“Charlie, did you get the feed for the horses while I was gone?”
The young man shook his head embarrassed. “I forgot all about it boss. Sorry about that.”
“Well it’s your day off, so I will get it this time.”
“Thanks boss.”
Caspin nodded his head. It was Sunday and he didn’t make anyone work on Sunday, but if something didn’t get done, it was his responsibility to get it done. On a ranch, the animals came first and the people were the slaves to them.
Sighing to himself, he pulled the strap off of the horse he had been brushing. The ranch was his second job, the family business the first. But it was in those moments of quiet in the barn, that he was happiest. If his father hadn’t left him everything, he would only work with horses and spend his days as he wanted.
He watched the young men load up in one of the trucks and head to town. They would go out to eat and then drink most of their night away at a local bar. Caspin sometimes he wished he would go, but at thirty, he was getting too old for the bar scene. It wasn’t to say that he didn’t go sometimes, find him a woman for the night, but it was not near as often as he would like. The woman was never the same in the morning and although they would promise to keep in touch, they never did.
Caspin finished with Thunder and moved on to his own horse, brushing him down before he too, loaded up to go to town. Since the guys had taken both trucks that pulled the trailers, he figured he would just go down there and have it delivered. Mel’s was always open on Sundays, so it was where he headed in his day car. It felt weird to get into the small sports car when he was wearing jeans and a cut off shirt, but it was the way it was. The car had seen more dirt than most and he made a note to have it cleaned when he got back.
Pulling up to small feed store, he pulled over to the dock and waved to a couple that he knew. Everyone knew Caspin, especially when he tipped as well as he did. When they got older, many would come to work with him on the ranch. Caspin was always looking for good ranch hands, but he didn’t think they were ready until early twenties at least. Mel would hire then in high school and train them up for a few years, sending them his way when he thought they were ready.
Caspin got a faraway look in his eyes for a moment. He was going to miss old Mel and even going to his funeral the week before didn’t seem to make it real. Moving up to the doors, he took in the earthy smells of hay and different feeds. It reminded him of the first time he had been in there as a child. It was Mel that had nurtured his love of horses and now he was gone.
“Hey, Mr. Caspin. How are you today?”
“Hello Edith. I didn’t know you were working on Sundays.”
“I don’t usually, but we have a new owner coming in tomorrow for her first day.”
“Her?”
“Yeah, his daughter from New England got it in the will. Did you go to the reading?”
Caspin shook his head. He hadn’t for many reasons, but mainly because there were going to be people there that he didn’t care for. The fact that the Wheelings were even called there left a bad taste in his mouth.
“No, I skipped it. Had some things to deal with at Comston Corp.”
“Well, it’s always good to see you, but I have some paperwork to get together.”
Caspin watched her walk up the few steps to the few offices. He never knew Mel had a daughter, so his interest was piqued. But he was there for feed and after making an order, he had it planned to be delivered the next day. There wasn’t enough staff on hand then, so after loading a couple bags in his trunk to tide him over, Caspin drove back to the ranch and the many chores that still awaited him. It was days like that, with the sun beating on him that he regretted the work he did the rest of the week in the office. Men weren’t made to work under fake lights.
***
The next morning he was getting ready to go to the office when he heard a truck pulling up by the barns. He noticed a tall blonde get out of the truck and he went outside to see who it was. There was no decal on the side to tell him who it was for, what company, but there was a moment when he met her blue eyes that he knew.
“Hi, Mr. Comston, right?”
He nodded as she approached him. She stuck out her hand to introduce herself and he took it into his large palm. “Kallie Glenn, nice to meet you. We are here for the delivery, but they seem to know where you keep it, so you don’t have to worry about anything. We’ll be out of your hair in a minute.”
Caspin watched her turn around and his eyes roamed over her backside. He knew that it was Mel’s daughter, she had the same light in her eyes, but there was nothing to take away the attraction he felt for her. She was not like any other woman he had seen there. Her skin was still pale, her features more refined, as well as the full curves.
Swallowing hard, he moved to help her with one of the bags. She managed to grab another one, but he could tell she was not used to that kind of work. “So you took over the feed store?”
She smiled at him as she stacked another 80 pound bag of feed in the far end of the barn. “Yeah, not really my thing, but it is a sound business.”
It didn’t sound like she was going to mention her father and it made Caspin wonder how well he knew her. He had never heard of her before and it was strange considering how much time the two had spent together over the years. Who was this mysterious woman that showed up out of nowhere with eyes like the sea?
“I am sure you will do great Kallie.”
She looked over at him and smiled another disarming smile that made his heart pound in his chest. “Thanks Mr. Comston. Now stop helping. You are ruining your clothes.”
He looked down and shrugged, not being able to care less. Caspin was helping because he wanted to look at her, no other reason than that. She took the bag out of his hands, already adapting to the weight better as the truck bed unloaded slowly. He looked down at his watch and grimaced. He was already late and he did have to go.
“I have to get to work, but I hope to see you again real soon Kallie.”
“If you need anything, I will be at Mel’s in the mornings.”
She turned around and left him staring at her back. He had the urge to spin her around and kiss her. He left wondering why she didn’t seem as changed with their meeting than he was. Didn’t she feel the tension between them?