Page 28 of Here With Me

They continue chatting as my brain freezes, wondering if there’s any coincidence the new farrier is a Fisher-doppelgänger.

“Hello, earth to Noah?” Ruby snaps her fingers in my face.

I shake my head and turn toward her. “What?”

“You okay? You launched to Mars for a minute there.”

I shake my head and force a tight smile. “Yeah, fine. Just thinkin’ of my never-endin’ to-do list.”

“Want me to tack up Nibbler for ya?”

“That’d be great. Thanks.”

She leaves to get his saddle, and I continue brushing Buttercup.

“While you’re out with Nibbler, I’m gonna clean his stall. Think you’ll be gone for a bit?” Ayden asks. He’s seven years older and has worked on the ranch for over a decade, so he’s more of an older brother to me. Although he’s the stables manager, I do all the training, so he runs the schedule through me.

“Mm-hmm. He needs a good run today.”

And I need to clear my head of any thoughts about Fisher.

I bring Buttercup back to his stall and give him a few forehead rubs before closing the door. Ruby already has Nibbler ready for me, and when I step toward them, I hear the office door open.

“There’s my daughter,” my dad says. “Noah, come meet the new farrier.”

Swallowing hard, I turn around and am greeted by a man I never thought I’d see again.

Fisher narrows his eyes as they walk closer, and I immediately panic. He doesn’t look half as shocked to see me as I am to see him.Could my life get any worse?

I take a couple of steps backward as they approach me, feeling the urge to run and fake amnesia.

“Comin’ through,” Ayden calls out behind me. I need time to compose myself but am nearly face-to-face with my dad and Fisher.

This can’t be happening. He shouldn’t be here. Hecan’tbe here.

“Noah, hold on. Wanna introduce y’all.” My dad’s voice gets louder.

“Noah?” Ayden’s behind me.

When I turn toward him, I nearly fall into a wheelbarrow full of horse shit.

“Excuse me. I’m goin’ into Nibbler’s stall, and you’re blockin’ the entrance...” Ayden drawls out, arching a brow when I freeze.

Clearing the fog in my brain, I nod and step to the side. “Yeah. Sorry.”

“Noah, this is Fisher,” my dad’s booming voice echoes behind me. “He took over for Mr. Ryan.”

Unfortunately for me, I spin around on my heels too fast and stumble on the front of my boot. While trying to catch myself, I fall backward. The weight of my body catches the edge of the wheelbarrow, and within seconds, it goes down, tipping its entire contents on top of me.

I’m literally covered in horse shit.

The answer isyes. My lifecouldget worse.

“Noah!” Everyone shouts my name at the same time, but all I want is for the ground to open up and swallow me down to my grave.

RIP Noah Hollis. Died of humiliation while covered in horse shit in front of her one-night stand who turned out to be her ex’s dad and is twice her age. And now the new farrier on her family’s ranch.

It’d make for an epic tombstone.