The Horseman

by Anna Jeffrey

  “Absolutely. Drake and I went to Home Depot and bought one. He and I did most of the decorating, but my grandmother and Will had a hand in it, too. I’ve always thought half the fun of Christmas is the process. You know, the decorating, the cooking and so forth.”

  Amanda gave a wide-eyed gasp. “Good Lord. The almighty Drake came down off his throne and helped decorate a Christmas tree? I don’t think I’ve ever known him to do anything like that. I’m floored.”

  Mandy seemed to come up with a dig at Drake at every opportunity. “Why? We had fun. He’s very handy.”

  Mandy straightened one of the angels that had gotten cock-eyed. “I suppose he could be. He worked as a ranch hand for a while once, which means he had to help build fences and work on windmills and barns and all of that. I assume he’d recognize a hammer. But that was years ago.”

  A visual of the scars on Drake’s hands floated into Shannon’s mind. “He told me once that his hands had gotten so scarred up working on the ranch.”

  “I barely remember it,” Mandy said. “I know only what Pic told me. I was in high school. Pic was in college in Stephenville, so I didn’t come out here much at that time. After Tammy broke up with him, Drake separated himself from the family, moved into the bunkhouse and lived the plebian life of a cowboy for more than a year. He didn’t even come into the ranch house, didn’t talk to his family.”

  Shannon had tried to imagine her perfectly groomed and pressed husband doing ranch work before, but the image would never form. Frowning, she looked up. “He was that much in love with her? She meant that much to him?”

  “Um, well ... I’m probably telling something I shouldn’t. That’s what Pic said. He was torn up over her marrying another man.”

  Immediately, Shannon remembered the night in the hot tub in Hawaii, when Drake had told her about his fiancé dumping him. He had told her facts, but not emotions. He hadn’t told her how he felt about Tammy McMillan or how the broken engagement had truly affected him. Nor had Shannon ever asked him, though she wouldn’t close her ears if someone wanted to tell her about it.

  “Smoky told me everyone thought he would only last a few weeks at that job,” Mandy continued. “The cowboys around here work hard. But when it went on and on, Betty started to worry about him. She thought he had gone crazy. She wanted to send him to a psychiatrist, but Bill Junior told her to leave him alone and let him find his own way. He must have found it. He emerged from that experience a different person.”

  “In what way?”

  “He was no longer the rich, good-time playboy. He had an intensity about him. It was almost feral. In my opinion, it hasn’t left him to this day.”

  Shannon gave a mental eyeroll. More words beyond her. “What do you mean? Feral intensity.”

  “I meant that he had this untamed quality that made everyone a little nervous. I think he still has that. This is just my own opinion, of course, but I think this is where his don’t-try-to-baffle-me-with-bullshit attitude comes from.”

  Shannon couldn’t deny the edginess in her husband’s personality. He played to win. At everything.

  “He’s always had a big ego, even as a kid. Valedictorian and hotshot football player and all that, Mandy went on. “Personally, I’ve always believed Betty and Tammy’s mother put that engagement together. Clever on Tammy’s mother’s part because the Lockharts are worth a whole lot more money than the McMillans. I’ve heard Mrs. McMillan say how disappointed she was that Drake and Tammy didn’t have kids, which would, of course be another McMillan hook into the Lockhart millions.”

  “Wow. That’s harsh, Mandy.”

  “Look at the circumstances. Drake was barely twenty and Tammy was a year older when they got engaged. Both of them were spoiled people who had lived protected lives. Neither one had experienced a setback of any kind and most certainly not rejection. Looking back on it, I think the dude she married kind of swept her off her feet. He was quite a bit older and more sophisticated than she and Drake were. He’s from England. A pro golfer. He has some dough, but probably nowhere close to as much as the Lockharts.”

  Some of that Drake had told her. “Hm.” Shannon said. “I learn something new about my husband every time I’m here.”

  “Maybe that’s a good thing,” Mandy said. “I doubt if Drake would ever tell you much about his past. Pic says he’s not a guy who looks back. He’s always moving forward. Let’s sit down, shall we?”

  They took seats in a pair of burgundy velvet wingback chairs. On the lamp table between them, Mandy retrieved a coaster from a small ornate box and set her mug on it. Prissy parked herself in front of Shannon and whined. “No,” Shannon said firmly. “You can’t get on the furniture.”

  “Oh, what harm can she do?” Amanda stood, picked up the small dog and placed her on the sofa nearby. The miniature pooch immediately nestled in as if she had slept there dozens of times. Mandy smiled down at her. “Look at that. She’s right at home. If I weren’t so busy, I might like to have a little dog.”

  “She’s probably lonesome without Will to play with her.”

  Mandy returned to her seat. “Are you going to give up selling real estate after the new baby comes?”

  “I don’t know. I probably should. Drake wants me to, but I worked so hard putting that business together. I hate to give it up when it’s just now starting to be the company I always wanted it to be.”

  “I know what you mean. Pic isn’t happy with my continuing to coach and teach. I’m sure you know he wanted me to quit. In that friggin’ prenuptial agreement I signed, I agreed to, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to resign. I feel like I’m doing something important at the school and I don’t want to stop.”

  “You’ve accomplished a lot and done something to be proud of. I’m sure they need you. I can see it would be hard to walk off from it.”

  “It’s more than that. I feel like I have more in common with those struggling families whose kids I teach than I do the Lockharts. Sometimes I think it’s as simple as me not being cut out to be a rich man’s wife.”

  “Mandy, come on. You let money become an issue.”

  “And how do I ignore it when I’m surrounded by it? My God, money and the fear of kidnapping and ransom are the reasons we all have to have bodyguards. That never bothers you?”

  “If I let myself think about it at all, I consider what might happen if we didn’t have them. I still remember that wreck up in Fort Worth. I try to focus on my business and leave everything else to Drake.

  “That aside, you have to admit there are definitely more positives than negatives to being married to someone like the Lockhart brothers. Drake and Pic are wonderful men. And as far as I can tell, so is Troy. I’m in love with Drake. That would be true even if he had only two nickels in his pocket. He’s the only man I’ve ever been in love with.”

  Mandy drew a deep sniff and toyed with a thread at the wrist of her sweater.

  “Come on, now. You’ve probably got the holiday blues,” Shannon said. “You’re probably upset because you and Pic have had a fight at Christmas. You’ll make up. He’s been in love with you forever, Mandy.”

  “That’s a nice thought, but I think he still loves his former wife more than he’ll ever love me.”

  “I’m sure that isn’t true,” Shannon said.

  Mandy looked up. “Ask your husband. If he’s honest, he’ll tell you it is true. Pic will go to his grave in love with Lucianne Shepler. She’s a cowgirl, you know. Pic got acquainted with her because she needed a horse and he gave her one.”

  “Wow. Until knowing this family, I’ve never been around people to whom horses were such a big deal.”

  “It’s been that way as long as I’ve known them,” Mandy replied. “You’ll offend everyone if you don’t make it a point to go to the barn and look at Dandy Little Lady. When you consider the breeding, the coddling and the endless hours of training, they’ve got a fortune tied up in that horse”

  Shannon laughed. “Right now, I don�
�t think I have any business in the barn.”

  “Pic told me you didn’t go to the World Finals and watch the big win.”

  “I would have, but I knew I’d be too uncomfortable sitting in those seats, not to mention the walking and the stairs. Sometimes, this kid I’m carrying feels like a baby elephant. But usually, I do enjoy watching. Going with Drake is fun. He knows so much about it and he’s good to explain everything. He said you didn’t go either.”

  “I’ve quit going to those horse shows. I don’t have the time, really. I’ve watched him and Kate dozens of times in dozens of shows. To me, one performance looks just like another. Besides that, the cutting horse world is too esoteric for me. I have nothing in common with that cutting horse crowd.”

  Esoteric. Another word Shannon never heard in everyday conversation. Sometimes she needed a dictionary to talk to her sister-in-law.

  “Of course you do. You’re married into a family that’s a big part of it.”

  “But that doesn’t make me a member.” She shrugged. “It was strictly the siblings and Bill Junior watching this year. One strategically placed bomb could have wiped out the whole Lockhart dynasty. This year, it was more passionate than usual, I think. Months, even years, in advance, Troy planned on winning. Apparently, Dandy Lady was the perfect horse.”

  Seeking comfort, Shannon placed a fancy decorative pillow behind her back.

  “Are you feeling okay?” Mandy asked.

  “I feel great. My back has bothered me a little this time is all.”

  “Middle of February, huh?”

  “That’s what the doctor said, but I feel like it could be sooner.”

  “I cannot believe how Drake has taken to being a father. Seeing him with Will is just ... well, strange. I, for one, thought I’d never see the day.” Mandy picked up her mug and sipped. “I suppose most men go a little nutty over having a son.”

  “He’s crazy about Will, but we would have been just as happy if the new baby was a girl. The most important thing is to have a healthy child.”

  “Oh, I agree,” Mandy said.

  Shannon’s backache persisted. She shifted in the chair again and pressed a hand against her lower back.

  A wary look came from her sister-in-law. “Are you sure you’re okay? Forgodsake, don’t have a medical emergency here. We’re a long way from civilization and midwifery isn’t one of my long suits.”

  Shannon chuckled. “I’m fine, I’m fine.”

  “Why didn’t tell me you’re expecting again? We’re family. I thought we were pals. We’ve talked on the phone, even seen each other several times in the last few months and you’ve never said a word.”

  Uh-oh. Hurt feelings. Shannon’s brow pulled into a tent. “We are pals, Mandy. Of course, we are. There’s no special reason we didn’t tell everyone. First, I thought we shouldn’t say anything until I went to the doctor and got the official word. I was so shocked when I first did the test at home, I wasn’t sure it was real.

  “Then Drake wanted us to wait until we knew the baby’s sex. That date passed and he thought we should wait until we came down here for Christmas. So, here we are. Please don’t feel slighted.”

  “Oh, I don’t. I know Drake has to be in control of everything that happens. I can’t imagine what it must be like to live with him. So you didn’t intend to get pregnant so soon after Will? Did he lose that control or what?”

  Damn her. The answer to that question was none of her business, family or not. “Well, we...we, uh, didn’t plan it. But we didn’t not plan it either. ... Mandy, what’s this about? Are you mad at Drake? At me?”

  “Why would I be mad?” She looked down into her mug. “Did you, uh ... mention to him what I asked you to?”

  Okay, if she wasn’t mad, she might be envious. “A couple days ago. We closed the deal on the winery in Stephenville on Wednesday and we discussed it in the car, all the way down there.”

  “Do you think he’s had time to say anything to Pic?”

  “Probably not. Everything’s been so busy since we talked ab out it. I should tell you though, he might not bring it up to Pic. He said he’s reluctant to insert himself into something so personal.”

  “Why? He inserts himself into everything else.” She made a silly laugh that Shannon saw as glaringly phony. “Actually, I’m hoping now that he doesn’t say anything. You might pass that on if you get a chance.”

  “Okay, if that’s what you want. But why?”

  “Pic and I had a really nasty fight Tuesday night. It was awful. He said some things—” She stopped, shook her head and dabbed at one eye with her napkin. “After what he said, I don’t even want to have kids now. Maybe I won’t ever. At least, not with him.”

  “Mandy. You don’t mean that.”

  “He finally admitted a family is not high on his list and might never be. Far be it from me to force any man to do something he doesn’t want to do. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about it myself since then. Bill Junior’s latest disappearing escapade sort of brought my situation here into focus. I think I haven’t adapted very well to living on this ranch or for that matter, to living in this family.”

  “Why do you say that? You’ve known Pic and this family your whole life.”

  “But knowing them isn’t the same as living with them. Haven’t you ever heard that old saying, you never live with the man you marry?”

  Just then, Johnnie Sue opened the door and stuck her head into the room. “The boys are back.”

  Shannon got to her feet, glad to escape this conversation and eager to tell Drake about the phone call on the housekeeper’s phone. “I’d better check on Will,” she said and walked out of the room, not giving her sister-in-law an opportunity for more of a conversation that had grown more uncomfortable by the minute.

  She caught up with Drake at the coffee urn. He immediately handed Will over to her. “I think he needs a new diaper.”

  So change him, she wanted to say, but bit her tongue. She stood him on the floor. “Did he pick out a horse? I hope it was a small one.”

  Drake laughed. “Not yet, but he wasn’t the least bit afraid. In fact, he wanted to climb on old Suzy’s back.”

  “Suzy’s a horse? I hope you had a good grip on him. You didn’t let him ride her—”

  “Kate wanted to take him for a ride, but I wouldn’t let her. Here, let me show you Will and Suzy.” He unclipped his phone and showed a picture of Will placing a kiss on a docile horse’s face. Drake was obviously proud of his son. Shannon angled a dubious look up at him.

  Drake’s mouth was still tipped into a wide grin. “He’ll be able to go for a ride soon.”

  Shannon ignored that. Thank God the horse adventure was over for the time being. “Walk to bedroom with me. I want to get him out of this coat and change his pants and I have something to tell you.”

  Chapter 24

  Shannon and Drake paced themselves to Will’s waddling gait. He was barely walking. Once they closed the bedroom door, Shannon lifted him, laid him in the middle of the bed and began to undress him. “Do you remember the night we met?” she said to Drake.

  He came to her side. “Of course I remember,” he said softly. “How could I forget one of my most life-changing moments?”

  “You thought I was with Jordan Palmer.”

  “I remember that, too. What about it?”

  “You never told me how well you knew him. All I’ve ever heard about him is you don’t like him and you had a fight with him because he stalked your little sister.”

  Freed of the confines of clothing, Will’s chubby legs bicycled and he squirmed and fretted. “Watch him while I go get a washcloth,” she said to Drake and started for the bathroom.

  “That was years ago,” Drake said.

  She returned from the bedroom with a wet cloth and began to wash Will’s bottom. “What would you think if I told you he called Johnnie Sue on her cell phone. Today. Just a little while ago.”

  “Why?” Drake asked. “Does she know h
im? And how do you know he called her?”

  She looked up at her husband. He was standing there, hands on his hips, watching her. She related the short scene in the kitchen with the housekeeper’s phone, stuffing Will into clean clothes as she talked. “I don’t know why. Do you think it could be the same Jordan Palmer you and I both know?”

  Drake cut her a sharp look and stood there a few seconds, saying nothing. She could almost see gears grinding behind his eyes. “Jesus Christ,” he said all at once. “She’d been working here only a short time when Kate’s barn burned.”

  He picked up Will and propped him on his hip. “Come on.” He grabbed her hand and started out of the suite, towing her behind him.

  “Drake. Wait. Where are we going?”

  They barged into the den. Troy, Pic and Kate, were sprawled on the sofa and chairs visiting and drinking coffee. Startled, they all came to attention.

  “Where’s Dad and Mandy?” Drake asked curtly.

  Pic stood. “Dad was here a few minutes ago. He just stepped out. I don’t know where Mandy is. What’s up?”

  Drake handed Will over to Shannon. “Keep an eye on the hallway,” he ordered. “Make sure this conversation is private.”

  “Uh, okay.” Carrying Will, Shannon walked over to the door and opened it slightly, giving her a view of the hallway.

  “When did Johnnie Sue go to work here?” Drake asked the room.

  “Don’t ask me,” Troy answered. “I left one day and when I came back she was here.”

  “I don’t remember exactly,” Pic said.

  Kate rose from her seat on the end of the long sofa and planted her hands on her hips. “I do. It was the summer before you and Shannon got married.”

  “Three years ago?”

  Now all of them were standing, but Kate was the only one who spoke up. “You probably don’t remember, but after Mom left and before Johnnie Sue came along, Dad and Pic never could keep a housekeeper very long. That job was kind of like a revolving door.”