The Hollow Hills - 9. Chapter 9

Galen

Ethan took me on our second date about two weeks after we went mini-golfing. We went out to dinner and to a movie. He held my hand the entire time in the theater; it felt nice to have physical contact with another man again. Ethan was a lot of fun to be around. I liked him more and more as I got to know him better. We kissed when he dropped me off at my apartment. He kept looking at the front door and blushing. It was obvious he wanted to come inside, but I wasn’t ready to invite him in yet.

When I arrived at the barn for my lesson that Saturday, Josh had Charlie tacked up and waiting in the aisle. I looked at him quizzically. I always rode Buck and I always got him ready myself. “Did I get the time wrong?” I asked.

Josh shook his head. “No. You’re on time. You’re going to ride Charlie today.” He looked away from me and patted Charlie’s shoulder. “He’s a great horse. He really knows how to adapt to the ability of the rider. He’ll take good care of you.”

“Ok. I trust your judgment, Josh. Is Buck ok?” I looked toward his stall. It was empty.

“Yeah, he’s fine. He’s turned out right now.” He paused and looked at me sympathetically. “Galen… Buck has been sold. His owner’s daughter is ready for a more advanced horse. I only found out a few days ago. I’m sorry.”

“Sold? I thought you owned him.” I was crushed. I loved that horse as much as Liam loved Pal.

“No, he was owned by one of my students. I gave them a break on board if they allowed me to use him for lessons.”

“When is he leaving?”

“I’m not sure. Soon, I imagine.”

“I can’t have one last ride on him?” I was struggling to keep my emotions under control.

“I’m sorry, Galen. I would need permission from the new owner.”

I nodded. I didn’t trust myself to speak. Josh put his hand on my shoulder. “Every good rider needs to learn how to ride different horses. Charlie is a world champion. Not many people get such an opportunity.”

“I appreciate it, really.”

Josh smiled and squeezed my shoulder before letting go. “Now go get on.”

I led Charlie to the ring and mounted. I was reeling from the news of losing Buck and the feel of Josh’s hand on my shoulder. I pushed the thought out of my mind and concentrated on my lesson.

Charlie was very different from Buck. He was incredibly responsive and very smooth. He was a joy to ride, but I was such a mess, I rode horribly. I could tell that Josh was trying to be patient and sympathetic. After a few very bumpy transitions, I rode Charlie into the middle of the ring and stopped in front of Josh.

“I’m doing terrible. I think I’m too much of a mess to keep going. It’s not fair to Charlie.”

Josh patted my leg. I don’t think he knew the effect he still had on me. I berated myself for thinking of Josh that way. I should be thinking of Ethan. “We all have off days, Galen. I’d like you to trot those cavaletti one more time. Let’s end on a high note.”

After I cooled Charlie off and put him back in his stall, I went to visit Buck in the pasture. He trotted right up to me and nuzzled my pockets, looking for the carrots I always had for him. I laughed and broke off a piece of carrot. He slobbered it all over me. I put my arms around his neck and buried my face in his mane. I was going to miss him terribly.

I changed my clothes and headed up to the house. Josh was going to teach me how to make chicken. I felt it was an important rite of passage. I was nervous about it, but I trusted Josh’s ability to know if chicken was undercooked or not. I have to admit that I wasn’t very good company. I was upset about Buck and was equally upset about my reaction to Josh. I still got a thrill every time he touched me or looked at me a certain way. I didn’t feel that with Ethan, and I felt incredibly guilty about that. I figured it was because our relationship was so new. I needed to give it time.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“Huh?”

Josh smiled. “You’re in another world tonight, Galen. Penny for your thoughts? Or did the price go up?”

I chuckled. “With the current inflation rate the price is probably up to ten dollars.”

“Would you settle for a piece of cheesecake for dessert?”

“You know me well. I’ll do anything for cheesecake.” I smiled suggestively. “Well, almost anything.”

Josh laughed, then sobered. “Galen, horses come and go. Especially if you ride lesson horses. You need to learn to not get attached.”

“Aren’t you going to miss him, too?”

“Yes, I will. He was a good lesson horse. But I’ll get another one to take his place.”

I frowned. “No one can take Buck’s place.”

“He’s a good beginner horse, but there are a lot of good beginner horses out there. He won’t be hard to replace.”

“Is this just a business to you?”

Josh shook his head. “I don’t mean to sound callous. Believe me, I know what it’s like to have a special horse.” His face darkened momentarily. “But I’ve been in the business a long time. Getting attached just leads to heartache. Excuse me.” He headed into the living room.

I watched him walk away before returning to my task of chopping vegetables. I wondered if his reaction had anything to do with why he didn’t ride anymore.

The chicken was a big hit. Liam teased me endlessly about food poisoning, but even he admitted that I did a good job. Josh was really the one that deserved the credit, though. All I did was follow his directions. We had cheesecake for dessert, as promised. It meant a lot to me that Josh made it himself. He preferred to cook savory.

“This is great, Josh. It’s just as good as The Bake Shop’s cheesecake.”

“Thanks, Galen. I’m glad my pastry skills are still intact.”

“So cuz, any plans for the big day next week?” Liam asked.

“Big day?” Josh asked.

I scowled at Liam. I was trying to forget. “It’s my birthday next week.”

“You should have told us! You’re coming for dinner, no arguments.” Alannah said.

“Maybe I already have plans,” I said.

“Do you?” Liam asked.

“Does sitting at home with a pint of Ben and Jerry’s, a slice of cheesecake, and watching sappy movies all day count?”

Liam laughed. “It’s not the end of the world, cuz.”

“Speak for yourself, old man.”

“I take it this is a milestone?” Alannah asked.

“Galen’s turning thirty. He’s not taking it well.”

“We should have a double celebration. Josh turns forty in a few weeks.” Alannah said.

“No. This will be just for Galen. I’ll make one of my special dinners for him. I don’t want a big party for me.”

“Oh c’mon, love. Why not celebrate together? We can have it catered. You pick the place. You don’t need to cook for your own party.”

“Alannah, you know I don’t like a lot of attention. This can be Galen’s party, and we can have a nice, quiet dinner for my birthday.”

“Don’t I get a say?”

“No,” said Alannah and Josh together.

“It’s settled. I’ll cook for Galen and we’ll decide about me later.”

“You should bring Jody and Ethan. How are things going with Ethan?” asked Alannah.

“Things are going well, but I don’t think we’re at the ‘meeting friends’ stage yet. We’ve only been on two dates.”

“I’ll plan on just the four of us, then,” said Josh.

I nodded and turned to Liam. “Betsey should be arriving tomorrow.”

“I thought you were selling her?”

“Who’s Betsey?” asked Josh.

“My car.”

“Did you get a new one?”

“No. I bought Betsey a couple of years ago. I didn’t want to have her shipped up here in the winter, so I bought the Kia for winter driving.”

“Betsey is a Ferrari,” Liam said.

Josh looked at me incredulously. “You named a Ferrari ‘Betsey’?”

“A lot of people name their cars ‘Betsey’.”

“Yeah, station wagons.” Josh laughed. “A Ferrari needs an elegant name. Betsey makes me think of an old work horse. You need a thoroughbred name.”

I shrugged. “Too late now.”

“I thought you were selling her,” Liam repeated.

“I was going to, but couldn’t get the price I wanted. So I figured I’d just hang onto her for now.”

Liam smirked. “Uh huh. You know you’re not going to sell her. You like her too much.”

I frowned. “I kind of like the Kia. It’s not ostentatious.”

“Don’t tell me you don’t like the attention you get when you’re driving her.”

I shrugged. “I get attention no matter what. I like driving her. She’s fun.”

“How many speeding tickets have ya got?” Alannah asked.

I laughed. “I haven’t gotten any, actually. Jamie got around five. He drives faster than I do.”

We scheduled my birthday party for the following Saturday. My riding lesson would be late morning instead of in the afternoon, so Josh would have time to prepare dinner. Jody planned on taking me out on Friday, and Ethan and I had our third date scheduled for Sunday. He sounded disappointed that we wouldn’t be spending my birthday together, but I really didn’t think it was a good idea to bring him to the farm yet.

I woke up on my birthday to Liam’s ringtone on my cell phone. I had a horrible headache since I celebrated a bit too much with Jody the night before. “Do you know what time it is?”

“Open up. I’m right outside your door.”

I groaned. “Just use your key.”

He laughed and hung up. Tigger jumped off the bed and ran out of the room. I sat up groggily and padded my way to the bathroom. The smell of coffee brewing drew me into the kitchen like a siren’s song.

“What are you doing here?”

“Well good morning to you too, sunshine.”

I grunted and watched the coffee drip into the pot.

“How late were you out last night?”

“I got home around two. It’s been ages since I partied with Jody. We hit the bars.”

“I can see that. Are you going to be able to ride today?”

“Yeah. I’ll be fine once the coffee kicks in.” I drummed my fingers on the counter as I stared at the pot.

Liam put his arm around my shoulders and directed me to the table. “Sit.”

He poured me a glass of water and handed me a couple of aspirin.

“Thanks. You still haven’t told me what you’re doing here.”

“I figured I’d give you a ride to the farm. Besides, we haven’t had a chance to talk much lately. How are things going, really?”

The coffee finally finished and Liam poured me a cup. I took a sip before answering. “Things are great, bro. Really.”

“I want to meet this Ethan guy.”

“We’ve only been on two dates, cuz. It’s a little early to be meeting the family.”

“You must really like him, though.”

“Yeah. He’s cute and funny. I have a great time when I’m with him. We’re going on our third date tomorrow.”

“That’s great.” He smirked. “Third date, huh? Got all the supplies you’ll need?”

I rolled my eyes. “Troglodyte.”

He laughed. “So tell me about him. I don’t really know anything about him.”

I shrugged. “He works construction with Jody. He’s down to earth. Funny. Cute. I’m not sure what else to tell you.”

“Does he rock your world?”

“Did you seriously just ask me that?”

“You still haven’t really told me anything about him. How does he make you feel?”

“Are you turning into a headshrinker now?” I shrugged. “I don’t know. I like him. I like being with him. He makes me feel wanted.”

Liam made a low noise in his throat.

I frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. Go get changed so we can get to the barn. Alannah and I are going to go on a trail ride during your lesson.”

“Have you asked her out yet?”

“Go get ready, will ya?”

“Then don’t give me grief about my love life.” I went into my bedroom and changed.

My lesson on Charlie went much better than the previous week. He really was a dream to ride. I felt a pang whenever I looked at Buck’s empty stall. As awesome as Charlie was, I just didn’t have the connection with him that I did with Buck. After my lesson, I headed up to the house with Josh. Liam and Alannah were still on their trail ride.

I offered to help, but Josh insisted on doing everything himself. I sat at the kitchen table, drinking water and chatting with him. Josh was so easy to talk to now. I was really happy that our friendship was going so well. Liam and Alannah arrived about an hour before dinner and we all sat in the living room, enjoying hors d’oeuvres and good conversation. Dinner was amazing, as usual. Josh really outdid himself. We had something he called an ‘amuse bouche’, which he said was to set the tone for the whole meal. I’m not sure exactly what it was, but it tasted like a bite of heaven. Next we had a small bowl of New England clam chowder, followed by a course of bacon-wrapped scallops. We then had a salad with my favorite dressing – honey mustard. The main course was prime rib with lobster tail. This was followed by a small cheese plate and then, finally, dessert. Josh made another cheesecake. He apologized for having the same dessert two weeks in a row. I looked at him like he was nuts. They all sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to me and I blew out all the candles. I didn’t wish for anything because I felt like I had everything I could possibly want.

I was floored that Josh went to so much trouble for me. I’d never had food that good in my entire life. He looked very pleased that I was so happy with the meal. It only made me adore him more. Alannah disappeared for a little bit after dessert and I helped Josh clear the table, despite his protests. When she reappeared, she took over clean-up duty from Josh.

“Liam and I can do these. Why don’t you guys go do night check? It’s a beautiful night.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“I’ll do it, Galen. You don’t need to do any work on your birthday.”

I snorted. “I’m coming with you, so I might as well help.”

He shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

The first thing I saw when I entered the barn was Buck’s empty stall. I felt a pang of loss, but pushed it aside. I didn’t want anything to ruin this night. I grabbed a flake of hay that was sitting outside the nearest stall and threw it in. I heard a very familiar whinny and looked down the barn aisle. Buck was standing on crossties at the other end with a big red bow tied around his neck. My heart leapt into my throat.

“What’s Buck doing here? I thought he was sold?” I looked at Josh, who was standing with a big smile on his face.

“I never told you who bought him. Happy Birthday, Galen.”

I looked at him incredulously. “What?”

“Happy Birthday, little bro. We all chipped in and bought him for you. He’s yours, now.”

I spun around. Liam and Alannah were standing behind me. “Mine?” A wide grin spread across my face. “Really?”

Josh nodded.

I jogged down to the end of the aisle and threw my arms around Buck’s neck. He nuzzled into my pockets, looking for carrots. “You guys bought him for me?” I was incredulous.

“Yeah, bro. We know how much you loved that horse. When Josh mentioned he was for sale, he suggested that we buy him for you.”

I launched myself into Liam’s arms, engulfing him in a crushing hug. I kissed him on the cheek. “You’re the best, big bro. Thank you.” Tears were starting to flow down my cheeks. I couldn’t believe that they would do this for me. I hugged Alannah next, picking her up and spinning her in a circle. I kissed her cheek. “Thank you. I can’t tell you how much this means to me.” I hugged Josh last, pulling him close. I kissed his cheek and lay my head against his chest. He smelled so good. He returned my embrace, placing a hand on the back of my head. I felt like electricity was running through my veins and I pulled back and looked him in the eyes. What I saw there was much more than friendship. “Thank you, Josh. For everything,” I whispered.

He nodded. I focused on his lips and started to lean forward when I felt myself being hauled backward by the back of my shirt. Liam put his arm around my shoulders and guided me to the tack room. I was grateful, but annoyed. I had been about to make a very big mistake.

“You need equipment to go with a horse, so we got you a new bridle and grooming tools. You’ll have to buy your own saddle, since it will need to be fitted for Buck.”

“I’ll buy whatever I have to. I can’t believe you guys did all this for me. The dinner was amazing enough…I think I need to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming!”

Liam pinched my arm. Hard. I smacked him. “Ow! Dick.”

He smirked. “Not dreaming.”

I groomed Buck while Josh finished night check and Liam and Alannah returned to the house to finish cleaning up dinner.

That night I lay in bed with a huge smile on my face, petting Tigger. I called Ethan and told him about Buck. I wanted to stop by the barn before our date and show off my new horse. I was more confused than ever by Josh. The dinner alone was incredible and really showed how much he cared about me. Buying me a horse just blew me away, though. I know it came from all three of them, but it was Josh’s idea. I hadn’t heard Roger’s name in ages and wondered if they had broken up. Maybe he didn’t want to tell me because of Ethan. I frowned and decided I needed to stop that train of thought. Josh had made his choice. I was happy with Ethan and wanted things to work out between us. I fell asleep thinking about the date I had planned for the next day.