Destiny by chance: A Contemporary Romance Fiction Novel (6 page)

“Sorry you missed the fish,” Owen said with a smile.  “If you snooze, you lose around here.”

“I’ll just have to get here earlier next Friday.” Destiny cleared the table without looking up at him.

“I’ll make sure to hold you a few back if you don’t make it in time.”

Destiny looked up.  Owen was trying so hard she almost felt bad for him.  Almost.  “Thank you.” 

Owen drew in a deep breath and glanced at Lisa, who encouraged him with a nod of her head.  He turned back to Destiny, nervously.  “Hey, would you like to get a drink sometime?”

Destiny continued to wipe down the table she had just cleared, with hot soapy water.  “That’s sweet, but I’m not really a drinker.”

Owen sighed and glanced at Lisa again for encouragement.  She motioned with her head for him not to give up.  “How about going for a cup of coffee, then?” he asked.

Destiny put on the kindest smile she could muster.  “I don’t really do coffee, either.”

Owen felt himself struggling now.  “You do eat, right?”

Destiny glanced at her friend and saw her encouraging Owen.  Lisa grinned and shrugged, knowing she was busted.  Destiny turned back to Owen, who looked like a little lost puppy.  “I’ve been known to eat.  On occasion,” she added with a smile.

“So, meet me here, next week, and we’ll
talk
about eating,” he offered.

Destiny tilted her head, her smile softening.  “Sure, we’ll talk next week.” 
What the heck was she thinking?

“So, it’s a date?” he asked coyly, then quickly added, “Unofficially?”

“
Unofficially
,” Destiny agreed. 

Owen smiled and nodded ever so slightly.  “Next week,” he added, triumphantly.  “See you then.” He backed up, turned and ran straight into a table.  He nonchalantly looked around, thought no one saw him and walked casually back to the kitchen.

Lisa had to cover her snicker.  Destiny didn’t even look up, unable to appreciate the humor at the moment.  Lisa walked over to her friend.  “See.  That wasn’t so hard.”

Destiny glared at her, her stare following her friend as she moved to cleaning the next table.

Bill shook his head and laughed, watching his brother make a fool of himself.  Then he turned his attention to the woman with whom Owen had been flirting.  Maybe he shouldn’t have been so quick to dismiss Lisa when she had told him there was someone she wanted him to meet.  When she first walked up to stand in his line, he found he couldn’t keep his eyes off her.  Destiny was not just pretty, as Lisa had described her, she was drop-dead beautiful—maybe a couple of inches shorter than he was, her hair dark as a moonless night, beautifully framing her delicate features.  It had been years since he had even thought of asking another woman out, and now, the only one he would even think of asking was being set up with his brother.

He looked down to recount the money since he couldn’t seem to focus.  For the fifth time, he counted it again, telling himself not to look up or he’d have to count it over.  “Eighteen hundred eighty dollars,” he said to himself, then wrote it down on his accounting form.

“Wow,” Destiny said, startling him.  “Do the concessions always do that well?”

Bill looked up suddenly.  She stood before him, holding a bowl of sanitizing water and a cloth.  “Um… catfish nights are always good.” Bill smiled awkwardly.  “It’s our best seller.”

“Then I definitely need to be here in time next week.”

“Yeah,” he struggled with what to say.

“Is there anything else you need me to do?” she asked.

“No.  No,” he stammered.  “But thank you.”

Destiny smiled.  “See you next week.”

“I look forward to it,” Bill said as she turned and walked away.  He watched her and Lisa walk toward the back door.  He dropped his head to the refrigerator beside him and banged his head slowly.  “You are way out of practice, my friend. 
Way
out of practice.”

Destiny parked in the same space she had two nights before.  There was a slight chill in the air, but it was still and quiet, except for the occasional rooster crowing or the lambs calling for their mamas.  The mist hung heavy in the air over the meadows and the ponds on the property.  Destiny was usually the first person to arrive on the weekends.  She loved riding early.  Other riders often began dragging in about ten or eleven.  Once the time changed, she could start riding even earlier and undisturbed, for longer.  She bridled and saddled Daisy, a beautiful chestnut mare with a star on her forehead.

On her very first visit to the stable, Charlie and Jessie had shown her around the property.  She knew instantly that this was where she wanted to ride.  Not only were they kind, but it felt like… home.  Raised on a small ranch outside of San Antonio, she was taught to handle horses.  She’d been riding almost since she was old enough to walk.  Until they moved to the city, she lived on a farm.  They owned a few milk cows, a couple of hogs, and dozens of goats and chickens.  And horses. 

Charlie could sense her familiarity with and love for horses immediately.  When they arrived at the stable, he had taken her stall by stall to meet them.  Destiny had asked which one she would be riding, and he told her it was up to the horse.  She teased him about being a horse whisperer.  Charlie had laughed and said it was nothing like that.  Destiny knew what it was like to love a horse, truly love a horse, the way some people loved their dogs or maybe even their cats.  So, she played it his way, walking stall to stall, taking a moment to talk to the horses.  It was at the second to last stall that she stopped when the small mare turned from her feed bucket and whinnied softly, snorted and moved to her.

Destiny had held out her hand for the horse to sniff; then the mare gently nibbled on her hand with her muzzle.  Slowly, Destiny raised the mare’s chin as it sniffed up her arm, arriving at her face.  She had been chosen.  And she had ridden Daisy every weekend since, for the past eighteen months.  It was her favorite part of the week.  When they rode, it was just the two of them.  There was no past she was trying to forget, no worries about school, no worries about life.  It was just them.  She would ride for hours some days.  Some days Destiny would lead the way, some days she let Daisy lead the way.  They had traveled every pathway, every meadow, every deer trail on the farm. 

Destiny walked to the mare’s stall, bridle in hand, ready for their morning ride.  “Hey, Girl,” she smiled, first stroking her muzzle and forehead, then her forelock and behind her ears.  The mare leaned into the scratch, welcoming it and begging for more with her motions.  Destiny laughed.  Slowly she bridled her and led her from the paddock. 

“Hi,” a small voice said.

Destiny turned with a start.  “Hi.” 

“I’m Sydney.  I’m eight,” she smiled, her arms behind her back.  “What’s your name?”

Destiny knelt by her side.  “I’m Destiny.  But you can call me Dee.  We met Friday night.  Remember?”

Sydney nodded.  “That’s a pretty name.”  She studied Destiny for a moment.  “Are you going to ride Daisy?”

“Yup,” she smiled.  “I was just about to saddle her up.”

“Can I ride with you?”

Destiny looked around.  “Well, I don’t know, Sweetie.  Where are your parents?”

“My dad had to go out of town.  Usually, we go to church on Sundays.”

Jessie walked around the corner.  “There you are, little miss.  I was looking for you.  I thought you went to gather eggs.”

Sydney took the basket from behind her and held it up.  “Here they are.” 

Destiny looked down.  “My, you gathered all those yourself?”

Sydney nodded excitedly.

Jessie took the egg basket and hugged Sydney to her side.  “You remember our grand-niece, Sydney?”

“We’ve officially met,” Destiny replied.

“Can I go riding with Dee?” Sydney asked.

“Well, Honey,” Jessie said, uncomfortably.  “Miss Destiny usually rides alone.”

“Has she ridden before?”

“Almost every week,” Sydney interrupted.

Destiny looked down at the young girl, then up at Jessie, who nodded.  “Surprisingly, she’s pretty good,” she began.  “But, if you would prefer to ride alone, I can take her out after breakfast.”

Destiny looked down at Sydney, who pleaded with her eyes, and smiled.  “Sure.  Why not.”

Sydney beamed, calmly walked to the tack room just two stalls away, and took out a bridle.  The young girl walked three stalls in the other direction, opened the door, and less than a minute later, walked out with a pony bridled.  All under the watchful eye of Destiny and Jessie.  Sydney looked at the women.

“Well,” Destiny grinned, turning to Jessie.  “I guess we’ll see you in a little while.”

Jessie winked at her and then turned to Sydney.  “Little lady, you had better use your manners.  Miss Destiny is the senior rider here, so if she gives you any instructions, you listen, you hear me?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And I want you back by ten.  That way Miss Destiny can have some time to herself.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And she has my phone number, so no shenanigans like last time, okay?”

“Yes, Aunt Jessie.” Sydney waited patiently for the instructions to end so she could ride.

“You sure about this?” she turned back to Destiny.

“Absolutely,” she replied, looking over at Sydney, anxiety brimming in the child’s eyes.

Jessie leaned over and kissed her niece on the head.  “Best behavior,” her aunt whispered, loud enough for Destiny to hear.  She stood up and turned to leave.  “I’ll keep my cell phone on,” she said to Destiny, with a glance to Sydney.  Jessie patted her coat pocket, then turned and walked toward the main house.

Sydney looked up at Destiny.  “You ready?” she asked.

Destiny raised her eyebrows, a little taken aback by the boldness of an eight-year-old.  “Sure.”

Sydney led, and Destiny followed back to the tack room.  Sydney tied her mount, like a pro, to the boards beside her and then slowly ran her hand over his back and flank.  Then she slowly picked up each hoof to check for pebbles or rocks.  Destiny watched the child carefully look over her mount to assure that he was fit to ride.  Then Sydney looked up at the woman expectantly.  Destiny slowly tied Daisy beside the pony and checked over her in much the same way.  When finished, she walked to the other side of her horse.  Sydney had already saddled Peanut and was tightening the cinch. 

“Can you please help me make sure it’s tight enough?”

“Sure, Honey.”  She stepped over and checked the cinch, which was perfectly clasped.  She moved the saddle back and forth, and it didn’t budge.  “You’re a pro at this.”

“Thank you.” Sydney untied the reins from the fence.

“What’s your pony’s name?”

“Peanut,” she answered, as she waited patiently for Destiny to saddle Daisy.

“Cute name.” Destiny placed the saddle on the blanket and adjusted the cinch on her own mount. 

“He’s named after Peanut, the companion pony of Exterminator.  He won the Kentucky Derby in 1918.”

“Really?” Destiny stopped what she was doing to listen.

“Yeah, he wasn’t even supposed to run.  His owner was going to run Sun Briar, but the horse got hurt, so he ran Exterminator instead, and he won.”

“Wow!” Destiny exclaimed, then finished saddling Daisy.  “How do you know all this?”

“You can learn anything on the internet.” Sydney led Peanut to a feed bucket, turned it over and stood on it to reach the saddle.  “Plus it’s a book. 
Old Bones, The Wonder Horse
.  My daddy and I read it last summer.  I love horse books,” Sydney chattered on as Destiny mounted Daisy.  “I have all the
Black Stallion
series.  Uncle Charlie and Aunt Jessie gave them to me last year for my birthday.”

“I read all the
Black Stallion
series, too, but I was a little older than you.” Destiny looked down, adjusting her stirrups.

“So, where do you usually ride?”

“Well, some days I pick.  Some days, she does.”  Destiny clicked her teeth, and Sydney followed suit, with a little kick to get the horses moving.  “Do you have any suggestions?”

A small smiled crept up on Sydney’s lips.  “Yeah, I do.” There was mischief in her eyes.  She kicked Peanut a little harder, and he started trotting.

Destiny chuckled at the small child bouncing up and down on the pony until he started cantering.  Daisy didn’t need any encouragement and followed Peanut until she was loping steadily beside them.  They took their time riding through the meadow and down to the pond.  An hour later they came to the edge of the forest.  Then they stopped.  Sydney looked over at Destiny and grinned.  “My pick?”

Destiny nodded, following as Sydney walked through a dense section of trees. After about sixty feet the woods opened up.  The creek that ran through the property and the three ponds on it was much wider through the forest.  How had she never seen this before?  In the two years she had ridden, she must have been over the property a hundred times, and yet, she had never ventured into the forest, believing it too thick to navigate, the passages too narrow. 

It was an incredible sight.  The stream ran shallow through the clearing, up to a small rocky ledge, where it split at a larger rock and some brush creating two small waterfalls a few feet apart.  The waterfalls poured about three feet or so into a deeper pool just below, which continued to feed the larger ponds further downstream.  Sydney dismounted first, followed by Destiny.

“This is my secret hideout,” Sydney said.  “You have to promise not to tell anyone.”

Destiny held her finger to her lips.  “Your secret is safe with me.”

Sydney walked Peanut to the water, Destiny and Daisy right behind them.  They let their mounts drink from the cold, fresh creek.

“They let you come out here by yourself?”

“Sometimes,” Sydney replied.  “I’ve been riding since I was little.  I used to ride another pony, a Welsh,” she continued.  “Her name was Nellie.  But she died a month ago.  Peanut was Nellie’s best friend.  And of all their ponies, he’s the gentlest.”

Destiny smiled, giving a little more rein to Daisy so she could munch on the green forest grass.  “I got my first pony when I was a young girl.”

“Really?”  Sydney asked excitedly.  “What was its name?”

“Bessie.  She was a little dapple gray Welsh pony.  She was so sweet and so tame.”

“Peanut’s a Shetland,” Sydney informed her.  “I told Daddy I wanted a horse for my birthday.”

“A horse?  You’re still young.  And a horse is a big responsibility.”

Sydney hung her head.  “Yeah, that’s what Daddy said.”

“I’m betting by the time you’re my age that you’ll have a lot of other presents that will mean just as much to you.”

“Not like a horse,” Sydney said, wrapping her arms around Peanut’s neck and squeezing.  “Nothing would be as amazing as my own horse!”

Destiny looked over at Peanut.  “Yeah.  I know what you mean.  I guess nothing was ever as special as Bessie was.” As she watched Sydney with Peanut, she smiled.  Ah, to be young and naïve.  Then she turned to Daisy.  “You’re a pretty special lady, too.” Destiny scratched the mare’s forehead again; then Daisy persisted by using her arm as a scratching post. “Hey, it’s about 9:30.  We should get you back.”

Sydney’s face fell, but she didn’t complain.  She walked to a rock and then mounted Peanut like she’d done it a thousand times.  Destiny climbed onto Daisy, the leather squeaking as she rose in the saddle.  Silently they rode back to the stable, taking their time, enjoying the morning sounds.  They walked past geese on the pond and cattle grazing in the meadow.  When they arrived back at the stable Destiny helped Sydney put up the tack and left her brushing Peanut, while she turned Daisy and headed in a different direction along the fence line.

“Dee?” Sydney called after her.

Destiny turned in the saddle.

“Thank you for letting me ride with you.”

Destiny smiled.  “See you around, Sydney.”

Sydney waved, then went back to brushing down Peanut as he munched on oats. 

“Cute kid.” Destiny grinned to herself as she clicked her teeth and gave Daisy a little kick.  Daisy galloped slowly, and then Destiny leaned forward and loosened the reins.  “C’mon Girl,” she smiled, as they ran faster and faster across the field. Destiny pressed closer to the horse’s mane as it whipped against her face, snapping her cheeks like sharp cords; losing herself again like she did when she was a young girl.  Embracing the freedom of the fields, the freshness of the morning, the smell of her horse.  Soon they were racing across the pasture, her heart suddenly full; feeling better than she had in two years.