Against the Odds A Love Story

Chapter 3

Life is full of amazing discoveries. But only when you take the time to live it.

Three

By the time we reached the stable, Sally's foal was halfway into the world. There were two men working on the horse, both of them shirtless. One of the men had his back to us, pulling on the hind legs of the colt, and there was a blood-tinged film covering his arms and hands. Caroline and I stayed out of the way so the men could work. As I took in the dimly-lit surroundings, I was quickly overwhelmed by the smell of horses, leather, and straw.

“How's she doing?” David asked the man with his back to us as he changed places with the other worker.

“Just about here,” came the deep drawl of the man as he worked to bring the little foal safely into the world.

There was a quiet tenseness in the air, but as the nameless cowboy continued to work, I soon found that my fascination was divided between him and the birth of the foal. I couldn't help noticing the way the muscles of his broad, tanned back rippled and the way his large biceps flexed as he coaxed the new babe out. Never in my life had I ever seen a more sculpted man, not even among the construction workers my friends and I would casually admire as we walked by building sites in downtown Atlanta. When the man turned his head slightly, I saw that his neatly trimmed beard and mustache matched his tousled, thick chestnut-brown hair, which was streaked with golden highlights and hung down to his shoulders. He looked to me to be a large man, one that I wouldn't care to encounter in a dark alleyway, but at the same time, I could also picture him on the front of a western romance novel.

Both David and the cowboy took a deep breath when the foal was finally delivered. I heaved a relieved sigh as well. Watching it all had been pretty amazing and the experience left me in awe of life and its creations. It truly was something I would never forget.

While the third man took care of mother and child, David and the cowboy stood and walked over to a large metal tub to wash up. A beam of sunlight came through a crack in the ceiling of the barn. It reflected off the large belt buckle that stood out on the cowboy's narrow waist.

Caroline took my arm and we approached him. “Hayden,” she said as the tall man toweled off his massive arms and sculpted chest and stomach. “I'd like you to meet my good friend, Raine Allen. We became friends in Atlanta and she has come to stay for a while.”

He nodded toward me, his thick, tousled locks falling against the sides of his face. “Nice to meet you,” he said, pushing a hand back through his hair.

So, this is Hayden. “It's good to meet you, too.” Now that I was looking at him, I could definitely see his resemblance to David.

Hayden quietly looked down at me for another moment, unsettling me with his gray eyes. And I didn't like being unsettled. I didn't like the feeling at all, and I was surprised by my internal reaction to his gaze.

He finally turned to his brother. “I'm gonna run and haul that hay on over to Dale's place. Be back in an hour or so.”

“All right. Tell him I'll bring the other mare back over there later. Her leg has healed up pretty well.”

Hayden put his shirt back on and placed a worn, brown western hat on his head. He looked down at me once more and tipped his hat. When I smiled and nodded, he turned to leave.

Good grief, that's a bear of a man! I thought as I watched his giant yet perfect frame walking away. Caroline had mentioned that he was in his early thirties, but his size made it seem like he should be the older brother instead of David.

Caroline's voice interrupted my musings. “Hey, Hayden, wait up!” she called as she quickly moved past me to catch up to him.

I stood by the stable entrance and waited for Caroline as she talked with her brother-in-law. I was startled when he glanced back at me and wordlessly nodded to her before turning and walking away. Caroline headed back in my direction. Just then, David came up behind me and draped his arm around my shoulders, a sly grin on his face.

“I think Caroline's getting ready to jar a couple of pears.”

“She's what?” I asked, somewhat bewildered.

David chuckled. “Never mind.”

~ ~ ~

Caroline looped my arm through hers and we headed back to the house.

“Raine, I asked Hayden if he wouldn't mind taking you with him, just so you can get out for a bit.”

I stopped and looked at her, suddenly speechless. “But . . . Caroline, I don't even know him.”

She waved a hand through the air, brushing off my response. “Oh, don't worry about that. Hayden is easy to get to know. Once he warms up to a person, he's good company. You'll enjoy the drive.”

“But I thought we were going to go out later,” I continued to protest. I wasn't comfortable with the idea of going for a drive with a total stranger, even if he was David's brother. And I felt slightly annoyed at Caroline for putting me in this position.

For the most part, I considered myself a very outgoing person and I usually welcomed opportunities to get to know people, so I didn't know why going for a ride with my friend's brother-in law bothered me so much, but it did.

Caroline squeezed my arm softly. “You'll be in good hands with Hayden, Raine. And we can still go out later if you want to.”

Taking in her adamant expression I finally shrugged my shoulders in defeat, thinking that it really would be nice to get out for a while. “Okay, I'll go, but only if Hayden doesn't mind.”

“He doesn't mind at all,” Caroline assured me. “He'll be back in just a few minutes to pick you up.”

As I went into the house to grab my purse, I found myself for the first time in my life wondering what I could talk about for the next hour with a total stranger. Unfortunately, I couldn't come up with a single thing.