By Heart

by Sasha Kay Riley

  Vince had educated her enough on the equestrian world over the years for him to be sure she knew most horses sent to auctions ended up bound for slaughterhouses outside the country.

  “That’s horrible,” Jane declared. “So let’s think of something more positive. Hunter missed seeing you for dinner.”

  “I missed seeing him too,” Vince replied. He finished setting the lock on the back door of the trailer. “And how is that something positive?”

  “Because it means your son loves you,” she answered. “And that you’ve done something awesome that has pulled you away for a while.”

  Vince moved to the side door and stepped in. “I guess that’s true. How’s he doing?”

  “Good. He was excited when I told him he could go to preschool in the fall.”

  He locked the door of the trailer and went to say good night to Xander. “I’m glad he’s happy. Sounds like he’s going to enjoy school more than I ever did.”

  Jane laughed. “He’s going to be a nerd, is what it sounds like. Probably smarter than all four of his parents combined.”

  “I don’t know,” Vince argued. “Dustin’s pretty smart. Definitely a nerd. And I love it.”

  She laughed again. “You guys still watch those educational shows on TV at night?”

  “Usually,” Vince replied. “It’s a good way to learn fun facts so I can someday take on Jeopardy!”

  “Oh yeah? Is that your next big goal?”

  He smiled as he rubbed Xander’s face. “Nah. Maybe him, though. He’s still very curious even after passing the test for his high school equivalency diploma. I guess that’s what happens with kids who have their educations censored their whole lives.”

  “My college roommate was like that,” Jane commented. “Had a very strict upbringing and discovered the real world away from her parents. But she became a party girl, not a nerd filled with forbidden knowledge.”

  Vince snorted. “I don’t need to know.”

  She laughed once more. “Anyway. I’ll let you guys get to sleep. Keep me updated on things.”

  “Will do,” he promised. “You’re on my ‘frequently text’ list.”

  “Oh yeah? Who else is on it?” she asked with a laugh.

  Vince petted Xander once more, then slipped into the living compartment via the door attached to the bathroom—a design he had never truly understood, but it must have made sense to someone. “My dad, of course. Anna to check on the barn and the horses. Cade about media stuff Dustin can’t get to. And really that’s it.”

  “At least I’m part of a small group of closest fans.”

  Vince made sure he left the door open so they could hear if anything weird happened in Xander’s part of the trailer. “I thought you were part of Team Anderson.”

  “Of course I am. Now, have a good night. Be safe. Tell Dustin I said hello. He better text me too.”

  “Will do,” Vince promised again. “Good night to you too.” When he ended the call, Vince sat down at the tiny table with Dustin, who was working on his laptop. “Anything exciting or fun?”

  Dustin smiled at him. “Not really. Same old, same old. People adore you. They still assume we’re married. I told Eve my idea for Mom and the wedding.”

  Vince put an arm around Dustin’s waist. “What did she say?”

  Dustin leaned into his touch. “She actually thinks it’s a good idea. She thinks it’ll show our mom that I really am willing to have her in my life if she’s willing to accept me.”

  “That’s good,” Vince replied. He smiled and kissed Dustin’s cheek. “I hope she comes.”

  Dustin returned the smile and nodded. “Me too.”

  “WOW, THIS place is gorgeous,” Dustin declared as they pulled into the driveway at Mary’s barn.

  “It really is,” Vince agreed.

  The driveway was perfectly paved and lined with palm trees. The sign by the road was clean white and gold, with elegant text and a jumping horse’s silhouette in black. As they drove farther up the driveway, the stable came into view. Two neat white buildings lined with open windows were set on the far side of a looping driveway. There was also a perfect outdoor arena arranged with jumps.

  Mary came out of the first barn and waved to them. After some quick instructions, they unloaded Xander and brought him inside. It was one of the nicest barns Vince had ever been in. The wood was polished, the stalls had clean bars without any spiderwebs, and the floor appeared to be cobbled. Most of the horses called greetings to Xander, who looked around with perked ears and his head high.

  He settled quite quickly into the stall Mary pointed out. He had been to too many shows to be overwhelmed by a new environment, though he was very alert and watched everything around him. At least he wasn’t as nervous as he used to be, thanks to Vince socializing him at every show they’d been to. The shavings were deep and fresh, and there was clean water and hay waiting for him. Vince was comfortable leaving him long enough to get the trailer parked.

  “You can have some space in the tack room as well,” Mary told him. “And the feed room if he has a specific food.”

  “We can just use the trailer,” Vince assured her. She was really making him feel like he was moving in or something.

  She waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. We have three weeks before we ship out.”

  Vince sighed. “Okay. Thank you.”

  “Plus the guesthouse is currently empty,” she added. “So you guys can stay there until we leave and while he’s in quarantine after we get back.”

  Vince glanced at Dustin, who just shrugged. “Whatever you want to do,” Dustin told him. “I’m here to be your sidekick.”

  “I think of you as an equal partner,” Vince replied. “But I suppose we can consider the guesthouse offer. Does it have a full kitchen and a normal-sized bathroom?”

  Mary smiled and glanced over to his trailer, with its obviously small living space. “Yes. It comes with both a kitchen with appliances and a normal bathroom with a bathtub. Plus a living room, basic cable, internet, air-conditioning, a laundry room, and two bedrooms, all furnished. Just in case you’re taking the sidekick thing seriously,” she added with a wink.

  “I don’t know why sidekicks would stay in separate rooms,” Dustin joked. “They obviously exist for nighttime comfort.”

  “I must have read my brother’s Batman comics wrong,” Mary commented thoughtfully. “I’ll need to check those out again with a more open mind. I wonder if he still has them.”

  Vince laughed. “Well, we’ll stay in the guesthouse. We do still have some things to take care of that need an internet connection. Thank you. I hope you have a local grocery store.”

  “Of course,” she assured him. “I can suggest plenty of shopping places for everything. Or you can drive around until you find them. They’re everywhere.”

  “Thank you,” Vince told her once more. “Where do you want me to put the trailer and my truck, and where do we find the guesthouse?”

  THE HOUSE was just as nice as the barn, though the barn was definitely bigger. The appliances all looked very new, the furniture throughout the house was comfortable, and the place was spotlessly clean. They went shopping for basic groceries and settled in for the night. Though the TV didn’t have as many cable channels as they had at home, they still managed to find something they were both willing to watch while they ate a late dinner and checked in with their family and friends to let them all know they had arrived safely.

  In the morning they went back to the barn and looked in on Xander. He was still just as relaxed as he was the night before when they fed him, and he was even lying down in his stall napping when they reached him. When he noticed who was at his door, however, he stood up and stuck his head out to sniff Vince.

  “Morning, buddy,” Vince murmured as he rubbed Xander’s forehead.

  “We’re about to start feeding,” Mary commented from behind them. “Is now a good time for him to eat?”

  Vince nodded. “It’s close to his
usual feeding time. Is there anything we can help with?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” she assured him. “You’re here as guests, not working students. I don’t mind adding one extra horse to the feedings to keep him happy. I’ll leave everything else up to you.”

  “Still,” Vince argued. “We don’t want to take up your space and do nothing in return.”

  Mary sighed. “Okay. I have a couple horses you can ride for me if you’d like.” She turned to Dustin. “Do you ride?”

  “Only western,” Dustin replied. “I’m definitely not good enough to balance in a tiny English saddle.”

  Mary chuckled. “Well, if you want, you can help out around the barn. We can always use help, especially on lesson days. Which today is.”

  “How many lessons do you do?” Vince asked.

  “Depends on the day,” Mary answered. “I have three lessons this morning. I don’t do many in the afternoon this time of year. It’s usually too hot.”

  Vince nodded. “Can I observe?”

  “That’s right,” Mary said with a smile. “You’re planning on taking on students soon. Is that what I heard?”

  “I am,” Vince confirmed. “I would love to be able to watch how others do their lessons while I work on my own program.”

  “Of course. Just don’t steal my students,” she added with a smile.

  Vince laughed. “I promise not to try.”

  “Oh, and I should warn you,” Mary said, almost as if she had actually just remembered something. “Some of my students might be fans of yours already. So you might not need to try to steal them.”

  Vince glanced at Dustin when he heard him laugh. “As long as I don’t distract anyone,” Vince commented. “I wouldn’t want to do that.”

  “I’ll keep them in line for you,” Mary assured him. “Damn girls should know better than to be pining after you.”

  “It’s a pandemic,” Dustin declared. “He’s used to it.”

  Vince gave him a false glare. “And you aren’t helping.”

  Dustin shrugged and flashed his adorable smile. “You love me.”

  “That is unfortunately very true,” Vince teased. He took a step closer and hooked an arm over Dustin’s shoulders.

  “Just do more of that, and you won’t have a problem,” Mary told them with a laugh.

  Vince kissed Dustin’s cheek and smiled. “Maybe.”

  Chapter Ten

  THE NEXT three weeks were an interesting adventure for Vince. He worked with Xander just like he did at home, keeping him in shape and happy. He also rode a few different horses for Mary, which he enjoyed.

  Vince also allowed all of Mary’s students to talk to him if they wanted to. He kept his promise and didn’t try to recruit any of them to become his students, but he answered their questions and even agreed to sign a few autographs, which was something he never expected to be asked to do in his life. He noticed all of Mary’s students seemed like people who genuinely wanted to compete because they loved the sport and the horses, not for fame or glory. He liked that about them. Most of them were in their twenties, but two were older.

  In the meantime, Dustin worked with the stable hands to take care of the property and the horses. Vince told him more than once he was under no obligation to do the work Mary’s paid hands were expected to do. Dustin assured him he wouldn’t let them order him around when he was technically a guest trying to keep boredom at bay.

  They did more paperwork, more shopping, and more planning. Mary even made sure they got all the important things done before they had to leave.

  They made love a few times, despite how weird Vince felt about using someone else’s bed. Dustin convinced him it wasn’t worth worrying about, though. They could wash the sheets themselves, after all. The house had a washer and dryer.

  THEN THE time came for them to go to the team processing event in Texas, which Vince was a little nervous about. There were a ton of people he didn’t know, but thankfully the equestrian team was all together. Vince was glad to have Mary and Dustin with him, especially when his dad texted him before he left with some understandable parental concerns.

  Be careful. Texas isn’t the most friendly place for you guys.

  Vince wasn’t sure if that was a correct statement or not, but he didn’t have much to worry about aside from the airport and bus ride. He was happy to spend two nights in a hotel suite with Dustin, where no expenses seemed to have been spared. He tried to ask Mary or Jason to stay with them, knowing they would be wasting the other perfectly good bed, but there was no need for anyone to change their arrangements last-minute.

  Vince and Dustin stuck close to Mary, but the whole thing was still pretty overwhelming. They were shuffled along through clothes fittings and subjected to questions about what styles of things like shoes and hats and sunglasses they would like. Vince gave Xander’s measurements so he could get his own branded items, of which Vince was particularly happy about the blankets. It seemed he was starting a collection for Xander, thanks to the fact that many shows gave away ones with the name of the show and the year embroidered on it to the winners. Now Xander would have something to show off his Olympic status to the other horses at the barn.

  “So many things,” Dustin whispered at one point. “Holy shit.”

  “I wonder if professional athletes get used to being handed so much stuff all the time,” Vince asked quietly. “I bet the basketball team thinks this is totally normal.”

  “I’m still having fun,” Mary commented, overhearing. “This isn’t my first adventure, but they change it up a little every time. Makes it unique. Keeps us coming back to see what presents we get from these corporations that love advertising from people who just need to wear the things they get for free.”

  “I’m not complaining,” Vince assured her. “I like most of this, that’s for sure.”

  “Good,” Mary replied with a smile. “Because it’s time to get our new riding coats. Come on.”

  THEY HEADED back to Mary’s place the day after the processing event, and Vince was relieved to get away from the excited bustle. He worried briefly that being in Rio would feel like that all the time, but he believed the barn area would be a nice escape. They would be even more secure than usual shows, so only other equestrians, coaches, and grooms would be able to access that area. While away from the barns, he assumed he might encounter rambunctious groups yelling back and forth at each other and doing completely unnecessary “USA” chants, at the barns it would feel like a typical show.

  For Xander’s sake, he certainly hoped so.

  OVER THE course of their stay, Vince asked as many questions as he could think of, putting them to Mary as often as possible. She told him about a typical flight for the horses and how things usually went at the competition venue, all based on her own experience.

  “They probably won’t let grooms into the village,” she explained at one point, “but you should be able to access the groom housing as, technically, an owner and employer.” She gave them a wink.

  “We’ll figure something out,” Dustin said with a shrug. “We usually do.”

  Mary laughed. “I’m sure,” she replied as she walked away from them. “I wish you lots of luck!”

  Vince shook his head. “I don’t know if that was a suggestion or a warning.”

  Dustin put an arm around him. “We’ll see what the rooms and roommate situation are like. But we’ll find some alone time somehow.”

  Vince smiled and kissed his cheek. “We will.”

  THE DAY finally came when the official transporter came to pick up Xander and their equipment. Mary’s horse would be going on a later transport date as their competitions were the last of the equestrian competitions to be run. Allowing Vince and Xander to fly in sooner was another thing Greg had arranged for them. Vince didn’t like the idea of someone other than him transporting Xander, but he reminded himself the professionals knew what they were doing and must be a decent company for the team to have chosen to work with the
m. Surely they wouldn’t allow a company with bad reports to transport such expensive animals. This couldn’t be one with horror stories about unfed horses, dangerous driving practices, or inhumane trailer conditions. Plus the drive was only an hour. Hopefully they would avoid all possible hazards in that time.

  Vince was allowed to follow the semitrailer and help get Xander settled in the quarantine facility. He noticed one other horse already there and thought he recognized it as Jason’s horse, Danny. Greg Dugan was also there, along with the coach of the eventing team.

  “The rest of the eventing horses will arrive over the next few days,” Greg explained. “I’m here to check in on your guy, though.”

  Vince nodded. “Why is it that we’re one of the closest, and we’ll be here the longest?”

  “I may have argued for your ability to get him in early by saying your horse in particular needed time to settle down after travel. It helps the case that he’s a thoroughbred so they believed me . That’s why they decided you needed extra time here to settle.”

  Vince smiled. “If this is the cost of experiencing everything, I’m fine with it. Even if it’s not true. Thank you, by the way.”

  Greg grinned. “Not a problem. We had the space for an add-on.”

  “Well, thank you,” Vince said again.

  VINCE GOT to see Jason not long after checking in with Greg.

  “Congrats on making the team, by the way,” Jason told him when they’d said their polite greetings. “I know I said it over text, but saying it in person is always better.”

  Vince smiled. “Thank you. And congrats to you too. So what do I need to know about Danny?”

  “He flies well,” Jason assured him. He leaned on Danny’s stall door and reached in to pet him when he got close to the bars. “He’s usually a pretty relaxed guy. He’s never panicked on me. He does, however, like to have his stuffed horse to play with.”