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day.
     
    April
did a quick check on Ben, threw on a coat and a pair of shoes, and stepped out
into the chilly morning air. Wade had already moved the horses to the corral attached
to the barn, where they stood pressed together for warmth. They nickered at her
and she winced, hoping the noise wouldn’t alert Wade. It would be easier to take
control of this meeting if she surprised him.
    April
paused outside the barn door. Calm … dignified … aloof. Okay, she was ready.
    She
pulled the door open, stepped inside, and slipped on a patch of ice just over
the threshold. She flailed frantically for a moment before finally managing to grab
the door frame and steady herself. Her face burned. Not exactly the most
graceful way to make an entrance.
    But
Wade hadn’t noticed; he was shoveling out a stall, his back to the door. When
the gust of cold air hit him, he glanced over his shoulder and his face
darkened to a scowl.
    April’s
heart hammered as she walked toward him, striving for nonchalance, but not
quite pulling it off. “Hi,” she said, stopping at the edge of the stall.
    “Hey,”
he grunted and dropped the shovelful of dirty sawdust into the wheelbarrow. The
dust billowed up and she took a step back to keep from being engulfed.
    “Um
… how are you?” she asked.
    “Fine.”
    “I
thought maybe we could talk?”
    “I
don’t have anything to say to you.” Another shovel of sawdust hit the
wheelbarrow with a whump.
    This
wasn’t how it should go. He was supposed to stop what he was doing and give her
that look, the one that meant she was the only thing in his world right now and
she had his full attention. But it didn’t come.
    “Don’t
you think we have things to clear up?”
    “Not
really.”
    April
paused, unsure of where to go now. “Why are you so angry?”
    “I’m
not angry.”
    “Come
on,” she scoffed. “I know you; you’re obviously mad.”
    The
shovel scraped across the concrete as he scooped up another load of sawdust. “Maybe
you don’t know me as well as you think you do.”
    Her
frustration mounted. “Stop doing that and talk to me,” she said irritably.
    “Nope.”
    “Why?”
    “I
already told you, I have nothing to say to you.”
    “Really?”
she let out an exasperated sigh. “ Now who’s the one acting like a baby?”
    He
straightened up and met her eyes. There was nothing warm or open in his expression;
she could have been a complete stranger from the disinterested look on his
face. “April, I’m busy ,” he said in a tone of dismissal. “I don’t have
time for this.”
    That
did it. If he wanted to act like nothing more than the hired help, she would
treat him that way. “Fine, I’ll leave you to it,” she snapped. “Don’t forget
the ice by the door.”
    Wade
glanced at the ice and jerked his head toward the corner. “Ice melt’s over
there. Knock yourself out.”
    “ You’re the one who is supposed to be doing the chores,” she said hotly.
    “I’m
the one who is supposed to be taking care of the animals ,” he shot back.
“And that’s what I’m doing.”
    “What
is with you?”
    “I
don’t know what you’re talking about.” He resumed shoveling, but now with a
scowl line between his eyebrows. He was not as calm as he pretended.
    She
fought to steady her voice. “Look, we both said and did things we regret, but it
was years ago. Don’t you think it’s time for some closure?”
    “I
don’t need closure, babe. I gave up on you a long time ago.”
    “Well,
it’s a good thing because, I don’t know if you heard, but I’m engaged … to
someone else. And don’t call me babe.”
    Wade
straightened up again. “Or what? Your city boy will come pick a fight?”
    “I
don’t need anyone to fight my battles for me.”
    “You
always were a big talker,” he snorted.
    “And you always were a sore loser.”
    He
looked at her for a long moment. “All things considered, I’d say I dodged a
bullet that day in Twin Falls,” he said