The Cinderella List

by Judy Baer

  She smiled at his encouragement. “Is he always this grouchy? Maybe he needs more fiber in his diet.”

  Jake nearly spit out his coffee. When he caught his breath, he put the mug down on top of a fence post. “Maybe he does, but I’m not going to be the one to tell him that. Dad was an only child. I’m his only child. He has no grandchildren. I really don’t think he knows what to do with children. The only child I’ve ever seen him enjoy is Alfred’s granddaughter, Cammi. He adores her. I think a group of children actually intimidates him.”

  “Fair enough,” Marlo said. “But it’s my job is to keep the children busy so he can show these investors they can have faith in his operation.”

  “Unfortunately you’re outside Dad’s concept of intelligent business practices. He doesn’t know quite what to make of you.” Just like Marlo was outside all his own experiences, too, Jake thought, but he was intrigued, not dismayed, by her uniqueness.

  “Welcome to my world,” Marlo said, with mock weariness. “For some reason, I affect people that way. I guess most business plans don’t involve much fun.”

  He couldn’t—didn’t want to—resist. Jake wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. His cheek rested against her dark hair, which smelled of strawberries. “That’s what I love about you, Marlo—the fun.”

  It was in his nature to be affectionate, but Marlo had the ability to test his gentlemanly restraint, he realized, and pulled his arm away. He’d laughed when Sabrina had brought up the way he responded to Marlo, discounting what she’d called her “woman’s intuition.” Maybe there was something to those feminine hunches after all. It was disconcerting to consider.

  “I’m done setting up the clues.” Lucy chugged toward them like a little steam engine. “We’re ready for your guests to arrive, Jake.”

  “If we can pull this off to my father’s satisfaction, I’m taking you ladies out to dinner—you pick the restaurant and I’ll spare no expense.”

  “Then I’d better recheck Marlo’s plan. I don’t want to miss an opportunity like that.” Lucy turned and trotted off again.

  “I’d better see to the main table,” Marlo said quickly—as if she, too, sensed the electricity between them. “If these people are driving in from the airport, they’ll probably be ready to eat immediately after they arrive.”

  So the encounter had disconcerted her, as well. It was obvious to Jake that whatever he might say about the two of them, she didn’t want to hear it. She was probably right. They were on a friendly, even keel. No use rocking the boat.

  Shortly, cars began to pull into the driveway, and out tumbled an array of adults and children who appeared to have been outfitted by Ralph Lauren.

  Before Jake stepped forward to greet their guests, he eyed the group. It would be easy to make the adults feel at home. The youngsters, however, had boring written all over their faces. What if Marlo’s plan didn’t work? These were privileged children, accustomed to whatever money could buy. Maybe a scavenger hunt would be laughable to them. He winced at the thought.

  Randall Hammond waved Marlo over to the group and Jake watched her cross the yard. She might have had lead in her shoes, for all he knew, the way she was dragging her feet. She must have had an attack of nerves, as well. Jake also saw the look of surprise on her features when his father tucked his hand into the crook of her arm and moved her nearer the guests.

  “This is Marlo Mayfield. She is catering our luncheon today and has something special planned for the children. Marlo thought they might like to get acquainted with Hammond Stables on their own.” There were murmurs of approval from the adults.

  His father was making certain that these people realized that if the next few hours flopped that she, and she alone, was responsible, Jake realized. Then Randall nodded to Marlo as if to say, “You’re on.”

  “I hope you all enjoy scavenger hunts,” she addressed the restless children, “because that’s what we’re doing. I’ve got the first clue here.” Her eyes began to sparkle as she spelled out the details of the game, intent, playful and beautiful all at once.

  The oldest boy, who was about fifteen, blurted, “At least it will be better than sitting around.” They began to crowd closer to Marlo. The littlest ones reached eagerly for the scraps of paper that she was holding. She quickly formed teams of three. From the corner of his eye, Jake noticed that the men who’d come to talk to Randall were smiling.

  “Now you can read your first clue,” she told the children.

  The fifteen-year-old read aloud. “‘Where a horse would go if he wanted to clean up for a party like this one.’”

  One of the adults chuckled knowingly.

  “I’ll bet I know!” a girl with pigtails and pink cutoffs exclaimed. The entire group took off running, searching for the location of the wash stalls.

  Marlo turned to the parents. “Some of the clues are harder than others, so it should take a while. The stable hands will watch out for them so no one gets hurt. They can also give helpful hints if everyone is stuck on a clue. The last clue reveals where the picnic table is set up for their lunch. There are prizes there. You probably have an hour and a half of uninterrupted conversation before they all return.”

  “Brilliant!” one of the men interjected. “I thought this might be a problem with the kids underfoot, but now…” He slapped Randall on the shoulder. “You’d better show us those two-year-olds you’ve been talking about.”

  As the others disappeared, Jake hung back and fell into step with Marlo. “I have to give you credit. How did you get the men to agree to help out? They can be a crusty bunch.”

  She tipped her head to one side in that way he’d observed. It made her appear flirty, although she likely didn’t realize it. “I asked them. Nicely, of course. Lucy and I made a special brown-bag lunch for them, as well.”

  “Bribery. Nice touch.” It would be entertaining, he realized, just to watch how this day would unfold. “Now what?”

  “I just make sure everything is going smoothly.” An earsplitting wail reverberated somewhere inside the barn. “And it looks like we’ve hit our first bump.” Marlo took off for the barn with Jake close behind.

  “Don’t you have to be with those people?” Marlo asked breathlessly.

  “They don’t need me, but maybe you’ll need my help.” And hopefully not that of an ambulance, Jake thought to himself.

  The kids were clustered in the center aisle, big-eyed and pale.

  “What’s going on?” Marlo said, with admirable calm in her voice.

  “Anna wanted to see what was up those steps.” A small boy pointed to a staircase leading up to the hayloft.

  “We told her that wasn’t where the clue would be, it didn’t say anything about stairs or climbing or even hay, but she wanted to see anyway.”

  “She’s so snoopy,” an eight-or nine-year-old girl with a blond ponytail said. “She’s always getting into trouble.”

  “She’s dumb,” a burly ten-year-old added unsympathetically. “She’s my sister and she’s scared of heights. She knew better than to go up there. Now she can’t get down.”

  Grateful that it didn’t appear that bloodshed was involved, Jake headed for the staircase. He reached the loft only seconds ahead of Marlo, who was close on his tail.

  “Oh, my,” Marlo murmured as they stared up at the vast heaps of small bales set neatly into place, stacked nearly ten feet high. A wooden ladder rested against one of the tall heaps and the little girl clung to the top of the ladder, screaming at the top of her lungs.

  “I told you she was dumb,” a disgusted voice said behind them. It was the girl’s brother, who had climbed the stairs to get a better look at his sister’s predicament. “Now what are you going to do, Anna? You’re stuck!” Then he added without a hint of brotherly love, “Maybe for life! Wait until I tell Mom and Dad. They’ll leave you up there, I’ll bet.”

  The girl’s wails intensified. For a brief moment, Jake gave thanks for not having siblings.

/>   Marlo took the boy by the shoulders and gently turned him around so he was facing the stairs. “We’ll have her down in a minute. Why don’t you wait for us downstairs?”

  “A minute? Are you sure?” He sounded dreadfully disappointed. “Bummer.”

  Meanwhile, Jake moved swiftly to the ladder and climbed it until he was just under the howling child. “You’re okay now. I’m right behind you so you can’t fall. Just put one foot on the rung below you and I’ll walk you down, okay?”

  Anna quit howling but continued to snivel as Jake walked her backward off the ladder. When she reached the floor, she wiped the tears from her eyes. Then they narrowed into slits. “Where’s my brother? I’m going to pound him.”

  “She recovered quickly,” Marlo said.

  “Yes, but her brother might not. I think she’s concocting devious plans for the drive home in the back of their parents’ car.”

  “At least they’re on to the next clue and not much worse for wear.” She ran her fingers through her hair until it stood on end.

  “Want some coffee? There’s fresh in the break room.” He didn’t feel like leaving her side. He found it too soothing and too pleasurable to disturb.

  “What about the horses and your guests?”

  “I believe I’m needed more here—to pick damsels in distress out of haymows. Besides, Dad loves to show the horses. He’d rather have me here, making sure that none of the kids get hurt.” And he’d definitely rather be here, Jake thought.

  “Suit yourself. I doubt this will be the last of the minor calamities. I could use the help.”

  Almost as if on cue, they heard a yelp and peals of childish laughter. By the time they reached the paddock, the youngest of the children, a little boy with pale blond hair and huge, horn-rimmed glasses which made him look like a tiny scholar was pulling his foot out of a large, relatively fresh pile of horse droppings. His eyes were huge behind the thick glasses and his lower lip quivered.

  “No problem,” Marlo announced briskly. She strode to the little boy and picked him out of the muck. “Looks like we’ll have to wash you off in the wash stall, buddy. What do you think about that?”

  The little guy’s expression brightened. “Me? Cool!”

  Like the Pied Piper, the children followed Marlo to watch the show.

  As Jake waited outside, listening to the laughter, and Marlo used a sprayer to banish the grime from the child’s foot, he smiled to himself. There hadn’t been this much fun on the ranch since…he couldn’t remember when. Granted, the stables had always been his retreat, but Marlo added a new element to the place—laughter, lightheartedness and fun. He hadn’t realized how much of that was missing until she’d arrived. Now, once that he’d experienced it, he didn’t want to let it—or her—go.

  By the time Randall and his buyers returned, the game was still going on and excitement for it had built rather than lessened. It went far better than any of them had expected, Jake realized, especially his father, who was downright jolly as the meal the Divas had prepared was served.

  As Marlo and Lucy were cleaning up the remnants of the meal, Jake walked into the kitchen. “Whatever you did with those kids, it worked miracles. As Dad showed the horses, the parents watched the children running around and laughing in the distance. The kids were happy but not underfoot. You made the day memorable.”

  In a positive way, he added to himself. There were so many negative ways the day could have been etched into people’s minds, with all these children running around. Fire, stampedes and broken bones came to mind. He found himself genuinely happy that it had all worked out so well, not just for himself, but for Marlo.

  “It was actually my father who finally figured out the haddock-paddock connection for the kids,” he continued. “If Dad could pat himself on the back for hiring you, I believe he would. In fact, I think we’re having a little difficulty getting them to leave. Would you like to come and say goodbye?”

  Marlo followed Jake to the front door, where the little boy named Theo, the one who’d had the foot-washing incident, had his arms crossed and lower lip poked out in a pout. “I don’t want to go. It’s fun here.”

  Randall looked downright jolly as he patted the boy on the head. “Maybe you’ll come back with your father sometime. It sounds like we’ll be working together often.”

  Jake gave Marlo two thumbs-ups.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Your scheme was brilliant,” Randall said, approaching Marlo as she cleared away the last debris in the luncheon.

  “Sir?” Had she heard correctly?

  “Once my clients knew their children were being both entertained and schooled about Hammond Stables, they completely relaxed. They came here planning to invest in one or two horses and are now planning to buy at least four.”

  “I’m glad.” She scuffed her toe in the hard-packed earth. “I admit that I was nervous. I’m relieved the kids didn’t think it was an absolute bore.”

  “You think you’re glad? In my mind, your idea was a calamity in the making, but my son had faith in you, and it paid off.” He stuck out his hand to shake Marlo’s. “Thank you.” Without another word, he walked off.

  “By the look on your face, I’m afraid to think what my father might have said to you.” Jake sauntered over, hands in his pocket, sun glinting off his dark hair, that ever-ready smile on his face.

  “He thanked and insulted me in the same breath. He called me brilliant and a calamity. I don’t know if I should be celebrating or moping.”

  “Not the latter.” Jake looked both sympathetic and amused. “It’s best to take Dad with a grain of salt. He’s not a very happy man sometimes. He drives himself. I learned a long time ago to relax and go with the flow. I’m a lover not a fighter.”

  To her surprise, he put his arm around her and nudged her toward the barn. “Come on. I have something to show you.”

  She didn’t try to shrug his arm away. It felt warm, protective and even safe, she realized as she luxuriated in the embrace. For a moment at least, Marlo relished the heavy drape of his arm across her shoulders. Then she began to stew over the attraction she felt toward this man.

  He was affectionate toward everyone, Marlo thought. Why, she’d seen him even put his arm around his father when the man was acting like a prickly pear. He simply doesn’t realize how charming and loveable he is because it’s his natural state, she reminded herself. If Lucy were here he’d do the same thing to her. She couldn’t blow this brief touch out of proportion. She had to be careful. Her heart wanted to go places that her mind would not allow.

  By the time they’d reached the barn, Marlo had talked herself out of believing that Jake’s casual embrace meant anything at all. “What’s in here?”

  “Something I want you to see. We have a mare in labor, and her foal should be born soon. Come.” He entwined his fingers in hers and led her to an oversize stall at the back of the barn, where a corpulent black mare with a white blaze and four white feet stood. Her legs were slightly splayed and her breathing audible.

  Two men were in the stall with her, one on each side. “Any minute now,” one of them murmured. “Apparently, she’s not going to lie down. Here it comes….”

  Marlo gasped as a spindly legged baby, still wrapped in amniotic membranes, slid from the mother and landed on the straw-matted floor in a squishy thump. Dust motes sprayed into the air and danced in the sunlight filtering through the barn window.

  “Is it dead?” she gasped.

  “No. Everything is fine.” Jake moved toward the foal’s head and pulled at bits of the amniotic sac, clearing it away from the baby’s nose. The mother butted the baby gently with her head before giving a great, heaving sigh. Knees buckling, she lay down by the infant and began to pull at the membranes with her teeth.

  “We’ll wait until mama cleans him up,” Jake said. “Pretty soon the colt will try to stand. It’s quite a sight, a baby that’s all legs, on its feet for the first time.”

  For Marlo, time st
opped. She didn’t realize she clung to Jake or that he’d tucked her beneath his arm as they stood and leaned his cheek against her hair, or that the men who’d been in the stall with them had slipped away. Her gaze was riveted on the wet, black foal and the ministering mother who seemed to know exactly what to do with this new addition to her life.

  “She’s going to be a good mother,” Jake said softly, almost as if he’d read Marlo’s mind. “This is her first colt, and she got right down to business.”

  “Her first and she knows how, just like that?”

  “Nature is a remarkable thing. It is, in fact, what made me believe in the Creator, the Divine Designer. Every birth unfolds like a miracle. You’ll never convince me that anything is a complete accident.”

  And as if to put an exclamation point on what Jake was saying, the colt began to struggle to his feet. His knobby little legs looked like a batch of tangled pickup sticks, but after a few wobbly tries, he got them organized and straightened out. He finally stood, swaying as if there were a gusty wind.

  “He’s adorable!” Marlo couldn’t take her eyes off the soft-eyed baby. “A miracle!”

  As if miracles were coming in bunches these day, mama horse, with a great heave, came to her feet, as well. Then, as if it had been orchestrated in heaven itself—which it had, Marlo was to think later—the colt, its nose bumping along its mother’s side, found what it was looking for and began to nurse.

  “Hey, what’s this?” Jake ran a finger along Marlo’s cheek and came away with tears.

  She snuffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve. “I’ve never shared anything like that with anyone. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Thank you.”

  He smiled at her with that soft, disarming smile that so unnerved her. “Thank you, for reminding me what a miracle birth is. We have so many foals here that sometimes I take it for granted. It’s good to see it through your eyes and to remember what an amazing event it really is.”

  She unconsciously reached out and wound her fingers in the fabric of his sleeve, holding on to him as though she might topple without his presence. She leaned into him then, her gaze still on the nursing foal.