by Jillian Hart
“Yep, got him in the stands a few minutes ago.”
Sure enough, a Stetson-wearing man was making his way through the grounds. Nate, off to the Granger ranch. Sean set his shoulders. The timing was bad, but duty called.
“How are the girls doing at their events?” The long-time ranch hand was practically a member of the family.
“So far, Cheye and Addy have come in first in their team events, first and second in their individual ones.” He tried to focus on what he was saying, but Eloise stayed on the forefront of his thoughts. Her brow furrowed, a question pinched the corners of her eyes, and she leaned toward him with concern. He tried to focus. “Does Uncle Frank know?”
“You were the one on call, so I dialed you first,” Scotty explained.
“Good, let him enjoy his date with Cady. I’ll be right there.” He pocketed his phone, hating to have to leave Eloise. He wanted to fix what was wrong between them.
“You have to go?” she asked.
“Sunny has decided to have her foal.” Bad timing, he thought, tugging out his keys. But then again, God’s timing was always perfect and that gave him an idea. “Want to come?”
“With you?” Surprise twinkled like pretty spring-green specks in her eyes.
“Why not? Don’t you want to see a little foal born? I’ll let you pet the baby.”
“I’m not tempted.” Her resistance was melting. He could see it as she tugged her bottom lip between her teeth, debating.
He didn’t want to leave without her.
“C’mon, Eloise.” He held out his hand, palm up. “Cute little foal. How can you resist? Maybe we should take a poll.”
“A poll?” Amusement stretched her soft mouth into a dazzling smile.
He glanced around for support. He didn’t have to look far. Martha was balancing precariously on the bench one row up. Eloise’s mom had a pleasant smile of surprise. Mrs. Tipple seemed about ready to burst with excitement. Looked like he had all the backing he needed. “What do you all think? Should Eloise come along with me or keep hanging out with you?”
An easy question, since he already knew the outcome. Eloise knew it too, judging by the way she shook her head at him, scattering the ends of her gleaming gold hair.
“Don’t you bring my family into this,” she warned, but it was too late.
“I’ll choose for you,” Mrs. Tipple called out. “Eloise, looks like you’ve got a live one.”
“I’m not fishing, Gran.” Eloise bit her bottom lip, as if holding back a laugh. Merriment made her brilliant and made his heart notice. “And if I was, then I would throw him back. You do that with the ones too scrawny to keep.”
He liked that everyone laughed. He laughed, too. He knew good and well he wasn’t scrawny.
“You’ve hooked a good one.” Martha leaned in. “Eloise, you don’t let him get away.”
“I haven’t hooked him.” She grabbed her cane and pushed off the bench. “If I wanted to hook some man, I could do better.”
“You definitely could,” he agreed and held out his hand to help her down the crowded aisle. Funny how calm he felt the moment his fingers twined between hers, like everything was going to be all right.
“You two have fun,” her grandmother called and gave two thumbs-up. “I think it’s a date, Helene. It looks like one to me.”
“I hope you didn’t hear that.” The breeze scattered Eloise’s gossamer wisps of gold curls that had tumbled down from her pony tail. “You know about my grandmother’s plan to marry me off, right?”
“How could I forget? She’s responsible for your last two dates.” He led the way down the row, excusing them as he went. A lot of inquisitive gazes took note as they made it down the steps. “I saw her two thumbs-up. I rate better than I thought.”
“Don’t take it personally. Remember George? She gave him two thumbs-up, too.”
He chuckled, protecting her from the tussle of the stragglers heading into the grandstand. It was a perfect afternoon without a cloud in the sky. He felt as bright as the sun and with Eloise beside him, his world seemed promising. As much as he wanted to deny it, his feelings were changing against his will.
Chapter Eleven
What she liked most about Sean could be best seen in the little things he did, Eloise decided as she clutched the top rung of the gate in the Grangers’ main horse barn. She couldn’t tear herself away from the sight of him kneeling inside the birthing stall with the vet, the mare straining in the throes of her contractions. This was a deeper side of Sean than she’d seen before, mighty and yet calm, sure of himself in a humble but amazing way.
“You’re doing good, Sunny.” Sean stroked the horse’s neck like the accomplished horseman he was, his tone soothing and musical. “What a good girl you are.”
She’d seen foalings before but each one was special. She loved watching Sean be part of it. She was fascinated by the unfaltering comfort he gave the mare. His capable manner gave the horse confidence.
“I’ve got two hooves,” Nate announced in a steady, assured voice. He gently uncurled a leg and held the two tiny hooves in his palms.
“You’re doing great, Sunny,” Sean encouraged. “Your baby is almost here.”
Good decision to come along, she thought. She wouldn’t trade this for anything.
The man belonged in this environment, with the sun slanting over him and the soft straw beneath his boots. She remembered the way he’d helped her into the truck back in town, his care as he found the seatbelt for her and closed her door. He lived with confidence and thoughtfulness. Everything he did, he did well, big tasks or small ones, important or insignificant. His good heart shone through.
Very, very hard not to admire that.
“Is she here?” A little girl’s voice echoed down the breezeway, followed by an older sister’s scolding Shhh!
“Hush, Julianna. You are supposed to be quiet or you’ll scare Sunny.” Footsteps tapped closer. “She’s having a baby, you know.”
“I know, Jenny. Frank said I get to name her.”
“He said we get to name her.”
Both of the Stone girls tromped into sight with identical dark brown hair and beautiful button faces. Julianna’s pigtails bounced with her gait, while Jenny’s dark locks were sleek and freshly tended to. She slipped her comb into her pocket. “Hi, Eloise,” they said in unison.
“Come see.” She inched aside to make room for the girls. With one final thrash, a tiny brown bundle tumbled into the straw at Nate’s knees.
“Wow.” Julianna curled her fingers around the gate rung. “Look at the baby.”
“It’s so cute.” Jenny stared, unblinking.
The baby studied them all with a startled look. Fuzzy ears stood straight up as the newborn took in its new surroundings. Inside the stall the mother rested, catching her breath.
“We’ve got a little filly,” Sean announced as he gave the mare one last neck pat and strolled up to the gate. “Do you girls have a name picked out?”
“Tomasina,” Julianna announced.
“Angelina,” Jenny argued.
“I guess you two have some negotiating to do.” He climbed between the rungs, broad-backed and with every muscle rippling. At his six-foot-plus height, he towered over her, a giant of a man in her estimation.
Such a good man.
“Are you glad you stayed?” he asked, smiling because he already knew the answer. Somehow, he knew. Although several feet separated them, the distance shrunk.
“Very.” Danger, her instincts shouted at her, but did she listen?
No. It was impossible to see anything else but Sean.
“What’s going on here?” a man’s baritone boomed cheerfully. Frank Granger, hand in hand with Cady, ambled into sight.
“We’ve got ourselves a new filly,” Sean answered, staying close, his hand gently closing around the curve of her shoulder to keep her from sidling away.
Panic popped like little bubbles in her midsection. At least, she thought it w
as panic. Maybe it was better not to analyze her feelings too much.
“So I see.” Frank Granger with Cady at his side stopped to peer in over the bars. “Good job, Sunny girl. That’s a fine baby you’ve got.”
The mare lifted her head, her dark eyes finding Frank. She nickered low in her throat in answer and rolled off her side onto her folded legs.
“The baby is so pretty,” Julianna chimed in. “Can we pet her?”
“Not yet, Julianna,” Jenny answered.
“Maybe in a bit,” Frank said.
Eloise tried to focus on the animals inside the stall, but the pressure of Sean’s hand on her shoulder riveted her attention to him. She could hear the faint regular rhythm of his breathing. She couldn’t help noticing the dark blue specks in his irises and the five-o’clock shadow beginning to darken his iron jaw.
“Look! She’s getting up!” Julianna clung to the gate, fascinated as the mare climbed to her feet and gave the top of her baby’s head a lick.
The filly blinked, still busy taking in her new surroundings. Nothing could be more adorable than her perfect dishpan face, long lashes and big chocolate fudge eyes. Her mane was short and coarse, sticking up like broom bristles. A white star crested her forehead.
“I’ve never seen anything so precious,” Cady cooed.
“We get a lot of that around here. Every single foal is precious.” Frank looked content with the life he had built here, but it was a different kind of contentment that lit him up when he looked at Cady.
True love. It was easy to see, and no one deserved it more.
“Oh, we missed it!” Addy interrupted, tromping in, followed by her sisters.
“Only by a few minutes.” Sean didn’t remove his hand and he didn’t step away, but held her in place—not that she was complaining—as Cheyenne and Autumn ambled into sight, trailed by the rest of the Granger family. Justin appeared, walking hand in hand with his wife, Rori. Tucker came last with six-year-old Owen riding on his shoulders and Sierra by his side.
“Good job, Sunny.” Autumn ducked between the rails. The mare nickered in greeting and proudly licked her filly’s face as if to show off the baby. “She’s a beauty, just like you.”
“Aren’t you glad you came?” Sean whispered so only she could hear.
“Maybe,” she hedged but inside she thought, definitely. Tingles skidded down her spine, which probably came from standing so still for so long. That combined with the excitement of the newly born foal, well, that was probably the explanation. Those tingles had nothing to do with Sean.
“I get to do this for a living.” He looked pretty happy with that.
“You are blessed. Not everyone can say the same.” A wisp of sleek gold slipped from beneath her hat to fall in her eyes. He brushed it away, letting his fingertips linger on the silken skin of her forehead.
Another little tingle, but surely it could not be from the sweetness of his touch.
“I consider myself a pretty fortunate man,” he went on. “As long as Uncle Frank decides to keep me on. This is a temporary position.”
“Yes, we all know.” Frank chuckled easily and winked. “Temporarily is about all I can put up with you, boy.”
“So everyone tells me.” He shook his head, his dimples dazzling.
Those handsome dimples would make any female in the state of Wyoming notice, so it wasn’t anything to worry about. No reason to read anything into her reaction.
That was probably the hazard of having a drop-dead gorgeous guy for a friend.
“Why do you think I’m here? My parents wanted to get me out of the house.” That made everyone chuckle in agreement, although beneath the banter there was a loving acceptance of Sean that was hard to miss.
“Answer a question that is puzzling me,” Cheyenne asked, turning to her. Friends that they were, it was easy to recognize the sparkle of amusement in Cheyenne’s blue eyes. “Why are you putting up with our cousin? Surely there is some better guy to hang out with.”
“You know it.” Eloise felt more lighthearted than she had in years as the wind gusted down the breezeway and the filly splayed out her thin, impossibly long legs. “I keep him around mostly because of his horse trailer.”
“That explains it.” Frank Granger roared. “We have all been wondering what a fine gal like you is doing with the likes of that boy.”
“I’m the disappointment of the family,” Sean explained with a shoulder shrug, as if it didn’t trouble him one bit. “It’s always a topic at all the family get-togethers.”
“Better you than me,” Addy quipped, hanging off the rail beside the little girls.
“I have a horse trailer,” Cheyenne chimed in. “Now you don’t have to hang with Sean.”
“True, but I come with mine lickety-split whenever she calls.” Sean winked. “I’m no dummy.”
Everyone’s laughter rang merrily in the barn, and he didn’t mind that they were all laughing with him. He caught the look in his uncle’s gaze, the one that said, “Told you so.”
Uncle Frank was wrong. Everyone was. Even if his feelings were starting to change, it didn’t matter. He had supreme self-control. He was in charge of his feelings. No problem.
“Eloise, why don’t you stay for supper?” Uncle Frank asked in that sly, knowing tone. “We’ve got plenty, and you haven’t lived until you’ve tasted Mrs. G.’s potato salad.”
“I don’t see how I can say no to that,” she said. “Only someone particularly daft turns down the chance for some really great potato salad.”
“My sentiments, exactly,” Sean added, fighting a brightness taking root in his heart he did not wish to claim.
At least the tingles in her spine had stopped and Eloise took comfort in that. She swiped the dishcloth across the kitchen table, brushing up crumbs from a tasty and fun supper. That was the Granger way, she’d learned long ago. Good food, better conversation and the family’s lively interaction had been more entertaining than the rodeo. Even cleanup was fun.
“Mrs. G. works too hard,” Cheyenne said from the sink where she was dealing with the hand washables. “We should do something for her.”
“Dad pays her. A lot,” Addy spoke up, standing next to her sister and drying dishes. “I caught a glimpse of the check he writes her every week. Wow.”
“She earns it.” Rori set the last of the leftovers into the refrigerator with orderly care. “Don’t think it’s easy taking care of all of you. I’ve done it, so I’m speaking from experience.”
“We are a tough bunch.” Autumn sidled up to Rori at the refrigerator and snagged a bag of carrots from the produce drawer. “I think we should do something for Mrs. G., too. Maybe a day at Cady’s spa.”
“Ooh, that’s a great idea.” Addy gleamed with enthusiasm. “We should all go.”
“You just want to be pampered,” Cheyenne argued with a laugh. “We’re talking about Mrs. G. here, not you.”
“I know, but I was just saying.” Addy grinned sweetly and popped a plastic colander, newly dried, onto the counter. Sierra swept it up and put it away.
“I agree with you,” Sierra put in her two cents’ worth. “I could use a little pampering, too. Why limit it to Mrs. G.?”
Amused, Eloise scoured away gravy drippings and cherry pie filling that had landed on the vinyl cloth during the meal. The TV in the next room blasted a Mariners game, the noise only to be outdone by the outcry of the men seated around the room, bummed at an umpire’s call.
No one else in the kitchen reacted to whatever was going on in the living room, but if she leaned slightly to her right she could see a sliver into the living room where Sean sat, leaning forward on the sectional, elbows on his knees, groaning along with his cousins and uncle. His dark hair stood on end, tousled as if he’d run his fingers through it in frustration.
“Yes. Doesn’t Mrs. G. live all alone?” Cady said as she swiped a cloth over the countertops. “She might like a girls’ day out instead of going to the spa all by herself. It’s always fun ha
nging out with you Granger girls.”
“We are keepers,” Addy piped up cheerfully.
“We are, but not you, little sister,” Cheyenne teased.
“Hey! You splashed me.”
“Then you owe me a splash.”
“Don’t think I won’t forget,” Addy warned, glittering with humor. “Sometime in the near future when you least expect it. Splash!”
“Ooh, I’m scared.” Cheyenne rolled her eyes and drained the sink. “Eloise, are you okay?”
Vaguely she heard her name as if from a great distance but she was too busy watching Sean rock back against the cushions looking unhappy. His team must not be doing well. He was terribly handsome, even when bummed. The strong blade of his nose and the chiseled cut of his jaw could have been carved out of marble. No man had ever captivated her the way he did.
“Eloise?”
A touch brushed against her shoulder and she startled, gazing up into Cheyenne’s concerned blue eyes. How long had she been staring at Sean? Heat crept across her face. “Sorry. I guess I was staring off into space.”
And at a really amazing guy, but she kept that part to herself.
“I do that all the time,” Addy commented across the kitchen as she hung up the dish towel on the oven handle.
“Sure, you do.” Cheyenne’s gentle teasing held a note of caring. “But Eloise has more common sense than you.”
“Hey!” Addy countered good-naturedly.
“Is your injury bothering you?” Cheyenne asked with a good friend’s concern and a doctor’s skilled eye. “You have been on your leg all day.”
“I’m fine.” Her weak leg was a little prickly from so much activity but that wasn’t out of the ordinary. Her neurologist had said she would always face limitations, and she was deeply grateful to God that those limitations weren’t what they once were. At least for now. “I’m just overwhelmed by you all. It’s been a while since I’ve hung out with the Grangers.”
“We are a rowdy bunch,” Cheyenne agreed. “Not me, but others are.”
“I am, definitely,” Autumn chimed in with a bag of carrots in hand. “Anyone want to come with me to the barns?”