It was peaceful, even with his mind on a special little boy with a very special foster mom.
“Nice night for a walk?”
The voice startled his heart into double time until he realized it was his brother, Joe, sitting in the dark on the back porch of the farmhouse. He walked a little closer. “A little chilly, to be honest. What are you doing?”
“Having my celebratory bedtime root beer. Want one?”
Ash shrugged. “Sure.”
When Joe came back from the kitchen, Ash took the cold amber bottle and smiled. “You got the good stuff.”
“Yes, well, by this time of day, I feel the need to treat myself.” Joe took a swig, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and said, “So what’s going on with Jordan?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
Joe pierced Ash with a look from his ice-blue eyes. “You have a reputation with the ladies. Nothing wrong with that—until you set your sights on my sister-in-law.”
“I...umm...I don’t have my sights set on anyone. If you must know, I asked her out and she turned me down.”
“Great. Now you’ll see her as a challenge.”
“I won’t. I don’t, Joe. I like her. She’s different than the women I date. We’re friends, I think.”
“You think?” In the relative darkness of the porch with only the glow from the kitchen windows for light, Joe’s glower was still spectacular.
“Do they teach you to do that in cop school or were you just blessed to be able to use that look at will?” Ash grinned. “I’m kidding. Yes, we’re friends. I’m her foster son’s pediatrician, that’s all.”
Joe drained the last of his root beer and set the bottle down none too gently. “If you should happen to change your mind about that, don’t.”
“I’ll consider that carefully.” Ash handed Joe his own empty bottle and walked down the steps. “You know, I’m not as shallow as you think, Joe.”
“I don’t think you’re shallow, but your relationships usually are. Jordan deserves better.”
As he walked to his car, slightly irritated by his older brother’s characterizations, he had to admit that Joe was right. His relationships usually were shallow by design.
And Jordan did deserve better than him.
Chapter Five
Jordan pulled the body brush out of her grooming kit and went to work brushing off the dirt and dust she’d loosened with the curry comb. She had Leo tied off on one side of the barn door while Amelia worked on Freckles on the other side. During the week, the volunteers who came in to assist with clients did the daily grooming before tacking up. They were awesome, but she wanted her own hands on her horses at least once a week. She was the one who knew them best and she could recognize a little problem before it became a big problem.
Joe’s daughter, Amelia, laughed as Freckles’s tail smacked her in the back. Again. “I really think he does that on purpose.”
“He definitely does.” Jordan scraped a stubborn mud spot off Leo’s shoulder. “He thinks it’s hilarious to grab the end of my braids. We should’ve named him Rascal.”
Sundays had become—hands down—Jordan’s favorite time of the week at Red Hill Farm. Since they got their first foster crew in, Claire had insisted they have family dinners on the lawn after church. Every Sunday the family gathered and ate together on the long row of picnic tables. When it was cold, they had a fire. When it rained, they ate inside in all the nooks and crannies of the old plantation house.
Most of the time the spread was a hodgepodge of makings for sandwiches fruit, and whatever anyone else wanted to bring. Sometimes they had a lot of green bean casseroles, but the point wasn’t the food.
It was being together.
Over the last few months, as foster children had come and gone, their families had been included in Sunday family dinner, too. It wasn’t unusual to see a birth family sitting with a foster family. Black, white, grandparents, young parents. In Jordan’s mind, it was a picture of what a table in Heaven would look like.
Church, family, horses, perfect.
“Can I help?” One of Claire and Joe’s younger ones, a tiny six-year-old named Penny, stood at the fence. Behind Penny, Jordan could see a group of kids around Ash, who had brought his guitar and had them squealing with laughter at his silly songs.
She smiled at Penny. “How about I finish up with Leo here and then we bring Hagrid out for a ride? He could really use the exercise.”
Penny nodded, big brown eyes wide on Jordan’s face. A month ago those eyes wouldn’t even connect, the trauma she’d experienced evident in every inch of her. Narrow shoulders had curved in as if to protect herself from some potential attempt to steal more of her childhood. And Jordan was reminded again that the children at Red Hill Farm weren’t a distraction, they were the reason they did this.
Penny’s eyes were still on Jordan, taking everything in. Jordan held up the tool she was using. “This pick cleans Leo’s feet so that his hooves stay strong and healthy.”
Scraping the dirt and muck out of Leo’s hooves, she checked for any sores, cracks or infection. She’d been Penny once, a long time ago, just wanting to be close to the horses. “See how easy that is? But remember that Leo is used to me. He’s been my horse for a long time, so he’s comfortable with me around his feet. Even so, I still put my hand on him when I’m moving around so he knows where I am when he can’t see me.”
“Always stay back unless you are with a grown-up.” Penny parroted Jordan’s most often repeated phrase.
“That’s right. That’s the number one rule around the horses. Go get your helmet on. I’m almost done with Leo.” She ran a soft microfiber cloth over Leo’s hair to get the last of the dust. Taking a minute to scratch his face and ears, she gave him some sweet talk before taking him back to his stall in the barn.
She returned to the paddock area leading Hagrid, the Haflinger pony. With his long blond mane and fuzzy body, he looked like a big stuffed animal. Even the kids who started out afraid of horses usually liked Hagrid. She tied him up next to Freckles and lifted Penny onto the pony’s broad back.
“You ready?” She clucked to Hagrid and they walked together around the pen. “Just relax and let your body move with Hagrid. There you go. You’re doing great being the boss of you!”
For fifteen minutes she took Hagrid around the ring, giving Penny simple commands. “Stretch forward with both arms and pat both sides of Hagrid’s neck.”
Penny nodded, her concentration evident. The little tasks weren’t difficult but helped with confidence on the horse, strengthened her core muscles and gave a squirmy six-year-old all kinds of sensory input. “Put your arms over your head and wiggle your fingers like you’re tickling the clouds.”
Penny giggled.
When they reached the fence nearest the house, Hagrid stopped. “Great job! High five?”
Penny flashed a brilliant smile at Jordan and slapped hands before swinging her leg over Hagrid’s back and sliding to the ground. The little girl patted the pony on the neck and gave him a kiss on the side of his nose. Hagrid turned his fuzzy face toward her and blew gently.
“Hagrid is the best pony ever.” Penny threw her arms around Jordan and squeezed. “I love you, Aunt J.”
Jordan’s free arm slid around the slim shoulders and squeezed. “I love you, too, Penny.”
As her foster niece—was that even a thing?—dashed out of the corral into the yard, Jordan called after her. “Don’t forget to hang your helmet in the tack room!”
She noticed Ash leaning on the fence, his guitar at his side, a speculative look in his eyes. “What?”
“A month ago when Penny came in for her first checkup, she would barely look up when someone talked to her. She’s made huge progress.”
“Red Hill Farm.” She shrugged
. How the combo of love and safety and animals worked together in such synergy couldn’t really be explained in words.
He smiled, his dimples deepening in his cheeks, and her heart took a little tumble. Why did he have to be so darned good-looking?
“Give me a tour. Show me.”
She paused in the middle of lifting the saddle from Hagrid’s back. “What do you mean? You know this place as well as anyone.”
“Not from your perspective.”
Amelia reached for the lead rope. “I’ll brush Hagrid for you, Aunt Jordan.”
She still hesitated. She had a toddler to think about now, but when she glanced over, he was sound asleep in his Pack ’n Play next to Mrs. Matthews, who was reading a paperback. “I guess I’ve got a few minutes. Walk or ride?”
“You have a four-wheeler?”
“I have a horse. A few of them.”
Ash made a face. “I’m embarrassed to admit this but I’m not much for horses. They have big teeth and they always look like they want to kick me.”
“Well, I think we’ll start with the horses, then. Amelia and I usually give them a thorough grooming on Sunday, mainly because we like to spend the time with them. Otherwise volunteers do it.”
“Do the people in therapy ever groom them?”
“Sometimes. The teenagers like to help care for them.” She stopped at the first stall and Bartlet stuck his gray head over the railing. “This big baby is Bartlet. He had a long career as a jumper and was a champion. He’s twenty-two now and completely unflappable. Nothing bothers him.”
“He’s enormous.” Ash lingered near the wall farthest from Bartlet.
“One of the reasons horses are so good at therapy is that they respond to our emotions. It doesn’t mean he’ll freak out or anything, but it’s kind of like with kids when they come into your office. They feel out of control and want to know who’s in charge. Rub his neck. Take a deep breath and be confident with him and he’ll respond to that.”
Ash cut his blue eyes at her. “I’m confident that he outweighs me by a thousand pounds or so.”
But he stepped forward and gave Bartlet a short but solid rub on the neck. Bartlet, being Bartlet, was a perfect gentleman.
Jordan walked to the next stall. “This handsome guy is Leo. He was my first therapy horse. He’s sturdy and sweet, a favorite with the kids.”
Leo nudged her with his big brown head and she scratched his favorite spot under his forelock, right at the top of his distinctive white blaze. When Ash stepped closer, she showed him how to rub under the mane. Entwining her fingers into his, she slid their hands together down Leo’s neck. She did this exact thing with kids all the time, but with Ash, somehow it felt...intimate.
Her breath caught.
He turned his head and his eyes locked on hers. “Jordan...”
Heartbeat rushing in her ears, she moved her hand. “You try it.”
She saw the deep breath he drew, but he followed her lead. “Like this?”
Leo bobbed his head. Jordan laughed. “Yes, exactly. It’s good to keep one hand on his neck and rub or groom with the other. It lets the horse know where you are and also gives you the opportunity to push back if he gets frisky.”
Ash laughed softly. “Okay. Not worried about that at all.”
“Don’t be. We teach safety rules, but kids are unpredictable, and some of our clients make erratic movements. We couldn’t have a horse that was intolerant of that kind of thing. So, you know, you should be fine.”
She turned, not realizing he was right behind her. His hands closed around her arms, his eyes searching hers, and she knew she wasn’t getting away with a distraction this time.
A smile played around his lips. “I don’t feel very safe. My heart’s beating too fast and I want to run away, but the adrenaline tells me to stay and see what happens. Do you want to see what happens, Jordan?”
His hand slid into her hair and her lips parted. “Ash.”
The barn door banged open. Jordan jumped back, slamming her elbow on Leo’s stall door. One of the twins poked his head into the corridor. “Aunt J, Mrs. Matthews said to tell you that Levi is awake and hungry.”
“I’m on my way.” She rubbed her elbow and winced, following the ten-year-old scamp out the door. She glanced back to see Ash leaning on the wall across from Leo, his hand in his hair, eyes closed.
She didn’t know what had been about to happen between them, but a kind of weird electricity had been in the air. She just knew she didn’t have time for it. Or patience, really. Ash had his own set of rules about relationships and she was pretty sure that they weren’t anything like hers.
Maybe he saw her as a challenge, or maybe he genuinely liked her. It didn’t really matter. He was a good guy, but trying to be more than friends would be a huge mistake.
* * *
Ash paused briefly outside the exam room door to glance at the file in his hand. Claire and the two youngest were here for a recheck on their last ear infections. He was reasonably sure that Georgia, who was two, was going to need tubes in her ears before it was over. He knocked gently and pushed open the door to the exam room—slowly, so as not to knock over any toddler who might be playing behind the door.
“Hey, guys!” He pulled a sticker out of his pocket for each of the kids. Start with the bribe, he figured, and the kids would be preoccupied for at least a few minutes.
Claire stood like a goalie in front of the examining table, ready to stop an infant or toddler from launching herself onto the floor. “About time you got here. We’ve been in the room for forty-five minutes. Forty-five minutes, Ash. Do you know what it’s like being in a six-by-six room with these two for forty-five minutes?”
“Yikes. Sorry.” He placed the earpieces for his stethoscope in his ear. “I had a four-month-old come in with bronchiolitis. We tried some breathing treatments but ended up having to admit him.”
Claire sighed. “I’ve been working up a good head of steam for half an hour now and you go and have a good reason for running behind.”
He paused in listening to Georgia’s lungs and shot Claire a sideways glance. “Usually do. She sounds much better than she did last time you were here. Let’s check her ears.”
“So I hear you’ve been hanging out with Jordan quite a bit.”
“I already had this talk with Joe. I have no intentions toward your sister.” He spoke without looking up.
“What? I don’t care about that. You should be asking her out, you dope.”
“I love it that we’re so close you feel you can insult me in my office.” His tone was dry. He had two sisters who loved to annoy him, and Claire made three.
He finished with Georgia’s ears. The left eardrum was still red and sluggish.
Claire handed Georgia her phone and picked Sweetness up. She’d been here so much in the last few months that she didn’t even need coaching through the process. He put the stethoscope on the five-month-old’s chest, then listened to her back. “They both sound better. Good job, Mom.”
“They’re both sleeping again, so I figured. So, did you tell Jordan?”
Inches from Claire’s face as he looked in the ears of her youngest foster baby, Ash said absently, “Tell her what?”
Claire sighed. “About Victoria.”
He stopped, his fingers going cold. He drew in a deep breath and prayed for patience. “Joe needs to learn to keep his mouth shut.”
“We’re married. There are no secrets.” Claire flipped Sweetness to her other shoulder so Ash could look in the other ear. “I just think Jordan would understand why you haven’t settled down with one person if you explain about Victoria.”
Ash looked in Sweetness’s other ear, eardrum pink and vibrating normally. “It was a long time ago. There’s nothing to tell.”
Claire hit
ched the baby higher on her hip. “Then why haven’t you asked Jordan out? I know you like her.”
He shook his head. She was such a fixer. She and Joe were together and now she wanted everyone else to be just as happy as they were. And if she could, she would take every child in Alabama who needed a home.
Well, he was perfectly happy the way he was.
He liked his life.
Except, did he? “I asked her out and she said no.”
“See?” Claire demanded, digging in the diaper bag with one hand and coming up with a sippy cup for Georgia.
“See what? She doesn’t want to go on a date and I respect that. We’re friends.” An image popped into his brain of the moment in the barn with electricity nearly popping between them. If one of the twins hadn’t come in, he knew he would have kissed Jordan. And she would have kissed him back.
“Just explain to her that your heart was broken and you’ve been grieving.”
“I love you like a sister, Claire. You know I do. But you’re getting close to the line.”
Her eyes softened. “I’m sorry. I love you both and I want you to be happy.”
“You’re going to have to let each of us figure that out in our own way, kiddo.” He typed in the script for Georgia and sent it to the pharmacy. “I sent a prescription for a different antibiotic for Georgia. That ear still isn’t healed up. I want to see her in two weeks and if it’s not better, I’m referring you to the ENT.”
“She’s supposed to go to her biological aunt next week, but I’ll make sure the caseworker knows.” Claire handed him the baby and gathered all the books, broken crayons, sippy cups and toys that had scattered all over the small exam room, shoving them into her enormous bag.
She took Sweetness back and grabbed Georgia by the hand. “Thanks, Ash. I’m sorry if I was meddling.”
He opened the door for them, laughing. “If?”
“I’m meeting Jordan for lunch at the Hilltop in a few minutes. Tuesday’s our day because she doesn’t have midday clients. You should join us.”
A Baby for the Doctor Page 5