The Horse Farm - Chapter 2-7

Louise's phone rang as she walked back from the copy room. It was Terri.

"Hey, where are you?" asked Louise with concern in her voice.

"I'm in the office." 

"I've been trying to reach you for days!"

"I know," Terri admitted. "Work has been crazy, and I was with my parents this weekend."

"Oh! Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, they're good."

"Your dad's doing well?"

"Yeah, he's fine," Terri confirmed. "He still loves his golf."

"Did you go with him?" Louise asked.

"Not this weekend." Terri had to respond carefully. She hadn't told Louise yet about Francisco. "So, what's up with you?"

"Oh, a lot of things. Some things I can't really talk about now."

"Oh, really?" Terri asked eagerly.

"Yeah..."

"Anything the matter?"

"It's just ... complicated. I'll tell you about it later."

"Sure!" Terri exclaimed. "We should get together."

"Jo and I were planning to go to Gino's after work. Can you make it?"

Terri wasn't sure that she wanted to hang out with Jo. Speaking one-on-one with Louise would be easier. "Um, yeah, sure! That should be fine."

"You're not too busy?" Louise asked.

"No," Terri assured her. "I'll be there."

"Awesome!" Louise exclaimed. Terri seemed more distant than usual, and Louise was concerned about her. "Oh, and Walter got a promotion!"

"Oh, that's terrific!" Terri said. 

"Yeah!"

"What are you guys going to do to celebrate?"

"Well, we made dinner together last night. It was nice."

"Ooh, that sounds cozy!" Terri noted. "Congratulations to Walter!"

"Yeah, he might have to travel more." Louise felt awkward as soon as she mentioned it, but the travel issue was on her mind.

"Is that a problem?" Terri asked.

"No, I don't think so," Louise said. "We'll see how it works out."

"Okay, well, let's chat tonight," Terri offered.

"Okay, bye!"

"Bye!"

"Was that Terri?" 

Louise turned quickly. Antonio was standing a few paces behind her.

"That was none of your business," Louise said abruptly. "But thanks for eavesdropping."

"I wasn't eavesdropping," Antonio explained. "I just wanted to say 'hello'."

"Then you should have called," Louise said impatiently. 

Antonio stood for a moment. Louise's comment wasn't the reception that he had expected. He understood what she meant, and he wasn't certain how to respond. 

"I have a meeting," Louise interrupted. She turned and walked quickly toward her office.

 

'The Horse Farm'

Copyright © 2015 Daniel R. South

All Rights Reserved

The Horse Farm - Chapter 2-6

Louise came home to find Walter chopping vegetables in the kitchen. "What are you doing?"

"Making dinner," he explained.

"But it's your promotion - I should be making dinner for YOU!"

"Well, so far, I've only worked on the salad," Walter admitted. "There's plenty more to do."

"Okay," Louise thought for a moment. "Would you like me to make pasta?"

"That would be great!"

"With vegetables? Shrimp? Meat sauce?"

"Let's go with vegetables," Walter suggested.

"Sure!" Louise replied. "Just let me put my things down."

Louise set her purse and keys on the table near the front door and placed her briefcase next to her desk. She hanged her suit and blouse in the walk-in closet, slipped out of her bra, and pulled on a baggy T-shirt. She checked the messages on her phone, but Terri hadn't replied.

"So, how did it go?" Louise asked as she returned to the kitchen.

"Well, pretty quickly," Walter explained. "When I got in, Bruce asked me to come to his office. He said that they really liked my presentation. They want me to start in the new role immediately."

"Wow! That's fast!"

"They foresee a lot of new business this year. They want me to get up and running as quickly as possible."

"Do you still have to take care of things from your old job?"

"Yeah, a few things. But they want me to transition all of my old responsibilities by the end of next week."

"Why then?" Louise asked. She turned the heat on under the water for the pasta.

"Because the following week, I have to go to a two-day conference in Houston," Walter explained.

"So, you'll be traveling a lot more?"

"Not a lot," he explained. "Probably once or twice a month."

"Where else do you think you'll be going?"

"I'll probably have to visit some clients," he said, "but that'll be on a project by project basis."

"Okay..." 

"And I'll probably have to go out to our division in Colorado once in a while."

"What's in Colorado?"

"There's a team of engineers out there. They work on a product line that we acquired a few years ago. That's where the original company was. We never moved them."

"Do you know how often you'll have to go?" Louise asked. She was thinking that it sounded like quite a bit of travel. She didn't want to give Walter a hard time right after he received the promotion, but she had a bad feeling about him being away so much.

"I'm not sure."

"That Susan woman is from Colorado, right?" Louise asked. 

It was apparent to Walter that Louise was fishing. "Susan Chen or Susan Foster?"

Louise felt a rush of anger. "He knows which one I'm talking about," she thought to herself. "He's just trying to avoid answering the question."

"The one who likes you," she said crossly.

"Well, that would be neither of them," Walter replied. "And since they don't work on my team, we won't be making any trips together."

"Men can be so stupid sometimes!" Louise thought to herself. She had met this Susan chick only once at a company picnic, but she didn't like her. It was obvious that she had a thing for Walter. Either he didn't notice or didn't want to admit it. Either way, the thought or Walter spending time with her away from the office was upsetting.

"The water's boiling," Louise said. "I'll be back in a minute. I have to make a call."

She picked up her phone from the dining room table and dialed a number while walking into the bedroom.

"Hey, Terr, it's me. I hope you're okay. Please call me when you get this. I haven't been able to reach you, and I'm starting to get worried. Plus I have to tell you some stuff. Okay, well it's not really important. I just hope you're okay. Bye!"

 

'The Horse Farm'

Copyright © 2015 Daniel R. South

All Rights Reserved

The Horse Farm - Chapter 2-5

Louise called Jo from the car. She didn't have enough time to drive out to the mall, so she suggested that they have lunch downtown at Bistro Bleu. They could sit outdoors since the weather was nice, and maybe do some window-shopping after lunch. 

Jo saw Louise on the sidewalk and raced toward her. "Are you okay? You sounded terrible on the phone!"

"Oh, my God! I am FREAKING out!" She pronounced each syllable emphatically.

"What happened?"

"He's coming back." Louise was on the verge of crying.

"Who?" Jo insisted.

"You know," Louise hinted, "the one from work."

"Oh my God!" Jo shrieked. "No!"

Louise nodded silently in affirmation.

"When?" Jo prodded.

"I-I don't know," Louise admitted. "But he might be here for a couple of months."

"Oh, my God!" Jo exclaimed. "Okay, just ... Let's just sit, and we'll talk about it. Okay?"

Jo motioned to a busboy. He pointed to a table near where they were standing. They sat down and organized their purses, keys, and telephones. Neither of them looked at a menu.

"What are you going to do?" Jo asked.

"I don't know," Louise groaned. "Resign, maybe."

"Okay, you can't resign!" Jo insisted. "Can you avoid him?"

"I can try," Louise said. "But it sort of depends on what they want him to work on."

"Yeah..."

"I mean, last year, we worked together. Oh, my God, do you think they expect me to work with him again?"

"Okay, just calm down," Jo insisted in a soft voice." Louise looked down at the table.

"It sounds as though they haven't discussed the project with you," Jo continued, "so, maybe it will be okay."

"Hopefully."

"Let's make a plan," Jo suggested. "What are you going to say when you see him?"

"I really don't to talk to him," Louise said crossly. "I don't want to have anything to do with him."

"Okay, I understand," Jo assured her. "But you're probably going to see him sometime. I mean, it's two months, right?"

"You're right..."

"So, you should be prepared..." Jo paused. "Hey, is that Francisco's car?"

"What?" Louise was shocked by the sudden turn.

"There." Jo was pointing. "In front of the hotel."

Louise turned to see a red Ferrari double parked in front of the Hotel Grande Parisienne. "I... think it is."

Francisco emerged from the driver's side. A bellman opened the passenger door and helped a tall blonde woman to her feet. She wore a tight-fitting light blue dress, expensive jewelry and a fur stole.

"Oh, my God! It IS Francisco!" Jo said with an excited laugh.

"Yeah," Louise replied. "And he's with a woman."

"And they're going into a hotel!"

"Oh, man!" Louise exclaimed. "We caught them red-handed!" They looked at each other and laughed. Louise had forgotten about Antonio for the moment.

"I wish Terri were here," Jo said.

"Have you talked to her?" Louise said with a hint of concern in her voice.

"No. Why?"

"I've been trying to call, and I can't reach her."

"Try her now," Jo suggested. "We could go out after work."

"I can't. I have to do something with Walter tonight." Louise felt conflicted. She wanted to explain that last comment, but she felt uneasy discussing Walter with Jo since learning about their history.

"How about tomorrow?" Jo asked.

"That's should be good," Louise confirmed. "Let me see if I can reach her today, and we'll do dinner."

"That's great!" Jo said enthusiastically. "So...?"

"So ... Oh! Yeah! That."

"Are you gonna be okay?" Jo asked.

"I think so," Louise said with more confidence than before. "I'm so over that jerk."

"Yeah, you are," Jo assured her.

"If he knows what's good for him, he'll avoid ME."

 

'The Horse Farm'

Copyright © 2015 Daniel R. South

All Rights Reserved

The Horse Farm - Chapter 2-4

Susan knocked lightly on the door of Walter's office.  

"Am I disturbing you?"

She wore a navy suit and an expensive pair of pumps in natural leather. The heels made her five-foot three-inch frame seem elegantly statuesque from Walter's seated position. 

"No, not at all! Come in!"

Susan projected positive energy into the office through her lively eyes and relaxed smile. Straight black hair fell loosely down the side of her face.

"I just came by to say: CONGRATULATIONS!"

"Thank you!" Walter acknowledged enthusiastically. "News travels fast!"

"Well, I kind of had a heads up that things might be heading in this direction," she admitted.

"Oh, really? Who spilled the beans?" 

"I have my sources," she replied playfully. 

Susan carried herself with confidence. She was composed and professional in the office, preferring conservative suits to casual outfits. But her posture and body language telegraphed assurance and comfort with her own sensuality. She was pretty, but attitude and intelligence added significantly to her allure.

"Do you have time to sit down?"

"Yeah, for a minute," Susan replied. "Have you told Louise?"

"Yeah!" Walter confirmed enthusiastically.

"Was she happy?"

"Yeah, she seemed excited," Walter confirmed. "Somebody came into her office, so we didn't talk long."

"Is she going to be upset that you'll be traveling more?"

"I don't think so." Walter wasn't sure why Susan was asking this.

"I just remember her having some trouble with that before."

"Yeah, that was ... different." Walter didn't want to discuss personal details with a colleague, but Susan's recollection was surprisingly accurate. His relationship with Louise went through a rough spell during a project where he had to do a lot of traveling. His being out of town didn't cause the issue, but it was enough to make him wonder how she would deal with his soon-to-be increased travel schedule. 

"Sorry!" Susan apologized.

"Oh, it's no big deal! Besides, it'll probably just be a few days in Houston each month and an occasional trip out to Colorado. I'll always be back on weekends."

"Well, I'm sure that she'll adjust now that you're making the big bucks!"

"No big bucks, I assure you!" Walter said laughing. "Just three times the work, and now I have to fight for the department's budget."

Susan beamed a bright smile.

"You're from Colorado, aren't you?" Walter asked.

"Yeah, my parents live just outside Boulder."

"Nice! Maybe you can tell me the best places to go mountain biking out there."

"Sure!" Susan responded. "Or maybe if I'm visiting when you're in town, I could show you around."

"That would be AWESOME!" It didn't seem like a likely scenario, but it was nice of her to make the offer.

"Anyway, I'm sure that I've taken up way too much of your time," Susan said. "I just wanted to say congrats and ... well deserved!" She stood and extended her hand across the desk.

"Thank you so much!" Walter responded while shaking her hand. "I really do appreciate you stopping by."

"We should do lunch sometime," Susan offered as she turned to leave, "before you get too busy flying all over the place."

"Sure! That would be nice!" Walter said. "Maybe later in the week."

"Okay, pick a day, and we'll see if our schedules match up."

"Great! Thanks!" Walter confirmed. "I'll let you know."

"Bye!"

 

'The Horse Farm'

Copyright © 2015 Daniel R. South

All Rights Reserved

The Horse Farm - Chapter 2-3

Louise was at her desk when Walter called. 

"Hey! What's up?"

"Is this a bad time?" he asked.

"No. My nine o'clock meeting was cancelled, so I'm just working on a spreadsheet."

"Okay, well, I wanted to give you some good news."

The pitch of Louise's voice pitched upward with excitement. "You got the promotion?" 

"Yes, I did!"

"Oh! Congratulations!"

"Thank you!" 

"That's awesome!"

"It is pretty cool, right?"

Louise was visibly excited. She was bouncing up and down in her chair. "We have to celebrate! Is your team taking you out after work?"

"No, it was just announced," Walter replied. "I should be home at the regular time tonight." 

"Okay, well, we can make a plan and celebrate then," Louise suggested.

"Okay! Sure!"

Beth, a CPA from the accounting department, stopped at the entrance to Louise's cubicle. Louise held up a finger to signal that she would be off of the phone in a moment.

"Hey, I have to go," Louise apologized to Walter. "Sorry!"

"That's okay," Walter assured her. "I'll see you when we get home."

"Okay!" she said in a breathy voice. "Congratulations again!"

"Thanks!"

"Was that Walter?" Beth asked. Beth was tall with broad shoulders, a round face, and a blond bob cut. She was wearing a gray pantsuit with a pink blouse.

"Yeah!" gushed Louise. "He just got promoted - VP of Engineering!"

"Oh, that's awesome!" Beth exclaimed. "Does that mean that he has to travel more?"

"I'm not sure," Louise answered cautiously. "He'll probably have to visit clients more often."

"Well, it sounds like a great position," Beth added enthusiastically.

"Yeah, he's worked really hard," Louise said. "I'm so glad that they're recognizing him!"

"Yeah!" Beth confirmed. "By the way, did you hear that Antonio is coming back?"

Louise felt a powerful shock rush through her body. She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a word.

"They're starting a new project," Beth continued. "He's going to be here for a couple of months."

"Cool..." Louise muttered as she began to regain composure.

"He is SO good looking!" Beth bubbled through a wide grin.

"Yeah. He's hot." Louise felt sick to her stomach. She needed to get up. "I'm sorry, Beth. I'll have the spreadsheet done by this afternoon. I'm almost done. I just have to run to the bathroom."

"Oh, sorry!" Beth responded. "You can just shoot me an email when you're finished."
"Okay, thanks!"

Louise tried to call Terri on the way to the ladies' room, but the call went straight to voice mail. "She must be with a client," Louise thought to herself. She hesitated for a minute and then dialed Jo.

"Hey, it's me!"

"Are you okay?" Jo prodded. "You don't sound good."

"Are you free for lunch?"

"Yes! Of course!" Jo said.

"I need an emergency shopping trip."




 

'The Horse Farm'

Copyright © 2015 Daniel R. South

All Rights Reserved

The Horse Farm - Chapter 2-2

Francisco tied Terri's horse to a post and passed the reins of his gelding to the stable hand. "Take a look at his feet after you cool him down. He's favoring the left side."

The hand nodded and walked away with both horses while Francisco carried the saddles into the barn. "How did you like your first ride?" he asked.

"This wasn't my first time on horseback!" Terri protested.

"You rode like it was." Francisco enjoyed teasing Terri. 

"Oh, thanks for the vote of confidence, Mr. Cowboy!" She feigned disgust but enjoyed the playfulness of the comment. "I'd kick your ass if you weren't carrying all of that stuff."

"I'll just set these over there, and then, you can kick my ass."

"Hang on, there, Lone Ranger!" Terri had pulled out her camera. She motioned for Francisco to pose.

"Well, look at you, Miss Professional Photographer! That's a fancy camera!"

"Thank you. And, by the way, it's Ms. Professional Photographer. And, you're my handsome model, so let's see some attitude."

Francisco played along and posed according to her direction.

"That's right, baby!" she coaxed him. "Work it for the camera." They both burst into laughter.

Francisco set the saddles on their racks in the tack room and walked back out with a confident smile. "Do you need any more pictures?"

"No, I think I'm good," Terri answered, "unless you want to take that shirt off."

"Sounds like a great idea, but maybe not here. I don't want to scandalize the staff."

"Bummer!" Terri was admiring Francisco's build. He was in terrific shape for a man pushing forty. She realized that she didn't know how old Francisco was; the topic had never come up. But he had a teen-aged son, so he'd have to be in his late thirties at least.

"How about a cup of coffee?" Francisco offered. "Or we could just go upstairs for a bit."

"Both tempting offers!" Terri admitted. "But I really should be getting home. I've been here all weekend."

"No, don't go!" he pleaded playfully.

"But I have to work tomorrow. I can't go into the office looking like I just came from a trail ride."
Francisco hugged her and looked into her eyes." I'm glad that you stayed for the weekend." 

"I am, too!" she confided. "Can I come back again sometime, I mean, just to see the horses?"

"Any time you want. The horses will miss you terribly." They shared a passionate kiss. Francisco took her hand and walked her slowly toward the parking area.

"Are you going to call me?" Terri asked.

"Of course, I'm going to call you!"

"I mean, it's okay if you don't want to. Just let me know now, so I won't have to sit around waiting."

"I am going to call you every day, silly!" he protested.

"Oh, really?" she asked through a fetching grin.

He kissed her again. "I am going to call you until you get sick of me. And, then you're going to have to come over here and kick my ass."

Terri laughed loudly. "Okay, that's a deal, Cowboy! You'd better be ready!"

"¡Estoy listo!" he assured her.

Terri was about to walk out the door when she spotted Jo walking through the parking lot. "Holy crap!"

"What is it?" 

"It's Jo. She must be here for her riding lesson."

"Well, why don't you go say 'hello'?" Francisco teased.

"No way! I don't want her to know that I was here."

"You mean, you don't want Louise to know that you were here," he clarified.

"I think we covered that already," Terri said coldly. "No need to bring it up again!"

"Sorry," he said. "Just wait until she goes into the office. You'll be able to leave. She won't see you."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, we make them sign some forms," Francisco replied. "It takes a few minutes. You'll have enough time to get down to the road."

"Okay, here I go," she said nervously.

"Hey," he said clutching her arm. "Thank you!"

They shared a quick kiss. Terri smiled and then walked hastily toward her car.

Terri's phone rang as she pulled out onto the main road. The number was unfamiliar, but she answered anyway. Her clients expect her to be responsive. 

"Hello?"

"Hi, Peaches!"

Terri's heart jumped. A sudden rush of panic almost caused her to lose control of the car.

"Douglas! Why ... why are you calling me?"

"I just wanted to see how you're doing."

"I'm doing fine, Douglas."

"I was worried about you."

"You don't have to worry about me, Douglas."

"But you haven't been home all weekend."

Terri hung up the phone and sped toward her mother's house.

'The Horse Farm'

Copyright © 2015 Daniel R. South

All Rights Reserved

The Horse Farm - Chapter 2-1

Steam rose from Barney's back and disappeared into the cool, spring air. Francisco left the saddle in place while leading Barney through his ten-minute cool-down walk. It's not good to let a horse cool off too quickly after a hard workout.

"You had a good run today, didn't you, boy?" Barney snorted once and appeared to nod in approval. The ground was wet and soft.

Francisco loosened the cinch and placed the saddle on an oak rail in the barn. He dried Barney's chestnut coat and brushed him from head to tail. Francisco covered the two-year-old thoroughbred with a thermal horse jacket. Even a heated barn can drafts. Barney's First At Bat, as he would soon be known to the racing world, couldn't afford to catch a cold. 

"Let me just check your feet there, boy. And, then you can relax." Francisco raised each of Barney's feet carefully and removed clumps of mud and sod with a hoof pick. They looked healthy, but they would need to be trimmed before racing season. The farrier had a standing appointment at the farm on the First of May - that would be soon enough. There was no need to have him schedule a special trip.

Francisco thought about Isabella as he walked back toward the house. It was getting dark now. He hoped that they would have a few minutes to speak at the party - a few minutes alone. He walked in through the side cloak room and left his boots on the floor to dry. "Definitely can't wear these, tonight!"

Glancing at his phone, Francisco checked the weather one more time: clear and cool with no wind. Perfect. He remembered the details from the last time that he looked, but he checked again anyway. "Details are important," he thought. "Never leave anything to chance."

The shower was hot. His muscles ached from a long day with the horses. 

He didn't have to do this kind of work anymore - the farm had plenty of help, and he trusted the hired trainers, but he liked to be involved. He wanted to know firsthand how the horses were doing and to take a hands-on role in their training. Did any of them display signs of an injury? Did they need a change of diet? Should their routines be backed down or intensified in order to enhance their performance? 

Barney was strong. Francisco would talk to the trainers in the morning about increasing his speed reps if weather conditions would permit it. Later, when his hooves were trimmed, they would reduce his workouts slightly. A horse on new shoes can slip while running at full speed on loose spring sod.

Francisco pulled on his leather coveralls and zipped them up tight. He fastened his phone into its Velcro pocket and jogged to the garage where the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R was waiting. After snapping the strap of his helmet, he rolled the bike outside and checked the gauges while revving the engine. It had plenty of fuel, and everything was working perfectly. 

Riding a racing bike is like flying an airplane at three-and-a-half feet off of the ground. There's no feeling in the world like it, not even racing a top thoroughbred in a crowded field. Francisco contracted the muscles in his legs and core and let his face and tongue relax. His breathing was deep and controlled. He needed to be free of tension and completely connected to the bike. The more he connected with his machine, the better he would connect with the road. Once he hit a zone, once body, mind and machine became one, he could cruise at any speed.

Isabella was still on his mind, but he couldn't think about her now. This moment was all about the road - every curve, every obstacle, every straightaway - be present, relaxed, and fully committed.

Later, as he lowered his speed and approached the private road to the Williams estate, Francisco did let one thought creep into his mind. It brought a smile to his already elated face. 

"You can keep that overpriced Ferrari, Dad. I'm a bike man."

'The Horse Farm'

Copyright © 2015 Daniel R. South

All Rights Reserved