Kate's Secret (Bluegrass Spirits Book 2)

by Kallypso Masters

  He grinned as he made his way to Chelsea’s side and gave her a kiss on the cheek, too. “Mornin’, sunshine. How’s it going?”

  “Good. But do you really have to leave this morning?”

  The disappointment in her voice made him wish he could stay—forever. “’Fraid so. But we’ll be together again Friday night, which’ll be here before you know it.”

  “I can’t wait! I wish I could go home with you today.”

  Travis cringed, not looking in Katie’s direction this time. “I won’t be home much this week. I have a lot of work to finish up before my crew takes its summer break starting Friday.” When he snuck a peek in Katie’s direction, her knuckles had turned white gripping the tongs, and her smile had faded. “But your mom has agreed to come for part of the weekend.”

  Chelsea turned to Katie. “We’re going to have so much fun. Daddy’s going to take me fishing, and we’re going to watch fireworks from his boat on the lake.”

  Katie moved the bacon from the skillet to a plate lined with a paper towel. “I can’t stay through the Fourth on Tuesday, because I have a lot of work to do here. But I’ll drop you off Friday night and stay until Saturday night or Sunday morning.” To Travis, she added, “I’d like to see where you live.”

  The prospect of having both of his girls at his place made him anxious for the week to pass, too. He took his seat across from her at the table, and Chelsea immediately shot him a questioning glance, in a lousy stage whisper, asked, “Did you talk to her yet?”

  Damn. He’d been so preoccupied yesterday with the visit to his folks that he hadn’t had a chance to talk with Chelsea.

  And what about all the days before that where you didn’t tell her, either, Trav?

  Danny was starting to sound like a second conscience. When did he become so perfect? Okay, so maybe he was avoiding the issue. He didn’t want to disappoint her—or break her heart—by telling her she couldn’t have the horse right away.

  Katie turned toward them, setting down the tongs as she glanced from one to the other. “Talk to me about what?”

  He hated to ruin her good mood, but if she was going to be the one to kill Chelsea’s dream, then she needed to own up to it in front of Chelsea and not make him out to be a liar.

  “Chelsea wants to start showing horses, and I’ve offered to buy her a good performance horse to help get her off to a great start.”

  Not giving Katie a chance to respond, Chelsea said, “Daddy, do you think we could go looking for my horse while I’m down there?”

  Crap. Chelsea sure could learn a little something about timing and social cues.

  The hurt in Katie’s eyes tore at Travis’s gut, but dammit, he was Chelsea’s dad and saw no good reason why he couldn’t do this for her. He’d still hoped to be able to convince Katie to let him do it without waiting until next year.

  “Not on a holiday weekend, baby,” he hedged. When he tried to gauge Katie’s response—the rigid way she held herself as she scrambled their eggs didn’t bode well. How could he fix this? Obviously, he and Katie still had things to work on, despite how well they’d connected last night.

  Turning to look over her shoulder, Katie glared at him before turning her attention to Chelsea, her face softening with her smile. “About the horse, sweetie. Your daddy and I spoke about this, and I don’t think he realizes how competition and training work. I don’t want you taking on more horse than you’re ready for. But we can work on training you to one of my horses and competing in this fall’s academy shows. If you show you’re going to stick to it and not treat it as a hobby, then your father and I will discuss buying you a new horse.”

  Chelsea’s mouth dropped. “But, Mom! I already ride some of your best-trained horses. And I won two ribbons at Shelbyville in April.”

  Katie closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. He probably should say something, but didn’t want to complicate the issue any further. Besides, he’d also like to hear how she’d address the issue directly with Chelsea, especially after admitting to him that Chelsea was one of her best students.

  Meeting Chelsea’s gaze again, she began, “The atmosphere in front of judges is vastly different from being in the arena with only me and your mount. You need to participate in more academy shows so you can get used to being timed, as well as learn to control your horse’s reactions and movements. And then there’s learning to curb your nerves, which can be projected to your horse, making him or her antsy. Not that you can control everything, but it takes practice to find ways to minimize the damage if your horse sneezes or does something unexpected while the judges have their eyes on you. Those skills will make it easier for you to compete at a higher level.”

  Travis hadn’t thought about that. Chelsea was still unproven in the arena. Maybe he was trying to put the horse before the cart, so to speak.

  “After the Junior League show is over next week, we’ll sit down and work out a plan for where you can start showing. Chula’s ready for more challenges now.”

  Chelsea narrowed her eyes. “You don’t think I can do it, but I can! And I’m tired of falling in love with a horse only to have you sell it.”

  Katie winced as she picked up the plate of bacon and a bowl of eggs and brought them to the table. Travis couldn’t sit silently by any longer.

  “Chelsea, your mom knows more about this than the two of us combined. I think we should listen to her advice. What difference will it make whether you get a new horse next month or next year?”

  Chelsea’s eyes welled with unshed tears. Great. He’d only been a father for a week, and he’d already gone and made his little girl cry. “You promised, Daddy.” Her lower lip trembled, making him feel like a heel.

  Travis raked his fingers through his hair, breaking eye contact as he tried to figure out how the hell to fix this. When he met Chelsea’s gaze again, the tears were flowing down her cheeks. “Honey, I should have discussed the matter with your mom first before making you that offer. I made a mistake.” Perhaps showing he wasn’t perfect would make an impression on the girl. He started to say he was new to parenting, but didn’t want to give Chelsea any reason to think he wasn’t cut out for the job.

  Katie set a bowl of biscuits between them. “Your daddy’s right, but let’s talk more after breakfast, sweetie. Daddy needs to leave for Nashville soon.” Sounded like Katie was anxious for him to leave as quickly as possible.

  Chelsea’s chair scraped the floor, and she stood abruptly. “I’m not hungry.”

  “Fair enough, but your daddy’s leaving soon so say goodbye first.”

  He received a perfunctory hug and goodbye before she made a dash to the kitchen door and outside before he could say a word. No doubt she’d run to Jazz for consolation. Might be just what she needed. He’d give her a few minutes to calm down before finding her to say goodbye until Friday night.

  Travis met Katie’s stern gaze. Instead, she said, “This is exactly what I was trying to explain the other night. I thought we agreed that getting her a horse now wasn’t a good idea.”

  “Well, that’s what you decided. I pretty much hoped I’d be able to convince you otherwise.” He grinned, hoping to lighten the mood. She blinked at him a few times without a smile or a word. “Katie, if you’d just cave in and let me buy her the damned horse, she’d simmer down. Worse comes to worst, she’s not ready and you have another good horse in your stable to let one of your students ride. You’ll see. Everything’s going to work out.”

  “How can you be so sure? You get to waltz back to Nashville within the hour. I’m the one who has to deal with her resentment—and her mood—alone for the next five days.”

  “I’m sure it’ll blow over by suppertime.”

  Katie reached for the bacon and put two slices on her plate. “You obviously don’t know your daughter.”

  “Exactly, but I’m trying to fix that.” And a lot of other things. How many balls was he juggling now?

  She sighed, and he tried not to notice the rising and falling
of her breasts. Maybe he wasn’t taking this discussion seriously enough, but being near her reminded him of what they’d almost done in the living room last night while their daughter slept upstairs.

  She reached for the eggs. “Owning and training a show horse needs to be something she’d be willing to devote most of her time to for years to come. If she shows a strong commitment to taking care of one of my horses and trains hard over the next few months at some of the academy shows, we can revisit this discussion. One sure way of convincing me would be for her to do at least four shows and compete in the National Academy Championship in November.”

  “What’s that?”

  “A charity event benefitting St. Jude’s Children’s that gives novice riders of all ages a chance to compete without having to own their own horse or wear the expensive outfits required at higher-level competitions. The first day’s classes are open to everyone, but she’d have to qualify to continue on to the later classes. It’s held near you in Murfreesboro. Your family might like to attend and watch her.”

  “You’re right. So would I.”

  “If she’s ready, there are several excellent equine auctions about that time of year. You may even pick up a real bargain for her and give it to her for Christmas.”

  Hearing her compromise a little bit on how long he’d have to wait brought his appetite back, and he filled his plate with bacon and eggs before buttering a biscuit. When he noticed she wasn’t eating, he said, “We’ll do it your way. Now, eat.” He didn’t want to keep reminding her to eat, but when she had a lot on her mind, she tended to forget.

  Before he started in on his meal, he said, “Katie, I’m sorry if I’m creating havoc in your life, but I was blindsided by all this and am doing the best I can.”

  “We’ll figure out how to navigate this new dynamic. After all, it’s only been a week since you’ve met Chelsea.”

  Would he eventually get the hang of being a father? And what about him and Katie? Would their relationship continue to be rocky, or was there any hope of them having a future together as something more than Chelsea’s parents?

  * * *

  Kate hoped they’d heard the last about buying the show horse for a while. Travis seemed to accept her plan for testing Chelsea’s readiness. She probably should have suggested it before. Would she ever get used to having to explain and discuss everything concerning Chelsea now?

  “Drive carefully. I’ll bring Chelsea down Friday night for the weekend, and you can bring her home.” She gave him a peck on the cheek before heading down the hallway to her office at the front of the house to see if Melissa had responded to her email of encouragement. If not, they’d see each other in half an hour, but she wanted to be prepared.

  No response yet.

  She became distracted by an email regarding an issue with one of the horses she’d sold last year, until she heard Travis’s footsteps coming down the stairs. She hadn’t even heard him go up.

  Wanting to arrive at the arena before Melissa did, she picked up an apple from the kitchen and left the house. No sign of Travis, although his truck was still here. Must be in the barn where, no doubt, Chelsea was having a good cry in Princess Jasmine’s stall.

  No sense interrupting them, since she’d said goodbye and would see him again in a few days, so she headed to the pasture gate for her morning ritual. Oddly enough, Angus wasn’t waiting at the fence to gobble down his morning treat.

  Then, as if bidden by her thoughts, the stallion raced toward her. She held out the apple just as she heard the door to Travis’s truck slam shut. Turning briefly to wave when her focus returned to the horse, she noticed Angus was saddled.

  And riderless.

  What the… Her first inclination would have been that Travis had decided to take one more ride on him before leaving, but he wouldn’t have left a horse saddled. Then who?

  Oh, dear God!

  She dropped the apple in the dirt as she spun around and ran toward his truck, hoping to catch Travis before he left. He was turning around in a wide circle, the front of the truck facing away from her already. “Travis! Stop! I think something’s happened to Chelsea!”

  The vehicle started down the lane, and she frantically waved her arms in the air and shouted, but he continued driving away slowly. Placing her fingers in her mouth, she released a shrill whistle. A moment later, the brake lights came on, and the truck started backing toward her. Running, she met him a hundred yards away. Travis exited the truck with the engine still running.

  “Where’s Chelsea?”

  “No clue. I tried to find her before I left, but Jasmine’s in her stall alone. I couldn’t find Chelsea in the barn or the house, but I couldn’t put off leaving any longer.”

  “I think she went out for a ride on Angus.”

  “Has she ever ridden him before?”

  “Never. But he came back saddled and without a rider.”

  “You sure Miguel didn’t ride him?”

  She shook her head. “He’s afraid of that horse. Calls him Diablo, sometimes even Satan.”

  “Get in the truck.” She scooted across the driver’s seat to the passenger side, and he followed her in. Travis raced up the lane in reverse, surprisingly adept at staying on the gravel. When he reached the arena and barn parking area, he circled around then drove forward up to the pasture. “Dammit. I should have kept looking for her.”

  “It’s not your fault.” She shouldn’t have left Chelsea alone so long to stew about the show horse.

  At the gate, Kate jumped out to open and close it. Driving slowly through the field, they searched for Chelsea. Kate’s throat closed off as fear consumed her. What if she’d injured herself? Or broken bones?

  Travis reached out to squeeze her leg. “We’ll find her. I’m sure she’ll be fine. Maybe she’d gotten off Angus, and he hightailed it back to the house without her. We’ll probably find her walking home over that next rise.”

  “What was she doing on Angus in the first place? She’s never ridden him before. He’s way too much horse for her.” Her words from this morning echoed back to her. “Dammit. She did this because of what I said at breakfast.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up. She’d a kid. They do stupid things for no good reason sometimes.”

  Despite his attempt at reassuring her, she had no doubt this was her fault. Not that the words weren’t true, obviously. Especially if Chelsea had been thrown by the spirited Angus.

  “Where can she be?”

  “There must be a hundred acres here, with lots of hills and dips. It’s going to take time to cover the whole area, because I don’t want to accidentally run over her.”

  “Her yellow blouse ought to show up. Thank God she didn’t wear something green or brown.” And thank God Travis was here. She wasn’t sure she’d have the wherewithal to operate her truck given how frazzled her nerves were. A minute or two more, and he’d have been gone. And from her experience in the past week, Travis wasn’t one to view texts or take phone calls while driving.

  Each acre passed in a blur of Timothy grass and tall fescue. The minutes felt like a lifetime as they scanned the landscape for any sign of their daughter. Twice, she almost called out, only to realize the anomaly wasn’t Chelsea.

  “Hey, is that her?” Travis asked.

  She searched with her eyes the area where Travis pointed and caught a glimpse of something yellow. “Maybe. Stop the truck!” She opened the door before he stopped and ran toward the spot where she found a crumpled Chelsea lying facedown against the ground, a limestone outcropping near her head. Kate knelt beside her lifeless body brushing back her hair from her forehead. While there was a bump, the bleeding had already stopped. Chelsea’s back rose and fell to indicate she was breathing, albeit shallowly. Travis ran up beside her and checked her pulse. Why wasn’t she wearing her helmet?

  Because she was upset and trying to prove something to you.

  “Go back to the truck and grab the blanket behind the passenger seat.”

  Gr
ateful for something to occupy her mind, she did as he said. She’d trained in CPR and first aid for riding accidents, but couldn’t for the life of her remember what needed to be done when it was her daughter who’d been injured. Thank goodness Travis remained calm, at least outwardly.

  “You’re going to be okay, sweetie. Daddy and I are taking you to the hospital to get everything checked out.” She covered Chelsea with the blanket and checked her phone.

  “Have a signal?” he asked.

  “No. Maybe if I go farther up the hill.” But she doubted it and didn’t want to leave Chelsea here. The goose egg over her right eyebrow had grown larger. Her skin seemed so pale despite her tan. Pasty white.

  Travis checked her arms and legs. “No obvious broken bones, but I’d be afraid to move her.”

  “Look, I’ll take the truck back down toward the house and call 9-1-1. Stay here with her in case she comes to.”

  Kate ran to the truck and barreled down the hillside toward the gate. She was within a few hundred yards when she found she had service and slammed on the breaks to make the call. The dispatcher, a friend from school, insisted on keeping Kate on the phone with she waited for the ambulance. If she asked one more question Kate couldn’t answer, she’d scream. How was Kate supposed to answer when Chelsea was half a pasture away? Still, the dispatcher’s calm, authoritative voice helped to calm her.

  Miguel came from the barn and ran toward her. “Is everything okay?”

  She filled him in on what had happened. “See if you can find Angus. I don’t want him to get out but I need to keep the gate open for the ambulance.”

  “Sure thing.”

  The sound of the sirens was the most beautiful one in the world, and soon Kate led them with the truck to where Chelsea had been thrown.

  When the EMTs took over, Travis came to Kate and wrapped his arm around her. “She’s going to be okay. They’ll take good care of her.” They placed a collar around her neck to stabilize her before carefully moving her to a backboard and into the ambulance. Seeing her baby as limp as a rag doll sparked new fears in her.