Come Share My Love (15 page)

     “Your friend, Zackary.”

     “My friend?  Are you sure?”  He was disappointed.

     “Yes.  For now,” she slipped in.

His eyes perked up.  “Well that sounds promising.”  He gave her a quick peck on the lips.  “Fluoride this is my friend, but soon to be more in the near future, I hope.”  He rushed without taking a breath, “Shyla.”

     The horse bowed then stood back up.

     Shyla had never seen anything like it.  She was a beautiful horse.  The most she knew about horses, was that some were wild and some were tame but they were all very beautiful.

     “See, she does like you.  Fluoride doesn’t just bow to anyone.  Come over here and give me your hand.”

Shyla moved back another step.

      “Come on.  We won’t bite.  Not that I don’t want to, because I definitely want to, and in the right place, but I won’t.”

     “I thought you were supposed to be safe?  I would probably be safer with Fluoride,” the horse laughed.

     Zackary glanced at the horse and said, “Not funny Flo,” then turned back to Shyla.  “I am safe.  Now come here.”

     She reached her hand to his and he pulled her to him.  Both their hands were sweaty from nervousness, for two separate reasons.

     “Now gently rub right here.”  He guided her hand right between the horse’s eyes.  “See.”  He looked at her.  “She likes that.  She’s spoiled that way.  Afraid?”

She shook her head.  “No.”  She continued to rub the horse’s brow even after Zackary let her arm free and moved his arms to wrap around her waist.

     “She is a very beautiful animal,” Shyla smiled.  “How long have you had her?”

     “Since she was a baby.  She’s only two years old.”

     “She’s huge for a two year old.”

     “She’s an offspring of Seattle Slew, the Kentucky Derby winner.”

     “Are you serious?”  He responded with a nod of his head.  “Do you plan on putting her in any competitions?”

     “No.  Our horses are for riding only, pure pleasure.”

     “That’s good.  I hate to see animals hurt, especially when it could be prevented.”

     “Me too.  Some people think we’re crazy for having this type of money on our land and not using it for gain.  We’ve had offers to buy her and her siblings but it’s not worth it.”  He reached over Shyla and rubbed the horse again.

     “I agree.  Good for you, guys.”

Now he was nudging her ear with his nose and nibbling with his mouth.  “So will you go riding with me?” he whispered.  She had that feeling again, but this time she wouldn’t give into the sensations.

     “I can’t Zackary.  I’m not even dressed for it.”

     “You can run and change or ride sideways.  You’ll be leaning against me.”  That was one of the reasons for her decision.  “I wouldn’t let you fall.”

     “I know you wouldn’t.  I still can’t.”

     “Why not, Shyla?  It’s just a short ride.”

     “I just can’t.  Isn’t that enough?”  They stared one another down for what seemed like an eternity.  Shyla finally looked away.  She was still wrapped in Zackary’s arms so it wasn’t going to be easy to ignore him.

     He turned her to face him.  “Shyla.  I really like you and I brought you here this weekend so that we could spend some time together.  Away from our lives in L.A., so that we could get to know one another but we can’t do that, baby, if you object to everything I suggest.”

     “That’s not what I’m doing.”

     “That is exactly what you’re doing.”  He released her and began counting off things with his fingers.  He did that a lot.  “You didn’t want to spend time together in Jamaica, you argue at every turn, you ignore my calls for weeks then you’re upset when I don’t return your calls, this morning you didn’t want to sit in the front with me.  If Felt and Ess hadn’t been already comfortably seated in the back you would have had poor Felt ride up front.  Now tell me I’m wrong.”

     He knew her so well.  That was definitely her plan.

     “You play around with me, get me hot and bothered and you pull away.  And now you’re out her walking on this beautiful day when you could be riding with me and you say no like I’m some kind of disease.”  She turned towards him furious.  “And you insult my horse.  You say you’re not afraid to be alone with me but you still won’t ride.  I gotta tell you Shyla this really isn’t looking good for you.  I mean, damn woman, what do you find wrong with me?  Or riding with me?”

     In the midst of his ranting something occurred to him.  “Unless,” he looked at her as her eyes grew bigger.  Had he figured out her little secret?  He began to laugh.

     “What’s so damn funny?” she demanded.

     “Don’t tell me you’ve never rode a horse before.”  She looked away.

     “Is that it?” 

Her eyes were misty but she didn’t answer, she didn’t need to.  Her eyes told on her.

     “That’s it.”  He nearly choked out, “I’m sorry, baby.  That wasn’t funny.  I’m just surprised.”  He reached for her; she pulled away.

     “Not everyone knows how to ride a horse.”  She picked up her shoes and walked off.

     “Shyla wait.  I was just joking with you.”  She continued to walk. 

     Zackary tied his horse to the nearest tree and ran after her.

     “Shyla, please wait.”  She continued on, but he jumped in her path.  She tried to move around him either way but he wasn’t allowing it.

     “Will you please move out of my way?”

     “No.  Let me talk to you.”

     “You’ve talked enough,” she said through gritted teeth.  “Now move, damn you, or I promise I’ll scream and have everyone in ear shot running to my aide.”

     “I don’t care, scream, but listen.  I said I was sorry.  We can ride Fluoride and I promise to go slow or we can use a smaller horse.”

     “I don’t want to ride on your horse with you or without you.  I don’t want a smaller horse,” she screamed.  “I don’t even want to be here with you.”  She threw her hand over her mouth regretting each word.  It was a lie that slipped out.  “Zack.  I didn’t mean-”

     He held up his hand stopping her next lie.  He was genuinely hurt.  “You could have said that yesterday before riding all the way up here with me.”

     “I didn’t mean what I said.”  She walked towards him but his dark gaze made her flinch.  “It’s just that…”

     “Just what?”

     She shook her head.  “Nothing,” she sounded sorry.  She hadn’t meant to hurt him, but she had.  “Nothing,” she repeated.

     “You know what Shyla you are a very beautiful and desirable woman but you’re also a stubborn assed woman.  You want everything to work out for you but you’re not willing to compromise for the sake of others.  No wonder you don’t have a man.”

     She couldn’t keep the hurt out of her voice.  “And you’re an ass.  I don’t have a man because of big stupid jerks like you.”  When she stormed off he didn’t try to stop her.

     “That went well.”  Taking up with her would be harder than he anticipated.  “What now?” he asked himself.

     “So what’s going on with you and my wife’s cousin?”

     “Nothing worth talking about.”  He was brushing his horse down in the corral.

     Felton knew something had happened.  Zackary was a talker and his favorite subject was Shyla.

     “Last night the two of you had started making progress.  Or was that a figment of my imagination?”

     “We did, and today we set the women’s movement back fifty more years, so to speak.”

     “You’re exaggerating.  You have to be.”  He gave Felton a soured look.  “I still think she has a serious thing
for you.  Before, she just dismissed you.  Now she dismisses you with feeling,” he chuckled.

     Zackary stopped brushing Fluoride.  “This really isn’t a laughing matter man.  She’s been toying with me, making me feel things.  I really think she hates me now.”

     “That girl doesn’t hate you.  You’re weakening her, bro.  You just have to be a little patient.  Shyla’s falling for you.”

     “Right.  Dude!  I shouldn’t have to go through this much trouble to get a woman.  I’m not hard up, I’m not cheap.  I’m a damn good looking brutha.”  He posed for the cause. 

     “So why shouldn’t I get the woman that I want?  The one that I think, is right for me?”

     “Okay amigo,” Felton patted him on his back.  “You’ll get no arguments from me, but you have to know that Shyla has been through a lot and maybe it’s still heavy on her heart.”

     “And I haven’t?  I’ve been through hell and all the emotions that go with it, but I’ve put it behind me.”

     “Yeah but women don’t heal as fast as men on that score.  When they love it’s like a one shot thing for them, that’s their love forever.  They love hard.”

     “Men love just as hard as women.”

     “Yes we do.  But you have to admit that it’s only if it’s the
“right”, woman or one that he’s truly committed to.”

     “I guess I can admit to that.  But still.  I am not that other person and it will do her good to see that.”

     “I won’t argue with you on that.  You’re right, but again, Shyla does not take easily to people.”

     “You can say that again.”  He sat on the fence and watched
Dozy prance around Flouride.  Dozy was a dark chocolate Palomino who took to Flo after its mother died in delivery.  They have been inseparable ever since.

     “You see how long it took her to get use to me, and we still aren’t completely there yet.”

     “Why is that?  Something major had to have happened for you and her to be at odds with each other.  I can’t see either one of you doing anything unpleasant to the other.  But I’m learning that Shyla isn’t the easiest person to become friends with.  That’s from a man’s point of view.”

     “Actuall
y, she has dozens of friends, male and female.  But when you mess up with her you’re pretty much on her shit list for all eternity.”

     “But I haven’t.”

     “No, but I have.  I told you how Essence and I met.” 

     He nodded yes. 

     “I was still married to Bridget but we were separated, legally.  I had already filed for a divorce and living alone.  I didn’t tell Ess when we got together and how she found out was scandalous.  Bridget got a hold of her number one day and called her up.  They had more than just words.  She told Ess that she had broken up our marriage, called her a home wrecker, sluts, whores, you name it.  Then she told her she was a coward of a woman.  Well Shyla was there and she cursed Bridget up one side and down the other then she threatened to get her address from me and go kick her ass.  She even called her out, asked her to meet her at Ascot Park in Carson.  The smartest thing the woman ever did was not show up.

     “When I showed up that day Shyla threatened to dismantle body parts that I don’t care to mention.  I cringe when I think of the things she said to me that evening.  I mean I wasn’t scared of her or anything like that and I’m still not, but I believe she would have done the things she said.  Believe me when I say Lorena Bobbitt was an amateur compared to the damage that Shyla would have done.”

     “That bad, huh?  Well I don’t doubt that she would do those things, but I still can’t get her out of my system.  It’s like she’s knitted in here so tight,” he said pointing to his heart.  “But I don’t doubt that if I messed up and she was my executioner she’d go through with it even if there was a pardon.”

     “Well if you feel that way, why are you damn near breaking your neck to be with her?”

     “Because man, she intrigues me, she’s beautiful, has a beautiful spirit and I can’t see myself with no other woman but her.  She calms my soul.  I know it may sound crazy, especially since we’ve never been together and she’s dismissing me at every turn, but I feel it man.  I feel her.”

     Felton shook his head.  “No it’s not crazy.  I felt the same way about my wife when we met and to this day I still feel it.  The great thing about it is the feelings only grow stronger as time goes by.
  If it’s the right one.”

     “I feel it as we speak, and I wish I could have those same feelings reciprocated by her but that woman hates me.  If I can just get her to give me a chance to show her
the love, things would turn around for us.  But she’s so cold sometimes.”

     “Things will work out, buddy.”

     “I sure hope so.”

     “She’ll come around.  Let’s just hope the wait isn’t as long as the Korean War.”  They both laughed.

     Just then a long legged, beautifully tanned woman walked through the gates of the corral. 

     “Good afternoon gentlemen.  How is everything going?”  She went to Zackary and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him square on the lips like she had the right.  When the kiss ended Zackary smiled but saw Shyla and Essence on the porch in the distance.  Shyla turned and whispered something to Essence, she replied then Shyla went inside.

     Another strike against him, he thought.