From what Mendelssohn had just told her, all was going just as they planned. With any luck, she should be able to inform Michael of her surprise in just a few weeks. She smiled her gratitude at Mendelssohn, and hoped the Michael didn’t interpret too much into their interaction. Seconds later, when Jessica wasn’t looking, Mendelssohn caught Michael’s eye and winked at him. Michael surreptitiously winked back.
Michael sat next to Liz during her interview, interjecting occasionally when asked a direct question, but in the back of his mind he quietly reflected on his plans, still secret, to get Jessica back into competition. Liz had approached him out of Jessica’s hearing and told him that she had decided she didn’t want to continue to compete at the international level after the World Cup. However, she and Michael both knew that Tempest was still in great shape, and could continue to compete and could easily be competitive for the next Olympic Games in two years. Michael had suggested to Herr Mendelssohn that if Liz were to retire from competition, he would suggest that Jessica be the rider to compete Tempest from that time forward. Mendelssohn had loved the idea, but Michael hadn’t approached Jessica with it yet. He didn’t doubt that Jessica would be thrilled to compete Tempest. The two of them had obviously developed a rapport during their time together at Michael’s farm, and if she were worried about leaving the baby, Michael and Trevor would travel with her wherever she would be competing, so they would continue to be together as a family. Michael, Liz, and Mendelssohn planned to speak with the USET about their plans in the next few days. He expected the Team would go along with their plans, especially since Jessica’s status as a Team member would naturally bring Michael along as a trainer. His acknowledged success as a rider, then as a trainer with Liz and Tempest, had established him as an asset any country’s dressage team would covet.
Michael smiled to himself as he looked at Jessica gazing with motherly love and pride at their son, and reflected back over all that had happened in the last year.
First, after learning from Lionel how he had tricked Emma into believing that Michael was unfaithful to her, Michael had contacted Emma and related Lionel’s confession. Emma was shocked, but grateful to Michael for telling her, and apologized profusely to him for not believing him despite the evidence Lionel had created. Michael assured her that he understood how she must have felt given what Lionel had done, it was more than reasonable to draw the conclusions she had, and he even secured an invitation for himself and Jessica to Emma’s upcoming wedding to her footballer boyfriend.
Next, there were some complications with Jessica’s pregnancy, but everything had worked out perfectly. In addition, the private investigator that Ian’s attorney had hired was able to locate the mysterious woman in the bar that had witnessed what happened and she had agreed to talk to the police, who in turn talked the prosecutor, who decided to drop the manslaughter charges against Ian. Unfortunately, the woman’s willingness to testify made her a target for some very unsavory people, and Ian was called into action to help her to deal with the fallout. As a result, the two of them seemed to be developing a very close relationship, which seemed very serious.
Lionel was even more successful in his thoroughbred rehabilitation business, and was dating a man seriously for the first time since Nigel’s passing. His future seemed bright as well,
Hailey graduated high school with honors in Ohio, and moved to the UK to live with Michael and Jessica until she could decide what to do with the rest of her life. It was a Godsend having Hailey around during Jessica’s late pregnancy and post-birthing complications since Michael was traveling so much, so that situation also worked out to all of their advantage.
Michael and Jessica’s recent success had made it possible for Hailey to get the more advanced prosthetics she needed, and the change in her was amazing. Now that she could move about without difficulty, Hailey’s approach to the life and the outside world had changed dramatically in the best possible way. He looked forward to seeing what the future held for her. As the interview concluded, Michael looked again at Jessica and Herr Mendelssohn talking together. He sincerely hoped Mendelssohn could keep a secret.
Dressage Dreaming (Horses Heal Hearts Book 1) Page 21