For Keeps

by Rachel Lacey

  Noah nodded. He raised his chin, squared his shoulders, then held out his right hand and said, “Stay.”

  He stepped back, and Amber watched. She leaned forward, stretching toward him, but Noah shook his head. Then he lunged back to her and fell to his knees, lavishing her with praise.

  “That was fantastic! You guys are amazing. Let’s keep practicing for a few minutes. When you’re ready to release her from the stay, you’ll say ‘okay,’ so say that right before you go back to her, okay?”

  Noah nodded. They practiced together for another ten minutes. Sometimes Amber followed Noah, but often she stayed. She was a quick learner, and he was a good teacher. One advantage of using few words was that it gave each word he did use more weight.

  When Noah spoke, Amber listened.

  “You guys did great. You’re really good with her, Noah. She trusts you, and that makes everything easier.”

  Noah beamed. He wrapped his arms around Amber’s neck and squeezed, and her tail swished happily back and forth. Oh, how Merry hoped these two could stay together forever. She was going to lay a hell of a guilt trip on T.J. when camp ended.

  In the meantime…

  “I know my main job here is to help you guys with the dogs, but I want you to also think of me as someone you can trust. If you have anything on your mind that you want to talk about, I’m a great listener and a pretty good problem solver. I might be able to help.”

  Noah turned his face against Amber’s fur.

  “I just wanted you to know you can always talk to me. I know what it’s like to be scared, and confused, and think no one will understand. Believe me, I’ve been there.”

  He peeked up at her but said nothing.

  Merry was bluffing her way through this conversation. Truly, she had no idea what was bothering Noah. Amy seemed like a good mom, but as a nurse, Merry had seen plenty of kids come to harm by a parent’s hand. It never hurt to have a solid ally outside the family.

  “Anyway, just keep it in mind if you ever feel like talking. Here.” She pulled a business card from her pocket and handed it to him. “You ever find yourself in a situation you don’t like and aren’t sure what to do? Just give me a call. I’ll come, no questions asked. Okay?”

  He took it and slipped it into his pocket with a shy nod.

  “All right then, it’s time for me to work with Jules and Salsa. You think about what we talked about and keep practicing that stay with Amber, okay?”

  Merry led them back to the group, hoping against hope that she’d gotten through to him.

  * * *

  T.J. blew out a breath. Halfway through the third week of camp, the kids were all doing well for the most part. He was the one having a problem. He was frustrated, driven halfway out of his mind by the ongoing friction between him and Merry, Noah’s increased moodiness, and having a dog underfoot every damn minute in his own house.

  He was ready for camp to end. Ready to get his simple, orderly life back.

  Except that he wasn’t. He had a feeling nothing would be the same once they all left, once his farm was quiet and empty again.

  He needed a nice long ride on Tango after camp today. They’d take a trail ride through the woods, let the peace and quiet reset both of their systems. Necessary stress relief.

  Peaches was back in the ring today and thrilled to be carrying Lucy. Pat led her, while Savannah and Madison walked on either side. T.J. walked behind, leading Parker on Twilight. The boy seemed to find his center on a horse, calm and focused.

  “All right, now,” Pat said. “I want you to close your eyes and concentrate on feeling the horse move underneath you.”

  T.J. glanced up at Parker. The boy sat, eyes closed, both hands on the saddle horn, but his posture was relaxed. They walked a full length around the arena, while Pat had them focus on each part of their body individually, their legs, their shoulders, their arms, their necks. Then he asked them to open their eyes.

  “Feels different when you can’t see, doesn’t it?” he asked.

  “Kind of cool,” Parker said.

  Next, Pat had them extend their arms out to the side, learning to center their bodies over the saddle while increasing balance and muscle tone.

  Both kids remained quiet and engaged. Confident. Everyone in camp had made great progress except Noah. Which frustrated the hell out of T.J.

  He’d seen Merry spending extra time with him, and he wanted to know what they’d been talking about. So far, she hadn’t volunteered anything, despite her promise to keep him in the loop where his nephew was concerned.

  After lessons, the kids helped hose off Peaches and Twilight, then put them in the pasture to graze with Tango. T.J. had given Merry two more riding lessons last week. She was holding her own, still timid but solid in the saddle. Maybe he’d invite her to join him and Tango for a ride after camp, give Twilight a much-needed break from the monotony of lessons, and see if he could get any information out of her about Noah.

  And of course, the chance to see Merry on his horse again. There was always that.

  He found her in the barn with Ralph, the kids crowded around her.

  “Your turn, Jules,” she said.

  T.J. stood in the doorway, watching.

  Jules stepped up to Ralph. “Ralph, sit.” Her voice was clear and strong.

  “Stay,” she said, holding out her right hand. She stepped backward, focused on the dog as she walked away from him. “Stay,” she repeated before she turned her back, walked to the grain room, then turned and called Ralph to her.

  He bounded to her, and she fed him a handful of treats, jumping with joy. “I did it! I did it! Ralph’s such a good boy.”

  Merry looked at Jules with moist eyes. “That was absolutely perfect. Great concentration from both of you. Awesome. Come give me a high five, Jules.”

  The girl ran to her and slapped a high five, then Merry pulled her in for a hug. “I’m so proud of you.”

  Jules grinned. “I’m proud of me too.”

  T.J. couldn’t fight his own smile. This was exactly what he’d envisioned when he’d created Camp Blue Sky. He waited until they’d finished their exercise and the kids had gone to fetch their lunch boxes, then stopped Merry. “I was thinking about taking a trail ride after the kids go home. You want to come?”

  Her eyes widened. “What? Where?”

  “Back behind the pasture, there are some nice trails. Tango and Twilight could use the exercise, and I wanted to talk to you about Noah.”

  Something flickered in her eyes, something guarded that made him even more eager to see what she and his nephew had been chatting about behind his back.

  “You think I’m ready for a trail ride?” she asked.

  “Sure. We’ll go slow. Twilight’s pretty bombproof out there.”

  “Well, okay. That sounds fun.” She glanced down at her khaki shorts. “I think I have a pair of jeans in the car.”

  “Okay, let me know.”

  They sat at the picnic tables behind the barn to eat their lunches, then the kids played with the dogs until their parents arrived. After they’d gone home, T.J. headed up to the house for a cold drink while Merry settled the dogs in the spare stall.

  She came in a few minutes later carrying a pair of jeans under her arm. “Just give me a minute to get ready.”

  “You get dressed, and I’ll head down to the barn to get started with the horses. Help yourself to something cold from the fridge if you want.”

  She nodded, then went into the bathroom to change.

  T.J. walked out to the pasture and put halters on all three horses. He led them in together and tucked Peaches in her stall with some of her favorite hay to keep her from feeling left out. The other two he tethered in the aisle.

  He’d just finished grooming Tango when Merry walked in, backlit by the afternoon sun. It put fire in her brown curls and highlighted the way her jeans molded to her every curve.

  He damn near dropped the hoof pick.

  She walked up to Tw
ilight and stroked her beneath her forelock. “You mind if I ride you this afternoon?”

  The mare gave her a friendly shove.

  “She’s going to love it. She hasn’t been on the trail in weeks. Amy’s the only one who usually takes her out, besides the camp kids.”

  Merry kept her eyes on the horse. “This will be my first trail ride so go easy on me, okay?”

  Twilight nuzzled her palms, checking for treats.

  Fifteen minutes later, they were mounted and on their way. Merry looked at ease on Twilight, holding the horn with one hand for balance, the reins in the other. T.J. took the lead, guiding Tango down the worn trail toward the stream in back.

  “Just keep the reins loose and let her follow. She’s going to stick close to her buddy,” he told her. Twilight fell in line behind Tango.

  Peaches gave a mournful whinny from the barn.

  “Aw, that’s sad. She feels left out,” Merry said.

  “It’s hard for them to be separated, but she’ll be okay.”

  “Is she able to go on trail rides, with her bad legs?”

  “Walking in a straight line down to the stream is actually easier for her than going in circles in the arena. Noah rides her out here with me sometimes.” He turned Tango to the left, onto the worn path that led down to the stream. The gelding tossed his head and bunched his muscles, raring to go for a run. Often this was where he and T.J. let loose and galloped the rest of the way. Not today though. “Easy, boy,” T.J. told him.

  Tango snorted his frustration, but relaxed his posture to continue walking.

  “Your horses have a charmed life, don’t they?” Merry said from behind him.

  “It’s not bad, that’s for sure. Same could be said about your dogs.”

  The beautiful sound of her laughter carried to him on the breeze. “That’s true. They know it too.”

  They walked in silence for a few minutes. He listened to the call of the birds above, the hum of insects around them, the babble of the creek leading their way. As it always did, T.J. felt some of the stress leaking out of his muscles. He’d be lost without this place. The call of nature was strong in his blood.

  “You okay back there?” he asked.

  “Better than okay. This is awesome.”

  They reached the end of the tall grasses, and the trail widened to a lush green meadow sloping down to the stream ahead. T.J. slowed Tango so that Merry and Twilight could come up beside them.

  “You’ve been talking to Noah a lot this week,” he said.

  She looked over, those hazel eyes piercing his. “He seems troubled lately. You know what that’s about?”

  He shook his head. “Hoping you might be able to tell me.”

  “He hasn’t said much.” She looked down at Twilight. “You think there might be anything going on at home?”

  “Like what?” He shook his head. “Amy would have told me.”

  Merry shrugged. “We women like to keep our secrets sometimes, especially from an overprotective big brother.”

  “I’m her younger brother.”

  “Really? That’s even sweeter, the overprotective little brother.” She smiled. “I just wondered if she might be under any new stress lately that Noah might be picking up on. Money troubles, job troubles, anything like that.”

  “Not that I know of. She would tell me.” At least, he hoped she would.

  “Man troubles?”

  Of this he was certain. “Amy hasn’t dated in years.”

  “Well, I’m trying to earn his trust. I’ll let you know if he tells me anything, I promise.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that. It’s really frustrating to see him going further inside himself while the other kids are all making such great progress.”

  “I know.” Her voice was softer. “It’s frustrating for me too.”

  They reached the stream, and both horses stepped into it, eager for a cool drink. Merry laughed with delight as Twilight stuck her nose in and drew a long gulp. Before long, both horses were pawing its surface, sending a shower of spring water over them.

  “That feels awesome.” She pushed a strand of hair from her face.

  T.J. tore his eyes from her, because things were about to get really uncomfortable for him in this saddle if he kept staring at Merry, damp ringlets around her face, her yellow T-shirt wet and plastered to her chest. Instead, he focused on the line of storm clouds on the horizon.

  “Better head back unless we want to get soaked,” he said.

  She looked at him with heat in her gaze. “I don’t know, it might feel good.”

  Ah, hell. It’d be another cold shower for him tonight. Come to think of it, she might be right. Maybe a dousing from the heavens would cool them both off.

  * * *

  Merry was almost hoping they got wet because the sight of T.J. on his horse was turning her on big-time. Although T.J. on his horse sopping wet might be even sexier.

  Phew.

  It took them a few minutes to get the horses out of the stream. Apparently, splashing in its silvery depths was quite the popular attraction for them. She was enjoying it too, but T.J. wasn’t wrong.

  Those storm clouds were coming fast, mottling the western sky an ugly purple.

  She fell in line behind him as the trail narrowed through heavier brush. Of course, now she was left with nothing to do but stare at his ass. As she had all the way down to the stream.

  “Thanks for bringing me. It’s kind of magical out here, isn’t it?”

  He turned and gave her a sharp look, one that sent funny tingles through her belly. “It’s where I come to de-stress.”

  Come to think of it, she felt awfully de-stressed at the moment too. Wound tight with wanting him. But stress? Nope, she hadn’t thought of Jayden or her financial troubles since they set out. It all seemed far away from the rhythmic thumping of the horses’ hooves, the back-and-forth sway of Twilight beneath her, the faraway rumble of thunder chasing the happy chirping of the birds in the fields around them.

  “I’d be out here every day if I were you.” She imagined her dogs here with them, Ralph bobbing ahead of them on the trail, frolicking in nature the way he seldom got a chance to in their suburban home.

  “I am, when I have the time.”

  Thunder rumbled again, closer this time. Twilight tossed her head, edging closer to Tango. “She’s not going to freak out on me, is she?”

  He shook his head. “Nah. The storm doesn’t bother her.”

  A raindrop splashed her arm. Merry turned her face to the sky, letting the rain kiss her cheeks, cool and refreshing. She’d always been kind of infatuated with North Carolina’s wicked summer thunderstorms.

  It was Mother Nature’s chance to show off her strength and prowess. They blew in fast and furious, soaked the ground with some much-needed rain, then hurried along, leaving behind freshly cooled air and sometimes even a rainbow.

  Not that Merry wanted to play in lightning, but the lightning was still a ways off. This was just an outer band of rain that had reached them ahead of the storm.

  T.J. glanced over his shoulder. “You okay back there?”

  “Perfect.” Actually, she was feeling a little giddy, like she wanted to throw her arms up and twirl around in the rain like a child, let it wash the day’s sweat and grime from her skin.

  By the time they reached the barn, it was coming down steadily, soaking through their clothes and the horses’ coats. She helped T.J. take off their bridles and saddles and rub them down.

  “Okay, let’s get them out to the pasture before the thunder hits,” he said.

  “You’re really going to turn them out in this?”

  “It’s just rain.” He gave her an amused smile. “They’ve got a nice shelter out there that will keep them dry if they want it, but watch, they’ll probably stand in the rain for a while. They like it. Can you lead Twilight for me?”

  “Sure.” She held the mare’s lead line while T.J. got Peaches out of her stall. He led the way out of the barn
with Tango and Peaches. Twilight followed right along. Merry probably could have taken the halter off her right there and it wouldn’t have made a difference, but she led her to the pasture anyway.

  She watched T.J. slip Tango’s halter off, then Peaches’. It didn’t look difficult. She unclipped the chin strap and slid the leather contraption off Twilight’s face, freeing her to go graze in the rain with her friends.

  T.J. turned toward her with that wickedly sexy grin of his. Water dripped from the brim of his hat and soaked the shoulders of his blue T-shirt, plastering it against his well-muscled chest. Her ears buzzed with the sound of the rain, splashing and splattering against the world around her.

  Beautiful. She wanted to take a snapshot of the moment and imprint it in her brain to remember whenever she needed a pick-me-up to her day.

  And then Mother Nature opened the floodgates. Rain dumped onto her so quickly, so forcefully, that she was drenched in seconds, soaked to the skin. Shocked, she stood there, rooted to the spot.

  Then T.J.’s hands were on her, hot against her rain-chilled skin. They slid up her arms and down her back, and she fell against him. His mouth was on hers, kissing her with all the force of the storm raging around them. It consumed them, ignited them, made them wild.

  She fisted her hands into his T-shirt and lost herself to the kiss. Then she was in his arms, her legs around his waist as the rain ran like a river over their heads and his mouth ignited an all-consuming need inside her.

  Something hard pressed into her back, and she lifted her head to see that T.J. had carried her to the oak tree beside the pasture. He pushed her against its solid trunk, kissing her like a man possessed. The rain was less here, filtered by the canopy of branches and leaves above them. Merry sucked in a greedy breath of dry air as his lips roamed over her jaw and down her neck.

  She felt his hard length pressing into her, driving her absolutely crazy. Her hips moved against him, and he groaned, deep and rough. He rocked his erection against her, and Merry saw stars.

  Or maybe it was just the raindrops splashing in her eyes.

  “Jesus Christ, Merry,” he said finally, his voice strained.