“The fuck are you thinkin’, bro?”
Eli ignored Fritz’s question because really, it was rhetorical anyway, and gently coaxed the gelding out of the trailer. He kept a hand wrapped tight around the lead rope in case the horse spooked over his new surroundings, which, given his brother’s agitated demeanor, might happen.
“I was fully on board with buying the cattle, but horses? Hell no.”
“Will you relax? Jesus, I’m not keeping him. This is temporary until I help Tucker finish a barn and replace a few fence posts, then he has a new home.”
“Thank Christ ’cause I know shit-all about horses,” Fritz said. “Where did he come from?”
“Old man Herman Fuller.”
“Your neighbor? He’s ninety if he’s a day. What business would he have with a horse?”
Eli tied the lead rope off to a post and grabbed a bucket from the trailer to refill it with fresh water, since most of it sloshed out on the ride over. “He didn’t. His niece bought it for her teenage daughter, not taking into consideration how much it costs to actually care for a horse or how much time has to be taken up with them on a regular basis. When the daughter grew bored and negligent, as teenagers are apt to do, Herman’s niece dumped it off on him and hasn’t been back since.”
“I suppose he was happy to be rid of him then.”
“Yep. Even sold all the tack for a minimal amount. It’s in the back of my truck.” Eli sat the bucket of water down in front of the gelding and walked back to his truck for more supplies.
“Tucker wants a horse?”
“Tuck’s always wanted horses. He was just waiting until he finished remodeling his place.”
Fritz walked over to pat the gelding on his neck, grimacing at the smell. “Damn, he’s ripe. He could use a good scrubbin’.”
“And worming, and his hooves trimmed I’m sure. Tucker can tackle all those things. But I am going to brush him, see if I can work some of those knots out of his mane and tail. Maybe get rid of a layer of dirt at least.”
“Does he have a name?”
“General, according to Herman.” The horse’s ears didn’t so much as twitch at the word.
“I hate it too, buddy,” Fritz said to the horse. “But then, you’re not mine to name.”
Eli was slow and gentle with the brush, letting the paint get used to the feel of it and the extra attention. “I think Soldier suits him better, but we’ll see what Tuck thinks.”
“This little rescue operation wouldn’t have anything to do with Bellamy, would it?” Fritz asked, leaning back against one of the corral panels, stretching his arms along the top.
“It has everything to do with Bellamy.” No use lying about it. “She spotted him in the pasture behind the house Saturday afternoon. When I called him over and she got a good look at his condition, the heartbreak on her face was tough to take.”
“So, you’re doing this more for her than the horse.”
“Well, both I reckon. I’m doing it for the horse because of her. She has this way of making me more aware of the things around me. Fully awake. I feel…grounded when I’m with her. Like I have an actual purpose, as dumb as that sounds.” Wincing, Eli glanced at his brother. “I’m totally fucked, ain’t I?”
Fritz grinned. “I’d put money on it. Buy hey, who am I to talk? I bought out the entire home goods section of a store for Kai. I still have nightmares about that day.”
“Here’s the thing, though,” Eli said. “I don’t want her to know about the horse.”
“Why not?”
“I’m afraid she’ll think I’m trying to fix everything for her, like I fixed her gate and mailbox post.”
“You kinda are in a way.”
“Maybe. Probably, but I need to tread carefully with Bellamy. There’s a lot more going on beneath the surface that she tries to keep hidden. She reminds me of a wild deer sometimes. Move too quick and she’ll spook.”
“What’s going on with her?”
“Well, there’s the house she’s living in, for starters. The place is huge and ancient and a strong gust of wind shy of fallin’ down around her ears. It’s sittin’ on eighty acres of land she’ll likely never need or use. But she’s attached to it because of all the great memories she has of her grandparents and the summers she spent there with ’em. Her relationship with her parents is lukewarm at best. And I know taking over her uncle’s business had to be tough. I mean, this is the Deep South. She’s going to face sexism and skepticism as a female large-animal vet, no matter how well she knows her stuff. She’ll have to prove herself a hundred times over before being truly accepted around here and that fuckin’ sucks.” He stopped brushing the horse, shaking his head in aggravation. “I wish I could fix all of that for her, but I can’t.”
“And even if you could fix it, it wouldn’t be the same as her working it out for herself. I know because Kai went through a lot of those same things when she moved back. As hard as it is to sit on your hands, you have to let them find their own way. Otherwise it won’t work. They’ll never be satisfied and happy.”
Eli tossed the brush aside and pulled the metal comb from his back pocket to start working on the knots in the gelding’s mane. “The worst part of it is, Bellamy never wanted to come to Serenity in the first place. At least not permanently. She lost out on her dream job at some big horse farm up in Alpharetta.”
“You’re thinking she might leave if given the chance at something better?”
“Just as sure as I know Soldier here wishes he still had his nuts.”
God, it hurt to even think about her leaving. He was in too deep already.
“Sucks when they leave you, too,” Fritz said, and he would know.
When Kai left for college in Athens after high school, Fritz was a miserable wreck for well over a year afterward. Eli had lost count of the number of times he’d pried a bottle out of his brother’s hand or patched up his busted face after a fight. Even when he told Eli he was fine, he wasn’t fine. Lucky for Fritz, she came home, single and ready to make things right between them again. His brother would’ve been a fool to turn down a second chance.
“Speaking of my beloved,” Fritz said. “I was given strict instructions to remind you about supper tomorrow night at our house. We’re supposed to be makin’ plans for Mom’s surprise birthday party, remember?”
“I haven’t forgotten the upcoming birthday, although the planning part did slip my mind. Not sure Ruby’s gonna be all that happy about us makin’ a big deal out of her sixtieth.”
“With Kai at the helm of this shindig, she’ll love it. We might not, considering Kai wants to have the party here in the big barn.”
Eli stopped working on the knots to stare slack-jawed at Fritz. “You serious?”
“As a heart attack.”
“Good God, do you know how much shit there is inside that barn? Why here?”
“Because if we try to do it at one of the barns behind Mom and Dad’s house, we won’t be able to keep it a secret. Ruby and Joe never come over here.”
“Then let’s rent someplace. I don’t mind paying.”
Fritz shook his head. “Just try arguing with Kai, see how far you get. She’s already ordered half the decorations and reserved the rest. I’ve seen pictures of what she wants it to look like and I have to admit, it’ll be nice. In fact, this is probably where we’ll hold the wedding too, so cleaning it up now will save us a whole helluva lot of time and aggravation later on.”
“Fine. We’ll get the fucker cleaned up.” Checking his agitation, Eli went back to combing horsehair. “Have y’all set a date for the big day yet?”
“Early March, since we’ll have to get corn in the ground soon after.”
“Be here before you know it.”
“She’s already decided on a dress. Grace’s mom is making it for her, along with Grace’s bridesmaid dress. We’re wearing jeans and boots—both new, of course—with vests and ties.”
“I’m cool with that. Sounds like she’s planning on keeping it small and low-key.”
“Her mother ain’t likin’ it much, but Kai’s digging her heels in. Mitch is probably over the moon about all the money she’s savin’ him, though.”
Eli moved to the knots in the gelding’s long tail, standing to the side just to be safe. He’d been kicked and stepped on by cows before and it wasn’t fun. That made him wonder if Bellamy had ever been physically hurt in the line of duty. Surely she had, working with animals as much as she did. He’d have to ask next time he saw her, which couldn’t get here soon enough. Maybe he’d inspect her body for scars, inch by smokin’-hot inch.
“How much longer do you think you’ll be here?” Fritz asked, interrupting his dirty thoughts.
“An hour maybe,” Eli said. “I’m gonna leave him in the corral for today, then turn him loose in the pasture with the cows until I can help Tucker fix his fence tomorrow. Why?”
“We got an order for twenty-five rolls of hay. I need you to help me load, then pull one of the lowboys.”
“Where to?”
“Dawson.”
So an hour’s drive there, an hour to unload and bullshit with the buyer, then an hour back. The afternoon was shot to hell, but at sixty dollars a roll plus delivery charges, he wasn’t going to complain…much.
“What’s Sage doing?” Eli asked.
“Damned if I know. Said he had to make a trip to Athens. He left thirty minutes ago.”
“I’ll remember that the next time he’s expecting a draw on our hay profits.”
Fritz headed for his truck, tossing over his shoulder, “I’ll meet you at the hay barn in an hour.”