Lost and Found Family

by Jennifer Ryan

  In her singsong voice she asked, “What’s his name?”

  “Ace.”

  “Hello, Ace,” she sang, then went on with the lullaby.

  Luke’s anxious voice rumbled behind her again “He’s the backbone of this ranch. He’s a champion and worth a fortune. Nothing can happen to him.”

  Still singing to the horse, she turned and looked at Luke. In that moment, she could see he not only needed the horse for his breeding program, but he loved the horse. She also noticed that her boys had moved up and were crowded behind Luke’s legs. They peeked at her and Ace from around him.

  “What do you need done with Ace?”

  Luke answered for the man, who must be the vet. “He needs some shots and one of the trainers noticed he’s favoring his left back hoof.”

  The vet added, “He also has a cut on his hindquarter that may need stitching.”

  Luke restrained his fury behind his clenched jaw. “He’s been cut?”

  “I’m sorry, Luke. He’s out of control today and he hit his rump on the gate to the stall. It was his own damn fault. That horse has no sense, and he’s meaner than a rattlesnake.”

  Sarah continued singing and rubbed both hands up the length of Ace’s nose. Once she got her arms to full length, she pulled Ace’s large head down and put her nose to his. She rubbed the sides of his head and stood nose to nose with him singing the lullaby. Ace began to calm and soon he wasn’t stomping, or fussing. After several choruses, she knew just when the horse had bonded with her when he nuzzled his nose against her cheek.

  Still singing to Ace she stepped back, grabbed a brush from a nearby table, and began to work the brush over his gleaming coat. He stood still, but watched her carefully. She worked and worked, brushing and singing, calming him even more. Once she’d given Ace a good once-over, she turned back to Luke and found all four men silent and watching her.

  It was quite a picture, turning around and seeing Luke holding the hands of both her boys. She’d never seen a prettier picture. The boys were safe in a man’s hands, and the fact that the man was as strong and gorgeous as Luke didn’t hurt either.

  She’d provided them with everything they needed, except a good man in their life.

  Tears filled her eyes and she quickly blinked them away.

  Ace nibbled at her jeans pocket and bumped his big head against her back. Luke stepped forward thinking Ace was trying to hurt her.

  Sarah held up her hand to stop him. She was still singing for the horse and turned back to Ace. “It’s okay. He only wants what’s in my pocket.” Sarah took out a roll of the cherry candies the boys loved and peeled one off for Ace. The horse took it and nuzzled her neck.

  She rubbed his big head and addressed the vet. “Doc, get the shots prepared as well as the sutures for Ace’s hind leg.”

  She met Luke’s worried gaze. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this. I grew up on a horse ranch. I’ll take care of Ace. I noticed you have two horses saddled outside. I presume those are for the boys to ride. Why don’t you take them out and have someone help you get them up in the saddle and riding.”

  “I’m not leaving you with Ace. If he gets upset again, he could really hurt you.”

  “You and I both know if any of you come near this horse, he’ll just go off again. He needs to be tended to, and I appear to be the one he trusts at the moment. I’d really like for you to take the boys out of here while I do it.” The last thing she wanted was for her boys to see her get kicked if Ace got upset when she checked that hoof and cut. She was willing to take the risk for the beautiful animal.

  It didn’t hurt to show Luke she wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty and do the work.

  The vet planted his hands on his hips. “Good God, Luke. You can’t allow this woman to tend Ace. She’s not a vet. What if she hurts him?”

  Sarah rubbed Ace’s neck. “I know what I’m doing. Take the boys outside, and I’ll be there soon.”

  Luke shook his head. “I’ll stay. Jerry, my manager, can take the boys outside to ride.”

  She didn’t want anyone but Luke with her boys. “Look at them. They trust you. I trust you with them. Trust me with Ace. You take care of my babies, and I’ll take care of yours.”

  He clamped his jaw tight. “Damnit.”

  “Mama, Luke swore.” Jack looked up at Luke with a disapproving frown.

  “He’s just mad. You guys go and see the horses outside. Luke will let you ride, then we’ll have our picnic.”

  “Mama, is Ace going to hurt you?” Nick gave her those big worried eyes that made her heart melt.

  “Ace was just having a tantrum.” Ace decided to punctuate that statement by stomping his hooves and shaking his head up and down. “What does Mama do with boys who have tantrums?”

  “You make us calm down, and if we be good, you sing,” Jack said.

  “If we’re bad, you send us to our room for a time-out. We don’t like that. I like it better when we get ice cream.” Nick hid his face in Luke’s leg.

  She hoped Luke remembered what the boys said the next time Margaret told him a bunch more lies about her.

  “Mama likes giving you ice cream better than tantrums, too. Now go have some fun.”

  “I think Luke needs a time-out for swearing, Mama. Are you going to send him to his room?” Jack asked.

  “Only if she’s coming with me,” Luke said under his breath, but she caught the hushed words.

  The other three men tried to suppress their laughter, but it rang out, despite their effort.

  Luke held her gaze, his direct and intense, to let her know he meant those hushed words.

  She could almost feel a caress heating her skin, though they stood yards apart.

  He may be looking out for Margaret’s interests, but he also had an eye on her. She appreciated that he saw more than faults.

  But could she trust that the attraction was real and not a means for him to get close to her so he could try to find things to use against her?

  Luke sighed out his reluctance and uncertainty, but finally scooped up both boys. “Don’t make me regret trusting you.” He carried them out of the stables.

  Seeing her boys safe in his strong arms endeared Luke to her even more than how much he cared about his horse.

  And she appreciated his reluctant trust.

  She’d do everything possible to help Ace and do it without incident because she didn’t want to disappoint Luke.

  Chapter Eight

  Sarah went straight to work on Ace, brushing him and singing to him once again. Calm, he stood still and watched her move around him. As she passed one of the guys, she took the lead rope from him and nodded for him to back away, leaving only one man holding him, giving Ace some room to breathe and the space he needed to feel safe.

  She kept singing and brushing and rubbing her hand over him. When she finally had him completely calm, she addressed the vet for the first time in ten minutes.

  “Do you have all the shots ready?”

  “Yeah, I’ll just begin—”

  She held her hand up to stop him. “Just stay where you are. I’ll give him the shots.”

  “Excuse me.” His authoritative voice boomed though the massive stables. “I’m the doctor here, and I don’t appreciate you usurping me, especially in front of Luke.”

  “Obviously this horse doesn’t like you or want you near him. Now, step back. I’ll give him the shots.”

  “You’ll do no such thing. I won’t allow you to harm this horse by improperly giving him injections.”

  “Step back, Doc,” a man still holding a rope on Ace and supervising ordered. “Let her be. You heard Luke. He wants her to take care of Ace today.” The man turned to her. “I’m Jerry.”

  “Sarah.” She gave him a smile, appreciating him backing her up.

  The doc threw his hands up in the air and let them fall. “Luke’s crazy letting this woman near Ace like this.”

  Jerry looked him in the eye. “We’re all here watching, so if so
mething goes wrong, you can be the first to tell Luke, ‘Told you so.’”

  Sarah picked up all four shots and, as quickly as possible, expertly gave each one to Ace. The horse didn’t even flinch, and she rewarded him with another cherry candy. He accepted it and nuzzled his nose at her neck again. She moved on and checked each of Ace’s legs, stroking her hands over his strong muscles and tendons, searching for any tender spots. Nothing came of it, so she moved on to cleaning out each of his hooves, still singing Ace into a calm trance.

  When she reached his back left leg Jerry spoke up. “That’s the hoof we think is giving Ace trouble.”

  She bent to pick up the hoof. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Doc move forward to have a look himself. Before she could tell him to back off or grab hold of the horse’s leg, Ace kicked out, hitting her right in the thigh, and moved his big body, blocking her from Doc’s approach. Sarah went down hard, clutching her thigh, tears streaming down her face.

  Jerry moved forward and Ace shifted again, just missing stepping on her as she lay on the ground holding her throbbing leg. The intense pain radiated up her hip and back and down to her foot.

  All the men moved then. To save herself, Sarah called out, “Stop.”

  Thankfully everyone froze.

  Ace stood very close, still and watchful.

  Sarah took the opportunity to roll onto all fours. She pressed up to her feet. No small feat; the pain seared up and down her leg. “Doc, are you stupid or simply hard of hearing? I told you to stay back.”

  His eyes went wide. “You’re blaming me.” He pointed to his chest, not one bit sorry for what he’d caused. “You have no business being around this animal.”

  “You arrogant son of a bitch! Back off.” Sarah wiped away the tears and slowly limped to Ace’s front. He lowered his head and looked at her as if to say he was sorry for what happened. Sarah met his eyes as well and stepped close and hugged his neck, letting him know she understood he only wanted to protect her.

  It took some serious strength and nerve to slowly walk to his back left leg again. Her hands shook, but she bent to pick up the hoof. Ace stood completely still and allowed Sarah her inspection. Sarah cleaned the hoof and took great pains to inspect it carefully, even though her crouched position hurt like hell. She filed down a rough spot and checked Ace’s shoe to make sure it was secure and properly placed. She slowly lowered Ace’s hoof and stood, taking the weight off her battered leg.

  “Jerry, Ace has a small soft spot on the bottom of the hoof. Probably just a stone that had been stuck at one time but is now gone. It’s really nothing.”

  “That’s what we thought. Thanks for checking, Sarah.”

  “Sure, no problem. Now, let’s get a good look at the cut on his hindquarter.” Sarah inspected the cut and decided, while most of it was superficial and would heal by itself, there was a spot at the end that had gone deep enough to need a few stitches. She walked over to Doc’s bag and took out what she needed. Without a word, she wiped all the equipment down with alcohol swabs, found the medicine she needed to numb the area, and a fresh syringe. The vet stood by glaring with his arms folded across his chest. A stout man with a wide middle, white hair, and ruddy cheeks, he reminded her of one of those garden gnomes. All he needed was a white beard, little green suit, and a pointed hat.

  She sang a new song for Ace, slow and soothing, and worked on the cut, cleaning it well to help prevent infection. Then, she numbed the area and expertly closed the wound with four stitches. She swiped some salve over the gash.

  Sarah picked up the brush and, still singing, worked the brush over Ace again. By the time she finished, the horse was calm and Sarah was exhausted. Her leg screamed with pain, but she still had to play with the boys and sit through their picnic.

  “Okay, Ace, you’re all set. Now, be a good boy and play nice with everyone. Jerry, where do you want him?”

  “He’s due to have some exercise outside before we put him back in his stall. He could probably use it after the morning he’s had. I’ll take him out to the exercise ring.”

  Jerry stepped forward to take the lead ropes for Ace, but Ace wasn’t about to give up on having Sarah take care of him. He stomped his hooves and moved toward her.

  “Okay, big guy. I get it. You’re in the mood to be babied. Jerry, I’ll take him for a short ride.”

  “Ride,” he said, aghast, and shook his head. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. He hasn’t been ridden in a while, let alone saddled.”

  “Who said anything about saddling him?” Sarah took off the lead ropes, turned over an empty bucket, stood on top, grabbed Ace’s mane, and hauled herself up onto his back. She gave him a soft kick and walked him out of the barn.

  As soon as Ace felt the sunshine on him, he took off like a rocket. The only thing Sarah could do was hold on. The pain in her thigh was punctuated by having to use her legs to hold on to Ace, but she hadn’t felt this free in a long time. Ace was a strong horse and he was using that strength to get some energy out. With the sun and wind on both of them, Sarah simply gave in and enjoyed the ride that Ace was determined to give her.

  Chapter Nine

  “I’m four and I know all the numbers of the alphabet.” Nick said.

  “It’s not numbers, it’s letters,” Jack corrected. “He’s still a baby. He gets mixed up.”

  Nick persisted. “I am not a baby. Mama says I’m a big boy now. I go to pre-K.”

  Luke had worried about leaving Sarah with Ace, but listening to the boys chatter as they made their way to the horses outside made him smile. So full of energy; it felt good to hold them in his arms with their little hands clinging to his shoulders.

  Luke pretended the boys were weighing him down. “You’re both big boys.” He hefted them up a bit higher. “That’s why you get to ride these big horses.”

  “I want the brown one,” Nick yelled.

  “They’re both brown, dummy,” Jack said to his brother.

  “Jack, don’t call Nick names. That’s not nice. Now, which brown one do you want, Nick?” Luke loved how Nick concentrated with his eyes narrowed and his mouth quirked in a crooked frown.

  “The one that’s all brown. The other one has a white nose. I don’t want that one.”

  “Okay, Stella is yours. Jack, you get Mandy. Both these girls are great riding horses. They’re very gentle. First, we’re going to introduce ourselves to them, and then we’ll go over the rules before we ride. Deal?”

  In unison the boys echoed Luke, “Deal.”

  Luke set the boys down and walked them up to the waiting horses and one of his ranch hands, Miguel. As if on cue, the horses lowered their heads to the boys, ready for a pat. The boys enthusiastically stroked the horses.

  “She tickled my hand. Her nose is soft.” Jack pulled his hand back to his chest. “Nick, she tickled me.”

  Nick patted Stella’s soft nose. “Yeah, mine tickles, too. Let’s go for a ride!”

  “Okay, boys, here are the rules. You have to wear these helmets, just in case you fall off.” Luke plunked a helmet on each of their heads. “Hold on to the reins.” Luke held them up. “These straps here. Don’t pull. And no yelling at the horses. Loud noises scare them. The last rule is that you have to do exactly what Miguel and I tell you to do. Deal?”

  “Deal.”

  “Deal.”

  “Okay. Buckle your helmets. Let’s go over to the indoor training ring and Miguel and I will teach you how to ride.”

  Luke and Miguel settled the boys up in the saddles. Their faces lit up with the kind of joy Luke hadn’t felt in too long to remember. Nerves replaced some of that excitement when the horses jostled them a bit while they walked down to the ring, but half an hour later, and several rounds about the ring, the boys were back to having a ball.

  Luke nodded to Miguel and they stepped away as Jack and Nick rode on. “You’re on your own, boys.”

  “I’m doing it.” The pride in Jack’s eyes made Luke’s chest tight.

&nbs
p; “Me, too,” Nick whispered, not wanting to spook his mount.

  Jack laughed with excitement and Luke couldn’t help but smile at the little boy. He was so cute and full of fun.

  Luke remembered what it had been like as a kid getting up on a horse for the first time and trying to outride his younger brother. His father and mother taught them just as Luke had taught Jack and Nick. He remembered the pride in his father’s eyes when he watched them ride.

  Luke felt a pang in his heart. His brother, Jason, had found love and started a family of his own. Luke loved his niece and sometimes found himself feeling jealous of his little brother.

  Yesterday, seeing the boys with their mom, he’d felt that twinge of envy again.

  He’d love to see his own boys riding the horses and running around the ranch like he and his brother had done for so many years. Maybe a little girl, her long hair waving in the wind.

  He really wanted a family.

  Not going to happen without the right woman. And he’d tired of the dating game, because that’s exactly how it felt.

  Women had become a convenient date for whatever business or social obligation he had to attend and a warm body in his bed to fulfill his physical needs. Even the sex felt stale, a moment’s distraction. All of it left him empty in more ways than one.

  He’d let it happen.

  He’d made it happen.

  Which is why he’d stopped dating months ago.

  He’d really wanted to try with his last girlfriend, but she lived in Silicon Valley and the drive out to the ranch in Carmel and back to Silicon Valley grew to be a chore for both of them. She found excuses to be there while he made it clear his place was at the ranch. The whole thing fizzled out. At least she hadn’t stolen his credit card and racked up a huge bill like the woman he dated before her.

  But the thief and the relationship-going-nowhere punctuated Luke’s dating bad luck. So he focused on the ranch, giving himself time to be alone and figure out what he really wanted.