The Impossible Art of Falling (Impossible Art #1) (6 page)

“I probably should have. She was quite pretty,” Luke answered, looking right at Jena. His eyes were teasing, although his mouth held no smile.

Jena stiffened as Meg placed a plate of fresh vegetables on the table, and she took the opportunity the lower her eyes. When she looked back up at Luke, he was smirking. Clearly he had seen her reaction.

“It’s your loss, Thomas,” Kyle said, addressing Luke by only his last name. “I gave her my number since you didn’t seem interested.” Kyle’s leg brushed against Jena’s under the table as he shifted in his chair, and Jena leaned in the opposite direction. Luke focused back on his plate, his humor from earlier gone.

“So how did things go in the office, Jena,” Rob asked, drawing her attention away from the hulking mass next to her.

“She was a great help, actually. Not only did she get all of the release forms filed for today, but she got us all caught up on the ones from last week,” Meg broke in, and Jena was grateful. She could have answered. She could make herself talk, but Meg seemed to be the only one who understood that she needed a bit more time. Jena smiled at her aunt and uncle warmly.

“Well good! You just let me know when you want to help out on one of the rides, Jena, and we’ll get you in.”

Jena frowned into her sandwich as the rest of the table continued to eat. She noticed that Rob had said
when
not
if.
Helping out on the trail rides was the furthest thing from her mind. It was something she just wasn’t ready for. She chewed in silence and looked across the table to Luke, who was looking at her again. Something in his eyes had changed. His stare was softer. The anger was gone and something new was there. Pity? No. Understanding? No. Curiosity. Yes, that’s what it was. Luke was curious. Jena couldn’t help but smile again to herself. Perhaps she had finally broken through his tough exterior. Past his anger and into a part of him that she could learn to like.

AFTER LUNCH, THE GROUP walked back to the office and the horses. Kyle would take some of the horses back to the barn for the afternoon and let them rest, while the others would be given water and allowed to graze for a while. Her aunt and uncle were deep in conversation as they left, leaving Luke and Jena behind. Luke walked just a step behind her, and she could feel his presence. She wondered why he was so close, as he could easily just walk in front of her. It was almost as if he wanted her to be aware of him. She glanced sideways and watched the muscles in his shoulders work under his t-shirt, as his arms swung lightly at his sides. Finally, he spoke.

“The afternoons are a bit quieter. People don’t want to be out there anymore than the horses do when it gets warm.” Jena nodded and smiled. Luke was trying to be nice. He had heard what Rob had said and was making an effort. He hoped it was being noticed. He shrugged when she didn’t answer. When she turned back toward the office, he turned and called out to her.

“Hey, Jena.” She turned toward him. “Be careful of Kyle,” he said. “He’s…he’s…just watch yourself around him.”

What a strange comment
, she thought to herself. As if she had an interest in anything like that right now. And if he was as bad as Luke insinuated, why would her aunt and uncle have him working for them? She didn’t have to think about it long before the activity of the afternoon and the monotony of the office distracted her.

Within a few hours, the tourists had gone and the horses were all put away. Kyle had gone home for the night, and Jena felt herself relax a bit. She and Meg were in the kitchen getting dinner ready, and Rob was tinkering around in the barn somewhere. Luke found himself with some unplanned free time. Meg would be calling him for dinner soon, so he didn’t want to disappear for too long. Instead, he climbed up on the wooden fence and watched the horses. He had grown up around horses and had always found their sounds soothing. He had ridden as a kid, but it was his sister who was the true star on the back of a horse. She rode well and eventually, learned to jump. After she was gone, he worried that he would no longer be able to stand being around them, for fear they would remind him of her. Instead, he found them even more of a comfort. It was as if he could feel her near him whenever he was with a horse, and it calmed him.

He listened now, to the soft sounds of their feet on the grass and light swish of their tails, as they methodically swatted at imaginary flies. In the distance, he could see Jena’s horse; a big, dark bay with a white star in the middle of his forehead. Suddenly, the horse raised his head at something unseen, his ears pricked forward, and he began trotting around. Sleek muscles moved underneath his dark coat.  He looked like a thoroughbred, and it was clear he wasn’t just a trail horse; his athleticism was evident. He was definitely built like a jumper. A frown crossed Luke’s face as he watched the beautiful animal circle and toss his head. Luke was even more confused. Why didn’t Jena want to ride, or even be around her horse?

Luke whistled at him, hoping the animal would come. He took a peppermint out of his pocket and began unwrapping it, letting the crinkled sound of the plastic draw the horse’s attention. His ears pricked forward and he snorted, before trotting toward the fence. Luke offered the piece of candy to the horse, who took it with whiskery lips. Luke hopped off of the fence and rubbed the horse’s head, right between his eyes. The animal leaned into the soft touch and munched on the peppermint, clearly content with this show of affection.

“What’s your story, boy?” Luke murmured, stroking the horse’s velvety muzzle. “And what’s her story?” He reached under the overgrown mane and scratched. His hands moved up to his ears, where he massaged. 

The horse nuzzled his hand, looking for more treats. When it was clear that there was nothing more to be had, he blew out a breath and wandered away to begin grazing again. Luke climbed back up onto the fence.

Jena watched the whole scene from the kitchen window. At first, she was angry. How dare this stranger touch her horse! And how dare her horse betray her like that! But, then she smiled. Gatsby always could be bought with a peppermint, so she couldn’t blame him. It was then that she realized that she cared, her jealousy showing. She was also pleased that she had even thought of her horse at all. She had been pushing him away for weeks, and suddenly, she had the urge to touch him. To feel his soft muzzle underneath her fingertips and his warm breath on her cheeks. She remembered the softness of his smooth coat and the way he smelled like sweet feed and hay. Maybe she would sneak out after dinner to give him a treat. She closed her eyes, and for a moment, her life was back to the way it had been. She was lost in a memory.

Meg watched it all, too. She saw Luke standing in the pasture and watched Jena’s reaction. She could see the longing in her niece’s eyes as Luke ran his hand over the horse coat. It would only be a matter of time before Jena would be back out there. People like Jena were born with horses in their blood. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t stay away. Her husband was like that, as was his brother, Jena’s father. Horses are part of Jena and Meg believed the girl wouldn’t give up on them so easily.

“Jena, will you cut those carrots up for me?” Meg asked, startling Jena from her trance. She nodded and got to work. Meg smiled to herself and turned back toward her own cutting board. All Jena needed was time. Of everything, this was something that Meg could give her. She had known all along that having Jena here was the right decision.

chapter 6

J
ENA DIDN'T KNOW HOW LONG she had been in bed staring at the ceiling. She was certain the dark, recurring dream had awoken her at some point but couldn’t remember when. A breeze blew in from the window, and the cool wetness on her cheeks told her she had been crying. With childlike grace, she swiped the offending tears from her face and got up to shut the window. Outside, the sky was clear above the mountains and stars dotted the skyline. Somewhere in the distance, a coyote howled. She could hear the shuffling feet of a few horses in the barn, and the smell of hay floated in on the breeze. Jena inhaled a deep breath to try and clear her head, then stuck her head out of the window and into the night air. Her room was above the porch, giving her a slightly sloped perch on which she could sit if she climbed out on the roof. She stepped over the windowsill carefully and took a seat on the roof to gaze out over the farm. It was peaceful out here, that was for sure. The nighttime sounds of the mountains could almost make her forget South Carolina. She wrapped her arms around her legs, pulled them to her chest, and shut her eyes, letting herself get lost.

It was hard not to think about it. To not think about her past and everything that had happened since. Her dad crashing into that jump was only the start of her fall, and while she missed him, it was what followed that still caused her so much pain. Her father's successes crumbling around her, followed by her mother leaving, were perhaps the worst part. She had long suspected that her mother wasn't happy. Karen didn't ride. She liked the idea of it. She liked the money that it earned her family. Mostly, she liked the idea of the life that Ted represented. When they had first met, Karen loved traveling, but there came a time when she wished she could stay in one place. She didn't really understand the lure of the horse world and only tolerated it, at best. Jena assumed she would leave someday. She just never believed her mother would leave without her.

Jena shuddered again, either from the wind or the memories and began to get up to go back inside. The light sound of boots on the gravel below her made her pause and settle back on the roof, pressing herself tightly in the shadows, not wanting to be seen. She saw Luke walking up the drive from the direction of the barn. He walked over to the fence and leaned against it, just waiting. A minute later, a dark horse emerged from the shadows and nickered softly at him.

"Hi there, buddy. Can't sleep? Me neither." He reached into his jacket and pulled something out. The horse immediately went for the apple, and Luke stroked his cheek. The horse leaned in, and she imagined that he was probably closing his eyes, leaning into the touch. The moment was almost too personal, and she felt like an intruder watching him. Suddenly, he turned, as if he knew that he was being watched. Their eyes met. He took a slow step away from the fence and toward her and the house. Panicked, she rose, and he made no further move. As quickly as she could, Jena turned toward the window and crawled back inside, embarrassed to be caught watching.

Luke stood there and watched the curtains flutter, a ghostly reminder of Jena’s disappearing figure. How long had she been there? Had she seen him pacing up and down the driveway? He had been startled awake by the dark nightmares that haunted his sleep. A flash of lights, a scream, and then he would jerk awake, finding himself covered in a cold sweat and breathing hard. On the nights he couldn’t get back to sleep, he often walked around the farm. He went to the horses in the pasture, or played with the cats in the loft. Anything to take his mind off of the dark parts of his life.

After the loss of his sister, Rob and Meg had taken him in and offered him work and a place to stay. He thought about his own reasons for being here and thought again about Jena. He thought of her silence and apathy and his own fears. Perhaps they had more in common than he had thought.  After all, everyone had secrets.

Luke shook his head of all thoughts and turned to walk back into the barn. When he crawled back into bed, he thought of the beautiful girl with the sad, troubled eyes. He thought of how she had stood on the roof, looking down at him, and sleep came easily.

chapter 7

J
ENA AWOKE TO THE SHUFFLING of boots and the sound of voices, and all she could do was roll back over. Surely, her uncle didn't expect her to get up this early, did he? A few minutes later, a knock at the door startled her awake again.

"Jena, it's time to get up. You need to be downstairs to help out in fifteen minutes!" Rob hollered.

Jena groaned again, as she rolled out of bed. It had taken hours for her to fall asleep last night after watching Luke at the fence with her horse.
Her
horse. Again, she had felt a sense of possessiveness over him. Rationally, she knew that others handled him. Someone had to feed him and turn him out and groom him if she wasn’t. She had just assumed that it was her uncle. Not the mysterious man who glared at her every chance he got.

It wasn’t just the relationship with her horse that bothered her. She thought about the moment their eyes had met last night. What had he been doing wandering around in the middle of the night? He had taken a step toward her, as if to try to speak. She had panicked and jumped back through the window. A moment later, she heard the sound of the barn door shutting and knew that he was back inside. She pushed thoughts of him out of her mind and began to get ready for her day.