Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 123171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
“Is this her?” I ask, though I already know the answer.
“That’s you.”
I look from my photo to Taylor, shocked at the similarities. “Oh wow.”
“I know.” Aunt Kim sighs and wipes her own eyes. I close the photo album and my phone rings. It’s in the living room, on the coffee table. “Go answer,” Aunt Kim tells me, and I get up, wiping my eyes and hurry to my phone. It’s not Everly calling and asking me to pick her up, but my sister.
“Hey,” I answer, sniffling.
“You okay? You sound like you’re crying.”
“I kinda was, but I’m fine.” Blinking rapidly to clear my eyes, I slip onto the screened-in porch, closing the door behind me. “Aunt Kim was talking about Taylor,” I explain quietly. “Fucking sad.”
“God, it’s awful. And it doesn’t get any easier as time goes on.”
“Yeah. So, what’s up?”
“I tried calling Ev to see how her first week went and she didn’t pick up. Is she with you?”
“She is at a bonfire with friends.”
“What?” Louisa exclaims. “Already?”
“Right?” I’m back to smiling. “She’s thriving here.”
“I’m glad. Tell Ev to call me when she has a chance? I have super-secret cool aunt stuff to discuss with her.”
“I’m scared to ask.”
“Don’t be. Though, I’m not telling. You’ll like it, I promise.”
“I better,” I reply. “I’ll have her call you in the morning. Night.”
“Night, sis.”
Calling Mr. Meowster in with me so I can close up the porch for the night, I go right back into the kitchen and am surprised to see that Aunt Kim isn’t in there anymore. The bills are neatly stacked on the counter, and her bedroom door is shut. Talking about Taylor must have been too much. I give the counters and the table a quick wipe down and then go upstairs, getting ready for bed myself.
I open my laptop and put on a movie but find myself distracted on my phone. Heather sent me a follow request on Instagram. My account is private but it’s not like I have anything super exciting to hide. Most of Heather’s photos are of her and her daughters, with a few from a family trip to Disneyland over spring break. I’m about to put my phone down when I notice a familiar face—the hot guy from the feed store. He’s wearing a white lab coat and is crouched down next to a chocolate lab. I go right to the caption.
A huge thank you to Dr. Harris for taking care of our Max! He’s back to his old self <3
“Dr. Harris,” I say out loud and open a Google search. Well, shit. The hot guy from the feed store is Dr. Jacob Harris, DVM...and according to this article, he’s the only equine vet in the area.
Chapter Twelve
JOSIE
The second I hit snooze, I plop back down against my pillow. It feels like only a minute passes before it goes off again and, this time, I force myself up. Aunt Kim handled feeding the horses in the morning all week so I could get Everly off to school. Now it’s my turn and I don’t mind getting up to take care of them at all.
But I’m just not a morning person.
Forcing myself up, I have to blink rapidly to keep my eyes open. Once my feet hit the floor, I’m feeling more alive and less like a zombie. It’s cloudy today and looks like it’s going to rain. I quickly get dressed in leggings and a t-shirt and pull a hoodie over top, knowing I’ll be cold when I first go outside.
Careful to be quiet so Aunt Kim can sleep in, I feed the dogs and Mr. Meowster and then let the dogs out. Thankful for the automatic timer on the coffee pot, I fill up a to-go mug and head outside. The horses nicker to me as soon as I open the barn doors, eager for their hay. Taking a sip of my coffee, I set it down and then pull out a bale of hay from the stack at the end of the aisle, loading it into the wheelbarrow. I toss each horse two flakes and then go out to the run-in, giving the llamas and the cow a few flakes of hay as well. I feed the chickens and then go back into the barn, filling up horse buckets with feed and supplements.
My coffee is cold by the time I’m done with feeding everyone, but I take another big drink anyway. Up next is taking the horses out into the pasture. Lucy and Ethel can be led together and go out first. Then I bring the rest out one at a time, make a quick pit-stop in the house, slipping in and out unnoticed, and head back to the barn to start on cleaning stalls.
Heather is bringing Everly, Maria, and her other daughter, Felicity, over around ten to help with chores. I’ve done three stalls already and am starving. I dump my muck bucket and trudge my way back up to the house, walking through the misty rain.