by Jillian Hart
“That’s my girl.” Pride lit her up. “You’ll find your happiness, I promise you that. You can’t give up looking, and you can’t give up hope.”
“I’m not sure I want my happiness to depend on a man.” She thought of Gerald and how he hadn’t been as stalwart as she’d believed him to be. She would never forget the phone calls she’d made to him and the last messages she’d left on his voice mail. She’d been lonely for him and needed to hear the sound of his voice after a tough day in physical therapy, and what had he been doing? Taking his new skating partner out to an intimate, romantic dinner. She’d been left waiting while his feelings had turned off for her and on for someone else. Almost a year had passed and it still stung.
“When it’s the right man, your happiness is assured.” Gran sat back on her heels, growing misty remembering. “When your grandfather was alive, my life was perfect. Love made it that way.”
“Gramps was great.” She couldn’t argue. “I’m not sure they make men like him anymore.”
“Sure they do. You just have to find him. Your perfect match. The man God means just for you.” Gran returned to her weeding, so sure of her view. “Faith, Eloise. You have to believe.”
“Of course.” Believe? She wanted to. It was a nice idea, but life wasn’t that simple and love was painfully complicated. “How about I take a break from believing and start up again, oh, say in five years?”
Gran laughed. “Don’t think you are getting out of this date.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She plucked a dandelion and a long-root system out of the soil. A robin flew overhead and landed on the edge of the grass. The bird’s head cocked to one side as she listened, then hopped along in search of her supper.
At least her grandmother hadn’t yet heard the news that she’d spent time with Sean Granger. That would come one day, but she decided it wouldn’t be today. She let the silence lengthen just like the pleasant evening shadows of approaching twilight.
She separated a fragile patch of carrot tops and hunkered down to do some serious weeding. This was her life and she would be content with it.
Chapter Six
Hard to believe a week had gone by without seeing Eloise. Sean gripped the steering wheel as he slowed for a deer in the fields at the side of the road. He kept an eye on her as he approached, ready to stop if she startled and dashed across the road. This time of year, she would have a fawn or two tucked away somewhere so he wanted to take extra care. But she darted safely into the fields so he kept watch for other animals and gave the truck a little more gas.
A whole week. He hadn’t been pining for her or anything as dire as that. He’d simply missed out on seeing her. She and Cheyenne had a riding get-together earlier in the week and he figured he might be able to say hi to her then, since he had the expecting mare to check on in the barn. He had intended to ask about the horses they’d rescued. But no, his cousin Tucker had taken possession of the land he’d purchased across the road and had asked for help walking fence lines and making a few minor repairs in the outbuildings. Couldn’t say no to the chance to wield a hammer and restring barbed wire, could he? But he’d wondered about her.
There would be no more wondering. He was about to have the pleasure of her company. He felt as cheerful as the sunlight shining through the windshield. When he hit town, he hung a right and followed the detour on Second Street to avoid the vendors setting up for the town’s yearly summer festival. The few miles he had to go seemed like ten. Maybe he was looking forward to seeing Eloise more than he’d thought.
Anticipation buzzed through him as he turned off into the paved lane that rolled through fields, trees and blooming flowers to the Lark Song Inn. When Uncle Frank had called him into the barn with a message to meet Eloise with the horse trailer, he’d had to hide the gladness sweeping through him. He didn’t want his uncle to misread things. He didn’t bother to hide it now.
Eloise was nice. Who wouldn’t enjoy spending time with her? Add to that the fact she was a casualty of romance too, how could he resist wanting to see her? It was a comfort to have a buddy going through the same thing he was. Even a lone wolf needed a buddy.
He parked, grabbed the keys and hopped into the pleasantly warm morning. The parking lot only had a few cars. A middle-aged couple led the way down the porch while a hotel employee carted their luggage after them.
“Good morning.” He stepped out of the way to let them down the stairs first. They returned the greeting, quite relaxed and content. That’s when he caught sight of Eloise. Wow, she took his breath away. She breezed through the doorway wearing a pink T-shirt, boot-cut jeans and riding boots. She’d obviously changed out of her work clothes for their next horse-hunting adventure.
“Sean. You made record time.” She waved the gray Stetson she carried in her free hand and plopped it on her head as she crossed the porch. “You had to be standing right beside Mr. Granger when I gave him the message.”
“No, but he didn’t waste time getting a hold of me.” He didn’t add that his uncle was hoping a romance would develop. Frank was definitely going to be disappointed on that score. Sean waited while she tapped down the steps. “You didn’t waste any time finding more horses.”
“Actually they found me, or the humane society did. I had spoken to them last week, of course.” She joined him on the pathway and they backtracked to the truck. “I—”
“Eloise!” A child’s voice rang in the air behind them. Cady’s little goddaughter Julianna waved at them, all dressed in purple. “Daddy said I could come, okay?”
She pounded down the stairs in her glittery grape sneakers. Too late to say no to her now. He lifted a brow to Eloise in a silent comment.
“Do you mind?” She bit her bottom lip, maybe worried he might get mad.
“How could I? First I was spending the morning with one pretty gal, now I get to spend it with two.” He opened the truck door for her, noticing she smelled faintly like honeysuckle.
“You are a gentleman, Sean Granger.”
“I try.”
Threads of pure blue sparkles wove through the emerald depths of her irises. He’d never seen a more arresting color. She was wholesome femininity and sunny beauty and he wasn’t sure why his chest cinched up so hard he couldn’t breathe. Probably any man would have the same reaction to her. It wasn’t romantic feelings he felt. Probably gratitude for a friendship that was obviously cementing.
That had to be it. Satisfied with his conclusion, he waited for Julianna to skip across the lot, caught her elbow to help her up into the cab first and turned to Eloise. He knew the touch of her hand and the slender fit of her fingers against his.
Nice. This is friendship, he insisted as his heart skipped a single beat—just one. Nothing to worry about. Once she was helping Julianna with her seatbelt, he shut the door and circled the truck to the driver’s side.
“Now that I’ve joined the team,” he said as he started the engine. “What are the details? Where do we go?”
“We take a left at the county road and keep on driving for ten miles.” Eloise pulled a pink memo out of her jeans pocket. Glossy gold hair curtained her face, leaving only the tip of her nose and the dainty cut of her chin visible. “Angie from the humane society is already on site. She says there are four horses and that’s all I know.”
“Abused or just unwanted, like the last pair?” He nosed the truck down the lane.
“I don’t know.” She folded the paper back up into quarters. “They are doing the assessments right now.”
“So you don’t know if these will have the temperament you’re looking for?”
“They are in need. Cady says that’s more important.”
Julianna nodded. “They need love,” she chimed in, as cute as a button.
He remembered when his little sister, Giselle, was that age. Although she was grown up and in college now, she was still as sweet to him. He shared a smile over the top of Julianna’s head and the silent connection he felt with Eloise
defied words.
Checking for traffic, he saw the road was completely clear and turned left. Fields spread out as far as the eye could see, broken only by trees, a few houses scattered far and wide and the occasional herds of grazing cattle and horses. “How are Hershey and Licorice?”
“Licorice gives kisses,” Julianna answered, as serious as a judge. “Hershey likes apples the best.”
Not exactly the information he was after and across the cab Eloise’s gaze found his again. It was a shared moment where words weren’t needed. It was nice to have a real friend, one he was in tune with.
“After they had a good bath and brush down, the farrier came by to tend to their hooves and shoes.” She fingered the edge of the paper she held. “They are sweet guys. Licorice seems relieved to have so much attention again. He’s already making friends with everyone. Hershey is having a harder time.”
“He stares down the aisle all day,” Julianna explained. “He’s got sad eyes.”
“He’s grieving. He’s especially tender-hearted and he’s taken all these changes very hard.” She’d spent the bulk of her breaks and lunch hour making friends with him. “We are all trying to comfort him. Everyone already loves both horses.”
“I’m sure they aren’t being spoiled.”
“Not at all.” Her day felt brighter. It couldn’t be because of Sean, right? She leaned back in the seat and savored the fall of sun on her face and the sense of freedom at being temporarily released from her managerial duties. “I’m certainly not guilty of that, right, Julianna?”
“Right.” The girl shook her head emphatically and her twin braids bounced. “Me neither.”
Sean chuckled. Eloise felt comfortable in his presence. Not at all like Friday night when it had been a struggle to make conversation with George. “I was going to saddle them up and give them a test ride this afternoon and could use some help. Are you interested?”
“I’m game. Count me in.” He squared his impressive shoulders. He had come when she’d asked, and she thought about that, finding one more thing among the many to like about the man.
“Can I come, too?” Julianna steepled her hands as if in prayer. “Please, please please?”
“After we find out how they handle, then you can see what your dad says.” Eloise gave one braid a gentle tug, knowing that would make the girl smile.
“Bummer. I know how to ride, you know. Aunt Cady lets me ride her horse.” Sparkles glittered in her eyes full of excitement and childhood wonder. “I love horses, too. I’ve asked Dad one hundred times and he still says I can’t have one. We live in the city.”
“Yes, there’s no place for a horse in a brownstone.” Eloise understood the girl’s love of horses. It was a phase she hadn’t ever fully outgrown. Her mare, Pixie, lived in her grandmother’s field, as she had for the last fourteen years. “I got my horse when I was your age.”
“You did? Cool.” Julianna sighed. “I know you aren’t supposed to pray for yourself. That’s not the right way to pray. You are supposed to think of others and pray for them. That’s what Dad says. So, do you know what?”
“What?”
“I pray for my horse. She’s somewhere and I want her to be happy. Maybe that way she can find me. And if she does, maybe she can be gold with a white mane.”
Julianna’s forehead puckered with concern. “Do you think that’s being selfish like my mom?”
On the other side of the truck, Sean caught her eye. He drove with both hands on the wheel and kept most of his attention on the road, but in the brief moment their gazes met an unspoken understanding passed between them. Probably because they were on the same wavelength.
Julianna’s mother had left the family for a richer man. She couldn’t imagine how much that would hurt a little girl. Eloise cleared the emotion from her throat. Her parents’ marriage was rock solid. Her grandparents on both sides had been the same. “No, I don’t think it’s selfish. You are asking for the horse to be happy first, even if you never get to meet her, right?”
“Right.” Julianna sighed. “But I hope I do.”
“Me, too.” She liked to think there was a very lucky and nice horse out there wanting a little girl to love. She let her eyes drift shut. Please, Lord, if it’s possible, give Julianna her dream.
“I saw that,” Sean said after she’d opened her eyes. “I know what you asked for.”
“How?”
“Because I did, too.”
It was tough not to like him even more for that. It was a good thing she spotted the road they needed to turn on to so that she didn’t need to analyze it. There were horses to rescue. “Take a right there by the pine trees.”
“Sure thing.”
The truck hit the dirt lane with a bump. They bounced down the wide private road lined by thick trees and she unfolded her memo to make sure she remembered the directions correctly. “We’re looking for a mailbox with the last name Noon. It should be on the left-hand side.”
“I see it.” He slowed the truck to make the turn. The driveway was in terrible shape, overgrown as if no vehicle had passed there for some time. Fresh tracks through grass, weeds and a sprouting blackberry bush testified it was an actual driveway.
“No worries.” Sean gave the wheel a slow spin. “I’ve got four-wheel drive.”
“Let’s hope you don’t need it.” She couldn’t imagine getting the horses and trailers out if they did. Julianna seemed to enjoy the jolting and pitching, her eyes shining with the importance of their adventure.
It wasn’t long before a clearing gave way to a mass of parked vehicles and the saddest sight. Eloise gasped aloud at the four shapes huddled in the shade of a maple tree in a barren, tumbling-down corral. The shapes were animals covered with thick layers of dried-on mud and dirt.
The sharp hint of bones pierced the horses’ sides. Her vision blurred with hot, shocked tears and obscured the image of the half-starved horses. Sean’s truck rolled to a stop and she wondered if she should make Julianna stay in the cab or call her father to inform him the situation might be too graphic for her.
But it was too late. Julianna unclicked her belt, rising to her knees on the seat. She gripped the steering wheel, straining to look. “What happened to them? Why are they like that?”
“They’re starving, sweetie.” Sean answered, his baritone layered with sadness. “Someone left them to fend for themselves.”
The place was obviously abandoned. The old farm-house stood dark and silent with weeds growing on the walkway and obscuring the front steps.
“It’s been foreclosed on. When the appraiser came to take a look at the property for the bank, she found this.” A woman who must be Angie, the lady from the county shelter, strode over in a simple shirt, jeans and boots. “Nate is taking a look at them right now. They seem glad to see us, poor things.”
“It’s good to meet you, Angie.” Eloise didn’t remember tumbling from the truck, only that she was on the ground staring at the horses. She swiped at her eyes. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t prepared for this. Julianna?”
“I’ve got her,” Sean answered. The girl’s hand was tucked safely in his as they watched Nate work with the animals.
“We’re going to help them, right?” Tears rolled down the girl’s face.
“That’s why we’re here.” Sean was ten feet tall in her view. Shoulders square, spine straight, unfailingly decent. It was really hard not to look at him and think, “amazing.”
“I’m sorry to bring you all the way out here like this.” Angie glanced at her cell screen before tucking it into her pocket. “I was just getting ready to call you. It’s worse than I thought. I suppose you are rethinking your offer?”
“Not at all.” The wind puffed lazily against her as she turned toward the fence. One of the horses lifted her head over the top rail, nostrils scenting the air, chocolate eyes gleaming with the smallest hope. “My boss would not want me to walk away from this.”
“Whew. I can’t tell you how glad I am to hear
that.” Angie tugged at her hat brim. “Our donations are down in this economy, and we are stretched thin as it is. I’m not sure we have the resources for this, even with Nate donating his services. They are good horses, as far as I can tell. Calm. A little skittish, but that’s to be expected.”
“How long have they been like this?”
“Probably a few months. I talked to a neighbor. No one realized the animals were left behind or they would have done something sooner. The folks who left probably had no money to deal with the animals, but they should have called us. We could have helped. That’s why we’re here.”
A sad situation. Eloise set the tip of her cane on the uneven ground. “At least we can help now. How long before we can trailer them?”
“As soon as Nate is done. I think he intends to follow you back to town. They are going to need some special care.”
“We will make sure they get it.” Determined, she joined Sean and Julianna at the fence. The horse had poked her head through the wood rungs and buried her rather substantial-size face against Julianna’s stomach and chest. The mare leaned into the little girl with obvious need.
“She likes me,” Julianna breathed, holding on tightly to the animal so dirty it was hard to make out her original color. “I like her, too.”
“So I see. You are friends already.” She laid the palm of her hand against the horse’s sun-warmed neck, hoping the animal could feel in her touch that everything was going to be all right.
“I’m going to help the vet.” Sean reached over to brush a strand of hair from her eyes. The stroke of his fingertips was brief but tender. Her breath caught, but he didn’t seem affected. Calm and collected, he moved away, his gait confident and easy, his movements athletic and sure. He ducked between the rails and paused to reassure the horses before he moved a step closer.
Maybe it was her imagination, but the sunshine seemed to brighten all around him.
“I feel sorry for Julianna’s dad.” Eloise swung up on her good leg and settled into the saddle. She patted Licorice’s neck and tightened the reins to keep him from sidestepping. “The girl refused to leave Dusty’s side.”