going home
to Casey afterward where he could share his day. His heart
squeezed. But that wasn’t gonna happen for a while. If ever, his
heart whispered, though he refused to listen. He couldn’t give up
on her. Not now, not ever. A flash of black caught his eye. He
stilled. Was that a bear?
Examining the distant foliage for signs
of movement, Troy held his breath. His pulse quickened. Sure
enough, a black patch of body was negotiating its way through the
wooded space. Slow, leisurely, the animal picked its way through
the brush, emerging onto the trail ahead of him. Troy edged off the
trail a hair, careful not to draw attention to himself. The bear
was a good size, too, easily capable of causing harm if he wanted.
The bulky animal swung its head around, a tan tapered snout lifting
in his direction. Troy tensed. Curious but unfazed by his presence,
the animal returned to its business, lumbering in the direction of
the stables. The bear didn’t seem to care one whit about him,
sniffing and poking into bushes. Troy instantly wondered at guest
encounters with the animals. Was Mr. Foster worried about such a
thing?
They claimed the hotel was at one with
nature. Did visitors from other countries really understand what
that meant in these parts? Troy chuckled to himself. He sure hoped
so or they’d be in for one heck of a surprise! Allowing the animal
to put some distance and privacy between them, Troy continued but
at a slower pace. While they were at it, he mused, folks better
keep their eyes peeled for snakes too. They were plenty of them
along the riverbanks and creeks, openly sunning themselves on rocks
and logs. Deadly ones, to boot.
As the trail widened, Troy’s thoughts
shifted toward the horses. He wondered what Miss Delaney had in
store for him. Would she let him work with the horses or assign him
cleanup duty? He was willing to do anything, though he’d prefer
one-on-one contact with the animals. It’d be nice to see Vegas and
his momma. Delaney had taken both of them which made Troy feel
good. That mare sure was a beauty and good breeding stock from what
he’d seen. Delaney would be fortunate to have more like
Vegas.
Troy stopped suddenly, struck by a
strange sound. Turning his head, he listened. It sounded like
someone was whistling. A body came into view where the trail
converged into the main one leading out from the hotel. Troy
straightened. It was Cal Foster. What was he doing here at this
hour?
Kicking into step, Troy
approached, the whistle tune becoming clear. I wish I was in the land of cotton, old times there are not
forgotten—look away ! Look away ! Look away, Dixie Land ! Troy grinned.
It was a song he knew by heart. As he waited for Mr. Foster to
notice him, Troy silently chimed in. In
Dixie Land I’ll take my stand, to live and die in
Dixie !
Recognition was quick as Mr. Foster
realized he had company. “Troy!”
“ Good morning, Mr.
Foster.”
“ I didn’t expect to find
anyone out this early. Where are you headed?”
“ The stables,” Troy informed
him proudly. “Miss Delaney called me last night to say I had a
job.”
Cal laughed. “Well, you’re an early
one, aren’t you?”
“ Yes, sir.” He gave an eager
nod. “Early bird catches the worm.”
“ Congratulations.”
“ Thank you, sir.” Coming to
within feet of each other, Troy was glad the man was happy to see
him, happy to hear he’d been hired on.
“ It’s a beautiful morning,
isn’t it?”
“ Yes, sir.”
“ Early morning hikes remind
me of why I love living in Tennessee.”
“ Agreed. Kentucky was pretty
but didn’t have near the appeal.”
Cal pressed his lips together in
contemplation. “Same with Arizona. You can take the boy out of the
mountains but you can’t take the mountains out of the boy. They
live inside in you.”
“ Agreed.”
“ I always do my best
thinking at this hour of the day.”
Troy couldn’t agree on that count. The
majority of his thinking was done at night, when he
to Casey afterward where he could share his day. His heart
squeezed. But that wasn’t gonna happen for a while. If ever, his
heart whispered, though he refused to listen. He couldn’t give up
on her. Not now, not ever. A flash of black caught his eye. He
stilled. Was that a bear?
Examining the distant foliage for signs
of movement, Troy held his breath. His pulse quickened. Sure
enough, a black patch of body was negotiating its way through the
wooded space. Slow, leisurely, the animal picked its way through
the brush, emerging onto the trail ahead of him. Troy edged off the
trail a hair, careful not to draw attention to himself. The bear
was a good size, too, easily capable of causing harm if he wanted.
The bulky animal swung its head around, a tan tapered snout lifting
in his direction. Troy tensed. Curious but unfazed by his presence,
the animal returned to its business, lumbering in the direction of
the stables. The bear didn’t seem to care one whit about him,
sniffing and poking into bushes. Troy instantly wondered at guest
encounters with the animals. Was Mr. Foster worried about such a
thing?
They claimed the hotel was at one with
nature. Did visitors from other countries really understand what
that meant in these parts? Troy chuckled to himself. He sure hoped
so or they’d be in for one heck of a surprise! Allowing the animal
to put some distance and privacy between them, Troy continued but
at a slower pace. While they were at it, he mused, folks better
keep their eyes peeled for snakes too. They were plenty of them
along the riverbanks and creeks, openly sunning themselves on rocks
and logs. Deadly ones, to boot.
As the trail widened, Troy’s thoughts
shifted toward the horses. He wondered what Miss Delaney had in
store for him. Would she let him work with the horses or assign him
cleanup duty? He was willing to do anything, though he’d prefer
one-on-one contact with the animals. It’d be nice to see Vegas and
his momma. Delaney had taken both of them which made Troy feel
good. That mare sure was a beauty and good breeding stock from what
he’d seen. Delaney would be fortunate to have more like
Vegas.
Troy stopped suddenly, struck by a
strange sound. Turning his head, he listened. It sounded like
someone was whistling. A body came into view where the trail
converged into the main one leading out from the hotel. Troy
straightened. It was Cal Foster. What was he doing here at this
hour?
Kicking into step, Troy
approached, the whistle tune becoming clear. I wish I was in the land of cotton, old times there are not
forgotten—look away ! Look away ! Look away, Dixie Land ! Troy grinned.
It was a song he knew by heart. As he waited for Mr. Foster to
notice him, Troy silently chimed in. In
Dixie Land I’ll take my stand, to live and die in
Dixie !
Recognition was quick as Mr. Foster
realized he had company. “Troy!”
“ Good morning, Mr.
Foster.”
“ I didn’t expect to find
anyone out this early. Where are you headed?”
“ The stables,” Troy informed
him proudly. “Miss Delaney called me last night to say I had a
job.”
Cal laughed. “Well, you’re an early
one, aren’t you?”
“ Yes, sir.” He gave an eager
nod. “Early bird catches the worm.”
“ Congratulations.”
“ Thank you, sir.” Coming to
within feet of each other, Troy was glad the man was happy to see
him, happy to hear he’d been hired on.
“ It’s a beautiful morning,
isn’t it?”
“ Yes, sir.”
“ Early morning hikes remind
me of why I love living in Tennessee.”
“ Agreed. Kentucky was pretty
but didn’t have near the appeal.”
Cal pressed his lips together in
contemplation. “Same with Arizona. You can take the boy out of the
mountains but you can’t take the mountains out of the boy. They
live inside in you.”
“ Agreed.”
“ I always do my best
thinking at this hour of the day.”
Troy couldn’t agree on that count. The
majority of his thinking was done at night, when he
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