“Because they both spent their summer at a horseback riding camp. If you say that word, they’ll take off. They’re trained that way.”
Ivy’s eyes widened. “We certainly do not want that.” She was nervous enough just sitting on the horse. Trotting would be terrifying. “Thanks for the tip, Thomas.”
“No problem. Dad and I will be waiting with the trailer at the other end of the parade route. We’ll help you dismount there.”
Thomas picked up the step stool and disappeared, along with Ivy’s sense of security. “How long is the parade route again?”
Blake laughed. “About a mile. We’re going down Main Street, then turning onto Second Avenue. It isn’t that long of a trip, even for a beginner.”
“Okay,” she said, leaning down to pat Willow’s neck. “You’re a good girl. We’re going to make it through this together. I’ll give you a big, juicy apple when we’re done, okay?”
Willow snorted and shook her mane. Ivy took that as a binding agreement. Hopefully the horse would keep her end of the bargain. Ivy would buy her a whole bag of apples at the Piggly Wiggly if she made it through this parade unscathed.
“Here we go,” Blake said.
Ivy looked up in time to see the mayor’s car turn onto Main Street and the marching band start off. She gazed down at the back of the horse’s neck with dismay. How did she start this thing again? Oh yes, squeeze gently with her legs. Ivy applied a tiny amount of pressure and Willow slowly started making her way across the parking lot.
“Good girl,” Ivy said encouragingly. Blake was right beside her as they reached the edge of the lot. “I didn’t ask how to turn.”
“Gently pull the reins to the left and press in with your right leg.”
“There’s not a blinker, is there?” she asked with a nervous chuckle. Willow turned with Angus by her side and they merged into the parade proper.
The streets were lined with people. Everyone had come out today to watch the parade. Ivy remembered seeing it as a child and how special it seemed. It was a big event for Rosewood. She remembered thinking that the Miss Rosewood winner always looked like a fairy princess with her sparkling tiara and puffy gown. She loved watching the fire truck go by with its lights flashing and a Dalmatian barking from the cab. She would wave frantically at her dad as the band marched past them. Her mom always bought her popcorn from the street vendor to eat while she watched.
Those were great memories. It was kind of funny to think that now she was in the parade as a special guest. She’d ridden on a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but somehow this was more important.
“Don’t forget to smile and wave,” Blake reminded her.
She had been so distracted by her thoughts and controlling the horse that she wasn’t doing either. Ivy smiled her biggest smile and held the reins in one hand while she waved at the people lining the streets. Willow seemed content to plod along at a snail’s pace, and for that, Ivy was thankful. They had a straight shot past the courthouse.
The crowd got denser as they reached the square. Ivy could pick out a couple of the photographers from LA mixed in with the residents and visitors. She smiled and waved just like she was supposed to. Hopefully that would be a good shot to promote the concert and the fund-raiser. Nothing scandalous. Nothing embarrassing.
And then she heard it.
There was a loud bang and a flash of light near the ground. Her heart leaped in her chest just as the horse leaped beneath her.
Ivy clung to the horse for dear life as Willow reared back onto her hind legs and whinnied loudly. She managed to stay on as they came back to the pavement, but the relief was short-lived. The moment Willow’s hooves hit the ground, she took off like a shot.
Heading straight for the marching band.
It all happened so fast. Blake wasn’t entirely sure what it was. There was a loud banging sound, like a BB gun or a firecracker going off. He managed to keep control of Angus, who was startled by the sound, but Ivy wasn’t so lucky. Her horse reared back, then bolted.
Thinking fast, Blake immediately gave chase. Angus had been restless at the slow parade pace and was all too pleased to run after Ivy. Her horse swerved at the last second, narrowly missing a tuba player, before shooting down the open gap between the band and the sidewalk. The band stopped playing and fell out of formation as they ran out of Ivy’s way. The shouts of the crowd and the startled musicians couldn’t drown out Ivy’s alternating cries of “Shit!,” “Stop!,” and “I’m sorry!”
Unfortunately, the louder she screamed, the faster her horse seemed to go. Thomas had underplayed Willow’s skittishness to the detriment of Ivy and everyone in her path.
Blake followed quickly behind, being careful not to trample anyone in the process as people panicked and ran in every direction. There were so many people around, and quite a few were seated on the curb with their legs in the street.
At the front of the marching band, Ivy’s horse cut across the parade route. She ran toward the unsuspecting parade marshals holding the ROSEWOOD MARCHING BAND banner. Willow leaped over the sign while Ivy desperately tried to keep from falling off.
Willow plowed ahead, scattering a group of clowns and sending a candied apple vendor and his cart crashing to the ground. She finally made a break for the green lawns surrounding the courthouse and the library.
Ivy’s screams of “Whoa!” mixed with those of the people in her path as her horse charged at full speed. Blake had to give her credit—she couldn’t control the horse, but she hadn’t fallen off it, either. Blake kicked Angus into high gear once they came to an open space, and he pulled up alongside Ivy. He reached out to take Willow’s reins and tried pulling her to a stop, but she wasn’t having it.
“Reach for me!” Blake yelled, wrapping his arms around Ivy’s waist. She clung to his neck as he gave a sharp tug that pulled her out of her saddle and dropped her into his lap. Willow bolted without her rider, but Blake no longer cared. He slowed Angus to a stop and turned all his focus on Ivy.
She was red-faced and shaking like a leaf. “I am never, ever riding a horse again,” she said with a nervous chuckle before she fell apart. She buried her face in his shirt as he held her, her tears soaking through the fabric. He held on tight, rubbing his palm over her hair and murmuring soothing words.
“Are you okay?” he asked at last.
“Yes,” she said, looking up at him with large, glassy eyes. She swallowed hard, her expression softening. “You saved me.”
Ivy surged forward, her lips meeting his before he could answer her. She clung to him, the combination of fear, adrenaline, and relief bursting out of her as an undeniable need. Their kiss in the Ferris wheel had been a gentle kiss, a reacquainting kiss. This one was completely different.
He met her eagerness measure for measure. His own heart had been in his throat as he watched her on that horse, terrified she might be seriously injured. Now a heat surged through his veins, racing as quickly as the horses had a moment ago. Knowing she was safe and in his arms filled him with the need to possess her. Protect her.
Blake held her tight against him, unable to get her close enough. He tasted her, drinking her in, grateful he had the chance to do it once again. Fate had very nearly stolen his opportunity to be with Ivy. He had almost felt it being ripped away from him when he saw her horse bolt. He wasn’t about to let another minute go by without seizing his chance.
He didn’t want to let her go. It was only the approaching chaos that pulled them apart. They separated, still looking in each other’s eyes as they breathed heavily.
“Tonight,” she whispered, then quickly buried her face in his shirt.
A hundred concerned people came running, all shouting and clamoring at once about what had happened. With them, of course, were all the reporters. He didn’t know whether they’d caught a picture of the kiss, but he didn’t care about that. Let t
hem post it. He far preferred that to photos of Ivy on the runaway horse or the trembling aftermath. He wasn’t going to let them take her picture while she was so upset. She was terrified, and she had every right to be. Someone, including her, could’ve been seriously injured or killed. This was no joke.
He bent his head and whispered into her ear, “Just keep close to me and no one can take your picture.”
She nodded against him, still shuddering with adrenaline in his arms. It roused a protectiveness in him that he wasn’t used to feeling for many people. It made him want to round up his brothers and his shotgun and get to the bottom of what had just happened.
With perfect timing Grant came running up, having leaped from the fire truck to come to his brother’s aid. Blake looked at his brother with a stern expression that made his displeasure quite obvious. The truck had been right behind them, so one of the firemen might have seen what happened.
“Grant, can you help her down?”
“Sure.” Grant held out his arms and eased Ivy back onto the solid earth. Blake followed, swinging his leg over to dismount Angus. He gave the horse a pat as he came around and wrapped Ivy in his arms again.
“What spooked the horse?” he asked.
Grant leaned in to speak where the rest of the gathering crowd couldn’t hear them. “I was hanging on the back, but Mack was driving the truck. He said he saw someone toss a firecracker into the street in front of her horse.”
“Are you serious?” Blake had been right about the sound.
Grant nodded. “Who would do that kind of thing? They ruined the whole parade and someone could’ve gotten hurt.”
Especially Ivy. The thought brought an ominous suspicion to mind. Blake scanned the crowds, looking for one face in particular. A bunch of people were standing around, not sure what to do with themselves. A couple were consoling the crying Miss Rosewood for the loss of her glorious moment. Parents were searching out their children from the marching band. He didn’t see Lydia anywhere, despite her brother and Mr. Whittaker running up from their truck. That was a start. He wanted to talk to them privately.
“Grant, could you take Ivy to your car and get her out of here?”
“Sure thing.”
“Ivy, Grant’s going to take you home. I’m going to figure out what happened. I’ll call you later and check on you, okay?”
“Okay,” Ivy said. She took a deep breath, wiping away her tears. She was no longer flushed, but she looked relieved to have an exit strategy.
Grant put his arm around Ivy’s shoulder and escorted her across the lawn to his car. The crowds stayed back, with a few stray cameramen snapping shots as they left.
Blake turned on his heel and walked over to where Thomas and his father were standing. When Thomas saw him, his eyes went wide with panic.
“I’m so sorry, Coach. I don’t know what got into Willow.”
Mr. Whittaker put a hand on his son’s shoulder. “She’s never done that before, Blake. She gets a little startled by loud noises, but she’s never reared back or bolted like that. I’m not sure what happened.”
“Mack said he saw someone throw a firecracker into the street in front of them.”
Mr. Whittaker’s eyes widened and he nodded sadly. “That might’ve done it. Who would do such a thing?”
“Have you seen your daughter, Mr. Whittaker?”
The older man opened his mouth to speak, then his brow knit and he paused. Turning to Thomas, he said, “Catch Willow and put her in the truck before something else spooks her.” When his son jogged off after the filly and was out of earshot, he spoke again. “I haven’t seen her today,” he said slowly. “Why do you ask?”
“She and I had a discussion last night that she didn’t like. It involved Ivy.”
Mr. Whittaker frowned. “Lydia is a headstrong girl and she knows what she wants, but I don’t think she’d do something like that. She and Ivy were best friends in grade school.”
“Perhaps she was just playing a prank to embarrass Ivy and the horse was more skittish than she anticipated.”
“I don’t know, Blake. I’m sorry I can’t be more help.”
Blake turned his back on the older man and the horses. He ignored everyone as he traced back over Willow’s path, crossing the street and stopping near Ellen’s Diner. Most of the people who had been here only minutes ago had gone.
He stopped on the sidewalk right where they were when the horse took off. They’d just crossed through the intersection. There was a black smear on the pavement with the faint paper remnants of a firecracker left behind. From where he was standing, it would’ve been easy to toss the firecracker, then turn and disappear into the back door of the diner.
Lydia’s family owned Ellen’s. The people who worked there would think nothing of Lydia popping in.
Blake walked around to the front entrance. There were only a few hard-core coffee drinkers at the counter; otherwise the place was empty.
“Hey, there, Blake,” Ruth greeted him. “Did something happen with the parade? It seemed to end pretty quickly.”
“There was a float malfunction,” Blake said.
“Well, that’s a shame. Can I get you something to eat?”
“No, thanks, Ruth. You haven’t seen Lydia recently, have you?”
“Well, you’re in luck. I have. She’s in the kitchen helping Fred with a new dish we’re adding as a special. Go on back,” she said with a smile.
“Thanks.” Blake slipped quietly through the door into the kitchen. He found Lydia with the diner’s cook, Fred. They were discussing some kind of sauce to go with chicken.
Lydia looked up a moment later, her eyes widening with a touch of fear as she realized Blake was in her kitchen. Blake pointed to the back door, leaving no question that they were going to have a chat right now.
“You work on getting that sauce reduced. I’ve got to step out a minute.” Lydia took off her apron and went out the back door with Blake on her heels.
By the time the door shut, Lydia was smiling and looking completely innocent. Blake wasn’t falling for that. “Is there something wr—” she started.
“Don’t even try it,” Blake interrupted with a pointed finger in her face. “I know it was you. If you won’t admit to it then have the good sense to keep your mouth shut and let me talk. You’re damn lucky no one got hurt. Ivy could’ve fallen off the horse. A child could’ve been trampled under the hooves. You were raised around horses; you should know that better than anyone else. A million things could’ve gone wrong, but everyone is okay. If that wasn’t the case, I’d have your ass arrested right now.”
Lydia stood looking quietly solemn but not at all contrite. He didn’t expect her to. She always felt her actions were justified somehow.
“I’m going to assume this was a onetime transgression that will never happen again, and as such, I’m not going to tell anyone about it. But if you lay a finger on Ivy ever again, I’ll see to it that the entire town knows what kind of person you really are. I thought you were just a catty, jealous bitch, but you’ve crossed a line. See to it that you don’t cross it again.”
Without waiting for her response, Blake turned on his heel and headed for his truck.
Chapter Thirteen
“You look amazing.”
Ivy barely heard Blake’s compliment over her own snorts of laughter. The stress and drama of the day melted away in an instant. Blake’s tuxedo looked amazingly awful on him. “Where did you find that thing?”
“My dad was the best man in a formal wedding in 1984.” Blake held out his arms and did a little spin on Ivy’s front steps. “What do you think?”
“I think I’ve never seen you look like that before.” And she hadn’t. The tuxedo was a pale gray, almost silver. The jacket was cut high in the front, about at the waist, with tails in the back. It had a dark blue cummerbund and matching
bow tie. “You even got matching accessories to go with my dress.”
“I rented that part from the formal wear store in Gadsden. I didn’t even know you could still get a cummerbund, but the lady had some in the back.”
“Nice touch.”
“Just wait until you see Grant, though. His suit makes me look chic.”
“I can’t wait to see it.” Ivy looked him up and down, a smile spreading across her face. “Speaking of your brother, thanks for having him take me home this morning. I really just wanted to get out of there. It was so humiliating.”
Blake had a strange expression on his face when she spoke. He seemed almost irate, yet embarrassed at the same time. “It wasn’t your fault, Ivy. Very few people could’ve controlled a horse that was scared that badly.”
“Grant seemed to think someone in the crowd startled her.” Ivy shook her head. “I bet those are the last horses they ever have in the parade,” she said. “And the last time they have me in it, for certain.”
“I doubt that. They’ll invite the horses back,” he said with a chuckle. “This is for you.” He held up the clear box with the corsage. He opened it and pulled out the white roses, bundled with a white elastic band.
Ivy held out her hand and let him slip the corsage onto her wrist. Just looking at it brought back a wave of nostalgia for that night with Blake. It had been an amazing night for her. They were crowned the prom king and queen. They danced for hours to their favorite songs. And when the dance was over, they took a blanket out by Willow Lake and made love for the first time.
Remembering that moment brought a sudden flush to her cheeks. History might very well repeat itself if their heated kiss this morning was any indication. She’d promised him tonight and she meant it. There was nothing quite like a brush with death to reorganize your priorities. In the moments after he saved her, that was all she wanted. His touch, his kiss, his hands on her body. There was no reason to deny what they both wanted any longer.
“That’s very sweet,” she said, hoping he didn’t notice her reaction. “You didn’t have to do that, you know.”
Facing the Music Page 16
