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“Guess so.” A grin lifted the corner of her mouth just before she sipped more coffee.

They began to discuss rent and the particulars of Natalie’s stay. Though embarrassing, Natalie told her of limited finances, explaining that she’d been laid off from her job at the credit card company, but that she was still able to support herself with her side hustle. She wrote blogs for a few companies, promoting their products, and now that she was able to do that mostly full time, she was pulling in a livable salary. She still had to live by a strict budget, which she explained to Vaughn, so that meant only a certain amount could be spent on rent. Vaughn, thankfully, understood and offered her an affordable amount.

Vaughn led her out to the guesthouse, which was nestled behind the main house. It was a small Spanish-style cottage with a matching color scheme to the bigger house. She could see that the front was once rich with vegetation and some wildflowers, but had since given way to mostly dead plants and weeds, no doubt due to the relentless summer heat. Nevertheless, it looked like a nice place and the inside looked cozy and comfortable, though stifling hot. Vaughn showed her around, turning on the AC, flipping on lights and fans, and removing furniture covers. The floor was covered in dark tile and the furniture was older and worn. An arched wood burning fireplace adorned the wall of the small living room, flanked by a heavy-looking armchair and a small sofa. Natalie immediately pictured herself there, curled up with a hot cup of coffee and a good book, fire or not.

The bedroom was equally as cozy with a full-sized bed, a chair, and a night table. A beautiful painting of a dark-haired woman in a red Mexican-style dress hung on the wall.

“And here’s the bathroom,” Vaughn said. “Extra toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, and soap, are all in the cabinet here, along with the towels.”

Natalie peered inside just before Vaughn switched off the light.

“And that should do it. We’ll get you stocked up with groceries tomorrow. And your cheeses? They weren’t kept cool enough I’m afraid. I wouldn’t eat them if I were you.”

Natalie laughed. “Those were kind of a silly buy anyway.” She’d only hung on to them for fear they’d be her only means of food for a while. She just couldn’t afford to throw away money.

Vaughn sank her hands into her pockets. “You sure? Because we have some Monterey Jack in our fridge if you’d like some?”

“Really?” She realized just how hungry she was, and she still had her crackers. “I think I’ll take you up on that.”

“Come on,” Vaughn said with a wave as they once again headed for the door. “We’ll get you all taken care of.”

Natalie smiled as she followed her out into the stormy night.

You don’t have to ask me twice, Vaughn Ruger.

Chapter Four

“She sure seems like a nice young gal,” Gram said, referring to their new guest, Natalie, as Vaughn drained a third horse bucket and poured in some apple cider vinegar to scrub it with.

“Yes, she does. A bit browbeat, but nice nonetheless.”

Gram helped scrub away the lingering algae in another bucket. It was nearing ten at night and Vaughn was finally on the last of the daily chores after having found Natalie on the private road. The chores were the ones Ricky and Pedro were responsible for and here she was trying like hell to finish them up. She’d already mucked out the stalls in both stables and given the horses their supplements. She’d double-checked all the fans, made sure there was no storm damage, and now it was time to clean out all the water buckets in the stables.

“I figured you were thinking the same as I was as far as Natalie’s concerned,” Gram said.

Vaughn didn’t really want to get into it, but she knew Gram wouldn’t let up until it was discussed. And she was right. They’d been thinking along the same lines. “I suppose.”

“Have you spoken to her lately?”

She was referring to Sissy, Vaughn’s aunt. She’d moved away a few years before due to a horrible divorce and her story had sounded a lot like Natalie’s.

“I haven’t. You?”

Gram sighed. “Not in a while.”

“I’m sure she’s fine.” She was sure of no such thing. But Sissy kept to herself. There wasn’t much they could do.

“Maybe,” Gram said. “She’s just so different since…”

“I know,” Vaughn said.

“She’s never going to be the same.”

“’Fraid not.”

Gram straightened. “I hope Natalie doesn’t suffer the same effects.” Gone was the free-spirited extroverted Sissy they’d all known and loved. What remained was a quiet, reserved woman who had very little time or trust for anyone. It was heartbreaking.

“It’s hard telling, Gram,” Vaughn said as she continued to scrub. “But he’s already put his hands on her and we know how that can escalate.”