There was a ranch barn that had been constructed not too far from the house, one they used for the ranch itself. But two other large barn complexes, situated a good six to seven hundred feet to the south of the house, held the real heart of the property. The driveway was about a quarter-mile in length and forked just as the house came into view. The right fork took you to the house and the left one to the larger double barn complex.
Noah took the left fork and passed under a sign that spanned the lane. “Healing Rides” was emblazoned in white letters on the dark wood. Noah parked in the designated area.
“This looks to be quite the professional set-up,” Brittany said. “I had no idea.”
“It is. Shar worked in equine therapy even before she met and then married Jesse and Barry. There was a dustup with that previous operation that resulted in the manager of the facility the program used at the time being charged with unlawful confinement and attempted assault—on Shar. He’s in jail now and will be for some time to come. In the aftermath, the women who were partners in the enterprise—Miriam Conway and Grandma Kate—decided to expand the program and move it here, just outside Lusty.
“There’s a middle-aged couple who are certified in equine therapy through PATH International and who are also the stock managers of this operation. They live in a house that’s on the other side of this complex. The complex also features a couple of bunk houses, which are used a few times a year, when the program hosts camps for the kids who come here.”
“That’s amazing! Did you say that Jesse and Barry are also certified therapists?”
“They are, indeed, as is Shar and the guys’ oldest sister, Addison. In fact, here Addison comes, now. I think you met her at the party.”
“I did, yes.”
Brittany turned toward the woman approaching them. Noah had met her in Montana a long time ago. Anyone else who had known Addy there could be forgiven if they didn’t recognize her now.
A straw cowboy hat perched on her head, and she sported a plain white T-shirt tucked into well-worn blue jeans. With leather boots on her feet and a smile on her face, the woman looked like she’d been born and raised on a Texas ranch.
In truth, she’d been born and raised on a Montana one.
In her previous life she’d been pressured to become a debutante, but that hadn’t been her chosen role. A freak accident had left her with a slight limp, a scar on her right cheek, and a very happy new life as a wife to two men, ranch hand, and horse therapist.
“Hey, cousin,” the woman said. “I didn’t expect to see you today.”
“Hey, cousin. Brittany graciously allowed me to tag along.”
The two women shook hands. “I’m happy to see you again.” Brittany’s smile, warm and welcoming, was one of her prettiest features, in Noah’s estimation.
“Right back at you, Brittany.”
“You can call me Brit if you like.” She looked around then smiled at Addison. “You’ve got quite a set-up here.”
Addison set her gaze where Brit’s had been and then returned her attention to them. “Shar and my brothers have done a hell of a job, here. I’m proud to be a part of it.”
“I don’t think you mentioned it the other night. Do you work here full time?”
“Just part time. I also help my other two brothers, Cord and Jackson with their ranch operation. They, the twins here, and our cousins Chase and Brian have formed a conglomerate of sorts. My brothers and I all grew up on a Montana ranch, so working with horses and cows comes naturally to us. Shar’s in the indoor ring in barn two. She asked me to welcome you and show you the way.”
“I must confess, I’ve only ever ridden a horse a few times in my life,” Brit said. “I grew up in a small suburb of Indianapolis then went into the Corps after high school.”
Noah was happy to follow along as the two women chatted. Addison led them toward the second barn, answering Brit’s questions and filling in some of the details on how Healing Rides worked. He couldn’t help but admire not only how open and curious Brit was but Addison’s graciousness. He remembered how Jackson and Cord had spoken of this particular sister during visits to Lusty, before she’d had her accident. He recalled they’d said she’d been more than a bit of a snot. In hindsight and knowing a little more about the family history of that part of the Benedict clan now, he imagined her previous attitude had just been her way of protecting herself from her mother’s manipulations.
They stepped inside the barn, and Noah sighed in relief. The temperature inside had to be at least twenty degrees cooler than outside. Addison’s trail ended at the railing that enclosed an indoor riding ring. Shar was right there in the ring working with a young girl on horseback. It looked for all the world like she was simply giving the girl a riding lesson—which Noah figured was true, as far as it went. To their left, where a small seating area had been erected, a young man sat, his focus on the activity in the ring.
The man looked to be in his twenties, and likely too young to be the father of the girl, who appeared to be about eleven.
“That’s it, Lindy. Do you see the way Sugar responds to you when you relax your body?”
“Do you think she likes me, Dr. Benedict?”
“I’m pretty sure she does. Can you get her to lope?”
Lindy nodded and kept her focus on the animal. The girl was wearing a helmet, as well as knee and elbow pads. Judging by her body language, Noah would guess she wasn’t a beginner rider.
As girl and horse passed them, he couldn’t help but notice the prosthesis she wore on her right arm, replacing her hand, wrist, and forearm, to just below the elbow.
Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Brittany’s attention seemed to sharpen then, her focus all on the young rider.
“Good. That’s good. You’re making your left hand do all the ‘feeling.’ Bring her down, now. That’s it, nice and smooth.”
“It’s getting easier,” Lindy said. There was no mistaking the smile on her face.
Shar held the horse steady as Lindy dismounted. An older woman approached them from the far corner of the ring. He’d met Paulette Morris, one of the stock managers, the last time he’d been in Lusty. She nodded to him as she joined Shar, Lindy, and Sugar.
“Are you ready to take care of your horse, now, Lindy?”
“Yes, ma’am.” She turned and waved to the man in the stands and then took the reins. She walked beside Paulette, who led her to the gate at the far end of the ring that led to the stalls.
Shar walked over to the man in the stands. “She’ll be out in a few minutes, Nathan. Your sister’s really getting the hang of riding. And she’s becoming a little more comfortable with her prosthesis, too. She’s happier than she was six months ago.”
“I can see that. She was smiling the entire time. That’s what I love the best. She’s coming closer to being the same little girl she was before the accident.”
“That may be an impossible standard,” Shar said. “She likely will never be exactly the same as she used to be. But she will be happier than she was and more confident and secure in her reality. She’ll soon learn that her life is different, but that different isn’t all bad.”
“That’s still damn good as far as I’m concerned.”
Shar grinned. “Yes, it is.”
Noah tucked Shar’s words away even as he had his first glimmer as to why it was Shar wanted Brittany to take riding lessons. And looking at his woman, he thought she was beginning to get it, too. Just then she glanced at him, a pensive look on her face.
“When Shar suggested this, I couldn’t see what the benefit might be.” Then she turned her gaze to where Lindy, Sugar, and Paulette had just moved out of sight. “But I think I’m beginning to.”
Addison turned to her and tilted her head. “Are you worried about acquiring a new skill? You said you’d not ridden much.”
It didn’t surprise Noah that Addison didn’t necessarily know about Brittany’s injury. When he and Sean began getting the house ready fo
r her, some of the family—his Aunt Samantha and the rest of the Kendalls, as well as Grandma Kate—knew about Brittany. Not just that he and Sean loved her but that she’d had an accident and was now an amputee. No one had gossiped, and when they knew they were going to bring her here, most others were only told that she was a marine and had been injured. Brittany had been open with nearly everyone she’d met here in Lusty, and today didn’t prove to be any different.
“No, that’s not it,” Brittany said. She wore a bit of wry smile as she lifted her left pant leg. Addison’s eyes widened in surprise. “I’m worried about getting on the darn horse with my prosthesis.”
“If you decide to ride, Brit, we’ll get you on the darn horse.” Shar’s words held the ring of conviction.
“Yes, we will.” Addison’s words, like her gaze, was steady and confident. “We’ll help you do whatever it is you want to do.”
Brittany exhaled and then nodded. “All right then. Let’s get this show on the road.”
* * * *
“Will you miss me?” Brittany looked from Sean to Noah. They appeared so disgruntled they were almost cute. Standing in the living room of their leased house in Lusty, she’d just finished packing her suitcase and had rolled it down the hall to the living room. At six a.m. on this wonderful June Saturday morning, she was awaiting the arrival of her ride. This was shopping day for the women who wanted to purchase some special gifts for Angela Monroe’s lingerie bridal shower—but not nearly so simple an excursion as it was originally planned to be.
At the last minute, shopping day had turned into shopping weekend, and her men weren’t exactly thrilled about the pending separation.
“Yes, damn it.” Sean huffed out a breath. Then he wrapped his arms around her. Noah cozied up close against her back. “I don’t know why you have to go all the way to Morehead and Divine to shop for lingerie. There are several perfectly good stores in Waco. They have a Victoria’s Secret in Waco!”
Brittany could no longer hold back her laughter. “You know very well why we’re going all the way to Morehead and Divine, sweetheart. And, may I remind you, you already said yes!”
The why was simple. Grandma Kate wanted to go with them, and she wanted for all of them to go to a particular boutique close to Divine, in a city called Morehead. She and the rest of the women were all thrilled to have Grandma Kate accompany them. Before they knew it, two SUVs had turned into a stretch limo, and a full day to shop turned into a day and a night and a day.
Kate had reserved rooms for them at the Hour Glass Inn, in Divine. She also had arranged for supper at O’Reilly’s, a steak house that many of the women and men in Lusty claimed was one of the best in Texas. After supper, they were slated to visit a nightclub—The Dancing Pony—as Kate knew the owners of the establishment very well.
After an evening of entertainment and camaraderie, they would all enjoy a good night’s sleep—and then would return home tomorrow after breakfast. She could look forward to hugging her men the next day sometime in the late afternoon.
Sean lowered his head and kissed her, a sweet, tender kiss. They’d already made hot, delicious love that morning. Twice. “Yes, we agreed, because neither of us can say no to Grandma Kate. Damn it.”
“Neither, apparently can anyone in either Lusty or Divine. Shar had wondered about the possibility of booking the Hour Glass on such short notice, though she did say the Dancing Pony, even on a Saturday night, wouldn’t be a problem.” Brittany grinned. “Apparently neither was the inn a problem.”
“Shar has deep connections in the cities of Divine and Morehead,” Noah said. “She lived in Morehead for a long while, and her best friend lives in Divine, as does one of her sisters-in-law, Veronica, who’s also Addison’s sister.”
“What are you men going to do while I’m gone?”
“We were going to head over to Angel’s Roadhouse to drown our sorrows, but Laci, Shar, and the rest said we couldn’t do that. Today is Laci’s one Saturday off a month from there, and she didn’t want Angela to know they’d gone shopping for her—even though the woman apparently already knows about the shower itself.”
In that moment, Brittany was actually bolstered by their pouty faces. They’d been such strong, reasonable men so far. They’d been adulting like crazy from the time of her accident, all through her surgery and recovery as she struggled with her amputation, and adjustment to her new normal.
It was kind of nice to see they were just as capable of succumbing to their inner children as anyone else.
Then Noah sighed, as if he somehow heard her inner thoughts. “We’re being ridiculous,” he said.
“We are.” Sean kissed her and then released her to Noah. He kissed her, too, and then they both smiled.
“We’re glad you’re going off with your new friends,” Sean said. “And spending time with Aunt Samantha and Grandma Kate is a good thing, too.”
“We really are.” Then Noah sent her a sly look. “I’ve heard about that store you’re going to visit. Discretion. I’ve heard some very good things about it from some of our cousins. Maybe, after you pick something out for Angela, you might pick something out for yourself.”
Brittany laughed. “Don’t you mean I should pick something out for you?”
Sean looked at his brother. “Busted.” Then he smiled at her. “Look at it this way. One purchase, three very happy people. Sounds like a bargain to me.”
“That is one of the things I love most about you, Sean. Always so fiscally sound and always looking on the bright side.”
“And speaking of shopping…” Sean reached into his back pocket and pulled out a credit card, which he handed to her.
“You want me to pick something up for you and use your credit card?”
“It’s not my credit card, baby girl. It’s yours.”
She looked down at the platinum card. Her name was on it, no doubt about that. She frowned then met his gaze. “I’m not interested in your money, Sean Kendall.”
“We know that, Brittany,” Sean said. “Under the heading of taking care of our woman is ensuring that when she goes shopping to buy something for us, it’s covered.”
“No arguments, sweetheart,” Noah said. “We’re more than comfortable in life and won’t miss any amount you could possibly spend.”
“Thank you.” Brittany wasn’t going to argue about accepting the card. If she did use it, she would do so sparingly. “Any requests?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Sean said. He got a teasing glint in his eyes. “How about paddles and handcuffs and blindfolds?”
“Oh my.” Noah’s two-word addition made Brittany laugh.
“Seriously, I’ve heard Discretion carries everything from lingerie to evening wear to accessories to…intimate toys.” Sean smiled. “If you see something you’d like, we want you to get it.”
A horn sounded, and Sean scooped her suitcase, carrying rather than rolling it, while Noah took her hand, kissed it, and led her to the door. Her bag was probably slightly larger than some others would be, as she’d packed her foldable crutches and the rest of her necessary gear.
Out by the curb stood the largest limo she’d ever seen. The front passenger door opened, and a man stepped out. She didn’t recognize him at first because he didn’t have his customary khakis on.
“Hey, Adam,” Sean greeted the sheriff. “Are you going along for the ride?”
Adam nodded, his smile huge. “I am. And my brother, Morgan, is our driver for this little excursion. He’s had training on how to handle this behemoth.”
Noah shook his head. “When Grandma Kate said she had a limo they could use, I had no idea it would be a Cadillac Escalade. This thing is huge!”
“There are fourteen women heading off to Morehead and then on to Divine,” Adam said. “This is the only one in the fleet that will handle more than ten passengers comfortably.” He reached for Brittany’s bag then put it in the back compartment.
Brittany hugged and kissed each of her men one more time. S
he was going to miss them, but she was really looking forward to this excursion.
“You’ll call when you get settled in your room tonight?”
There was such a hopeful look on Sean’s face. She had a sneaking suspicion she knew what he was going to hint at.
“I will, but I’ll be sharing a room with Shar and Addison.” She leaned in closer so she could whisper. “Sorry, no phone sex.”
“Damn it.” Sean huffed out a breath, and then he and Noah, looking equally chagrinned, chuckled.
“I’ll call, and I’ll text…and I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”
“Have a good time, baby girl.”
“Enjoy yourself, sweetheart.”
Brittany laughed and kissed Sean’s pouty face one more time. Noah stepped forward and opened the car door for her and set out the small step-stool. She kissed him once more, too, and then climbed into the back seat of the limo.
“Come sit next to me, sweetheart,” Grandma Kate said. The nonagenarian was in the far back corner. She sat down next to her and realized they were both out of the way of anyone else climbing on board.
Brittany gave a final wave to her men but doubted, since the glass was tinted, that they could see her. She sat back and looked around the interior of the car. Beside Grandma Kate, and lining the driver’s side of the vehicle, were Bernice and Abigail and then Samantha Kendall. Across from those ladies were Ginny, Tamara, Tracy, and Chloe.
“Charlotta, Ari, Addison, Laci, and Carrie are all waiting for us at the North Ranch,” Grandma Kate said. “Once they’re on board, we’ll be on our way to Morehead.”
“Thank you for including me, Grandma Kate. I’m so looking forward to this. Not just the shopping, but meeting some of your friends in Divine.”
Love Under Two Prospectors [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Menage Everlasting) Page 15