Page 43 of Fake It Till You Make It

“Wow.” Amarie laughed. “Mind blown. No one has ever been this interested in the details of my life.”

“And how do you know all this?” Eli demanded.

His mom pulled her cell phone from the front pocket of her joggers. “Delores called me from the Black Bear to corroborate the story. You know she values her reputation as the best of the town gossips, too.”

“Ugh, sometimes this town is too small for its own good.”

“Technically, it’s not gossip if it’s true,” Matt added.

“Exactly.” Leah winked and started down the hill. “Have fun, you two. I expect details about your overnight partnership during dinner.”

“Have a good grooming day at the clinic, Leah.” Amarie waved.

“Wait up, Matt. We’ll walk with you,” but, the farmer and his hoofed friend had vanished. Eli followed his nose into the barn, the scent of freshly laid straw greeting him.

“This place is huge,” Amarie said beside him, with her smartphone camera at arm’s length, recording absolutely nothing.

“One of the largest in the county.” Two rows of stalls with slide doors hugged the walls. Harry hung his head through the open stall window in greeting.

“Hey boy.” Amarie hummed behind him. He wasn’t sure why, but he liked the sound of her voice. Excitement coursed through him at having a woman actually interested in what he did every day. She angled her phone, snapped a few pictures, including him in the shot.

Caring for animals was in his blood and he enjoyed sharing his passion with others. Some said he had an addiction when it came to promoting animal health and wellness.

They reached a rear stall on the right, the width and depth larger than the others, maybe sixteen by sixteen feet. Inside was the beautiful chestnut Halflinger, her flaxen mane shiny and full. But she was panting, her nostrils wide with distress. Eli’s expression sobered.

“She been kicking at her belly this morning.” That came from Ruth. Her daughter, Phoebe, clung to her leg, peeking up at Eli with wide eyes, a face too jaded to be that of an innocent.

“Howdy, Ruth. Hey there, smart girl,” he said to the five-year-old, careful not to crowd them. He’d made that error the first time he’d run across them on Matt’s farm.

“Say hello to Doc Calvary and his friend,” Ruth prompted her daughter. Like her mom, Phoebe had long brown hairand soft brown eyes filled with cautious optimism. The world and a few folks had been less than supportive of Ruth’s choice to honor her marriage vows. Heaven knew, these two had spent a fair amount of time on the worse side of until death do us part. A lot of the local women stayed clear of Ruth on account of her last name, Buchanan, and her troublemaking husband.

“Hi,” Phoebe whispered. “I like your purse.”

“Thank you,” Amarie gushed, bending low to meet the little girl’s eyes. “It’s nice to meet you, Ruth.” Hesitant at first, Ruth extended her dirty hand. Amarie, in what he quickly was discovering was classic Amarie fashion, grabbed the offering with gusto. “Nice to meet you. What a cool job you have. This place is awesome.”

“Yeah.” Ruth gave a soft smile. “I think so, too. We love it here.”

“I want to stay here forever, b-but my kitty has babies in her belly and Daddy said I can’t see them if we don’t come back home.”

Amarie’s breath hitched. Ruth stilled, face glowing with a blotchy redness. The way Ruth seemed to shrink in front of them, her heart had to be broken to hear the pain in her daughter’s voice. Bucky needed his hind parts kicked for manipulating his daughter against Ruth’s responsibility as a protective parent. Eli didn’t fault mothers who stuck it out in an awful marriage until their children were old enough to leave the house. Men like Bucky stunk worse than manure on a hot day.

“Kids,” she said, as her fingers twisted her shirttail in a knot. Tears swelled in her eyes. “Say the darndest things.”

“Well, Phoebe, if I run across any kittens, you can play with them as much as you want right here on the farm,” Eli said.

Phoebe took one step away from the protection of her mother’s leg for the first time. “For reals, Doc?”

He nodded. “Yep. As long as it’s okay with your mom.”

Amarie stayed quiet at his side, visibly upset with the subject matter. No one on the outside looking in could speak with authority about what happened between a husband and wife, but in a situation where Ruth and Phoebe stayed at Matt’s more than their own home, the problems in the marriage were broadcast loud and clear. Bucky did a piss-poor job of caring for a wife who loved him.

“Thanks, Doc. We’d love that.”

Behind them, a thunderous boom echoed. Inside Belle’s stall the sidewall vibrated. Belle had delivered a powerful hoof kick, obviously anxious at her physical status. Both Ruth and Phoebe startled. Eli hated to disrupt the moment, but an anxious mare could hurt herself or others.

“How long has Belle been like this, Ruth?”

“I came in to muck her stall about thirty minutes ago.”