wall hung all manner of harnesses and
cinch straps. Even the old, bone-idle bird dog that was lying by
the electric heater looked the same as the last time Nora had been
here.
No matter how old she got, she'd always
remember the combination of scents in this place. Hovering in the
front of the door as memories flashed through her mind, Nora slowly
became aware that she was the center of attention.
Although Hoyt was busy behind the counter
writing out an order for a customer, the cluster of men sitting
around the heater all stared at her.
Small towns were notorious for fostering
interest in one's neighbors, but the expression on the faces
watching her held more than friendly interest. There was an
assessing quality to their stares, an overly bold, lingering
inspection.
She saw their exchanged glances, their sly
smiles, and she felt her backbone stiffen. Even here in this
bastion of masculine activity, gossip reared its ugly
head.
One younger man in particular looked her over,
a smirk on his face as he pushed back his black cowboy
hat.
A surge of frustration rose in Nora, and she
squared her shoulders. She'd never realized how petty and
small-minded people could be, and how quick to judge.
Moving forward with determination, Nora skirted
the stacks of seed on the floor. She shuffled the flyers in her
hands as she reached the bulletin board, turning her back on the
group by the heater. Her purpose in being here had nothing to do
with them, and if they chose to be rude, let them.
Irritated, she forcefully skewered her
announcement with a push pin. Getting the riding academy going was
the important thing.
She stepped back to make sure the paper was
straight.
The announcement had turned out well. Even the
gold-apricot paper was a good choice. "Announcing the Opening of
the Stoneburg Equestrian Center," it said.
Smoothing the paper, Nora allowed herself a
moment of pride. This business was her dream, and if she had to
ignore several hundred rude people to get it going, she
would.
Just then the door to the feed store swept open
and crashed shut. Nora glanced up as footsteps echoed on the wood
floor.
Wearing tight pink jeans and a fringed western
shirt, Cissy Burton crossed the store, sashaying over to the heater
with a flirtatious smile on her face. She placed her hand on the
shoulder of the cowboy in the black hat, her voice pitched low and
sultry as she leaned over to make some remark.
The men in the group grinned.
Nora looked away, remembering the girl she'd
known in school. Even then, Cissy had worn tight jeans and lots of
makeup, and would chase any guy that caught her eye.
Even though Cissy had been popular for obvious
reasons, Nora had never envied her. Her flirtations always seemed
desperate, her attention shifting quickly from one boy to
another.
Cissy had boasted of her sexual conquests in a
way that was distasteful to Nora. It always seemed as if Cissy was
hungry to belong, always offering what she thought people
wanted.
Her current animosity toward Nora probably
stemmed from Cissy's high school crush on Richard. Before Nora
started dating him, Cissy hadn't appeared to give her a thought,
but since that time, the girl hated her.
Giving her announcement one more glance, Nora
turned away from the bulletin board.
The black-hatted cowboy caught her gaze and
held it before letting his stare slide down to her
chest.
Nora felt the burn of his inspection from
across the room; it was as if he believed that she was available to
every man she met.
Lifting her chin, she met his stare angrily,
resentment flooding her at this undeserved insolence.
The cowboy turned his head a little, still
staring at her body, and made a comment to Cissy.
The group around the heater erupted in
laughter, Cissy's high-pitched squeal rising above the men's
chuckles.
Nora felt an angry knot of tension in her
chest. For whatever reason, she'd become Richard's scapegoat, and
the object of this idiot's moronic humor.
She grappled with
Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Peter Vegso, Gary Seidler, Theresa Peluso, Tian Dayton, Rokelle Lerner, Robert Ackerman