The Lucky Heart

by Devney Perry

  Behind me, Silas grumbled. I wasn’t sure if it was because he didn’t want to talk to his mom or because I was leaving. I crossed my fingers for the latter. Regardless, I ignored him and went to the living room to collect my new gloves. I hated to leave before Silas and I could continue where we’d left off, but I didn’t want to stand in the way of him and his family working through their issues, especially before Christmas.

  “Have a merry Christmas,” I said and waved good-bye. Olivia waved back while Silas followed me to the door. “Thanks for the gift.”

  “You too.” His hands were planted on his hips. “Sorry.”

  “It’s fine. You guys should visit.”

  “Yeah. It’s probably for the best. I told you that we’d take this slow.”

  “Slow. Uh-huh.” I fought a lip curl. “So, I guess I’ll see you on New Year’s Day for skijoring?”

  He nodded. “I’ll text you the details.”

  “That gives me a week to figure out what skijoring actually is.”

  “Wait. You don’t know?” I shook my head and he smirked. “Do me a favor and don’t look it up. I want to see your face when you see what it is.”

  I gave him a sideways glance but agreed. “Okay.”

  “Merry Christmas.” He bent down to brush his lips across my cheek.

  I winked before walking out the door to my car. With my new gloves in hand and tingles on my cheek, it was shaping up to be a very merry Christmas.

  Silas

  “That didn’t take you long,” Mom said as I closed the door behind Felicity.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I turned around and crossed my arms.

  “She’s been back for, what, a month or two? And she’s already here?”

  “How is that a problem?”

  She sighed. “It’s not for me. You know I’ll support you in whatever you decide, but your father is going to explode over this. He blames her for a lot, you leaving for the army, that rough patch we went through while you were gone. He’s not going to like seeing her here.”

  “That’s ridiculous. It wasn’t her fault. I’ve told you both that a hundred times. I was considering the army before she—”

  “—broke your heart?”

  I scrubbed a hand over my face. “That was a long time ago, Mom.”

  “I know but we remember what you were like that week after she left. I’ll never forget how lost and shattered you looked. Then you left and we didn’t know if you’d ever come home.” Her voice cracked and her eyes welled.

  “I’m sorry, Mom.” I walked close and pulled her in for a hug. “I never meant to hurt you guys but I needed to get away.”

  “I understand. It was just a scary time for us. A lot of sons didn’t come home back then and you’re all we have.”

  “I know.” Mom and Dad had tried for more kids after I was born, but after two miscarriages, they’d stopped.

  “Your dad loves you, Silas. He wants only the best for you. To him, she’s not it.”

  I let her go and ran a hand through my hair. “Why?” How could he harbor such resentment toward Felicity? He didn’t even know her.

  She shook her head. “He’s got his reasons.”

  “Reasons,” I scoffed. “Are these the same reasons why he’s so damn determined to fight with me on everything too?”

  “You know how he feels about change.”

  “Yeah,” I muttered. “I know.” Dad was a stubborn old mule.

  “Just be prepared. This ongoing battle is going to get a whole lot worse when he learns that you’re chasing her again.” She pointed to the door.

  “If I can get over it, why can’t he? She was eighteen years old, Mom.”

  “I’m not saying you’re wrong and he’s right. Just be sure she’s the one.”

  “I am.” I’d never been so sure of anything else. Felicity was mine, even if she didn’t know it yet.

  “Then I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

  “I’d appreciate that.”

  “Get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning.” She kissed my cheek before walking out.

  Mom was right. Son of a bitch. Dad would be relentless in his attacks against Felicity. He needed somewhere to point his finger and he’d pick her. But Lis was tough. She could take it.

  At least I hoped so.

  I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else than the Lucky Heart. This is where I wanted to raise my family and where I’d always pictured growing old. But if Dad drove Felicity away, he’d be seeing my back too.

  Because no matter where she ran, I’d be racing right after her.

  Whatever skijoring was, it was popular. The parking lot at the Jamison County Fairgrounds was packed. There were more cars than I’d ever seen here, including the busy nights I remembered from the county’s summer fair and carnival.

  Though it had been akin to torture, I had done as Silas had asked and not looked up anything about skijoring this past week. I was assuming that the activity would be outdoors, so I had dressed in warm layers for the event even though the midmorning sun was shining brightly. Silas had warned me that the tournament would last through most of the day, so with my light gray beanie and matching mittens, I’d be prepared for the cooler temperatures of late afternoon.

  Giving my hair one last primp in the rearview mirror, I swiped on another coat of lip gloss before making my way toward the arena. People were flowing toward the main entrance but I veered off to the left and into the lot designated for participants, where Silas had asked me to meet him.

  Having no clue what to expect, I was shocked to see the staging lot full of large trucks and horse trailers. All of the men wandering around were bundled up in Western winter gear that consisted of canvas jackets, chaps and cowboy hats. Half of the men in the lot were leading around horses. The other half were carrying skis.

  I’d never find Silas in the maze of trailers and trucks so I pulled out my phone. “Hi. I’m here. Where are you?”

  “By my truck. I’ll come find you.”

  “Okay. I’m by the entrance.”

  I stood and people watched, enjoying the bustle and excitement of the crowd, until my eyes caught on a breathtaking sight. Silas came striding my way, dressed in the same fashion as everyone else, except that he looked nothing like the other men.

  His black cowboy hat made the line of his jaw appear more pronounced and kissable. The emerald green silk scarf he’d wrapped around his throat made the color of his eyes more vibrant. His chaps hugged his powerful thighs while revealing his jeans underneath at the front and waist.

  I swayed a little as I took him in until I realized—oh my god—I was staring at his penis like a drooling fool. But the way the denim creased as he walked hinted at the magnitude of what was beneath. I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

  Stop staring at his penis, Felicity!

  My eyes darted to his face just in time to see a sexy grin spread across his mouth. I waved and walked his way, hoping that my face wasn’t as red as it felt and that he hadn’t caught me ogling his package.

  I’d never had a thing for cowboys before, and even though Silas was as cowboy as they came, he rarely dressed the part. But from now on, whenever I needed a happy thought, I was picturing him exactly like this.

  Silas the Cowboy was off-the-charts sexy.

  “Hi, there.” My words came out breathy and heated.

  “Hi.” He bent to brush his lips against my cheek and my stomach fluttered. We hadn’t seen each other since Christmas Eve and the tingles from his kiss that night had just been starting to fade. Luckily, now I had them back.

  “I’m just getting prepped. Nick should be here soon and then we can go in. Come hang out?”

  I nodded and his gloved hand reached out and captured mine, pulling me by his side through the busy crowd. As we weaved between trailers and trucks, I saw a few familiar faces but mostly new ones. Silas, on the other hand, seemed to know everyone on the path to his truck.

  “Is this a guy-only thin
g?” I hadn’t seen a single woman dressed like she was going to participate.

  “No. There’s three or four female teams competing. Tina, the waitress from the café? Her team won the whole damn thing last year. She’s probably going to beat us all again and then never let us live it down.”

  “Good for her.” I smiled and decided I was going to cheer for her to come in second place behind Silas and Nick.

  “Do you want to meet my horse?” he asked.

  A horse? “Um, okay.” Contrary to popular belief, not all Montanans had experience with horses. Having grown up in town, my exposure had been limited, and because of their size, I had always been a bit intimidated by the pretty animals. My admiration had been from afar.

  “Stay here.” He opened the back door on the trailer and ducked inside. I shifted nervously from one foot to the other when the trailer shook and loud footsteps thundered from inside. Silas came out with a tall horse at his back. “Lis, meet Courage.”

  Courage was as beautiful a horse as I’d ever seen. His buckskin coat was smooth and thick. His black mane sleeked down one side of his neck, while his matching tail swished up in the air.

  “Hello, Courage.” I leaned back when he got close. His black eyes seemed to stare right through me and I was certain they could see my fear.

  “Don’t be scared,” Silas said. “Come here.” He held out a hand and I hesitantly stepped to his side.

  After pulling off one of my mittens, he took my hand in his and held it up to Courage’s nose. The horse sniffed my palm, then huffed out a hot breath on my skin, making me flinch and yank my hand back.

  “Easy,” he said. “Just go easy. Try petting him right here.” Silas lifted my hand again and gently showed me how to stroke the soft hair on Courage’s round cheek. “Good?”

  “You tell me. I don’t have much experience around horses.”

  He smiled. “Don’t worry. We’ll fix that soon.”

  I smiled back. The prospect of Silas teaching me about horses was something I was suddenly looking forward to, not that my excitement was really about the horses. As long as I got to be with him, he could teach me about the proper way to shovel shit and I’d love it.

  When my petting was done, I eased away from the horse. Silas began saddling Courage and I took the opportunity to check him out again.

  Those chaps? Damn. I wasn’t sure if the front view or the back view was better. They sat in just the right place to highlight the curves of his behind.

  “Felicity!” I begrudgingly turned away from the view. Emmeline waved as she and Nick walked my way.

  “This is going to be epic,” Nick said after we’d all exchanged hellos.

  Emmeline rolled her eyes. “Epically ridiculous. You’re going to hurt yourself trying to compete against twenty-year-olds. Felicity, can you believe that they’re going to—”

  “Don’t tell her!” Silas shouted from the side of the horse trailer. “She has no idea what skijoring is and I want to see her face when she figures it out.”

  “Seriously?” Nick asked.

  “Yep. It’s taken every ounce of my willpower not to Google it the minute I showed up and saw the horses.”

  Emmeline and Nick shared a look, then both burst out laughing.

  Twenty minutes later, Emmeline and I followed Silas, leading Courage, and Nick, carrying snow skis, toward the arena.

  “How are you so calm?” Emmeline asked. “I hate surprises. I’d be freaking out right now.”

  “Years of practice,” I said. “Jess and all his friends, including Silas, used to love nothing more than to torment me. One of their favorite things to do was tell me we were doing one thing and then surprise me with something completely different. I had no choice but to learn to just go with it. That’s what Silas always told me. ‘Just go with it.’ ”

  She shook her head. “That sounds like my personal nightmare.”

  As we approached the gate to the main entrance, Silas handed Courage’s lead rope to Nick. “Be right back.” Wrapping an arm around my shoulders, he steered me through the masses of people shuffling up the ramp and into the stands.

  “When did all of this get added?” I pointed to the tower of bleachers that separated the entrance from the arena itself.

  “A couple of years ago. Between this event and the rodeo, the fairgrounds have been drawing bigger and bigger crowds each year. The county commissioners finally decided that those old wooden benches weren’t going to cut it anymore. Now they even do concerts in the summer.”

  “As long as the band isn’t death metal, they can count on me to come. I love outdoor concerts.”

  “Me too. I’ll bring you to one.”

  As a date? I smiled but didn’t ask.

  We passed a concession stand filled with snacks and a beer garden packed with people before Silas stopped me in front of the chain-link fence that encompassed the arena.

  “That’s skijoring,” he said, poking a finger through one of the holes.

  “Oh my god!” I laughed. “That. Is. Awesome!”

  The arena had been filled with snow, an oval track smoothed in the middle, while large jumps and bumps formed an outer ring.

  “Watch, over there.” Silas pointed toward the shoots and corrals at the far end of the arena where a two-man team was setting up to practice the course. One man was riding his horse while towing a skier on a rope along behind him. The skier went bouncing and flying over the many jumps, trying to stay on his skis, while the horse and rider sped along the center circle.

  When the skier stumbled on the corner and crashed into a stack of hay bales, I knew why Emmeline thought Nick could hurt himself. The poor guy that had just crashed had been going very fast and had fallen very hard.

  “Cheer for me?” Silas asked.

  “You got it. Though I wish I had brought my air horn.”

  Smiling and laughing, we walked back to Nick and Emmeline so the men could get lined up for their own practice run.

  “Shall we go in?” Emmeline asked.

  “Let’s do this.”

  We shuffled up the ramp and then turned to the nearly full stand of bleachers.

  “Felicity! Emmeline!” Up several rows, Gigi and Maisy were waving wildly at us to join them.

  “Hey! Where’s Jess and the kids?” I asked Gigi when I settled onto the cold metal bench next to her.

  “Jess is down there checking in with Milo and Bryant.” Gigi pointed to the arena floor, where my brother was visiting with his uniformed deputies. “And the kids are all at the Holts’ house. Maisy’s mom volunteered to watch them all so we could have some fun.”

  “Nice. I’m so excited. I cannot wait to see this.”

  She smiled. “Me either.”

  “Do you guys want drinks? I was thinking of braving the line at the beer gardens before the guys have their turn.”

  “Water for me,” Emmeline said, rubbing her protruding belly.

  “I want beer,” Maisy said, standing. “I’ll go with you to help carry drinks.”

  “Gigi?” I winked, curious how she’d play this. As far as I knew, no one but me, Jess and Mom knew she was expecting.

  “Water for me. I’m pregnant,” she blurted.

  Maisy and Emmeline started screaming and giving her hugs while I stood back with a wide smile. Gigi and Jess deserved every minute of their happiness.

  Thinking of my brother, I glanced over my shoulder to see him looking back up at us with a grin on his face. No doubt he’d heard the joyous shouts and knew that his wife had spilled their secret.

  “How was Christmas?” I asked Maisy as we walked down the stairs to get our beers.

  “So good. Coby was too little to understand it last year but he was all about it this time around. He got spoiled.”

  “Wait for us!” I stopped on the bottom step and turned to see Gigi and Emmeline carefully descending. “We decided to come with you too. The pregnant women are hungry, go figure.”

  Standing in line at the snack stand, we
chatted and laughed. I was amazed at how much more at ease I felt today than I had during the party at Slater’s Station. I didn’t feel like an outsider with these women because I wasn’t married or didn’t have my own children. Instead, I felt lucky that I was getting to know them and they had pulled me into their tight circle without reserve.

  Today was going to be—what had Nick said?—epic.

  After we’d loaded up on food, we all meandered to the beer garden.

  “Felicity!” Andrea was rushing toward our spot in line.

  Now less epic.

  “Hi.” I was suspicious of the smile on her face.

  Behind me, Gigi muttered, “Eff.”

  “I was hoping to run into you today.” Andrea wrapped me up in an awkward-for-me hug.

  “Uh, okay.” I hadn’t seen her since the night she’d met Tyson, and at any moment, I was expecting her to slap me in the face because I’d set her up with a cheating bastard.

  “I am just so grateful that you introduced me to Tyson,” she said. “I don’t know if you’ve heard or not, but we’re engaged!” She shoved her enormous diamond ring in my face.

  “Congratulations?” I was so shocked that it came out as a question.

  “Can you believe it?” She started bouncing up and down. “It’s all happening so fast but we both feel like we shouldn’t waste any time. I’m moving to Seattle in a couple of weeks so we can plan the wedding. We’re thinking of doing something exclusive in Mexico or Belize.”

  “Well . . . great, I guess. I’m happy for you, Andrea.” If she and Tyson really loved one another, then I sincerely wished them all the best, though I did feel a smidgeon of guilt for not being up front with her about his womanizing ways.

  Should I tell her about him?

  “And I can’t wait to be in the city, where the women aren’t all bitches and sluts.” She aimed a vicious glare over my shoulder at Gigi, Maisy and Emmeline.

  Nope. She can learn all about Tyson the hard way.

  “Well, good luck to you both!” With a saccharine smile, I said good-bye.