Love Reunited

by Renee Andrews

  “Yeah, and make the most of it. We don’t have long for you to find a way to put this place back in the black.”

  “You really think I can do that?”

  “I know you can.”

  John swallowed thickly through the emotion. “I really appreciate this, Landon. I won’t let you down, dude.”

  “I know you won’t.”

  “You know, I did have an idea about something we could do at the farm. Read about it in one of the ranching magazines, but never really had the time to investigate it. Might be worth a shot, though.”

  “What is it?”

  “Trail rides and campouts. Lot of ranches up in Tennessee and Kentucky are doing these tourist packages where you bring folks in and take them on trail rides through the mountains, set them up camping, things like that. I was thinking about all of the trails we have leading across Lookout Mountain and the campsite possibilities along the way. All of that land down by the Coosa River, you know, would be a good place for camping. And there’s that trail by the old tree house that leads all the way to town. Maybe provide a day trip with something that involves the merchants at the square.”

  Landon’s smile was instant. “Sounds good to me.” He pointed his fork in John’s direction. “And it also sounds like a business degree is going to suit you well.”

  John grinned back. “Yeah, I reckon it might.” He had his phone on the table near his plate, and he tapped a few keys and scanned a few sites throughout dinner. Obviously, he was too excited about his new opportunity to wait until they finished eating.

  Landon loved seeing him this anxious to start. “What sites are you checking out?”

  “Other business ventures for a farm, besides livestock and crops.”

  “Such as?”

  “It looks like the trail riding idea might be a good possibility. According to this site, recreation, tourism and woodlots are good alternate sources for income when the beef and produce industries are down.” John glanced up. “We may be sitting on a tourist venture. Says here that dude ranches are still popular tourist attractions, especially if they let guests participate in the ranching. That’s one way to get some help around the farm too. Have them pay for a vacation and then put them to work.”

  Landon laughed. “Somehow, I’m thinking folks would catch on to your ulterior motive before long, especially if you have them mucking out stalls.”

  “Probably so. But according to this, the nearest dude ranch is in North Georgia. There isn’t a single one in Alabama. We’d be the first.” John kept tapping keys. “Some go to ranches just to learn cowboy tricks.”

  Landon couldn’t resist. “Do you know any cowboy tricks?”

  “Not a single one,” John said with a grin. “But I’m willing to learn for the betterment of our business.”

  It’d been a long time since Landon had felt so at ease, so at home. He’d missed this, visiting with John, more than he realized. And he needed it after what had happened this morning with Georgiana.

  “Seriously, though, we could probably do something around here that’s touristy. I don’t know—” John winked “—but I’m sure I’ll figure it out.”

  “That’s what I’m counting on.”

  They finished dinner, cleaned up the mess in the kitchen and then headed out to the barn. As though Landon hadn’t been gone, the two of them picked up with splitting the nightly chores. Feeding the horses, cleaning the stalls, checking on the cows, while John’s hound dog Lightning dozed lazily in one corner of the barn.

  “Funny, that’s the first I’ve seen of Lightning since I got back,” Landon said.

  “Yeah, I should probably change his name to Drowsy,” John said. “The vet keeps telling me he isn’t sleeping.”

  “He isn’t?”

  “Nope. According to Doc Sheridan, he’s on guard.”

  The old dog lifted one droopy eye, then plopped it back down in place.

  Landon smirked. “He’s a mighty quiet guard dog. Used to be, Lightning wouldn’t have missed the fact that we were grilling steaks.”

  “He knows I’ll bring some steak down here to him later, and he doesn’t have to move.” John squatted beside the old dog and rubbed behind his ears. Lightning made some kind of noise. There wasn’t really a way to describe it, maybe half moan, half howl. “That means he likes this,” John said.

  “Glad you clarified.”

  His brother smiled broadly. “He gets excited every now and then. Loves to go along when I ride the ridge.”

  “He can keep up?” Landon asked.

  “Okay, when I walk the ridge.”

  Landon nodded. “Now that I can see.”

  John left Lightning and moved to stand by Landon, giving Sam a molasses treat. “You’re gonna spoil her.”

  “Says the guy feeding the hound dog rib eye.”

  John laughed. “So, you ready to talk about it?” He pulled a sprig of hay from a bale nearby, placed it in his mouth then shifted it to the side. “Seeing Georgiana?”

  “What do you want to talk about? I told you it didn’t go great, and I’m going to try again.”

  “Did you find out anything? About what happened with her and Pete? Was it the blindness?”

  “I didn’t find out much, except that she wanted me to leave,” he said honestly.

  “Ouch, that had to hurt. But you know, a lot has happened to her since you left. Marriage, blindness, a child...and then a divorce.” John pulled the hay from his mouth. “Those kinds of things can change a person. And Daniel said she’s been in Claremont a couple of months, but until last night, I hadn’t seen hide nor hair of her around town, not even at church. I’ve seen her mom. Eden is always there, and I’ve even seen her daughter, but I didn’t realize who she was at the time. Cute little girl.”

  “Who did you think she was?”

  John shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I figured it was one of the kids that took riding lessons from Eden. But anyway, Georgiana doesn’t come with them to church. And that’s not the girl we used to know.”

  “No, it isn’t,” Landon said. “But like you said, she’s been through a lot. And last night I wasn’t the only one who hadn’t heard about her blindness. Daniel knew because of Mandy taking Abi’s pictures, but none of the other guys. Maybe she’s stayed at their farm because she wasn’t ready for everyone to see her that way.”

  “Maybe,” John said, nodding his head and also rubbing Sam’s neck, since Sam acted like she was totally starved for affection, nudging them nonstop as they stood at her stall. Landon knew John and Casey had been great to his horse while he was away, but obviously Sam hadn’t forgotten her owner. Landon smiled at that. When something means enough, it isn’t forgotten.

  Why had Georgie forgotten that he used to be able to help her through tough times?

  “It seems odd that she has been next door for that long and I haven’t even seen her. Then again, way back when, I’d see her at church and school, and of course riding the ridge every afternoon with you. Since she isn’t coming to church and since we aren’t in school, that knocks those two out. And we wouldn’t see her riding. I mean, blind folks can’t ride, right?”

  Landon’s brows lifted. Georgiana had been with Fallon when he arrived this morning, and he’d seen her caressing her beloved friend. Landon hadn’t been the only one close to Georgiana; Fallon had too. Maybe through Fallon, Landon could find his way back to Georgiana’s heart as well. “I have no idea if blind folks can ride or not.” He gave Sam one last pat before he left the barn and returned to the house. He suddenly wanted to surf the Net and get some answers. “But I believe I can easily find out.” And if blind people could ride, then Landon had to find a way to make that happen...for the beautiful blind woman that so completely held his heart.

  Chapter Six

  Landon
was fairly accustomed to going without sleep in Afghanistan, so staying up the majority of Saturday night researching horse riding for the blind hadn’t been difficult. However, he couldn’t deny his eyes had a hint of sleep-deprivation sting as he left the church after the morning service. But he didn’t rush out and head home for a Sunday afternoon nap. Instead he scanned the congregation exiting the building until he spotted Eden.

  She shook Brother Henry’s hand, then started down the stairs toward the parking lot, but stopped when she saw Landon leaning against a large oak tree near the playground. He held up a hand, and she smiled and walked toward him as though she totally expected to find him waiting for her after the service. Abi was at her grandmother’s side chatting nonstop, her red curls bouncing along with every syllable.

  “I thought I’d probably see you here this morning,” Eden said.

  Abi noticed that her grandmother’s attention had turned to someone else, and she looked up to see Landon. “Oh, hey, Mr. Landon!” She peered past him. “Did you ride your horse to church?”

  “Nah, I brought the truck. Not as much fun, but it gets me around. How’s your momma’s head today?” Landon directed the question to Abi, even though Eden could probably give him a more detailed answer. He could tell the little girl loved her mother and probably wanted to be the authority on all things Georgiana.

  “She’s fine. I took her to the medicine stuff like Grandma said, and we put a big square white patch on it, but then when Grandma came in, she looked at it real good and said it just needed a little Band-Aid instead of that big one. I knew how Mommy likes Little Mermaid, and so I got a Little Mermaid one and we put it on. It has Ariel on it, and she’s holding a fork, cause she thought it was a comb. It was her treasure. The Band-Aid stuck to Mommy’s hair a little, but I couldn’t figure out how to not get it to stick to that too if we needed it to stick to the hurt spot,” she said, shrugging her shoulders, then tilting her head at Landon. “You haven’t seen Little Mermaid, have you?”

  He fought the urge to laugh at her excited chatter of information. “I’m afraid not.”

  “Ariel’s a mermaid with pretty red hair like Mommy’s hair. That’s why I like her, and ’cause my hair is red too. And it’s okay that you haven’t seen it. Sometimes boys don’t see all the good movies, because they’re boys. But you should see that one, ’cause it’s got boy stuff too.” Her mouth quirked to the side and strawberry brows furrowed for a moment while she apparently thought about something, then her mouth perked up in a smile and she said, “Sebastian is a boy.”

  “Sebastian?”

  “Uh-huh, he’s Ariel’s friend the red crab. He’s smart about the ocean stuff, but mostly he’s her best friend and—” she shook her head “—you really need to see it. It’s a lot to explain.”

  “But trust me, she’ll be happy to provide every detail if you give her time,” Eden said. “Our little Abi is a talker.”

  “That’s what Mommy says too.” Abi smiled, sending a waterfall of copper freckles dancing across her cheeks.

  Landon was drawn to the precious, energetic child.

  Eden smiled at her granddaughter, then glanced up at Landon. “Were you wanting to talk to me privately, Landon?”

  He nodded. “I wondered if Abi might want to spend a little time on the playground for a few minutes while we chat.”

  “Does that sound good to you, Abi?” Eden asked. “I see Autumn and Nathan are playing.”

  “Sure! But someone has to hold my sun catcher.” She held up the craft she’d made in Sunday school.

  “I’d be happy to,” Landon said, accepting the beaded square, then watching her run toward the playground, her feet kicking up wood chips as she darted toward a merry-go-round where several other kids were playing.

  “That girl has more energy than Georgiana and I put together. I’ve gotta tell you, I’ve been sleeping real good at night since they came to live with me. Abi wears me out—” she laughed “—but in a good way.”

  “She looks like Georgiana.”

  Eden nodded. “Just like her, doesn’t she? I remind Georgiana of that all the time.”

  “Georgiana doesn’t come to church with y’all?”

  She shook her head. “She’s still as close to God as she ever was, maybe even closer. Listens to the Bible and devotionals on CD every day. But she isn’t ready for all of this yet, being around people that knew her before her blindness.” She swallowed, turned her gaze from Abi to Landon. “I’m hoping that she’ll work up to church again eventually, but we’ll take it a step at a time.” She sighed. “I know she felt terrible about what happened at the barn, Landon.”

  “I’m sure she didn’t feel nearly as badly as I did. She got hurt. I didn’t. I wasn’t even thinking about the fact that she couldn’t see me reaching for her. I’m sure it’s scary when someone touches you and you aren’t expecting it.”

  “That’s true, but I hope what happened yesterday won’t keep you from visiting her at the farm. Like I told you before, she could really use a friend.”

  “I’ve been thinking about that ever since I left yesterday morning, about a way that I can help Georgiana. She hardly has any interaction with anyone anymore, does she?”

  “No, she doesn’t. The other night, when Abi and I talked her into going to the town square to buy a new dress and shoes, that was the first time Georgiana has left the farm since they moved here. She’s working full time, but she can work from the farm, so she really never has a reason to leave the house.”

  “Georgie’s working?” He hadn’t considered that she might have a job. What type of job would she have?

  Eden nodded. “She’s a medical transcriptionist. Her friend Linda helped her get the job in Tampa, and the doctors there have been so pleased with her work that they told her she could continue to do their transcription after she moved back to Alabama. It’s really been a blessing for Georgiana, makes her feel as though she can still accomplish something.” Eden nodded her approval at Abi as she circled the merry-go-round.

  “So she doesn’t leave the farm,” Landon said, remembering the vibrant, fun girl of his youth and trying to reconcile that to the woman currently shutting herself off from the world.

  Eden’s lips pinched together, as though she were deciding how much to say. “She is planning to attend Abi’s piano recital in a few weeks. Abi really wants her to go, and Georgiana wants to be a real mother to Abi, in spite of her blindness. The trip to the town square was kind of a test run to get ready for that recital.”

  “Do you think she’ll be able to go?”

  Eden released another heavy sigh. “I honestly don’t know, but I hope so, for Abi’s sake.”

  “Well, I thought of something that might help Georgiana and that I think she’d really enjoy. It wouldn’t require her to leave the farm, so we wouldn’t have to worry about that for now.”

  “What is it?” Eden asked, her curiosity obviously piqued at the possibility of something that could help her daughter.

  “Fallon. Georgie was always happiest when she was riding. I thought maybe if I helped her to get closer to Fallon again, to actually ride Fallon the way she used to, then maybe that would be a way to make her feel she can accomplish something again, that she can enjoy life again.”

  “Oh, she wanted to ride again. She asked Pete about boarding a horse in Tampa so she could ride.”

  Landon was surprised. “She wanted to ride? Why didn’t she?”

  “Pete convinced her there was no purpose to her riding again, that it was merely a way for her to get hurt. Something like that. Georgiana never told me, you see, but once when I was down there visiting, I asked if she would like for me to send Fallon to Tampa, told her they could board her and she could ride again. There’s no reason a blind person shouldn’t be able to ride, you know.”

  “I know.” He’d res
earched it, in fact, most of the night.

  “But Pete simply said no, and that was that.”

  Eden gazed at the playground, but Landon could tell she was thinking about what he’d suggested, him helping Georgiana to ride Fallon again. If he could give her back the enjoyment, the freedom, of riding her favorite horse again, he thought that might also break through the barrier she had with Landon.

  “What do you think?” he asked.

  “I’ve thought about getting her to ride again myself. I even asked her about it a couple of times since she moved back home.”

  “What did she say?”

  “That she would be too afraid of the unknown, afraid of what she wouldn’t be able to see while riding. Fallon is the gentlest horse around, but every horse can get spooked occasionally, and every horse can feel its rider’s fears. She didn’t know how Fallon would handle it if she was obviously afraid.”

  “I spent a lot of time reading about equine therapy for the blind last night, and I think it’d be great for Georgiana. I could help her get over that fear of the unknown, be right there with her every step of the way.” Landon’s excitement at the possibility picked up his tone. “It would actually be much easier for her because she was an accomplished rider already. There wouldn’t be nearly as much to learn. Instead, she’d only need to remember.”

  “That does sound like a good idea, but Georgiana has a lot of fears to conquer now. And I’m not certain that’s the first one that needs to be tackled,” Eden said.

  “Georgiana’s too young and way too beautiful to hide from life,” Landon said.

  Eden looked touched by his words. “She is, isn’t she? I’d thought she’d eventually break out of her shell a bit here, back where she grew up, but she hasn’t.”

  “I want to help her ride again,” Landon said, more resolutely than before. “She always seemed so free, so happy when we’d ride the ridge and the trails, and I want to see her smile like that again, want to hear her laugh that way again.”