The Impossible Art of Falling (Impossible Art #1) (9 page)

He walked in and took his seat at the table. Jena was already there, having beaten him down to the table. She looked different. Better, if that was even possible.  Her eyes were bright and her cheeks had color. Today she wore a pale green v-neck t-shirt and jeans. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail that caressed her shoulders when she turned her head. His eyes were drawn to her delicate collarbone, which was now exposed. Around her neck was a thin, silver necklace with a small horseshoe charm. He had never noticed it before today and was mesmerized, watching the light catch and shimmer.

“Morning, Luke,” Rob said, pulling Luke’s gaze away. He reached and pulled the chair out directly across from Jena. Meg threw him a towel, and he began to dry off his hair and face before taking his seat.

“Good morning,” Luke answered, while looking at Jena. Their eyes met, and she smiled shyly, before turning her focus back down to her empty plate. Rob and Meg made small talk with each other, and Jena could feel the heat of Luke’s stare. Within minutes, the plates had been filled and the foursome began to eat.

“Looks like we won’t be working today,” Rob said. “According to the weather, it’s going to storm like this all day. I don’t want to risk getting stuck in the mountains in the middle of a thunderstorm!” Jena nodded in agreement and wondered what she would do with her day off.

“Trust me, it’s no fun,” Luke said, adding to the conversation. “My sister and I got caught up on Mt. LeConte in the middle of a storm once. We were actually even with the lightening. . .” his voice faded. Meg had paused, her fork halfway to her mouth at the mention of his sister, before she realized her pause and continued eating. Luke never talked about his sister, and Rob and Meg didn’t ask. That seemed to be an unspoken part of their deal in allowing him to come live with them. They didn’t ask, and he didn’t tell. “Anyway, I’m sure there are other things around here that can be done,” Luke said, recovering. “I can clean some tack and maybe play with some of the weanlings. Or, we could restack and rotate the hay in the hay barn.”

“I’ll call Kyle and let him know he doesn’t need to come today, although I would assume he would have figured that out on his own,” Meg interjected, and Jena felt herself relax, knowing that the bear of a man wouldn’t be with them today. She knew she shouldn’t be worried about him — he was nice enough — but he never seemed to want to leave her alone and was always trying to talk to her, and she assumed, trying to get her to talk.

“That sounds like a plan,” Rob said. “There are always extra things to be done around the farm. Jena, you’re welcome to come help us in the barn, or you can stay here with Meg.”

Again, Jena appreciated the choice. Luke looked at her, the hope that she would choose the former dawned in his eyes. He silently begged her to join them in the barn. Jena couldn’t help but notice there was something different about him this morning, too. There was a lightness to him that hadn’t been there before. They had shared something last night outside of Gatsby’s stall, and the air was clearly changed between the two of them. Still, she wasn’t quite ready to jump right back into long conversations. An afternoon with the horses could cause her uncle to ask lots of questions. It would be easier for her to stay in the house.

“Thanks,” Jena whispered, and then grabbed her plate and an empty platter, as if to show her choice. She took them into the kitchen and began to rinse them off in the sink. She heard the scrape of a chair and felt his presence before she saw him. He placed his hand lightly on the small of her back in order to reach around her and set his plate in the sink. She turned toward him in anticipation and was surprised to find him standing so close. Her aunt and uncle were around the corner and wouldn’t be able to see them, yet her eyes darted toward the door.

“If you get bored in here, you can come out any time and help me clean and groom horses,” Luke whispered by her ear, his warm breath tickling her bare neck. “I would welcome your help.” His hand slid from her back, and she stifled the shiver that accompanied it. His hair was still damp from the morning rain and curled at the collar of his wet shirt, which conformed to his arms and stretched around his body.

“Okay,” she said back and gave a little smile. Luke gave her a goofy grin and turned to go. Immediately, she felt the cold space he left behind. She stared at his muscular back and contemplated following him out to the stables, but then Meg walked in and broke her from her daydream.

“Well, shall we do these dishes?” Meg said cheerfully, pretending not to notice what she had almost walked in on.

“Already started,” Jena answered back, as she turned the faucet on to begin scrubbing the breakfast dishes.

They worked on the dishes and cleaned the kitchen in silence for a few minutes, but then Meg began to prattle on about everything from the weather to the state of tourism in the Great Smoky Mountains. Jena nodded and smiled when appropriate and even laughed at times. There was no need for her to answer or talk back, because Meg never came up for air. After they finished in the kitchen, they began cleaning the rest of the house. They changed the sheets on all of the beds, swept all of the floors, and tidied up the living room. They dusted and vacuumed. Meg hummed and then sang loudly to the country radio station she had turned on. Jena even found herself singing quietly to some of the songs. Pretty soon, it was almost time to begin to prepare lunch. The day had gone by quickly again. She didn’t know if it was intentional or not, but Meg and Rob had been giving her enough space to keep her from feeling smothered, yet had given her enough to do to keep her mind occupied. She even found herself smiling more and more. She glanced out the window in the direction of the barn and thought about Luke in there, grooming horses. She blushed when Meg caught her standing in a daze. Perhaps a certain sandy-haired haired cowboy was having more and more to do with her mood, as well.

LUKE HAD TO TEAR himself from Jena standing in the kitchen. He had wanted to kiss her so badly, but what would Meg and Rob say? It was too soon, and he knew that, but things seemed so different between them now. Would Rob and Meg have been upset to walk into the kitchen in time to see him kissing their niece? They had already been so kind to him, and he didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize the situation. He didn’t want to be kicked out of their house. Would Jena have been upset? Would she think he was being too forward? He had hoped that she would come to the barn with them. Not that he wanted her to help with chores, as much as he just wanted to be near her. He wanted to feel her proximity. Maybe she would talk to him again, and maybe she wouldn’t. Either way, he just felt better when she was near, and he held onto the hope that maybe she would come out later.

Rob had seen a small exchange between Jena and Luke at the breakfast table. There seemed to be a thaw happening on both sides, and it made him happy. Luke was a good kid. Sure, he had made mistakes, but didn’t everyone? And Jena just needed some more time to heal. She had been an adult for as long as he could remember, never having many friends who weren’t on the show circuit, besides being an only child. He had always felt that she never had much of a childhood. Of course, the death of her father, and the abandonment by her mother only made things worse. They both had a lot of baggage to bring. Perhaps both Luke and Jena could find something in each other that would help them both to heal.

“Let’s start by cleaning out this tack room and getting things in order,” Rob said, as he joined Luke in the barn after breakfast. “I’ve been noticing how dusty the saddles have been getting on the trails lately.”

“Sure thing,” Luke answered, and then began moving the saddles around to the correct racks, in order to start cleaning them.

“So, are thing getting better between you and Jena?” Rob asked after a while. He shouldn’t stick his nose in, but he couldn’t help but ask.

“Yeah,” Luke answered. “I’m just trying to do what you suggested and give her some space.” They cleaned in silence for several minutes. The sound of pawing at a stall door drew his attention. Gatsby was shaking his head over the door, clearly not understanding why he was locked in. “That horse of hers is certainly an amazing animal,” Luke said, putting down his rag and fishing in his pocket for a peppermint. The horse grew even more agitated upon hearing the crinkle of the plastic wrap. Gatsby could hardly wait for Luke to reach his hand out with the treat. He patted the animal’s neck and listened to the crunch of peppermint.

“He is,” Rob said, coming to stand in front of the stall as well. “He is an eventing horse, so life on this farm may be a bit boring for him. He’s the kind of horse that needs a job. Hopefully, Jena will begin to ride him again.” Luke knew this already. Jena had told him all of this last night.  He could ask Rob for the full story. There were so many questions swirling around in his head, but something stopped him. It didn’t feel right to pry about her. Instead, he changed the subject. He was certain that she would tell him, when she was ready.

“Are you planning on breeding those new mares next spring?” Luke asked, as they went back to work. Rob went on and on about them for quite awhile, and all talk about Jena was gone. Maybe Luke should have told him that Jena had been down here last night, but a part of him wanted to keep that visit to himself. She had said more to him last night than she had said in the entire two weeks she had been here, and it felt like a gift.

They continued to work on cleaning the tack room until Meg called them for lunch.

“Looks like today was a cleaning day all around,” Rob commented, as he kissed his wife’s forehead and looked around the house, which sparkled. Luke watched the easy way in which they moved around each other and felt envious of their relationship. Jena fiddled with her necklace and again, his attention was drawn to her slender neck and collarbone.

They filled their plates with sandwiches and fresh vegetables and topped it all off with tall glasses of Meg’s sweet tea. After lunch, they went back out, and he and Rob worked on other projects. The aisles were swept and the corners were cleared of cobwebs. Horses were brushed and fed. Stalls were cleaned and fresh bedding was added. The rain was steady all day, with the occasional rumble of thunder as the storm passed through. Luke waited for Jena to come out and join them. He couldn’t imagine what else she could be doing to occupy her time, but she never came. After sulking about it for awhile, he realized that this was a good thing, because hopefully, she would come back out tonight, and they could have time together again.

His thoughts were interrupted by the rumble of a truck, and Luke groaned, knowing that Kyle was pulling up. He stayed hidden in the barn, not wanting to talk to him. He knew he didn’t need to come in today, which could only mean that he was here to be around Jena.

He and Kyle had gone to school together. They had played football together and had even been good friends at one time. Both of them would have been considered the two most popular guys in their class, he supposed, although the status never mattered to him. They each had their pick of girls to date, and Kyle had picked Luke’s twin sister, Ali. It was a small town, after all. But then there was the accident. Ali was killed, Luke was blamed, and Kyle had been one of the many people to walk out of his life. They didn’t see each other for a year, until Meg and Rob hired Kyle to help out with the business. At first, he was angry with them for bringing his past back to him, but after he watched how low of a profile they kept, he realized that they may not have known all of the turmoil that had gone on behind closed doors.

The two men certainly did not become instant friends upon seeing each other again. Luke knew that he had changed since the accident, but so had Kyle. If anything, Kyle was even more confident, more brash than he had been before. Perhaps, it was because Luke was no longer in the picture, leaving Kyle as the “big man on campus.” Not only that, but Kyle had gotten a scholarship to play football at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and Luke never enrolled in college. And now, of course, there was the way he was constantly looking at Jena, as if she were something to be conquered or won. Kyle threw girls away like used newspapers, never keeping one around for too long. It was hard for Luke to believe that they had ever been friends at all.

Luke heard the sound of the screen door open, and the sound of voices on the porch. Meg, Jena, and Rob were standing on the porch, talking with Kyle.

“Why don’t you go with Kyle,” Rob encouraged Jena. “He can show you a bit of the town, while you go pick up some feed.” Jena hesitated, and then saw Luke peering from the barn door. She nodded and smiled before ducking inside to grab her rain jacket and walking toward Kyle’s truck. Kyle opened the door for her before climbing into the truck. They rambled down the driveway with a slosh of mud. Luke stared after them and felt his fists clench beside him. What was it about this girl that made him feel so damned protective? She could go with whomever she wanted. So why did he feel like he had just been punched in the gut?

He turned and stomped toward his room, slamming the door behind him.

chapter 11

T
HE RAIN HADN’T LET UP all day, so Jena had stayed inside. She and Meg had cleaned the house, then she retreated to her room and cleaned a bit in there, too. She still had some boxes that needed unpacking, and she finally felt like doing it, perhaps finally accepting the fact that she was here to stay for awhile. The stark room was beginning to look more and more like home. She had found an old, dusty, straw cowboy hat in the back of the closet, so she took it out and cleaned it up. This would be great for keeping the sun out of her eyes and the dust out of her hair. Gingerly, she hung the hat on the old metal bed frame at the foot of her bed.

She found herself looking out the window in the direction of the barn all morning, but only caught a few glimpses of Luke as he worked. She could just see him when he walked by the door of the barn, and then when he had come in for lunch. Jena had feared that after talking to her, he would be more forceful and try to get her to talk in the house. He still looked at her and smiled a lot, and had given nothing away to her aunt and uncle about her visit to the barn last night. In fact, other than in the kitchen after breakfast, Luke hadn’t really directed any conversation toward her at all. His smile was warm and inviting, which made her feel comfortable with him. Perhaps she could trust him, too.

And then Kyle had shown up in that monstrous black truck of his and offered to go get some grain. Rob had encouraged Jena to go. She hadn’t wanted to, but when she caught Luke standing in the barn door, his eyes darkening, something came over her, and she agreed. She could see how Luke’s body tensed as she got into the truck with Kyle, and she couldn’t help but smile to herself. At last, this was a reaction she knew she had caused, and she found herself reveling in it. A few minutes down the road, though, she wondered what she had gotten herself into. Kyle was nice enough, although a bit too forward.

“So, you’re Meg and Rob’s niece?” he started, right as he pulled out of the driveway. Jena nodded. “You don’t talk much, do you?” he prodded. She just shrugged next to him. “It’s okay, you can talk to me.”

She definitely hadn’t thought this one through. She felt trapped in this truck cab with Kyle and his syrupy words. She knew she needed to say something to him. Anything to get him to stop asking questions.

“I’m not really a talker,” she managed to get out. “I don’t have anything to say.”

“Oh, come on now, I’m sure you have plenty to say. Then again, if the only person you had to talk to was Luke, I wouldn’t say much either.” He laughed at the insult. His voice was loud and bounced off of the cab windows. Fortunately, they reached the feed store before he could say any more. She jumped out before he could grab the door for her and walked inside, happy to find some separation.

Kyle immediately went to the counter to order the feed, and Jena walked around the aisles of the store. She breathed in deeply, remembering the scent of hardware and leather. There were rows of garden tools and birdseed, pet treats and animal salt blocks. She walked slowly, running her hands across leashes, potting soil, and rake handles. In time, she found herself walking down the aisles that held the equine supplies. Brightly colored halters and lead ropes hung on hooks next to shiny silver bits. She fingered them gingerly, remembering the feel of a nylon rope in her hands. She spotted a smooth leather halter. The kind that usually had a gold nameplate on the cheek. It would look great on Gatsby. His old green halter was the only one she had taken from the farm when she left. Now she regretted leaving his soft leather halter hanging on his stall. A horse like him needed a halter like this. She grabbed it off of the hook before she could change her mind and walked up to the counter. Kyle had already paid and was walking around looking for her.

“Oh, hey, I wondered where you went.”

She offered him a meek smile and put the halter on the counter for the cashier to ring up. “Just needed a halter.”

“That’s a pretty fancy halter for a horse up here in the mountains,” Kyle answered. “You must have a pretty fancy horse.” He was fishing for information again, and while it bothered her, she was instantly grateful that her aunt and uncle hadn’t said anything to Kyle, either. She merely nodded in affirmation, before grabbing her bag off of the counter and walking back out to the truck. They pulled into the feed barn and Kyle handed the attendant his receipt. They waited in silence for the back of the truck to be filled with their order. The rain had stopped by now, so they wouldn’t need to put the cover back on to keep the feed dry.

“So, tell me about this horse of yours,” Kyle started again, once they were back on the road. “Do you keep him at the farm? Do you ride?” Jena immediately tensed at the questions she didn’t want to answer. She knew that Kyle knew exactly who her horse was. He was prying, trying to figure out just what she was doing at the farm.

“Can we not talk about my horse, please?” Jena whispered. Kyle turned to look at her. He studied her for a moment, trying to decide what his next move would be. Jena stared straight ahead, trying to make it as clear as possible that this topic was off limits. Instead, she tried for her own.

“How do you know Luke,” she managed to get out.

Kyle’s jaw tensed, and the sly smile was wiped off of his face.

“We used to play football together in high school. Then some things happened and we didn’t. His parents kicked him out.” He stopped, waiting for Jena to ask him to continue, but Jena had no desire to play the game she sensed he wanted to play.

“Oh,” she replied.

“You don’t want to know why?” Kyle said, with an incredulous tone.

“It’s not important,” Jena said.

“Just. . . just ask him about his sister sometime,” Kyle said, and Jena could feel the tension rolling off of him. “I’ll just leave it at that.”

Jena thought back to this morning’s breakfast conversation and how Luke had mentioned a sister. Now she truly was curious, but she couldn’t let Kyle know that. Somehow, she knew that if she let him tell her, he would have some sort of power. Before she could say anything else, they pulled back into the driveway, and she was able to escape into the house. Fortunately, Kyle didn’t stay for dinner and left shortly after he helped unload the grain.

IT WAS NEARLY MIDNIGHT and the house was quiet, save for the constant tapping on the tin roof of the rain that had started up again. She had been waiting for a lull in order to go out to the barn again, so she could bring Gatsby his new halter. Despite her conversation with Kyle earlier in the day, she secretly hoped that Luke was having another sleepless night, just like her. She felt an ache to see him after being with Kyle. Finally, the rain seemed to let up just a bit, so she grabbed her rubber boots and rain coat and tiptoed down the stairs. The door clicked quietly behind her, as she stepped onto the front porch, boots still in hand. She slipped the boots on as fast as she dared without falling over and shoved her arms into her raincoat, before running through the mud toward the barn, the halter swinging next to her. She had to calm her pounding heart as she stopped to slide the barn door open. She wasn’t sure who she was more excited to see, Luke or Gatsby.

Luke was already there, standing at the other end of the aisle with the other barn door open. She could barely make out his silhouette in the dark, and with the storm clouds, there was no moonlight to guide her way down to the end of the aisle. When she was about halfway, he turned, having heard the wet slosh of her boots on the pavement.

“Hey,” he said, with a smile. “Another sleepless night?” They met in front of Gatsby’s door again.

“You could say that.” She found herself biting her lip and looking down while she answered him. She was worried that he may think differently of her for leaving with Kyle, considering the way he looked as she climbed into the cab of Kyle’s truck. At the time, making him a bit jealous seemed like a good idea. Afterward, she wasn’t so sure.

“Well, allow me,” he said and opened the stall door for her to enter. She felt hands resting on her collarbone and the heat they instantly brought, as he reached to slide her wet rain coat off of her.

“Thanks,” Jena said, feeling her face flush. She held the new leather halter out in her hand, like it was a peace offering. “I bought him a new halter. At the feed store,” she said, as if it would explain her sudden trip with Kyle. She was pleased to see Luke relax a bit. He reached out to take it from the hand she held toward him. His fingers brushed over hers, lingering a moment before taking the halter from her.

“It’s beautiful.”

“I just need to get a nameplate for it.”

Luke nodded and hung it on the hook outside of Gatsby’s stall.

“I am sure he’ll love it more than
this
old thing,” he said, as he grabbed the old, faded green halter and tossed it to the other side of the aisle. “So, how was your trip into town?”

Jena knew what he really wanted to know was her thoughts about Kyle.

“Fine. Kyle is nice.”

“Oh.”

“He told me you played football together in high school,” Jena said.

“He did?” Jena could hear the worry in his voice. “Did he say anything else?”

Jena thought for a moment. She could tell him that Kyle had told her to ask about Luke’s sister. Again, she thought back to Kyle and the power he would feel like he had if he found out. She might ask Luke about her or she might not. Either way, it would be on her own terms, not Kyle’s. Luke took advantage of her silence to change the subject.

“Do you want a brush? I can go grab one for you.”

“Sure.” He was being awfully nice to her tonight.

Luke walked around the corner and came back with a brush in his hand. Their fingers touched again when he handed it to her, and once more, her body was flooded with heat. Was it possible that he felt the same reaction? Tonight, though, instead of standing next to her, he sat on a hay bale directly across from her. He stretched his long legs out in front of him and leaned back against the wall. He was giving her space.

Jena held the brush in her hand for a minute, before she began to move it across her horse’s coat in slow, sweeping strokes. Almost instantly, she felt the tension leave her body. As if feeling the same way, Gatsby closed his eyes and began to twitch his lips.

Her dad had shown her an article from a horse magazine when she was ten, about the benefits of grooming a horse. She had always been impatient, wanting to just throw a saddle on her pony’s back and get out into the arena. Her father was constantly scolding her, but that time, he had the article to prove it. Not only did grooming remove any dust and dirt that may irritate a horse’s delicate skin under a rubbing saddle pad, but it helped the blood flow. The study also said that it relaxed the one doing the brushing, as well. It was a time of bonding for both horse and rider. A time for them to be one, without asking or expecting anything from each other. It was still a few years before she truly understood what her father had been trying to tell her, and she wasn’t sure she totally understood it until this very moment. She smiled at the memory and brushed in silence, listening to the sound of the rain outside. Luke just watched her, and she felt his eyes on her. There was a comfort to their silence tonight. Neither one felt the need to fill the empty air with conversation. They stayed like this for several minutes, until Jena was the one who spoke.

“How long have you lived with my aunt and uncle?” she asked, thinking about Kyle’s earlier comments.