There was a pause, then, “Really?”
“Yeah, it’s nice out. I think maybe—”
“You met Addy Nixon,” Willa teased.
“What? Who?”
Willa laughed, clearly not believing his feigned innocence. “She’s nice. Calla and I both like her.”
“Sooo … I’ve got your approval to have inappropriate relations with her?”
He could almost hear her shaking her head in amusement. “You’re incorrigible, but I love you and thanks.”
“Love you back. Bye.”
He hung up and made his way to the screen door. He let himself in and glanced straight to the desk where the boy continued to sit, watching him back with a hint of wariness that made him feel like a pervert.
“Hi … Sean, right?”
The boy gave a curt nod, his wariness seemingly growing.
“I’m Toby. I was here a minute ago with Colten … from your school—”
“I know.”
Toby nodded slowly. “Right. Of course you do. Anyway, how old do you have to be to join the lessons?”
“Usually only little girls want to ride,” he was informed slowly.
“Right, because little girls like ponies.”
It sounded wrong even before the words left his mouth. Sean eyed him as though he really was a pervert, which Toby couldn’t blame him for. What grown man—besides a pervert—wanted to sign up for lessons made for little girls, knowing little girls liked ponies?
Pervert.
“That came out wrong,” he explained to the incredibly intimidating child watching him. It made Toby slightly wary of the pen the boy had clutched in his grasp like a knife. “I don’t like little girls. I mean, I like little girls, but I don’t like-like them, you know? I have a niece and I like her … wow, I really need to stop.” He blew out a breath and dared a glance towards Sean. “Has anyone ever told you have a remarkable poker face?”
“Owen said his uncle was funny,” Sean mused at last.
Toby perked. “Yeah? You think I’m funny?”
“No,” it was said with the most deadpan expression on the planet.
Toby grimaced. “Wow, way to let a guy down, kid. Thanks.” He cleared his throat. “So, about those lessons?”
“You can sign up if you want, I guess, but if you are a pervert, I will call the police.”
“Fair enough. Where can I do that?”
Still watching him, Sean pulled out an application and slid it carefully across the counter. “We take check or cash. The classes are every Tuesday and Thursday from four to six, and they’re only running for another two weeks before the season is over.”
Snatching up the pen Sean set down on the page, Toby began scribbling down his information at a pace that made his penmanship appear almost childlike. He passed it and his credit card over to a child that needed a stool to stand on and watched as he expertly ran it through the machine, gave him a receipt to sign and a pamphlet of the lessons.
“Can I join the group now?” he asked.
Sean shrugged. “I guess. Unless they’re already gone.”
Grabbing his things, Toby hurried as fast as his cane would allow out the door and around the building. He almost whooped in triumph when he spotted the group still assembling on the field. Addy was helping Kari up on her pony when he joined them. The younger children had different colors of helmet on their heads. Kari’s was blue.
“Hi again.” She said, handing Kari her reins. “Hold tight, okay?” She told the girl before turning her focus on Toby. “Did you need something?”
He held up his pamphlet and receipt. “I signed up for lessons.”
Addy’s confusion deepened the lines between her eyes. “Horseback riding?”
Toby nodded. “Unless you have some other type of lesson you would like to give me that involves close, personal alone time…”
She rounded the back of the horse to stand in front of him. She paused a moment before motioning him to follow her as she started walking.
“I really appreciate you taking an interest in riding, but I don’t normally give instructions to … adults.”
“It was the close, personal alone time, wasn’t it?”
She chuckled weakly. “Yes, I mean, No … no! Of course not. I just…” She drew in a breath and faced him. “I meant what I said. I’m not dating right now and I wouldn’t feel right to string you along when—”
“Hey, I just want lessons on how to ride,” he argued. “Promise.”
She eyed him with the same profound wariness the boy at the front had given him and Toby couldn’t help wondering if maybe they were related.
“Okay, but I normally only teach children.”
“I promise it will be no different.”
Her laugh was long and sweet and made him chuckle.
She led him into the barn and assigned him a beautiful mare the color of butterscotch pudding named…
“Sunshine Glitter? Seriously? Any relation to Pink Fairy Glitter?”
Addy winced sheepishly. “It’s the only one I have that is your size.”
“Can’t I switch with Rosie? I don’t mind riding Nightmare.”
“No, sorry, that’s been her horse for the last five years and she’s not very good with other people.”
Toby sighed. “Fine. But I’m accepting under protest.”
Biting the plump fold of her bottom lip in a way that was seriously distracting, Addy offered him the reins. Their fingers brushed and the shock that bolted between them nearly had him dropping them. She jerked back as well. The smooth column of her throat worked rapidly as she rubbed at her fingers and refused to meet his gaze. She licked her lips.
“Do … do you know how to use one of these?”
Still hypnotized by her mouth and the sheen her tongue had left behind, Toby nodded. “I’ll figure it out.”
He had been horseback riding before. He knew the basics. But there were a few things, like getting the bit between the horse’s teeth and tethering the harness that Addy had to walk him through. The military worked with horses, but despite his brief training, he’d never had to use the animals in an actual situation.
“Okay?” she said once they had Sunshine Glitter saddled and ready.
“I think I got the gist of it,” he promised.
Dusting her hands on the thighs of her jeans, she stepped back. “Great. I’m going to go make sure everyone else is ready. Shout if you need any help.”
She left him alone to figure out how to climb on. That was something he had not taken into account, but the animal was damn high and despite being six foot five, he also had a bum leg that refused to do a lick of work. No matter how he looked at it, that leg would need to hold his weight if he was to get on.
“Well, shit,” he mumbled, eyeing the saddle horn.
Propping his cane against the side of Sunshine Glitter’s stall, he hopped his way back to the animal and grabbed the horn with one hand and the saddle with the other. Then he leveled his weight just enough to slide his good foot into the stirrup without putting pressure on his injured leg. Once he had his weight balanced, he heaved himself up and over. The result was only mild swearing.
It wasn’t the injury that continued to give him grief. It was the stiffness where the tendons had been torn and the healing muscles. The wound itself had fully closed, the stitches removed months ago. It was nothing more than a puckered indent of smooth, pink skin that was shinier than the skin around it. It had looked worse in the beginning, but at least he hadn’t lost his leg completely.
“Ha!” he declared, proud of himself. “Look at that.” He patted Sunshine Glitter on the neck. “So far so good, eh, girl?”
The horse seemed unimpressed by his victory. It clopped one massive hoof and tossed its head.
Toby tightened his grip. “All right, calm down. We’re going.”
He gave a gentle kick and spurred the creature forward and out the stable doors. The rest of the group was already ready and standing
in a deformed circle around Addy’s horse. The woman herself was talking, giving instructions while keeping her mare perfectly steady. She smiled at everyone when she was finished. Her gaze lingered a moment longer on Toby before flicking away.
“Now, everyone knows the rules, right?” She waited for the confirming nods before resuming. “We stay together. No one falls behind,” Addy reminded them anyway. “We don’t race or poke each other or kick the horses, right?”
More nods.
Satisfied, she twisted her reins towards a break in a group of trees in the distance. The others followed as she steered them over the clearing towards the forest. Rosie took the rear, her horse falling in line with Toby’s.
“You taking lessons too?” she asked.
“Giving it a shot.”
He looked over at her. With her thick black hair fastened in a braid and her cool blue eyes focused, she reminded him of Damon. Their father’s genes were clearly strong. There was very little of her mother in her, except maybe the chin, which was much more delicate and tapered. She was tall for a girl with broad shoulders and an athletic build that came in handy in all the sports she played. Toby couldn’t even remember them all.
“You like it?” he asked her.
“Love it!” The passion behind the declaration was undeniable. It was vivid and full of the kind of joy that screamed of true passion. “I wanted to give up lacrosse and swimming to ride full time, but Mom says I can’t.” She gave him a rueful little smile. “She’s hoping I’ll get into a college with an athletic scholarship. You don’t get one of those with horseback riding. I mean, you probably can, but Willow Creek High doesn’t exactly have it on their books and…”
Toby nodded. “I can understand that, but once you’re done with school…”
The grin was back. “Yup, I am going to work here at Macy’s. Ms. Nixon says I can. She says she’ll hire me full time to take care of the horses and give lessons, but I have to finish school first.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out.”
“Kind of.” She peered over at Toby. “I’ve been thinking about becoming a veterinarian, not just for horses, but all animals. Mom’s on my case about getting into something really good, you know?”
“I think being a vet is a great idea.”
Beaming, Rosie faced forward and they watched the steady sea of bobbing heads moving down the path. Addy was at the helm, back straight, head high as she moved with graceful sways through the foliage. Behind her were the younger kids with the older kids just behind them. Colten was amongst them, sitting slumped and bored in his saddle. He kept yawning and darting glances at his watch. Owen was a few horses over talking to a boy of eight or nine. Unlike his cousin, he didn’t seem to mind being there.
“So, how long have you been doing this?” He turned his attention back to Rosie.
“I saw the flyer pinned up at the market about five years ago?” She shrugged. “I didn’t think I’d like it, but I came to a few lessons and it was amazing. Miss Macy was giving them then. This was before she left. Ms. Nixon had just arrived from out of town. I liked her. I mean, I still do. She’s really nice. Plus she lets me drop by on the weekends sometimes to take Nightmare out. I think when I get some money, I’m going to buy her. Nightmare, not Ms. Nixon.” She chuckled at her own joke. “I asked Ms. Nixon and she said we could talk about it after I graduate.”
“How come they call her Nightmare?” Toby wondered.
Rosie patted the horse’s neck lovingly. “Because when Macy got her, she was wild and no one could break her. She was a nightmare.” Rosie grinned at Toby like they shared a secret.
“But she seems to like you,” he observed.
“Yeah! I would bring her apples and carrots and I’d sit with her for hours, trying to get her to trust me enough so I could touch her without losing fingers. It took months and then another whole year before I could convince Macy to let me ride her. My mom nearly died when I told her. But I kept trying and trying, and eventually…” She gestured at the horse. “She let me ride her.”
“That is amazing,” Toby murmured. “You’re like the pony whisperer.”
Rosie laughed. “It’s just a lot of patience. Horses are stubborn and if they see you’re equally stubborn, well…” she trailed off with a small jerk of her shoulders.
“So, where exactly are we going?” he asked, glancing around them.
“Around the property. It’s an hour ride. Then we head back for snacks. You missed the actual training stuff. We’re on our last two weeks so we’re basically just taking it easy and enjoying the horses.”
They skirted along the edges of the forest to the main road and back again in a wide circle. Nothing much happened, but the children seemed to love it. They cheered as the inn came back into view and everyone began their descent down to the stables. Rosie helped Toby dismount and showed him how to properly brush and water his horse. The whole process took longer than one would anticipate. There was a method to everything, even the even strokes of the brush.
When they finished, Rosie took Sunshine Glitter back to her stall and Nightmare to hers. Then she hurried off to help the other children.
Toby took up his cane and followed the herd of shrieking and stampeding children back to the house.
The backdoor opened into a spacious kitchen, the soft yellow of sunflowers trimmed in white. Large windows opened to the fields on either side of a glass door draped in sheer lace. Squares of sunlight cut into the white linoleum, hurting the eyes and giving the room an extra glow of illumination. The room itself was broken into two spaces, one side held a long, wooden table that could easily seat fifteen people. On the other was a wall of stainless steel appliances, polished marble countertops, and a beast of an island smack dab in the center. That was where Addy stood, pouring milk into cups while the entire place shook with chaos. Children were everywhere, running through the planks of sunlight, laughing, screaming, and being all kinds of crazy. She seemed to be in control of the situation, but he could see the strain pinching the lines around her mouth as she tried to focus on about fifty different things.
“Hey, want me to round them up?” he asked, moving up next to her.
Her head came up. Her eyes were dark with exhaustion and gratitude.
“Please? If you could. That would be so great.”
With a nod, he turned to the room at large and cupped one hand around his mouth.
“Cadets!” he bellowed, using the voice he learned in the military academy. “To your stations!”
It took about five minutes to get everyone seated. Cookies and milk were passed out and a tenuous sort of peace settled into place that seemed infinitely louder than them running crazy. Toby perched his butt on a stool at the island and reached for his own cookie.
“Thank you.” Addy joined him, but didn’t sit. “They always get extra hyper after a ride.”
Toby wasn’t listening. He was in some weird chocolate heaven that had never existed outside his secret fantasies. Every nibble was a sort of sin and he couldn’t get the cookies down fast enough.
“Jesus, what’s in these?” he garbled around a mouthful, even as he grabbed two more off the plate.
“Um…” Addy pulled in a breath and tried to think. “Flour, chocolate—”
“No, I mean seriously, are these laced with crack? You can tell me. I swear I won’t tell anyone.”
She laughed nervously. “No?”
“Christ, woman.” He shoved the two whole cookies into his mouth and reached for another one with his free hand, and stopped when his fingers skimmed ceramic and crumbs. His gaze shot to hers, big and round with panic. “Do you have any more? You’re out.”
The smile that blossomed across her face broke into a series of giggles that she covered with her hand even as she shook her head at him. She moved to the cupboard next to the stove and brought down a large plastic container brimming with cookies. There were six more lining the shelves.
“I make enough to
feed a small army,” she told him as she pressed the container into his hand. “For running you over today.”
Toby hugged the offering to his chest. “I will cherish this always.”
Still chuckling, she propped her hip against the counter and fixed her attention on the children. Her face was relaxed and she seemed content to stand there, but every so often, her gaze would move to the clock mounted above the backdoor. Then her lips would twitch at the corners and she’d turn her gaze back to the children.
“Are you waiting for someone?” he asked.
Addy sighed and dragged the second stool over to her and away from him. “I had someone booked to come by at five to repair some stuff around here, but he’s late or … I don’t know. Maybe I got the date wrong.”
“Anything I can look at?”
Addy shook her head. “Oh no, thank you. I’ll just call him later and double check.”
Nodding slowly, Toby turned forward. “An old place like this must take a lot of up keeping.”
“Sometimes, yeah.” The freckles on her nose bunched with the wrinkling of her slender nose. “I don’t mind it though, you know? I love this place.”
“Has Macy been your aunt long?” Realizing how stupid that sounded, he corrected with, “I mean, what made you move to Willow Creek?”
Smiling, she shrugged. “We just needed a change.”
“We?”
Her answer was interrupted by the girl he’d helped on her horse earlier. She held up her plate in tiny hands and offered it to Addy. There were crumbs clinging to the corners of her mouth that Addy lovingly brushed away with her thumb.
“Mommy, can I play outside with Kari?”
Addy nodded. “Yeah, sure, but stay off the road, okay? The parents will be arriving soon and I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
With a delighted smile that was all her mother, the girl turned and hurried over to where Kari stood waiting by the backdoor.
“Oh!” The realization struck him like a two ton truck.
“Yeah,” Addy whispered. “That was Hanna. You probably already met Sean.”
“Two,” he observed with a buttload of surprise. “So, you’re … what? Married?”
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