Buckle Down by Melissa Ecker

Chapter 1
     
     
    Humidity hung in the air and intensified the smell of fresh-cut
hay. Tess Reilly wiggled her nose and wiped the sweat from her brow with the
back of her hand. She had only been in the stable for fifteen minutes and
already she wanted to find a shady spot under a tree and not move. Summer was
the only time she was able to come out and see her horse. One more year of
school and she could move back home. Or not. Spending the last three years in
California, she had developed a love for the beach and mild weather. But every
summer she came back to Memory Grove, Arkansas, and it felt like home, the wide
open spaces and friendly people.
    After mucking the stall, she lifted the mare’s leg and held
it between her knees to clean the frog. The folks at Sarafina Ranch took good
care of Tippi, which Tess appreciated greatly, as the two of them had been
together for years. The horse had been a birthday gift from her parents when
she turned fourteen.
    “Hey, darlin’.”
    Tess looked up. “Hey, Mrs. Cash.”
    “Please, don’t call me that. You make me feel old. It’s
Phoebe.” Phoebe Cash was part owner of Sarafina Ranch. Her now-ex-husband owned
the other half and it was named for their prize horse. Despite an ugly and very
public divorce, she and her ex-husband seemed to be good business partners and
Ted was gone most of the time, leaving Phoebe to run the place on her own.
    Tess laughed and set the horse’s leg back down. “Okay,
Phoebe.”
    The redhead smiled, deepening the crow’s feet around her
eyes. “How’s the family? Haven’t seen them out here in a spell.” Phoebe popped
her gum and rested her hands on the aging wood gate. In true southern
tackiness, she wore a ring on every finger and bright red nail polish to match
her bright red lips. Phoebe wouldn’t admit her age to anyone, but she was
clearly in her forties and dressed like a twenty-year-old hooker and had the
reputation to go along with it. She held the titles of both town bitch and town
whore.
    “They’re doing good. Mom and Dad are gone for a month. I
think they’re in D.C. now.”
    “Very nice. And the boys?” Like most women in Memory Grove, Phoebe’s
face lit up when she asked after Tess’ brothers, Luke and Cade. “They’re well?”
    “Yes, ma’am.” Tess smiled and ran the hard-bristled brush
over Tippi’s coat. A large horsefly buzzed past Tess’ ear and she ducked out of
the line of fire. It landed on the horse’s shoulder and Tess slapped it hard
with her gloved hand. Both she and Tippi had been bitten before and it hurt
like hell. Tippi bucked and kicked her back legs the last time it had happened,
and inside a small stable was a dangerous place to be with a pissed off horse.
The horsefly dropped in the hay and Tess stomped on it for good measure.  
    A black truck pulled into the parking area and kicked up a
cloud of dust. Phoebe looked over her shoulder and turned back to Tess with a
grin the Cheshire cat would envy. “See ya’ later, sweetie.”
    The door of the rig swung open and Tess squinted to get a
better look at the man climbing out of the truck. Dark hair and sunglasses. She
watched Phoebe cross the lot, swaying her nonexistent hips. If not for her over-done
boob job, Phoebe’s body would resemble that of a thirteen-year-old boy.
    Tess put away her tack and led Tippi out of the stall. She
wasn’t planning on riding Tippi today, just walking her around. The brown and
white paint horse stood a good fifteen hands and Tess stretched up on tiptoes
to peer over the animal’s back to watch Phoebe and the mystery guy in the cool
shades.
    He leaned against the bed of his truck and lit a cigarette.
Phoebe stood in front of him and flipped her hair every six seconds or so. Tess
tried not to laugh. Phoebe, the forty-year-old high school flirt. Phoebe
had a reputation, but Tess didn’t believe everything she heard. Rumors and
gossip just caused trouble and she preferred to steer clear of it.
    The sun beat