ride anymore, so I groomed Lady and put her back in her turnout pen. She nickered at me, and I gave her an apple treat along with a scratch on the nose. I stopped to talk to Aaron for a bit, and then wondered over to my office, closed the door and turned on the radio. Shania Twain was urging me to release the Juanita deep within and I grinned.
Now that's what I'm talking about. It didn't take long for me to lose myself in spreadsheets. With the sale of some of the horses, we were seeing an influx of cash. I needed to be careful and invest it wisely to make it last, so I modeled every possible scenario I could think of and carefully prepared my recommendations for Ethan.
I waited until it got quiet in his office and went to drop my pretty spreadsheets and charts off on his desk while he was gone.Then I grabbed a pair of gloves and my tool box out of the shed and headed for what used to be a turnout pasture. We were in the process of converting it into cattle chutes that would be used for things like vaccinations, freeze branding, and vet checks. Maybe I wasn't on par with Bob Villa, but I am pretty darned good with a hammer and a saw—and I needed the physical exertion of hard labor today. There was still plenty of time before dinner.
My muscles protested at first, but soon every part of me was lost in the act of making something with my own two hands. Ethan had laid out the plans earlier, I just followed the pattern he had set, and slowly it all came together. I didn't mind the mud I was tromping through or the chilly mist that had settled in. It felt good to be doing something.
“Hailey, where are you?” Ethan shouted from the far side of the stable.
“In the turnout!” I shouted back, wiping the sweat from my brow with the back of my hand.
“What are you doing back there?” he called again, his voice coming closer.
“Working on the chutes!” I bellowed back and then swore softly under my breath as the hammer slipped and I whapped my thumb. Stupid Ethan distracting me.
“They look great.” He leaned against the fence railing. He seemed sincere, but his lips were also quivering like they tend to do when he's trying not to laugh at me.
“What's gotten into you?” I eyed him warily for a moment before turning back to my work.
“Hailey? Hailey? Are you back here?”
I shot straight up at the sound of a distinctly feminine voice that I knew very well. I cracked my head on a two by four and swore again, staggering back. Ethan let out a guffaw before he could catch himself, and I shot him a dirty look.
“You knew,” I accused him in a harsh whisper.
“I tried to get you to doll yourself up.” He shrugged innocently.
“Rebecca!” I forced a smile to my lips. “What are you doing here?”
“Ruth insisted we bring Thanksgiving to you. It just didn't seem right without all of us together.” She beamed at me, so proud of the surprise they had pulled off. “You are a mess. What are you doing out here?”
“Building a cattle chute,” Ethan and I chorused, although he with slightly more amusement than I.
“Well, put your stuff away and come on. We're all dying to see you.”
With the air of someone who knows they will be obeyed, she turned and strode back to the cars. I shook my head and smiled.
“Is this a good surprise?” Ethan asked hesitantly as he helped me round up my tools.
“You know what? It is.” I surprised myself a little with that one. “I think I missed them.”
“They swore me to secrecy. They've been planning this a while. They brought the whole party down here.” He extended a hand to help me through the fence. I didn't need his help, but I also didn't mind his touch, so I thanked him and took the hand.
“Where are they going to stay?” I stopped dead in my tracks. My house was not suited for company. Even if I could squeeze them all in, which I couldn't, I had a back porch filled with drying laundry, no stove, and no fridge. I was not equipped for
Now that's what I'm talking about. It didn't take long for me to lose myself in spreadsheets. With the sale of some of the horses, we were seeing an influx of cash. I needed to be careful and invest it wisely to make it last, so I modeled every possible scenario I could think of and carefully prepared my recommendations for Ethan.
I waited until it got quiet in his office and went to drop my pretty spreadsheets and charts off on his desk while he was gone.Then I grabbed a pair of gloves and my tool box out of the shed and headed for what used to be a turnout pasture. We were in the process of converting it into cattle chutes that would be used for things like vaccinations, freeze branding, and vet checks. Maybe I wasn't on par with Bob Villa, but I am pretty darned good with a hammer and a saw—and I needed the physical exertion of hard labor today. There was still plenty of time before dinner.
My muscles protested at first, but soon every part of me was lost in the act of making something with my own two hands. Ethan had laid out the plans earlier, I just followed the pattern he had set, and slowly it all came together. I didn't mind the mud I was tromping through or the chilly mist that had settled in. It felt good to be doing something.
“Hailey, where are you?” Ethan shouted from the far side of the stable.
“In the turnout!” I shouted back, wiping the sweat from my brow with the back of my hand.
“What are you doing back there?” he called again, his voice coming closer.
“Working on the chutes!” I bellowed back and then swore softly under my breath as the hammer slipped and I whapped my thumb. Stupid Ethan distracting me.
“They look great.” He leaned against the fence railing. He seemed sincere, but his lips were also quivering like they tend to do when he's trying not to laugh at me.
“What's gotten into you?” I eyed him warily for a moment before turning back to my work.
“Hailey? Hailey? Are you back here?”
I shot straight up at the sound of a distinctly feminine voice that I knew very well. I cracked my head on a two by four and swore again, staggering back. Ethan let out a guffaw before he could catch himself, and I shot him a dirty look.
“You knew,” I accused him in a harsh whisper.
“I tried to get you to doll yourself up.” He shrugged innocently.
“Rebecca!” I forced a smile to my lips. “What are you doing here?”
“Ruth insisted we bring Thanksgiving to you. It just didn't seem right without all of us together.” She beamed at me, so proud of the surprise they had pulled off. “You are a mess. What are you doing out here?”
“Building a cattle chute,” Ethan and I chorused, although he with slightly more amusement than I.
“Well, put your stuff away and come on. We're all dying to see you.”
With the air of someone who knows they will be obeyed, she turned and strode back to the cars. I shook my head and smiled.
“Is this a good surprise?” Ethan asked hesitantly as he helped me round up my tools.
“You know what? It is.” I surprised myself a little with that one. “I think I missed them.”
“They swore me to secrecy. They've been planning this a while. They brought the whole party down here.” He extended a hand to help me through the fence. I didn't need his help, but I also didn't mind his touch, so I thanked him and took the hand.
“Where are they going to stay?” I stopped dead in my tracks. My house was not suited for company. Even if I could squeeze them all in, which I couldn't, I had a back porch filled with drying laundry, no stove, and no fridge. I was not equipped for
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