by Force, Marie
“No worries. Arnelle told me what was going on. Gave me some time to look around. What a beautiful place you’ve got here.”
“It belongs to my brother-in-law and sister, actually.”
“Your sister is Kate Harrington, right?”
“That’s right.”
His eyes glittered with excitement. “I’m a big fan. I’ve seen her in concert five or six times. She’s fantastic.”
Maggie was never sure how she was supposed to reply when people praised Kate, so she said what she always did. “Thank you. We’re proud of her.”
“You don’t look like her.”
“Nope. I favor my dad, and she’s our mom’s twin. We do have the same eyes, though.” Why was she telling him this stuff when she ought to be asking him how he’d landed in juvie?
“I had a chance to check out the stables, and they’re some of the nicest I’ve ever seen. I’m really looking forward to hearing more about what you have in mind for the equine therapy program.”
This would be a really great time to tell him you can’t hire someone with a criminal record, Maggie. “As you know, most programs focus on children and adults with special needs. Here, it won’t be about that so much as providing therapy and riding lessons to kids who’ve been through traumas and/or suffer from PTSD.”
He nodded, listening intently to everything she said.
Maggie realized he’d begun moving toward the stables, and as if she’d been hypnotized or some such thing, she walked with him without having made the conscious choice to move.
“The kids have been abused, then?”
“Some of them were. Others have seen things that no child should ever see—parents overdosing, fathers beating mothers, mothers beating fathers, among other things that can’t be unseen.” Such as your mother getting hit by a car right in front of you…
“I see. My philosophy is all about building confidence. I tell the kids I work with if you can mount a thousand-pound animal and get him or her to do what you tell them to, you can do anything.” He reached out to scratch the nose of a quarter horse mare named Dandy, who leaned into his caress. “It seems like that approach might be a good fit for the kids in your program.”
It would be perfect. That was exactly what Maggie had dreamed of when she approached Reid and Kate about using a couple of the horses that were boarded at the Matthews estate for a therapeutic riding program. Once she hired someone to oversee the program, each horse would have to be evaluated for temperament and suitability.
Maggie had secured signed releases from the owners of the other horses, allowing them to be used for that purpose if it was determined their temperaments worked for the program. Most of the owners were friends of Reid’s or Ashton’s, so getting permission hadn’t been difficult. In fact, the owners had been thrilled to know that their horses would help to make a difference for kids in need and get regular exercise, too.
“As I mentioned on the phone, it’s important that I work closely with a counselor or therapist to tailor my program to the needs of each child.”
“That’s where I come in,” Maggie said. “My undergraduate degree is in social work, and my master’s is in family counseling.” She’d busted her ass to finish both programs in just over five years at NYU.
His gorgeous face lit up with a warm smile. “That’s an ideal fit for what I do.”
For some reason, hearing him say the words ideal fit made Maggie feel like laughing. Yes, he was an ideal fit for her program, and the fact that he was to-die-for handsome didn’t hurt anything, either.
“Are these the horses I’d be working with?”
Now would be the perfect time to tell him he couldn’t work there. “They are. All but Thunder.” She pointed to him. “He’s getting on in years, and Kate thought it might be better not to have him be part of the program.”
Brayden worked his way down the row of stalls, giving each of the horses a minute of his time and attention. Each of them responded favorably to him, even Lonnie, who didn’t like anyone—or so it seemed. “Is Thunder in good health?”
“He’s in excellent health and is gentle as a lamb.”
“He’d be ideal for the program, but I understand if your sister doesn’t want us to use him. In my experience, I’ve found that older horses are sometimes better for therapeutic riding. They’ve sown their wild oats, so to speak.”
“I’m sure Kate would be open to discussing it.”
He ran a hand over Thunder’s elegant neck, and the horse nickered in response. “Did you get the info I sent about my PATH certification and insurance?”
She licked lips that’d gone dry as she watched him interact with the animals and noted how each responded to him with trust. “I did, thank you for sending them.”
In addition to his obvious affinity for the horses, Maggie would have to be dead and buried not to also notice that he was, without a doubt, the best-looking man she’d ever met in person. He’d rendered her speechless and stupid in the head just by the way he interacted with the horses she loved like people.
He had a gentle, soothing way about him that would be ideal for the population of children he’d be working with. In fact, it was nearly impossible for her to reconcile the information Ashton had given her with the man currently standing before her.
Maybe he’d investigated the wrong Brayden Thomas.
That was possible, wasn’t it?
She took a deep breath for courage and released it. “We ran a background check, which is customary with everyone we hire.”
“Okay.”
“We discovered you have a juvenile record.”
“I do.”
“Can you tell me what that’s about?”
“Nope.”
Chapter 2
Maggie was late for dinner, but that was nothing new. She, who’d prided herself on punctuality in her old life, was hardly ever on time in her new life. “Sorry,” she said to Kate when she walked into her sister’s spacious kitchen.
Reid and Ashton were sitting at the bar devouring chips and salsa, while Kate and Jill tended to the stove.
Kate kissed her cheek. “You haven’t missed much.” She glanced toward the guys. “They don’t speak until the first bowl of chips is consumed.”
“This is true.” Jill kissed Maggie’s other cheek. “How was your day, dear?”
“Insane.”
“Good insane or bad?” Kate looked at her carefully, the way she always did these days, as if trying to see if Maggie was breaking under the strain of her new job.
“Some of both.” Maggie prepared a weekly status report that she emailed to Kate and Reid on Fridays, updating them on each of the residents and the efforts being put forth by the team Maggie had hired to assist them. They’d settled on that plan so they wouldn’t feel compelled to talk about the facility every time they were together.
“Do you need us?” Reid asked.
“Not at the moment, but I’ll let you know if I do.”
“We’re always here for you, darlin’. You know that.”
“I do.” Maggie smiled gratefully at her brother-in-law, charmed as always by his delightful accent and inherent sweetness. “You know I appreciate the support, but what I’d appreciate even more right now is a margarita. Make it a tall one.”
“Coming right up.” Jill fired up the Ninja and produced a yummy strawberry margarita that she garnished with a lime.
Maggie took a sip, closing her eyes as the heat of the tequila moved through her system, calming her after another crazy day. “That’s delicious.” When she opened her eyes, the others were looking at her with concern. “I’m fine. I love every second of it. It’s just a lot, but I’m coping. I swear.”
Although she’d interned for a year at a homeless shelter in New York while in college, she’d worked in the donation center and helped kids with their homework. Running the entire show was a whole other level of challenge, which she loved most days.
Kate and Reid exchanged glances t
hat told Maggie they were worried about whether she’d taken on more than she could handle by making their passion project hers. She didn’t want them worried. She wanted them to feel confident that they’d made the right choice by choosing Kate’s inexperienced sister as their director.
Maggie appreciated that they were always far more concerned about her than the program itself, although they’d both given tons of time and attention to the program over the last six months. They’d chosen to be more hands-off now that Maggie was in charge, but had made it clear they were a phone call or text away if needed. Before she could think of something more she could say to reassure them, Jill’s phone rang.
“It’s Mom FaceTiming about wedding plans.” The wedding, set for the last weekend in July, would be held at Infinity Newport, the hotel her dad’s company had built on Newport’s famous Ocean Drive. He’d met his wife, Andi, during that project, and she had later been appointed the hotel’s general manager.
“You’ve got all of us for the price of one call,” Jill told their mother, Clare, as she panned the gathering with her phone.
“All my girls together. I love it. How is everyone?” Clare had blonde hair and the same striking blue eyes as Kate and Maggie. Though now in her late fifties, she would say that Max and Nick, the sons she shared with her second husband, Aidan, kept her young.
“Maggie’s stressed, Kate’s huge and I’m great,” Jill said.
“I know why Kate is huge—she’s about to make me a grandmother, after all—but why is Maggie stressed?”
“I’m not.” Maggie glared at Jill. “I’m just adapting to my new job and being responsible for twenty extra people. No biggie.”
“She makes it look easy when it isn’t,” Kate said.
“Enough about them.” Jill flashed a giddy smile as she waved her hand to dismiss her sisters. “Let’s talk about me and my wedding!”
“See what you’re marrying?” Maggie said to Ashton.
He grinned like the lovesick fool he was around Jill. “Isn’t she magnificent?”
Maggie made barfing noises that had everyone laughing.
Jill flashed a huge, dopey smile at her beloved. “That earned you big points redeemable at bedtime, my love.”
Ashton stretched and yawned dramatically. “I’m feeling really tired all of a sudden.”
While the others laughed, Maggie experienced the oddest hollow feeling. Jill and Kate had their lives figured out, and she was still floundering. Granted, she was a few years younger than them, but still… Their delirious happiness had her wondering if she’d ever find what they had with Ashton and Reid.
For some reason, that had her thinking of Brayden Thomas. She wanted to laugh out loud at the trajectory of her own thoughts, but her family already thought she was on the brink of a breakdown. No need to give them proof.
While Jill and Kate talked wedding plans with their mother, Maggie checked the stove and stirred the chicken Kate had made for fajitas.
“How’d you make out with the horse whisperer?” Ashton asked.
“I’m not sure.”
He offered her another margarita, but she declined. One drink was her limit these days. She never knew when she’d be called to deal with a new crisis and had to be ready—and able to drive. “What happened?”
“I mentioned that we’d noticed he has a sealed juvenile record and asked if he could tell me why.”
“And?”
“He said, and I quote, ‘Nope.’”
Ashton tipped his head inquisitively. “That was it? Just nope?”
“That was it.”
“Huh, well, he’s not obligated to share that info with you as a prospective employer. The more important piece of information, in my opinion, is the twelve-year adult record, which is squeaky clean.”
“So you’d be comfortable hiring him based on that as well as numerous recommendations?”
“I think I would be.”
“Even knowing there’s something in his past that resulted in him being in juvie?”
“I don’t know about you, but I’d hate to have things I did as a kid held against me as an adult.”
“No kidding.”
Ashton flashed a wicked grin as he leaned in. “What did you do?” Before she’d met Brayden Thomas, Maggie had thought Ashton was one of the best-looking men she’d ever encountered. Now the bar had been set even higher.
“Dream on. I’m not telling you.”
“I’m sure you were a wild child,” he said, laughing.
“I had my share of fun but never got into any real trouble. What was it my grandmother used to say? ‘There but for the grace of God go I’?”
“Buddy’s mom Martha says that, too.”
“I guess the bottom line is we all have things we regret from the past. Brayden comes highly recommended and has a clean record as an adult. I called his references, and they raved about him. The last people said they only let him go because they lost funding for their program. I wanted to do a three-month probationary period, but Brayden said it’s got to be all or nothing. If he’s going to pull up stakes and move to the estate, he doesn’t want it to be provisional.”
“We can write his contract so he can be terminated at any time for cause.”
“What does that mean?”
“That you can find fault with him for any reason you’d like and fire him.”
“Is that fair?”
“It’s fair to you. It gives you an out if he’s not getting the job done or if other information comes to light. It’s fairly common language in employment contracts. It’ll also give him the right to quit at any time, with at least a week’s notice.”
“So we’d both have an out if we need it.”
“Right.”
The other employees she’d hired were regular full-time workers, not contracted. Ashton had recommended doing a contract with Brayden and anyone else who was brought in to oversee special programs.
“I’ll put the contract together and shoot it over to you in the morning. You can run it past him, and we’ll go from there. When he’s ready to sign, send him to my office. We’ll need witnesses, which my people can do.”
“All right, thank you. I appreciate your help with this.”
“No problem.”
“Maggie,” Jill said, “Mom and the boys want to talk to you.”
“I’m coming.” She spent the next few minutes catching up with her mother, stepfather, Aidan, Max and Nick.
“We can’t wait to see you guys,” Clare said.
“We’re waiting for her to pop.” Maggie glanced at Kate, who was on a chaise in the living room with her feet up and her husband by her side, as usual. “Any time now.”
“Dad has a plane on standby to get us all there.”
“Of course he does,” Maggie said, laughing. Her dad, Jack, was nothing if not predictable when it came to his children.
“We can’t believe Kate’s going to make us grandparents!”
“She’s taking the pressure off the rest of us.” Maggie felt like she was light-years from where her sisters were, settling into marriages and families. She was still figuring out her own life, and after what’d happened in New York… Stop. Don’t go there.
“How’re things going with the job?”
“It’s an adventure. Every day is different. Today, we were all about preterm labor. Tomorrow, it might be an outbreak of lice. It’s never boring, that’s for sure.”
“Yikes. In case I haven’t said it enough, I’m so proud of the work you’re doing. You’re helping to change lives.”
“That’s the goal. We’ll see how it goes.”
“Be confident, Maggie. Kate and Reid wouldn’t have hired you if they didn’t believe in you.”
As much as Maggie wanted to believe that was true, she wondered sometimes if she would’ve had a prayer of landing this job if her sister and brother-in-law weren’t the bosses. Probably not since she had zero experience in the field, but she was certainly acquiring on-th
e-job training on a daily basis. “Thanks for the pep talk, Mom. We’ll see you soon.”
“Can’t wait. Love you, honey.”
“Love you, too.”
Maggie walked Jill’s phone into the living room and handed it to her sister. “I’m not sure who’s more excited about this baby, Kate, you guys or the Rhode Island contingent.”
“It’s probably a tie,” Kate said. “She texts me every day to ‘check in,’ and so does Dad. Andi only texts once a week, so she gets the award for restraint.”
“Our little one will be very well loved,” Reid said. “That’s for sure.”
His accent was to die for. Maggie could easily understand how eighteen-year-old Kate would’ve been bowled over by the man who’d been a college friend of their father’s. At the time, Maggie had been unable to imagine being attracted to a man so much older, but Reid was an exception to every rule, and he was hopelessly in love with Kate. That much was apparent to anyone who spent time with them. They’d spent ten years apart before getting their second chance, and were deliriously happy together.
What more could anyone ask for than to see someone they loved as much as she loved Kate with a man who worshiped the ground she walked on? Both the Matthews men had become the gold standard in Maggie’s mind, making most of the men she’d met since knowing them seem lacking in comparison.
A memory of Brayden Thomas’s handsome face popped into her mind, reminding her she still needed to decide what to do about him. They’d left things open-ended earlier, and she’d promised to be in touch one way or the other soon. Normally, she’d run it by Reid and Kate to get their opinion, but the therapeutic riding program was her baby, and they’d tell her it was up to her to decide who was going to run it.
Besides, they had enough on their plates with the baby due at any moment without her adding to their concerns. Her job was to run the facility so they didn’t have to be involved on a daily basis. No, this was her challenge, and she’d deal with it.
After a lively, entertaining and delicious dinner, Maggie kissed Kate’s cheek. “I’m going to go. Thanks for dinner, you guys.”
