6. Travis

"Shhh…Ava...shhh…it's me. It's Travis. The house is clear." I put one hand on her shoulders and gave her a little shake back to reality. She finally stopped screaming.

"Oh. Right. Just you. Sorry." Ava looks around, wide-eyed. "Why didn't you turn the light on?"

"If someone were in here, the light would have startled them. I wanted to catch ‘em in the act. But see, there's nobody here." I walked her through the room, opening the bathroom door, the shower curtain, and the closet. We even checked under the bed. "See? No sign of anyone but you. This door can be tricky. Let me show you how you know it's latched."

We stepped out onto the porch together, and I pulled it closed with force. "See, did you hear that click-clock? That means it's latched." I pushed on the door to show her it wouldn't blow open. "Now you try."

"Ok." Ava slams the door, but it doesn't quite latch.

"Not quite. Here, let me show you. It might help to feel what I mean." I stand behind her, one arm wrapped around each side of her. I take her hand in mine, and we close the door together. There. Did you feel that?"

"Yes. Got it!"

"OK. Do you need anything else tonight?"

"Nope, I think I'm good."

"You go inside and close and lock the door. I'll double-check it before I go. And remember, if you need anything at all, you can call me on either my phone or the walkie-talkie."

"Yep, thanks. I've got everything I need, and I promise to call if I need anything."

"Ok, then. I'll see you in the morning. Good night."

"Good night." She slams the door shut and locks it. I try the door to make sure you can'tget in from the outside. It's locked.

I get in the golf cart and head back to the house. I have a sinking feeling that I shouldn't leave her alone out here. Maybe I should have had her stay in the house? But there literally isn't room. Ryder just got into my head. And we're out in the middle of nowhere. What could go wrong?

"Mia? Can I come in?" I knock on her door and wait for her response. She yells for me to come in. "Did you finish your homework?"

"Yes, of course. Is Ava still here?"

"No, she's in her cottage for the night."

"She's really nice. I hope she stays for a while."

"Yeah, she is nice. But the quicker she writes her story, the quicker it gets in the magazine. The quicker people learn about us, the quicker we get back in the black."

"Back in the black?"

"Yeah, it's just an expression. You don't have to worry about it. We just want to share our love of horses with people, right?"

"That's right."

"OK, well, you get some sleep. We've got a big day tomorrow."

"Yeah, I was thinking…maybe I should stay home to help when the ladies arrive?"

"No, no, no. We've got it all under control. I appreciate your help so much, but your main job is school. That's where your focus needs to be."

"Ok," Mia sighs, not trying at all to hide her disappointment.

"Goodnight, sweet pea."

"Night, Dad."

I head down the hall to my bedroom—finally, a bit of peace and quiet. I hop in the shower, washing the day away. What a day it's been.

I can't believe I've got Ryder's little sister here under my protection. I can't believe I might have a little crush on her. No–not a crush. It's just that she"s a good-looking young woman. It's only natural for a man to notice an attractive woman. I thought she'd just look like a female version of Ryder. Boy, was I wrong!

I should shave tonight, but I'm beat. I can't stand up for a minute longer. I throw on a clean pair of boxers and hop into my bed. My next big decision is: watch TV or read? I pick up the book sitting on the nightstand beside my bed and crack it open.

I soon realized that I'd read five pages, but I couldn't remember a thing. My mind is all over the place. I can't pin down why I feel so unsettled. I turn the TV on instead—the nightly news–stories of murder and death and more murder–no thanks. I flip around, trying to find something good.

No such luck. I turn the TV off, turn the light off, and lie there in the dark. Deep breath in. Deep breath out.Deep breath in. Deep breath…

BEEP BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP BEEP!

My hand instinctively smashes the button on my phone. There's no way it's time to get up already. I look at the clock: 5:45. Ugh. It"s time to get up. I hit snooze and closed my eyes for a few more minutes.

The next time the alarm sounds, I hop out of bed. There's no oversleeping when you're the boss. I get dressed and head downstairs. The smell of coffee meets my nose about halfway down. Does Roberta ever sleep? Right now, I don't need to know the answer to the question. I'm just happy to have a fresh cup of coffee waiting for me when I get downstairs.

The ladies aren't supposed to arrive until after lunch. So today, we just have to feed them a welcome snack and dinner. It gives us most of the morning to make sure everything is ready. I hope Roberta has the house cleaning team coming. All the rooms could probably use a freshen-up. No one has been here in over a week.

"Morning, Travis."

"Morning, Roberta. Thanks for the coffee."

"Sure thing, boss."

"Do you have house cleaning coming in today?"

"Yes, actually, Trina is already here. She's going room to room to freshen everything up. She works fast, so I don't think I'll need anyone else today."

"Great. You're the best. We've got quite a bit of work to do on the fence. If we leave it much longer, it'll break, and the cattle will get out. That could be disastrous."

"Yeah, Kenny was telling me. He's already out there."

"Ok, I'd better go help him."

"Why don't you two come back in for a break in about an hour? I'll have some breakfast sandwiches ready for you."

"Perfect. I was planning on coming to say goodbye to Mia before she goes to school."

"Ok, see you then."

I step out onto the porch and take in a breath of fresh air. It never gets old. The smell of horses, fresh grass, dirt, and trees. It's the sweetest smell. I know I'll never be able to go back to city life. Every time I step foot in a city, I feel like I can't breathe.

I take a minute to decide whether to ride Bigsby out to Kenny or take the four-wheeler. As much as I want to get Bigsby, the four-wheeler is quicker and more practical. I don't have time to waste today.

I jump on the four-wheeler and am about to start it up when I hear something. Is that screaming? Yes, it sounds like a woman screaming. I jump off the four-wheeler and run toward the house to make sure it's not Mia. It's not. It's definitely not coming from the house.

It's got to be Ava.