Matt & Zoe - Charles Sheehan-Miles Page 0,4

I walk in the door.

It’s Paul Armstrong, owner of the adjacent horse farm that runs behind the line of homes on College Street for a solid half mile from here. I haven’t seen him since my senior year in high school. He’s somewhere in his late thirties, I think, or maybe a very young forty. As always, he has red skin and ruddy cheeks from working outdoors. Paul and my Mom have always been rivals, but friendly rivals. Right now he’s chatting with Mono as he brushes him. Mono looks restless, and when he sees Jasmine he lets out a loud whinny.

Jasmine runs straight to him and without hesitation slips between the slats of the stall. My chest tightens with immediate tension—Mono was Mom’s favorite, and I know Jasmine rides him all the time. Still—he’s enormous. His black fur glistens from the light streaming in the door of the stable, and his hooves stamp at the ground, raising clouds of dust. Jasmine doesn’t hesitate, climbing up the slats to sit on the top rail. Mono nuzzles his face against her and she wraps her arms around his head.

Paul grins. “He adores her. Welcome home, Zoe.”

I nod. I’m not discourteous, just unsure why he is here. “Thanks. I didn’t expect to be here.”

“I’m so sorry about your Mom and Dad. I’ve been coming over here to keep an eye on the horses when I could—I was hoping you’d be back soon. Are you home on leave? How long are you staying?”

That was a lot of words all at once. I open my mouth, unsure of myself.

“I’m sorry, honey,” he says. He moves straight to me and wraps his arms around me. I stiffen at first—who the hell does he think he is? Then I almost collapse inside. The tension in my muscles slips away as if it had never been there.

“I think I’m here for good,” I whisper. “I’m out of the Army.”

“Ahhhh,” he whispers. “So you’ll be taking care of Jasmine.”

“Yes.”

“That’s good,” he says. “That’s good. I didn’t know if she was with relatives or a foster home or what. I just knew no one was feeding the horses.”

“Do you have time to be over here feeding Mom’s horses? What about your teams?” Paul’s horses often win national prizes in shows around the country.

He releases me and waves a hand in dismissal. “Husband’s covering for me.”

My eyes widen. “You’re married now? When did that happen?”

He says, “Four years ago, honey. Blake quit his job two years ago to work with me.”

I smile.

Then I remember that four years ago I was in Iskandiriyah. I missed a lot of what was going on back home then. “I’m so happy, I just didn’t realize.”

“It’s all right.” I will say this: he looks happy, and that’s a change. I remember seeing him at competitions on the circuit the summer before my senior year in high school—when Mom and I were arguing all the time. Paul was never relaxed. In fact, he looked like the most stressed out human being I had ever seen. He was stocky, with a thick muscled neck and sometimes awkward movements. He always used to look like he was thirty seconds from a heart attack. Now, he still looks red in the face, a little parboiled, but the stressed-out look in his eyes has melted.

“Marriage seems to agree with you.”

His smile reveals orderly gleaming teeth. I think they’re new… I don’t remember that unnatural smile.

“How long have you been watching them?”

“Ever since the accident, I’ve been coming over twice a day. Although Mono needs more attention. I’ve been riding him in the morning, but he missed Jasmine.”

Jasmine hugged Mono again. “Can I ride him now?”

Paul looks at me, and it takes me a fraction of a second longer than it should for it to sink in that he’s looking to me for permission. Because I’m in charge, both of the horses... and of Jasmine. I shiver. I’m not ready for this.

“Go get your boots.” The words feel awkward coming out of my mouth.

Jasmine plants a huge kiss on Mono, then jumps down from the rail and runs for the house.

“I’ve never ridden Mono.” I’m eyeing the horse as I say the words. He’s huge. I know Jasmine rides him all the time, but it still makes me a little nervous.

“Jasmine handles him like a pro,” Paul says. “She’ll be fine. Nettles is out back with Eeyore. Wasn’t she yours?”

I nod. Mom always wanted me to be into horses, just like