They made their way back down the trail, and Trixie stopped at a fork in the path. “What’s that way?” She pointed in the opposite direction from the way they’d come.
“Just another trail down. It lets us off at the other end of Walt’s property.”
“Let’s take it!”
Her enthusiasm was contagious. “Okay, but I haven’t been down that trail in a while. Take it slow in case there are trees in the path.”
“Sure thing, cowboy.”
They followed the trail, and it was nice going in a different direction. He hadn’t realized just how long it had been since he’d varied his morning trail ride. They came out at the far end of Walt’s property and rode side by side along the fence line toward Nick’s property.
“Can we stop to see Walt?” she asked.
“Sure. He’s usually outside by now.”
A few minutes later they saw him leaning against the side of the barn. He waved, and they tied their horses to the fence and hopped over, heading up the pasture.
“Taking a break, old man?” Nick called out as they approached, eyeing his friend. His right knee was slightly bent, his foot dangling, like he had a bum ankle.
Walt scoffed. “Thought I’d work on my tan. Hey there, darlin’.”
“Hi. I got my new horses,” Trixie exclaimed.
“That’s great. I can’t wait to meet them.” Walt lowered his boot to the ground and winced.
“What happened?” Trixie asked, her eyes filling with worry.
Walt waved dismissively. “Nothing.”
“Yeah?” Nick wasn’t buying it. “Let’s see you put your weight on that foot.”
“I’m busy holding up the barn. Trixie, tell me about your horses.”
Nick stepped forward and crossed his arms. “Not until you tell me what happened.”
“I twisted my ankle. I’ll be fine in a minute,” Walt insisted.
Trixie arched a brow. “How many minutes has it already been?”
“Let me take a look.” Nick crouched to take off Walt’s boot.
“He’s always trying to get me out of my clothes,” Walt joked.
“Join the club,” Trixie said softly.
Walt raised his brows, and then his face contorted in pain as Nick pulled off his boot. “Son of a…”
“That doesn’t sound like nothing.” Nick felt his ankle. “It’s not swollen.” He tried to move Walt’s foot, and Walt winced again. “We should probably get this looked at. Why didn’t you call me?”
“My phone is inside,” Walt grumbled. “Why didn’t you tell me you’re trying to get my girl out of her clothes?”
Nick gave him a deadpan look.
“It was more like me trying to get him out of his clothes at first,” Trixie said. “But now it’s a joint thing.”
Nick gave her the same look he’d given Walt.
“It’s about time one of you came to your senses,” Walt said.
“Enough.” Nick glowered at him.
Trixie planted a hand on her hip and said, “That’s it, Walt. I’m buying you a Life Alert necklace.”
“Get outta town, will ya? I’m fine.”
“I’m carrying you up to the house.” Nick put his arm around Walt.
“I’m not a woman,” Walt griped. “I don’t need to be carried.”
“You’re worse than a woman. You’re a stubborn old man. You think you can hop all the way up there without popping a hip?”
Walt glowered at him.
“You’re not hopping,” Trixie said. “Pick him up, Nick. And for the record, you’re as stubborn as Walt is.”
As Nick hoisted Walt into his arms, Walt mumbled a string of curse words and continued complaining the whole way up to his house.
“What if you’d had a heart attack? Or broke a leg? You could throw a clot. This is why you shouldn’t live alone. You’re not a young man anymore,” Trixie lectured him. “Maybe it’s time we find you a live-in helper, or a wife.”
“Christ Almighty, I don’t need a wife or a helper,” he said as Nick carried him through the front door of his rustic two-bedroom house. “I’ve got Nick.” He waved his finger at the couch. “Just put me there.”
“Then you need to carry your phone. What if we hadn’t come by?” Trixie went to the freezer and took out the ice tray. “You could have been out there all day.”
She pulled open the drawers, found a ziplock bag, and dumped the ice into it as Nick propped Walt’s foot up on a pillow on the coffee table and sat beside him. “I’d like to run you over to urgent care to get it looked at.”
“I’m not a pansy, Nick. Give it a day. I’ll be fine.”
Trixie placed the ice on his ankle. “Keep this on it for twenty minutes.”
“Did you get the horses taken care of?” Nick asked.
Walt shook his head. “No.”
“We’ll take care of them,” Nick said.
Trixie sat on the coffee table, holding the ice on his ankle. “Did you eat breakfast?”
“I’m fine.”
“And I’m making you breakfast.” She headed back into the kitchen.
“I’m going to take care of the horses.” Nick pushed to his feet. “If your ankle swells, or it gets worse, I’m taking you in for an X-ray. No arguments.”
Nick took care of the horses and mucked out the stalls. When he came back inside, Walt’s breakfast dishes were on the coffee table beside a pitcher of iced tea and his elevated foot, which was now expertly wrapped. Trixie was sitting beside him on the couch, captivated by a story he was telling her. Nick picked up the dishes and took them into the kitchen to wash.
“We were high school sweethearts,” Walt said with an unusually thoughtful tone. “But she wanted a small-town life, and after high-school graduation, I took off for the glamour and glitz of Hollywood. When I finally came back a few years later, she was married to my childhood best friend.”
“Oh, Walt. That’s so sad.”
“That’s just it, Trixie. It wasn’t sad. I was happy for them. She got everything she dreamed of, and so did I. But you asked if I was ever in love, and the answer is yes. I loved her dearly. But I loved stunt riding more.”
“Do you regret leaving?” she asked.
“I didn’t when I left, although I did regret hurting her. She was heartbroken. It wasn’t until I retired and came back for good that I slowed down enough to think about things. I’d see them in town, and I realized what I’d missed out on.”
Nick had known Walt practically all his life, and he’d never heard that story before. He looked at Trixie’s beautiful face, her hand over Walt’s, her warm eyes watching him, and he felt a tug in his chest again. When she cared about someone, she got right to the heart of them.
Just like you did with me.
Nick dried his hands and went to join them.
“Nick and I know all about not wanting to move away from our hometowns. But I also understand wanting bigger, better things, like my therapy business.” Trixie looked over as Nick walked into the room. “Did you know about Walt’s first love?”