Crush - KarEena

Chapter 11

It took an hour and a half for Haseena to complete her chores. First, she walked the horse around the paddock to let him cool down, then led him into a barn. The rustic exterior was deceptive. Karishma knew little about stables, but this one looked state-of-the-art.

"I've got first-class horses," she said in response to Karishma's expression, "they deserve a first-class home"

Karishma was no expert judge of horseflesh, either, but she didn't have to know a lot to recognize that these were impressive animals. Haseena rubbed down the horse, slowly and methodically, talking to him lovingly the whole while. Karishma stood beside her as she combed the horse's long mane.

"He seems to understand what you're saying to him."

"Why wouldn't he?" she said offended

"I didn't know horses had language skills"

"Mine do" Eyes shining with affection and pride, Haseena ran her hand over the horse's smooth coat, "at least with me."

"Then that's probably a talent of yours, not the horses"

She turned to respond but felt they were standing too close. Ducking beneath the horse's head, she moved to the other side. Undeterred, Karishma followed, "Does this English-speaking wonder have a name?"

"Zed."

"Unusual. Does it have any significance?"

"I like the sound of it."

"You don't elaborate much, do you?"

"No" Then she looked at Karishma and they laughed, "You ask a lot of questions"

"I have a curious nature. Do you race Zed often?"

"Only when he's challenged by a car"

She moved away then but glanced back at Karishma over her shoulder and it was as close as she'd come to flirting. Or maybe she was dead serious and it only looked like flirting because of her tight jeans and the long black braid that hung down her back from beneath the straw cowboy hat that Karishma had jogged a mile to retrieve. Maybe it looked like flirting to Karishma because she wanted it to.

After all the feed buckets had been filled and she had said a personal goodbye to each of the horses, she led the way from the barn to the house. She excused herself to go inside.

"You can enjoy the porch swing."

"Exactly what I had in mind" Rather than make an issue of not being invited inside, Karishma sat down in the swing and gave it a push, "Take your time."

"If Mahipal Chacha shows up, tell him I'll be right out."

"Mahipal Chacha?" Karishma asked

But she had disappeared inside and Mahipal Chacha remained a mystery until a few minutes later, when a man drove up in a rattletrap pickup truck. He climbed out of the cab and paused there to stare at Karishma before coming up the front steps onto the porch. Karishma wouldn't have been surprised by him.

He was tall and barrel-chested. Grey hair curled beneath his sweat-stained cowboy hat. When he removed his sunglasses, his deep-set eyes reminded Karishma of the bad-ass policies in classic movies. Karishma curbed her impulse to say "Howdy, officer", somehow, she didn't think Mahipal Chacha would appreciate the humour.

"Where's Haseena?"

Not much of a greeting, was it? "Inside. If you're Mahipal Chacha, she said for you to wait, that she'd be out soon."

He sat down on the porch railing, propped a size-twelve cowboy boot on his opposite knee, and folded his arms over his chest.

"Nice day," Karishma offered.