Where the Heart Leads

by Jillian Hart

  Aumaleigh stopped herself. Not everyone thought the way she talked with animals was, well, practical or sane. But Gabriel didn’t seem to mind—that much about him hadn’t changed either.

  He held out a hand to let the spunky colt scent him. “Hello there, little fella.”

  Her pulse fluttered. Just went wild in her chest like a hummingbird taking flight.

  “Would you and your pretty mama like to come live with me?” He knelt down, using both hands now. Big, powerful hands, and so, so gentle. “I made my living with cattle, raising horses when I could afford to. But it’s time to start living new dreams. I’m going to buy some horses from you, Aumaleigh.”

  “Okay. You’ll want to talk to Burton about that. He’s our resident wrangler. He can tell you all about the mares, their age and their lineage.” The wind tangled her hair, plastered her dress against her slim shape.

  Nothing could be more beautiful than her, standing among the green grasses and budding wildflowers, surrounded by the horses who loved her.

  “I don’t need Burton.” He took a risk, took a step toward her. “I just need you.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “M-me?” Her hand flew to her throat. Shock rocketed through her, and the wild fluttering in her chest grew. A quiet, vulnerable hope rose up to the surface. Was that how he felt about her? Did he feel the beginnings of real tenderness for her too?

  He swept off his Stetson, looking strong and vital in his blue muslin shirt and denims. The wind tousled his thick, dark hair. It was a friendly smile he tossed her, bracketed by his charming dimples.

  Friendly. Not the intimate, loving smile she’d once lived to see.

  “Sure, you used to be the best judge of a horse’s temperament I knew. Or has that changed?” He arched an eyebrow at her, good-natured, unaffected.

  So, no tenderness then. Disappointment, as heavy as lead, settled over her heart. Disappointment she had to hide. “Burton certainly would be better.”

  “But if you love a horse, than I know I will.” He took a step closer and a few of the foals moved with him. Curious, they nibbled his trouser leg and licked his boots. “This isn’t a business I’m starting. This is all for me. I love horses, I want to spend my time with them.”

  “I understand.” She didn’t trust her voice for a moment, so she stood there, with the sun in her eyes and a vast hollowness filling her.

  “What are you dreams?” He reached down to ruffle Felix’s bottlebrush mane. “You’ve spent your entire adult life in a kitchen. I know you’re not happy there. I remember the dreams you used to have.”

  “Some dreams aren’t meant to come true. They’re just dreams.” She smiled as if he wasn’t one of those dreams, lost forever. She lifted her chin, going toward him like a woman who was too strong to let foolish emotions into her heart. “There are more important things in life than chasing after what you don’t have.”

  “And every once in a while, something—or someone—is worth anything to have.” His eyes darkened, stormy gray, and in them she could not guess what he was feeling.

  Another reminder that the man in the past, and what they’d had, was gone forever.

  “Spending my time with horses, raising and training them, now that’s a nice thing to have.” Gabriel knelt down to check out another foal who’d bounded up to him and ran his big, capable hands along her back. “Aren’t you a fine filly? Something tells me you’re Aumaleigh’s favorite. I saw you nuzzling up to her earlier.”

  “That’s Libby.” Her step faltered, so she stayed where she was, hit hard because Gabriel had read her so well. What else had he seen?

  Here’s hoping he hadn’t seen her weakness for him, her feelings that were starting anew. Gabriel would always hold a spot in her heart. Perhaps it was time to accept it.

  “My dreams are practical ones these days.” She wanted him to be clear about what she expected and what she wanted in life. “Can you keep a secret?”

  “You know I can.”

  “I’ve decided to sell this place.” A mare came up to her and she wrapped an arm around the animal’s neck. “Mother’s illness dictated my life for so long. I don’t want the responsibility of this ranch to do the same thing.”

  “You’ve put in your time, Aumaleigh. Few people would have stuck it out to the end with Maureen.”

  “My mother was impossible, but she was my mother. I think you really do choose who you want to be in life. Which means you have to be careful with what you let into your heart. She was different when I was young. Part of me kept hoping she would be that person again.”

  “Is that why you chose her over me?” He gentled his tone. “Or maybe that wasn’t the real issue?”

  She blushed, looking down suddenly at the grass at her feet.

  So, he’d hit the nail on the head. That hadn’t been the real problem, not at all. “So after you sell this place, then what? Are you going to travel? Move somewhere else?”

  “No, I’m staying put. I’ve never been one to want to see the world. I have everything I need right here in Bluebell. In my heart.”

  “Your nieces are here. Your best friend is here.” He could see what family meant to her. Now he knew for sure how much both meant to this woman who’d never known love as a child. “You’re going to retire then. You’ve certainly earned it. I hope you like it as much as I do.”

  “There’s going to be so much to do. There’s one more wedding to plan, and then there are babies to sew for. I hope to be the great-aunt they call when they need a baby-sitter. I missed seeing my nieces grow up. I don’t want to let that happen again.”

  “Good for you. The hardest part for me is being away from my kids.”

  “You’re going to have a hard time letting Leigh go. That isn’t hard to see.” Aumaleigh gave the mare one last pat before moving away. “What about your future grandchildren? They’ll be so far away. You won’t get to know them.”

  “That is a problem, but maybe it will solve itself over time. It’s why I let Leigh talk me into bringing her out here, and why I’m glad she’s staying so long. Maybe the town of Bluebell and the people in it will grow on her, and she’ll bring her husband out here.”

  “You’ve got it all planned out.”

  “Just hoping. I don’t know how it will work out, but Leigh does seem to like it here.” Gabriel wished he could hold onto this moment, make it last, that it would never need to end. As they smiled together, the sun seemed to brighten and the air to change, and she felt closer. As if her heart had opened to his just a smidgeon.

  Driven by the purest of wishes, he knelt to the ground and plucked a buttercup from the grass. He knew she understood it’s meaning when he handed it to her. Tears stood in her eyes.

  Their fingers touched as she took it from him. Without a word, she stared into his eyes, into him, and it felt like what he wanted most was within his grasp. She was the reason his heart stirred to life once again.

  “Aumaleigh!” A rotund woman hollered from the back porch, cupping her hands around her mouth so her voice would carry. “We’re being run ragged in here.”

  “I’m coming, Orla!” Aumaleigh hollered back. The sight of her clutching the buttercup healed something inside him. She filled the empty places in his soul.

  Her smile dazzled as she turned to him one last time. “You’re welcome to come get some grub, or stay out here and pick out your horses. I can already tell you’re going to stay. You’ve found your next dream, haven’t you?”

  “Yes.” But it wasn’t the horses. She breezed away, leaving him behind, standing in the middle of a buttercup patch.

  The sun—the world—had never been so bright.

  He gave me a buttercup. Aumaleigh cupped it in the palm of her hand and took one last look at Gabriel as she closed the kitchen house door. He was busy with the horses, walking among the friendly creatures, doing his best to win them over.

  “Grab the toast!” Orla shouted as she disappeared down the hallway.

 
The loud clatter and clank of the cowboys eating filled the house like strange, discordant music.

  “I saw what he gave you.” Josslyn scooped slices of ham out of the fry pan and tossed them on a platter. “I know what that means.”

  “No, you don’t.” Aumaleigh grabbed a saucer and filled it with water. It was just deep enough for her buttercup. She left it floating in its saucer on the counter and grabbed the platter of toasted bread. “Gabriel was being nostalgic.”

  “Is that what you really think?”

  “No.” Aumaleigh couldn’t say why her eyes teared. She blinked hard, carrying the platter across the room. It was a question that haunted her.

  “Aumaleigh!” Kellan waved his fork in the air. “I’ll take some toast. Is there more ham coming?”

  “Because you’re my favorite, I’ll give you the first piece.” She circled the big table where a dozen cowboys were crowded, shoving down food as fast as they could go.

  “I love you too, Aumaleigh.” Kellan was a cowboy through and through. That one could charm. “How about first choice with the ham, too?”

  “Anything for you.” She held the platter for him as several others around the table stated their opinions.

  “He ain’t worth the saddle he was raised on,” John grumbled with a wink. “I have seniority. I ought to be served first.”

  “But I’m older,” Burton pointed out, scooping a forkful of scrambled eggs into his mouth. “Plus I was up late last night riding with the posse.”

  “The poor old man is tired!” Shep teased, and a few other cowboys at one of the other tables whistled.

  “Poor Burton,” Pax called out. “Let me have your bacon if you wanna go to bed and rest up.”

  “Nobody gets my bacon,” Burton joked. “Them’s fightin’ words.”

  “What about me?” Beckett asked, sitting back in his chair. “I’m family. Doesn’t that count for anything?”

  “Me, too. I’m family,” Zane pointed out and the cowboys all shouted no, having their fun.

  Aumaleigh looked down at the platter and it was empty. The cowboys within reach of her had helped themselves to every last piece of toast.

  “What about us?” Pax asked from the next table over. “Don’t we get any toast? I guess we don’t rate.”

  “She loves them more,” Shep agreed.

  Oh, she was going to miss these boys. Laughing, she whirled away with her empty platter. “I think it’s pretty clear who I love.”

  “It’s me,” Tiernan Montgomery called out. “I’m everyone’s favorite. Admit it.”

  Bits of bacon flew his way, as he got plenty of comments about that.

  “What is going on in here?” Josslyn demanded, coming in with the ham plate. “If you boys don’t start acting mannerly, I’ll take a switch to you. Starting with you first, Tiernan.”

  “Me? Why me? I’m innocent.”

  The other cowboys had plenty to say about that. Aumaleigh left the dining room in search of toast for her platter, and she felt sad for the first time. Sad, because she loved life on a ranch. She loved the people who’d become her family when she had none.

  But it was time.

  The instant she stepped foot in the kitchen, her gaze arrowed to the window, finding Gabriel among the horses. He’d moved on to the second paddock, which was farther away and harder to see. But that didn’t stop her from stopping at the window for a better look.

  He moved among the horses, powerful but patient, and intrinsically kind. His goodness still shone through—it was what made him so magnetic, it attracted her like nothing else. He’d grown more rugged, stronger, and as he walked through the yellow patches of buttercups in the paddock, she began to believe.

  “He gave you a buttercup on your first date.” Josslyn returned with an empty platter too and set it on the counter. “What is he still doing here? Wasn’t he up all night with the posse?”

  “So were a good quarter of my cowboys. Another quarter are out riding with Zane right now.” Aumaleigh turned her back on the window. “And it’s still calving and foaling season.”

  “I can run the kitchen with just me, Louisa and Orla. If you want to lend a hand with the livestock.” Josslyn’s voice trailed behind her, and then she was out of sight.

  The kitchen door swung open and let in the spring breeze and a half-dozen cowboys.

  “You looked surprised to see us.” Lew whipped off his Stetson. “Don’t tell us the food’s already gone.”

  “Yeah, we’re done starved!” Dale agreed. The junior wrangler sat down on the bench and shucked off his boots. “It was hard riding, both tracking with Zane and after when the Deer Springs sheriff took over.”

  “Yeah, he tossed us out of his jurisdiction.” Lew rolled his eyes. “Whew, there’s a man with a temper.”

  “And an ego,” Burton commented, padding through the kitchen in his stocking feet. “Aumaleigh, I’m gonna head out and talk to Gabriel. Josslyn said he’s looking at horses.”

  “Yes. Give him a good price, would you?”

  “Your wish is my command.” Burton tipped his hat and sat down next to Dale. “Does that mean Zane is off the job?”

  “Those Klemp brothers ran. And I mean, they ran. They left a trail of stolen and abandoned horses in their wake. They used every trick in the book. Trust me, at least one of ‘em has been on the run before.” Burton yanked on his left boot. “Aumaleigh, rest assured the danger has passed. Those boys are on the run. They have no reason to come back.”

  “I hope you’re right.” Aumaleigh grabbed a fresh pot of coffee and began pouring cups for the newly arrived men. “Can you trust the sheriff to finish the job?”

  “He’s a good man. He’ll bring them in.” Burton pulled on his other boot. “But we’ll keep an eye out just in case.”

  “Wise.” Aumaleigh glanced out the window. Gabriel was out of sight.

  But he was making her dream.

  “Gabriel, I’m so sorry.” The sob lodged in her throat, making her croak instead of talk. The exquisite summer heat fanned over her as she stood on the back porch. “You’ve waited all afternoon, and now Mother is making me help with supper. One of the maids went home sick.”

  “I see.” He stood up slowly, thoughtfully. “Guess it happened again.”

  “I don’t know what to say.” Her heart was breaking. Any moment now he was going to say the words, the ones she could not bear to hear. “Don’t break it off with me. Please don’t ask for your ring back.”

  The tears came then—hot, swift, dripping down her face.

  She took a step back, bracing for the inevitable. She’d let him down too many times, and he was going to say she wasn’t worth it.

  “Hey, shh now.” Soothing, that voice, that touch. His hands cupped her face, rough and callused from his work but infinitely careful as he pulled her close to kiss her tear-stained cheeks. “I’m not going to ask for any such thing. Not on my life. You hear me?”

  “Y-yes.” It was hard to believe he could still love her, but it was in his eyes, in his touch, soft in his kiss when their lips met. Nothing was more tender than that kiss.

  Nothing.

  When he broke away, he wiped away every tear with the pads of his thumbs. “Don’t worry. There’s always next week.”

  Next week. Her spirit fell. What if this happened again? “Mother is determined to keep us apart.”

  “She’s just mad that everyone knew about us the second I bought that ring in town. Popular opinion will keep her from interfering.”

  If only that were true. Aumaleigh bit her bottom lip, keeping that thought to herself.

  “I’ll head home now.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead.

  It left her feeling warm and safe inside, cozy and snuggly. She could feel his heart in hers, she could feel his love. Her fingers twined with his. She held on tight.

  “Aumaleigh!” Cook opened the screen door. “Get in here, girl!”

  Gabriel winced, but whatever his reaction was, he didn’t let
it show. He squeezed her fingers once before stepping back. His fingers left hers. He hopped down the stairs.

  It took everything she had to watch him go.

  “Get in here.” Maureen marched onto the porch and grabbed Aumaleigh by the ear.

  “Ow!” Her protest only seemed to make Mother madder. She was yanked into the kitchen, scolded and shamed in front of the kitchen staff. She kept her head down as she peeled potatoes for the ranch hands’ supper. Defiance burned inside her, raging hot.

  This was her chance for love. Her one big chance. She was never going to let it go. Mother was not going to destroy it.

  Later that night after she’d been released from her chores, she spotted something sitting on the outside lip of her bedroom window sill. The warm night breeze blew in the scent of wild roses.

  Flowers Gabriel had picked and left for her. It was hard to believe he could love her so much.

  Gabriel smelled coffee carrying to him on the warm puff of breeze. Around him the foals frolicked, running and kicking up their heels while their mamas watched. He had hoped it was Aumaleigh, but the moment he saw Burton, Beckett and Zane coming his way, he knew he was in trouble.

  And he knew why.

  “Brought you some vitals.” Burton handed over a tin cup and plate.

  “We appreciate you helping us out last night.” Beckett came to a stop next to Burton.

  “It was good you stepped up to help.” Zane squared his shoulders.

  All three men looking at him made him dread what they were going to say next. Maybe they thought he’d let Aumaleigh down long ago and he’d come to do it again.

  “The sheriff over in Deer Springs is going to let me join in on the hunt. I’m going to get home and get some rest, then head over.” Zane knuckled back his hat. He had a powerful presence, like a man who always did right. “The sheriff knows Milo, and he’s committed to catching the men who shot his friend.”