Impulsion (Station 32 #1)(50)

***

It didn’t take Harley long to figure out life had moved on at the barn, that a new generation was there. She didn’t recognize the A.M. riders that filtered in. The ones that came after school were all new, too. She hadn’t seen Wyatt since that morning, and Camille didn’t bother to look in her direction.

The adjuster spent forever going over the rig, asking Harley question after question. That took up most of her afternoon. Looking at the rig made Harley’s bones hurt even more. She wasn’t sure how that whole ordeal didn’t end far worse. However, she was sure the truck was totaled. The hitch on the trailer was ruined, and the tires on the left side were bent in with the rims barely hanging on.

“Can we get his gear out now?” Harley heard Camille say from behind her, but when she turned it was Wyatt’s eyes she met. That tension, that heat was there, enough so to steal her breath.

Harley vaguely nodded. Wyatt and a few guys started to unload the trailer as Camille asked her question after question about what feed Danny Boy was on, what hay, what supplements. Where he had been, what they worked with him on.

Harley couldn’t figure out if Camille was seeing Danny Boy staying after his 30-day stall rest or if she was just looking for any new tendencies she needed to worry about.

Harley helped feed all the horses in the main barn but lingered at Danny Boy’s stall.

“Dinner is ready.”

Harley felt Wyatt’s voice vibrate through her body, felt her core clench. Time had done nothing to quell the effect he had on her; if anything, it made it worse.

She silently walked at his side to the golf cart that was parked in front of the barn. Getting in made her remember that last night, how he held her hand, told her she was safe as they rushed into hell side by side—and of course, what had happened before that on that creek side. She squeezed her legs together, feeling her body respond to the memory alone.

“What did you mean your dad wasn’t much better?” Wyatt asked.

She glanced up to read his expression. His words sounded harsh, and she halfway thought he was calling her a liar.

“He’s going to be eighty in a few months. With a weak heart. I was stating the obvious.”

“And your mom?”

“Evil as ever.”

Wyatt nearly smirked, but his glance, that embellished blue stare, met hers. “She’s not hurting you anymore.” It was more of a question than a statement.

“Wyatt, nothing much has changed when it comes to my parents. I’ve just learned to deal with it.”

Wyatt looked away so she would not see the pain in his eyes. No doubt she had learned to deal with it, and she did so by being with the guy her mother had handpicked for her.

That same wave of the past came over Harley as she walked into Camille’s home. Nothing had moved. All the furniture, all the paintings on the wall, the smell of it, the feel of it—it was all the same.

Beckett was even the same. He came in the back door right after Wyatt and Harley, wearing his famous overalls. “Yeah, they said the banker’s daughter crashed into town with a bang,” he said, pulling Harley into a hug. He chuckled as he passed her by, calling Camille’s name.

The dinner table was different, though. Camille and Beckett were still there, Beckett’s parents, too. Truman and Easton both came to dinner as well, but just like Wyatt, they had turned into men. Trey and all of Wyatt’s younger cousins were away at school. Apparently, Ava was supposed to be but ran in the back door just as everyone was sitting down.

“What are you doing, young lady?” Beckett said as Ava went around the table, kissing her grandfather, then her father, messing up Truman’s hair, nudging Easton, elbowing Wyatt. Once she reached Harley, she pulled her up into a hug. “Came to see Harley. God, you look amazing,” Ava said, extending her arms, looking over her. Ava did, too. She wasn’t a girl anymore; she was a young woman. Bright blue eyes, long brown hair, fit and simply gorgeous.

“So I’m just paying for school for my health? I want a refund,” Beckett groused as Ava sat down between Camille and Harley, pushing Harley close to Wyatt.

It felt like the entire table noticed that move. Easton’s stare shifted between Wyatt and Harley, so did Truman’s. Beckett laughed and Wyatt’s grandfather shook his head.

“I finished my labs on Tuesday.” She looked at Harley. “I’m going to be a nurse.” She nodded to Easton. “Kate already is.”

“Kate already is because she didn’t take semesters or summers or whatever else off, like you,” Beckett said. “Do I need to remind you that Wyatt obtained his degree in three years while riding professionally? Moved on to latch on to another field when that was said and done?”

Harley glanced at Wyatt, hearing the pride in Beckett’s tone, seeing how it somewhat embarrassed Wyatt. He refused to meet her stare.

“You’re only young once, Daddy.”

“Who told you that lie? I’m still trying to grow up, ain’t that right, Momma?” Beckett said with a deep laugh, earning a smile from Camille.

“So what have you been doing?” Ava asked Harley. “Are you in school?”

Harley smiled slyly, glancing in Beckett’s direction. “I’m taking a semester off.” After hearing what Wyatt had been up to, she was feeling like a total slacker at that point. Harley wasn’t far from a degree, but she was never able to manage her horse life and school at the same time, not with the deals her mother signed her up to attend or even coordinate.