correct her about the 'date' label. After all, it wasn't a date. It wasn't a date!

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