Read (3 Book Romance Bundle) "Escape to Vegas" & "Love, Forgiveness & Horseshoes" & "The Cowboy's Love" Page 9

  Chapter Three

  I pushed my dinner around my plate. It was smoked sausage and new potatoes. It wasn't that it was bad; I usually loved my mother's cooking. But I just couldn't get my mind straight, so eating became difficult. Two things were plaguing me at the moment; one of them being my grandmother. As happy as she had been to see me and get to go outside for just a little while, I knew deep down there was a reason they had begun to be lenient. It was because it wasn't going to be long before dialysis wasn't enough. Her kidneys hadn't been great for over a year, and she wasn't even still supposed to be doing okay on the treatment. The second thing that was prodding at my brain was that stupid feud between the Youngs and the Walkers. It was like some western drama unfolding in my own backyard. It was ridiculous!

  Sure, both ranches depended on that well since that was about the only way to get water out here, but why couldn't it be shared? Because it was fed from the small lake and stream that ran behind the properties, it wasn't like it was going to run dry anytime soon. And I just felt so bad about the way Adam was chased away like that by my father.

  "May I be excused?" I asked, looking up at my father who was loosening his pants in preparation for seconds. I knew I was in my 20s and had been on my own for years, but I still had that politeness and respect for my father. That's what made the situation with Adam Walker so difficult.

  He gave me a sideways glance like he disapproved before clearing his throat. "As long as you take care of your own dish," he said, standing up with his own plate to put some more food onto it. I nodded and headed for the sink, washing my plate real quick.

  "Alright, I'll be back in a while, guys. I think I'm going to take Cinnamon for a ride if that's alright."

  "Of course you can ride him. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you," my mother said with a smile. I rushed out to the stable, feeling excited. A good ride on horseback was sure to clear my head and make me feel right at home.

  I slowed down my pace and entered the stable quietly as not to spook the horses. There were three others in there; an elderly one that had been in the family a while, a young one my father had just broken and one we got for my brother Jude when he was a teenager.

  In the last stall I found Cinnamon, and he neighed affectionately and started moving his legs back and forth in excitement as I grabbed the saddle to put on him.

  Cinnamon had always been the perfect horse who loved being ridden. He had never been difficult and loved children. We used to have children from the neighborhood come visit him all the time.

  "Hey, buddy, I really missed you," I whispered to him as I rubbed between his eyes and behind his ears before grabbing his reins and leading him out of the stables. He puffed through his nose and mouth as I pulled him out to an open space. I commanded him to stand still before climbing onto him.

  I settled into the saddle and grabbed the reins before bumping his side with my foot. Cinnamon began to trot towards the fence line before following the fence around the property. I whipped the reins so he would go fast and leaned forward as he picked up speed. He was still in great shape, so someone had clearly been taking good care of him. I would have to thank my parents for that later.

  Cinnamon rounded the corner and then we were against the fence that separated out property from the Walkers. I could just barely make out the pinprick that was their little yellow house and their brown barn. I heard a whinnying noise and then saw that one of the Walkers was also out on their horse.

  We slowed down as the horse got closer. It was larger than Cinnamon but less muscular. It was a chocolate brown with white spots.

  As we got closer I could see that it was Adam, so I pulled back on the reins to stop Cinnamon. Adam trotted up to the fence line with a smile on his face. "Fancy meeting you out here," he said with a smile. His hat was off this time, and I could see his hair better. It was pretty long, growing down the back of his neck. He had it tied into a ponytail.

  "I didn't know you rode," I said, nodding to his horse. "Is he friendly?" I asked, reaching my hand out to pet him.

  "She," he corrected, "is friendly to certain people. I didn't used to do a lot of riding, but my old man has had a few injuries so I help him out now."

  "Oh, well, that's nice of you I guess." I reached out and began stroking the horse softly. She closed her eyes in response. "It looks like I must be one of the people she likes," I teased with a smile.

  "Yeah, I guess so," he chuckled.

  We fell into a bit of an awkward silence for a few moments before I decided the best thing to do was apologize for my family's behavior.

  "So, I'm sorry for that scene at the hospital. I had no idea the feud had gotten so bad. In fact, I didn't even know it was still going on. I guess that's what happens when you've been gone for a while."

  "I accept the apology, but it's not necessary. My old man would have done the exact same thing. The reason it's gotten so bad is that your father actually took us to court over it, and we were pretty much told to share it. It made things real tense. Anyway, I better get back before one of our fathers catches us again and unleashes all hell," he said with a chuckle. But it was pretty accurate.

  "Alright," I agreed. "But maybe we can go riding sometime, you know, off property," I suggested hopefully. When I thought about it, I could have really used someone to talk to about all that was going on who was more my age, and Adam Walker seemed perfect.

  "I think I could arrange that. Same time tomorrow?" I nodded, and he kicked his horse, riding back towards the Walker stables.

  I did the same, turning around and heading back to the other side of our property. But I wasn't ready to go inside yet. So, I doubled back with Cinnamon and picked up speed again.