Letters of Love (Green Division Series Book #3) Read online

  The front door to the house opened and Kip walked through, not bothering to remove his muddy boots.

  "You are a pig. No, pigs are cleaner than you." Ben passed Kip the mop. "We need to lay some ground rules."

  "I'm just grabbing some gear, man. I didn't want to undress."

  "These are carpeted floors, Kip. I know you're not stupid. This fucking rug now has to be steam cleaned."

  "Oh." Kip looked over at the white carpeting in the adjacent room. "I'll take care of it."

  "Take your boots off at the door. If you dirty dishes, wash them. You're an adult. I'm not Hanna, I'm not going to clean up after your ass."

  "Alright, alright." Kip passed the mop back to him and grabbed his gear. "I'll take care of it when I get off in a couple hours. Relax."

  Ben's face reddened. Relax. In the meantime, Kip continued to walk throughout the house with his muddy boots on. Ben would have liked to kick Kip in the ass.

  "Hey, how'd that lesson go?"

  "Alright."

  "That girl, Aubrey right? You need to work on that. That's one fucking fine piece of ass. The kinda of ass you just want to grab firmly and pull against—"

  Ben cut him off. "I'm not interested. If you want her, go for it."

  "Maybe the next time you guys have a lesson I'll tag along."

  "She wouldn't give you the time of day."

  "I smell another bet."

  "You already lost a 12-pack. What do you want to lose now?"

  "Fifty bucks."

  "I'm not making a bet."

  "Oahh, are you afraid of a little competition?"

  "Competition for what?"

  "To get in her pants."

  "There is no competition. I don't want her and you have Hanna."

  "I won't do anything. Hanna talked to me today, I'm not screwing that up by fucking around. I just want to make the point that I can have her, if I want to. You, on the other hand, the only attention she'll give you is a bitch slap across the face. And you want her. More than I do."

  "You cockhead." Ben pushed his shoulder. "I don't want her. And you're not as suave as you'd like to think."

  "You're right. I don't have your way with the ladies. The Ben knows how to piss them all off way.” Ben shook his head and didn't answer. He did have a way of pissing off most women.

  "You know, if you get a pair of lifts for your shoes, you'd have women fawning all over you.

  The reason you have such a hard time is because you're a little man, women look down on that." Cheap shot.

  "There isn't anything little about me. I have references to verify that." Be came back quickly. "You on the other hand—"

  "Hey, don't play that game."

  "I don't have to. I win." Ben grinned widely.

  "Fucker." Kip flipped him off. "We'll see next week who wins this little bet. Later sweetie."

  "It's not a bet." Ben took the mop and went about cleaning his kitchen floor.

  *****

  “The trooper came over?” Jill sipped on her coffee. “Why didn’t one of her parents come?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t ask. When I talked to them on the phone they never mentioned he’d be bringing her.”

  “Hmmm.”

  “What?”

  “It’s just odd.”

  “I know.”

  “What do you think of him?”

  “You know what I think about him. He’s an asshole. Trooper Asshole. I feel bad for Tiffy and her family, she’s a great little girl, but that doesn’t change how I feel about him.”

  Jill nodded, but didn’t look convinced.

  “I didn’t want to talk to you about him, I wanted to talk to you about my bakery. I’ve decided I’m going to rebuild.”

  “You did! That’s great! I knew you would.”

  Aubrey smiled. “It’s scary trying to start from the ground up.”

  “You’re literally building? You’re not buying a building somewhere else?”

  “I’m rebuilding where my bakery was. I have some sketches and ideas I’m throwing around.”

  “Where are they!?”

  “On my kitchen counter.”

  “Our next girls night calls for wine and bakery plans.”

  “That’s one boring girls nite.”

  “Any night with my girls is fun.”

  Aubrey took a sip off her coffee. “I have this weekend off.”

  “I have plans.”

  “The fiance.” Aubrey wasn’t jealous...nope.

  “We’re going to his parent’s house in Vermont. Believe me, I’m not excited. What are your plans?”

  “Work on the bakery and play with the horses.”

  “You need some new hobbies girl.”

  “Someday.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Ben and Tiffy arrived precisely at 4:30pm Saturday. Toad called and said if they wanted to push their lesson up to the weekend, she was available. Jack and Joanne had to run to town to pick up a few things for Tiffy as a surprise, so it worked perfected.

  Toad was saddling Trixie when the pulled into the yard.

  “Aubrey!” Tiffy ran full speed into Toad’s thighs.

  “Well hello.” Aubrey hugged her back.

  “I’m ready.” She grinned, her little green eyes glinted in the sunlight.

  “You look it. New boots, huh.”

  “Uncle Bennie got them for me.” She picked her foot up and showed Toad.

  “That was nice of Uncle Bennie.”

  Ben detected her smartass tone when she said Uncle Bennie and he shot her an unimpressed glare.

  Toad wore a pair of tan riding pants, black boots, and a long sleeved purple shirt. The pants though, Jesus....Kip’s assessment of her backside...

  BEN STOP IT THINKING ABOUT HER THAT WAY. NO. NO TO TOAD.

  “What we’re going to do today is put you up on Trixie and get you used to sitting on her alone. I don’t want you to kick or squeeze her unless I tell you to do so, okay. You just sit still on her.”

  “I can do that,” Tiffy said obediently.

  “Let’s get you up there.”

  Ben helped Tiffy onto the horse and stayed in the ring while Toad lead her around.

  “How are you feeling?” Toad asked.

  “Real good. Good, good, good! I think I could ride by myself.”

  “We’re getting there.”

  Ben leaned his back against the fence and watched intently.

  “Who is that?” Toad looked to the driveway.

  That little fucker.

  “It’s Kip.” Ben opened the fence and went to intercept the interloper.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Proving a point.” Kip smoothed his uniform shirt’s collar.

  “That you’re a dick?”

  “We’ll see.” Kip continued walking toward the fence. “Hi Aubrey, its good seeing you again.”

  “Hi,” Toad said, but paid no attention to him, going about her instruction.

  “It’s a nice day for a ride, huh.”

  Toad politely nodded.

  “What are you doin’ here Kip? Tiffy asked.

  “Tell her why you’re here.” Ben smiled.

  “Is this where all my tax dollars go?” Toad looked at Kip. “I’ll at least give Uncle Bennie credit for not coming to my house on the taxpayers’ dime.”

  “Ouch,” Ben mumbled so only Kip could hear.

  “I just cleared a hot call down the street and I saw Ben’s truck here.”

  “What was the hot call?” Ben smiled.

  “What would you have for a hot call on my street?” Toad stopped the horse curious to his answer.

  “I can’t discuss it. Confidentiality.”

  “Uh huh.” Toad didn’t sound sold.

  “Was it fifty?” Ben whispered. “That’s what you wanted to bet?”

  Kip kicked him in the back of the knee buckling his leg. Ben grabbed the fence for support.

  Toad went back to her lesson.

  “Give me time.�
�� Kip stood next to Ben.

  “I’m here because of Tiffy, not her.” Ben waved to Tiffy. “If you want to pick her up, fine, but don’t come here to do so it during Tiffy’s time, this is her time.”

  Kip took a minute to reply. “I’ll see you back at the house.”

  Ben didn’t take his eyes off Tiffy and Toad. He nodded subtly and Kip retreated.

  “Down you go.” Toad reached up and helped Tiffy down.

  “So next time I get to go around all by myself without you leading me?”

  “That’s what we’re going to try for.”

  “Woo-hoo!” She jumped up and down. “So when can I enter my first competition?”

  “I’ll have to talk to your parents and we’ll go from there.”

  “I hope it’s soon.” Tiffy hopped around holding onto the fence as she went. “Can I use your bathroom?”

  “Go right into the house. It’s down the hall and on your left.”

  “I’ll take her.”

  “I’m a big girl,” Tiffy said defensively. “You help her with the saddle n’ stuff.”

  “Yes, boss.” Ben saluted to her. Tiffy took off toward the house. Ben reached for the saddle.

  “Don’t worry about the saddle, I’ll get it.”

  “It’s no problem.” Ben picked it up.

  “No, it’s okay. I’m going to ride the both of them later. They need to run.”

  “Ah, okay.” He put the saddle back on the fence. “If all you charge for a lesson is help carrying your gear, how am I supposed to pay you for your services today?”

  “I guess you’re getting a free pass trooper.”

  Ben sighed. He hated people calling him that when he wasn’t in uniform. He was more than a uniform, more than a trooper.

  “Please call me Ben.” Ben made firm eye contact with her. “I am a trooper, it’s what I do. But I still am a person behind the blue.”

  “Behind the blue.” Toad laughed.

  That wasn’t supposed to be funny.

  “Listen, miscreant, there is more to a man than his job.”

  “Miscreant?” Toad’s mouth gaped.

  “If we are going by titles and not names.”

  “Then it would be nurse, and yours would be Assh—” Toad covered her mouth..

  “Asshole,” Ben finished her thought. “You aren't the first to call me that and won’t be the last.”

  “I’m sorry!” Toad immediately showed remorse. “I didn’t mean to say that.”

  “Yeah, you did.”

  “No!”

  “Yes.” It didn’t surprise Ben she would use such terms. She’d likely said worse behind closed doors.

  “Uncle Ben!” Tiffy’s voice reached from a hundred yards away.

  “Well, thank you for the lesson. We’ll see you next week.”

  “Sorry!”

  “It’s alright.”

  “Bye Aubrey! Thank you!” Tiffy yelled from the driveway.

  “Bye!” Toad yelled back.

  *****

  Aubrey felt bad after Asshole left. She didn’t mean it. Well, okay, she meant it, but she didn’t mean to say it out loud.

  “Oh, calm down Gunny, I know you’re excited.” Gunny was ready to ride. He hadn’t been exercised outside the ring for nearly a week. Aubrey got ready to mount him when Asshole’s pickup truck pulled into her drive, again.

  What the hell does he want now?

  Asshole parked his truck in front of the barn and walked over to the ring.

  “I forgot my sunglasses.” He knelt down and picked them up from the ground.

  “You drove all the way out here for a pair of sunglasses?”

  “They aren’t dollar store sunglasses.” Asshole rested them atop of his head.

  “I’m sorry I called you an asshole.” Aubrey went back to saddling Gunny to hide her reddened face.

  “Don’t worry, I have my own nickname for you.”

  “It must be bitch.”

  “No.” Gunny nuzzled his nose against Mike’s hand.

  “Well, out with it.” Aubrey was curious now. If it wasn’t bitch, it’d better not be the other name she was thinking.

  “Why don’t I call you Aubrey, you call me Ben, and we drop the pet names.”

  “Not until you tell me what my nickname is. You know my pet name for you.”

  “Let bygones be bygones.”

  “When you tell me, it will be a bygone.”

  “It was angel.” He smiled.

  “What a line of bullshit.” She mounted Gunny. “Even Gunny couldn’t drop a pile of shit that deep.”

  “Very eloquent.”

  “I never said I was a lady. If you’ll excuse me, BEN, I’m going to exercise my very impatient horse.”

  “What about Trixie?”

  “I’ll take her out later. I only have one ass, so one horse at a time.”

  “You do have a second ass at your disposal.” Ben froze. “That came out wrong.”

  He’s offering me his ass?

  “I will leave that alone and thank you for the offer...I think.”

  “I know where the saddles are, I’ll go grab one and save you some time.”

  “You know how to ride?”

  “I guess you’ll see.” He smiled at her and walked toward the barn. It was an honest smile, sincere. And she didn’t trust it.

  “Ben, no, you don’t have to.” She tried to stop him, but he was on a mission.

  What is he doing?

  *****

  What are you doing? Ben thought to himself. He’d returned to her house to pick up his $200 Oakley’s. That was a legitimate reason. Then he’d volunteered his “ass” to help exercise her horses. Ben wouldn’t dissect his feelings for her. He wasn’t a woman. Men don’t do that.

  “I could have exercised Gunny in the amount of time it’s taken you to saddle her.”

  “It’s been five minutes.” Ben continued his task. “You’re welcome.”

  “Um, thanks?”

  Ben mounted Trixie and sat confidently.

  “So you know how to ride?”

  “A little.”

  “How?”

  “My uncle had working horses when I was a kid. I learned to ride through trial and error.”

  “Does your uncle still have horses?”

  “No, he passed away many years ago.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s alright.”

  Toad nudged Gunny toward the open fence.

  “Why are you being nice to me all of a sudden?”

  “I didn’t ever intend on being mean.” But Ben had been. So had she.

  “Come on.” She cocked her head back to look at him. “Neither of us like one another, so why all of a sudden are you being somewhat pleasant?”

  “Just somewhat? I thought I’ve been pretty damn pleasant.”

  “Whatever level of pleasantness you want to call it, why?”

  “Can’t we just be friends?” Ben said in an overdramatized tone.

  “You, BEN, are an ass.” Gunny took off across the field. Ben pushed Trixie, chasing after her.

  Though Ben tried to catch her, Gunny was faster and she was a better rider. When they reached the edge of the field, she eased Gunny down to a walk.

  “I’d like to start over,” Ben said. Their dynamic as it were, was awkward. He’d been wanting to say that since their last lesson.

  “Start over?” Aubrey played with her windblown hair.

  “As in, wipe the slate clean of everything before Tiffy’s first lesson. Forget it, like didn’t happen.”

  “My driving record and burned down bakery are evidence to the contrary.”