Dagger's Point

Chapter Nineteen

"What do you want to use the back pasture for?" Fred asks, she looks at us suspiciously, her eyes darting between Conan and I.

"I got a horse as a surprise birthday present for my dad, and I can't keep it at Oxford or Dad will see it."

In reality Dad's birthday is in February and I can't remember the last time that I actually got him something. I stopped after the time he threw my homemade gift away when I was seven.

"You want to keep a fancy dressage horse in a pasture with a run-in shed?"

I wince a little then, my eyes darting to Conan, there is no way that she'll buy it. A top level dressage horse does not simply live in a pasture, at least not in her eyes, or most people. But, when she see's Dagger there's no way that we can pass him off as anything but.

"He's not that fancy, just a colt that's been running around in a pasture for the past few years of his life."

"I don't know guys, this sounds a bit fishy. But I doubt that you're actually doing anything bad, just don't steal a horse." she chuckles, her eyes sparkling.

"Great!"

Conan is still silent at my side, I think that lying to her is harder for him than me because he has known her for so long. I smile at Fred, trying to act innocent as the guilt begins to boil in my gut. There is no way that I can keep this up for long, sooner or later I'm going to have to tell her the truth, or at least some version of it.

"Well, we should probably get going." Conan says, shifting to leave her office, his discomfort obvious, even though this is his idea.

"Before you leave go out and check on the back pasture, it might need some fixing up before it can hold a horse."

We nod and scurry out of her office and into the barn, I know we're even acting guilty but I can't help it. I haven't been in the barn in a while, the horses so much more familiar to me now. A certain grey sticks his head over the stall door, reaching his dark nose out towards me, ears pricked. Thunder Bird, my all time favorite, second only to Hurricane. I can't help but reach over and rub his neck, his coat soft and dark beneath my fingers. I haven't gotten to exercise him in a long time, especially now because his training was becoming much more intense. They were aiming for the Derby with him, each race important.

"We should go check out that pasture." Conan's voice is a gentle reminder to pull me away from Thunder Bird.

I sigh and we walk out into the intense sunlight, and instantly I can feel it plastering my clothing to my body. It's too hot to do much of anything, yet we still get on the Gator, Conan driving it carefully as we make our way to the back pasture. The roadway there is narrow and filled with ruts that no horse in a horse trailer should be subjected to. When we stop I can't believe what stretches out in front of me. It's a large pasture, fenced in with woven wire, and topped with a thick black board. It snakes out towards a line of trees and out of view before looping around again down a hill before racing back up towards us and ending at the gate. I don't think I have ever seen a pasture this large before, easily fifteen acres if not more. The run-in-shed, however, is not something to be admired. It's a simple structure, with fading paint and boards with chew marks in it from a cribbing horse. But at the same time it is sturdy enough that I doubt Dagger will have any problem being there.

"I don't think anyone has been up here in awhile." Conan comments with a frown.

He's not wrong, the grass is endlessly tall with the seed heads poking out at the top. There are weeds everywhere, and even a small bramble bush. It doesn't look like anyone has done much more than take the horses out and shut the gate, leaving the wilderness to do as it pleases. Conan drives us along the fenceline heading downhill, driving a bit faster now as the ground is smoother. As we drive I catch sight of something that glitters, dancing in and out of the corner of my vision until it begins to materialize; it's a pond. And one that is not fancy or well taken care of. Instead there are a ton of cattails, the banks high with weeds and berry briars clinging to everything.

"Looks like we'll have to bring up some water. That won't be fun."

"The horses usually drink out of there?" the disgust in my voice is evident, and I can't help it.

"Yes. It works just fine. Some of the horses even prefer it." he says this slowly, not looking at me.

I realize that I must sound like a spoiled horse snob, which I guess in some ways is not far off from the truth. I can't help but feel bad, just enough that I sigh, but not enough to say anything. It's not like I insulted him, just exposed another difference between us.

"Okay. Let's go get a tub and some water then."

I'm trying to recover from my comment about the barn, but I think I can feel the coldness from Conan, I must've offended him again on accident. My mind flickers back to his episode at Oxford and my jaw clenches. This might not work just because of him, it's not like I'm doing anything wrong. He just takes it in the wrong manner, our upbringings obviously having been different.

The drive back to the barn is silent and I'm glad for it, not wanting to open my mouth and say something else that might offend him. I feel bitter and a touch ridiculous, but still, we manage to find a tub that isn't being in use. It's dirty, filled with cobwebs and spiders, but all Conan does is flip it over and hit it a few times before blasting it with the hose. Then he heaves it into the back of the gator and begins to fill it. The silence is awkward, as my eyes move to his and then away, feeling on edge at the thought of saying something. I try not to think about how that tub probably should've been properly cleaned with soap and a scrub brush. This causes me to pick at the seat on the Gator, tugging at the material my eyes focusing intently on the yellow seat.

Finally, it is full and we are off again, the silence still thick around us as he drives even more carefully, somehow barely splashing any of the water out. When we stop he backs up to the gate, still not saying anything as he wait for me to swing it open. I wince as the grass scratches against my legs, as I try to avoid the spider webs and any other bugs that hide in the depths. I don't want Conan to see how uncomfortable I am, so I stand there in the scratching grass, as bugs bumble around my legs and feet. I don't move as he maneuvers the Gator to the fence before stepping out and grabbing the tub firmly. He alternates sides, carefully sliding it to the edge before, with one more push the water splashes out and it comes to rest on top of the grass, weighing it down. I open my mouth, before pursing my lips, there is only about half of the water left and he seems to be satisfied with it. There is no way our plan is going to work if he only does things half way and so carelessly.

I have begun to fidget by the time he drives the Gator out and I run behind him with the gate, unable to move fast enough to get away from the grass and the bugs. I don't know what our next thing to do it, beside hooking his truck up to the trailer and getting Dagger inside of it. Back at the barns we are still silent and I want to break it, to go back to the more comfortable silence we had had, but I don't know if that's even possible. We are too different for anything to go back to normal between us, I just feel it. Hopefully, we can make this work, and just be occasional friends.

"So I'll meet you at the end of the driveway with Dagger at three?" I ask, with a frown in his direction.

I am ready to get in my truck and go home so that I can pack my truck with anything that Dagger is going to need, followed with sleep, well hopefully anyways.

"What are you doing at three?" Bea is bounding towards us, a smile on her lips, eyebrows lifting upwards.

"Nothing." Conan and I say in unison, sharing a wide eyed look.

"Having a secret tryst? Or are your running away to elope in Paris?"

"Neither."

I look at Conan, it might not be a bad idea to involve Bea in this, I mean an extra pair of hands to get Dagger in the trailer could be useful. But I'm not quite sure if she can keep from telling anyone, and she knows nothing about Dagger.

"Do you want to spend the night at my house and then help Conan and I with a secret project?"

"I mean if you guys are going to be boning I want nothing to do with it. But if it's illegal I'm all for it!"

"Great! Be at my house at six?"

"Okay."

I smile then, she'll make it less awkward between Conan and I anyways.