Page 105 of Touch the Sky

I tilt my head and squint at her. “You have?”

She nods. “Yes, but I never thought you’d want to.”

I squint even harder, and she lets out a soft laugh.

“We’d have to hire help, and I can barely get you to letmehelp you, never mind a stranger,” she explains.

I guess I can’t blame her for that. Even the thought of giving someone else a set of keys to the barn makes me want to build a ten-foot wall around the property just to keep them out.

People leave. My father left. My uncles got busy with their own lives and families. Even mymauditcousin left the back of our house to go work in Alberta, and we only just barely got through the scramble of finding someone to take his place.

If I run this boarding business, I’d need at leastsomeoneto help me do it, and someone could always leave too.

Unless they love this place as much as I do.

Unless it’s home for them too.

“Maybe it doesn’t have to be a stranger,” I blurt.

Mamanblinks at me, her eyes widening like I’ve finally said something that’s surprised her.

“I just thought…”

I trail off and stare down at the deck boards. Even putting this into words feels stupid, but ever since Natalie suggested it as a joke at the pumpkin patch, I haven’t been able to shake the image out of my head.

“Well, maybe Tess would want to help run it.”

I wince as soon as the words leave my mouth and then rush to add an explanation.

“She’s already out at the barn with me every day. Maybe she’d want to actually be part of the business. It could be good for her. She’s always stressed about not getting home in timefor Shel. Maybe she wouldn’t have to take so many farrier appointments if she was making money here too.”

Tess working here makes sense. It’s logical. It’s got nothing to do with how I feel about her—or what I’ve done with her.

“You might be right.”

Mamannods too, staring into the yard again before she turns back to me with a look in her eyes I can’t read.

“What?” I demand.

“She’s special, isn’t she?”

My pulse kicks up.

“Who is special?”

She chuckles and shakes her head. “Tess. She just…fits. Here. With us.”

We both look towards the back of the house, where the rectangle of soft yellow light from Tess’s window is still spilling out onto the darkening lawn.

“Yeah. She does,” I murmur.

Then I cough and rush to backpedal as my cheeks begin to burn.

“I mean, she’s very helpful, and?—”

“That’s not what I meant,”Mamaninterrupts. “It’s not just what she does. It’s who she is. Her and Shel.”

I look over at the light from the windows again while I try to get my face under control.