by Force, Marie
Maggie told herself to think about John and Rob, who were in the thick of their Little League baseball schedule and full of excitement about each game. John was a pitcher, Rob a catcher, the two of them the stars of their team.
And Max and Nick, who were getting so big and always wanted to talk to Maggie when she FaceTimed with their mom. They didn’t understand why she didn’t love skateboarding and hockey as much as they did.
Whenever the memories of that night returned to haunt her, she tried to power through them, to think of the people she loved, the new niece or nephew who’d be arriving soon and her many blessings. If only she could blot out the things that haunted her, including the vision of her mother being hit by that car all those years ago and one horrific night now seven months in the past, but still far too present for her liking.
Maybe if she’d told someone…
“No. I’m not telling anyone. What good will that do? It wouldn’t change anything, and it would only upset the person I tell. I need to just stop thinking about it, put it in the past where it belongs and move the fuck on.”
Maggie screamed with frustration, thankful for the vast open space where she could vent to the passing breeze without fear of being overheard.
Chapter 5
Standing at the window that overlooked the rolling hills of the Matthews estate, Brayden watched Maggie walk away. Hands tucked into the pockets of her denim jacket, shoulders rounded, she projected the aura of having the weight of the world on her slim shoulders.
He hadn’t gotten that vibe from her in their previous meeting. If anything, she’d impressed him with her calm competence in a job that probably took a lot out of her emotionally and physically. He understood that dynamic, having worked with kids in crisis for much of his career. They could break your heart with their pain as much as their resilience.
She’d left a whole other impression on him after their first meeting, one that had given him pause about taking this job. For days afterward, he’d thought about the most striking blue eyes he’d ever seen, as well as her lovely face and long dark hair that she’d worn tied into a messy bun. She’d had an all-business way about her during the interview, but her compassion for the population she served had come through in the way she’d talked about the facility and what she, her famous sister and brother-in-law hoped to achieve there.
Other than those incredible blue eyes, Maggie looked nothing at all like her sister, whose career Brayden had followed from the start. Working for Kate Harrington, albeit indirectly, was a huge honor and part of the reason the job had interested him so much.
He’d been attracted to Maggie as a man from the first time he met her, and that attraction had initially given him pause about taking the job. The last thing he needed was personal drama in the place where he worked and lived. However, despite the sterling reputation he’d developed in his field, Matthews House had been the only offer he’d received during several months of interviewing. Declining the job wasn’t an option.
Brayden’s last job had ended abruptly when the program lost funding, and after casting his net in a hundred-mile radius over the last few months, he’d come up dry. He’d heard about the opening at Matthews House through the grapevine and had jumped on the opportunity. Funding wouldn’t be a problem at this place, not with Kate Harrington and Reid Matthews backing it. The former developer was nearly as well known in Tennessee as his wife was.
Brayden watched Maggie until she was out of sight and then turned to take another look at his quarters. The apartment was small, but clean and nicely furnished. Best of all, it was free and offered as part of the job, along with boarding for Sunday Morning, his beloved quarter horse.
He sat on the unmade bed and released a deep breath that was equal parts relief and anticipation. After suddenly losing his job two months ago, he’d been getting increasingly more nervous as the weeks went by without finding something new. The savings account he’d worked so hard to grow had taken a big hit from paying to board Sunday while he job hunted. He’d had a lot of interest from a wide variety of employers, but none of them had openings available.
The call from Maggie had solved a huge problem for him, not that he’d ever tell her that. She was under the impression that she’d gotten someone who was in hot demand, not a guy down to his last couple thousand dollars. He was determined to make the therapeutic riding program at Matthews House a huge success for her and the children, and when the time was right, he wanted to talk to her about possibly expanding the program to other children in the community.
Despite his successes, he carried a deep well of insecurity about his chosen career path, especially when it took months to land a new position. He certainly hadn’t expected that when he found out his other job was ending abruptly. The long job search had given him far too much time to question every choice he’d ever made, every fight he’d waged to live the life he felt called to. He’d sacrificed a lot to follow his dreams, and the period of unemployment had seriously messed with his sense of security and purpose. That, coupled with the sudden loss of his mother and biggest cheerleader, had rocked him to the core.
Standing, he vowed to shake off the insecurity and to move forward. This was the start of a whole new opportunity with a well-funded program that was already getting rave reviews from the social services sector. He’d asked around before he accepted the job, wanting to be sure the program was solid. Everyone he’d talked to said they’d heard great things about Matthews House since it had opened in March.
So he’d snapped up the job and was determined to make it work, which was why he absolutely could not be having inappropriate thoughts about his new boss.
Brayden went down the stairs to get Sunday Morning settled in her new home. First, he had to ask Derek where he wanted Brayden’s horse to live. He found Derek supervising a little guy as he raked hay in one of the empty stalls.
“Hi there,” Brayden said when he approached them.
The child dropped the rake and ran to Derek, hiding behind him.
“Hey, Brayden.”
Brayden leaned forward, trying to catch the child’s gaze, but he was looking down at the ground. “Good to see you again, sir. Who’ve you got there?”
“This is Travis. He’s a very good worker if you ever need help with your horse.”
“I always need help with my horse. How long has he worked for you?”
“Just about a week now,” Derek said, “but he’s become a key member of the team.”
“Good to know.”
The little boy peeked out from behind Derek, taking stock of the newcomer.
While Derek kept an arm around the boy, Brayden squatted to put himself at the child’s level. “Hey, Travis, I’m Brayden.” He extended his hand to the child, who looked at his hand for a long moment before he reached out to shake it. “It’s really nice to meet you.”
The child took back his hand and looked down at the floor. Baby steps.
“Do you like to ride horses, Travis?”
His gaze flipped up, filled with raw yearning that touched Brayden deeply. “I think so.”
“You don’t know?”
Travis shook his head.
“Have you ever ridden?”
He shook his head again.
“Well, we’ll have to change that. What are you doing later today?”
Travis glanced up at Derek, seeming to gauge the more familiar man’s reaction.
“My horse, Sunday Morning, loves to take little boys just like you for rides. Would you like to do that?”
He looked at Brayden with big, solemn dark eyes and nodded.
“What do you say?” Derek asked.
“Please and thank you,” Travis said quickly.
“We’ll have to ask your mom first. Do you want to go get her while I unload Sunday Morning and get her settled?”
Travis nodded again and was off like a shot toward the house.
“Never seen him move that fast,” Derek said, laughing. “He’s a go
od little guy. Quiet, but well behaved.”
“Do we know his story?”
“Only that he and his mom left an abusive relationship. Had bruises all over his face when he first got here.”
Brayden processed that information with the usual feeling of dread when he considered what the child had probably been through. He’d worked with a lot of traumatized kids in his career, and it never got easier to hear about what they’d endured, especially in light of his own history. “Will the mom allow him to ride?”
“I’m sure she will. She’s been very supportive of him working in the stables with me. It’s taken a few days, but he’s starting to talk more than he did at first.”
“Good to know. Where can I put Sunday?”
“Third stall on the left, across from Thunder. He’s Ms. Kate’s pride and joy. He just came in from sunning himself in the paddock.”
Brayden went to take a look at the stall and took a second to say hello to Thunder, a dark-coated thoroughbred with wise eyes and a gentle demeanor. “Hey, guy,” Brayden said, caressing the gorgeous horse’s nose. “I hear you’re the star around here, huh?”
“You got that right. Ms. Kate and Ms. Maggie are crazy about him. He gets a lot of attention, well, a little less since Ms. Kate has been expecting. She moved him over here so he could get lots of attention from Ms. Maggie, but Ms. Kate still visits him on the regular.”
“So she comes by the house?”
“Oh, yeah. She and Mr. Reid are hands-on benefactors, although Ms. Maggie is in charge. They come once in a while.”
Brayden tried to imagine what it would be like to actually meet Kate Harrington.
“A little starstruck, are you?” Derek chuckled as he followed Brayden to the trailer, where they worked together to unload Sunday.
“I love her music. I can’t believe I’m actually working for her.”
“She’s good people. You’ll like her. I have to admit, I was a little shocked when she and Mr. Reid first got together.”
“Because he’s so much older than her?”
“Yeah, but when you see them together… Well, it’s obvious they’re both exactly where they belong.”
“Seems that way from what I’ve seen of them on TV and stuff.”
“They’re very happy, and their little one is due any time.”
They got Sunday settled in her new home, filled her water, gave her a leaf of hay and left her to get acclimated while Derek showed Brayden the tack room, where there was already a spot labeled with Sunday Morning’s name. Something about that small gesture made Brayden feel very much at home.
“Feel free to make use of anything you need.”
Brayden shook his hand. “Really appreciate your help.”
“Happy to have you on the team. You can park the rig around back. There’s plenty of space out there. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“I will. Thanks again.” Brayden spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking his truck and settling into his new home.
Travis came out with his mom, Kelsey, to meet Brayden.
“I understand you offered to let him ride your horse.”
He couldn’t help but hear hesitance in the woman’s voice. “Yes, ma’am. I’d be happy to teach him everything he needs to know.”
“I’m a little reluctant to let him get hooked on riding when I know I won’t be able to afford it after we leave here.”
“He’d be welcome to come back to ride with me any time he’d like to.”
Travis tugged on his mother’s hand. “Please, Mama. Can I?”
Kelsey’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “Y’all are so kind. I’ve never encountered so much kindness.”
“We’re here to help in any way we can.”
“Thank you so much.” She squatted to talk directly to her son. “Mr. Brayden is in charge. You do whatever he tells you to do, and you mind your manners. Understand?”
“Yes, Mama.”
She kissed his cheek. “Go ahead, then. Have fun and be careful.”
Over the next half hour, he went through each step of the saddling process with Travis, teaching him the names of the various items and showing him how to use them. The child was a quick learner and asked numerous intelligent questions that impressed Brayden.
He helped Travis into an age-appropriate helmet before giving him a leg up into a child-sized saddle. While Kelsey watched from the fence that surrounded the paddock, Brayden led the horse around in big circles, letting the child get a feel for the mare.
“You’re doing great. Sunday likes you.”
“How can you tell?”
“She’s got her head up, her tail is moving and her steps are lively. She’s enjoying this as much as you are.”
“This is the best day of my whole life.”
That right there was the kind of comment that made this the most rewarding career he ever could’ve chosen to pursue, not that there’d ever been a question in his mind about the right path for him.
After at least fifty circles around the paddock, he showed Travis the steps of removing the saddle and let the little guy carry it to the tack room, where he hung it on the hook below Sunday’s name. “You did a great job. Next time, I’ll show you how to groom her. I’m going to take her for a ride before I do that.”
“What do you say to Mr. Brayden?” Kelsey asked.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Brayden.”
“You’re very welcome. We’ll do it again soon, okay?”
Travis nodded and ran off toward the house.
“Thank you again,” Kelsey said. “I haven’t seen him smile like that in a long time.”
“Hope you got some good pictures.”
“I did.”
“Have a nice evening.”
“You, too.”
As the sun headed for the horizon, he put his saddle on Sunday and headed out for a ride, since they both needed the exercise.
They set out on the path behind the stables and followed it for miles through lush, rolling green hills that made up the Matthews property. Fields of wildflowers added splashes of color to the vista. His mother would know the name of every one of those flowers. Brayden never had been able to remember them, despite her trying to teach him.
And now it was too late. His heart ached from the fresh loss of the woman who’d given him everything she could, who’d stood by him through the worst of times. He was still trying to figure out his place in a world that no longer included her.
As always, he and Sunday were in perfect harmony as they moved together as one being. She was the best horse he’d ever had, in many ways his soul mate. They understood each other in a way he’d never achieved with anyone other than his mother. She had encouraged him to follow his dreams no matter where they led.
Tears filled Brayden’s eyes. How could she be gone just like that with no warning that life as he knew it was going to change in an instant?
The same week he’d lost his job, the police had come to tell him she’d been killed instantly in a car accident. Even two months later, he still couldn’t believe she was really gone. He still reached for the phone every day to call or text her and had to remind himself she wasn’t there. Lost in his thoughts and mired in relentless grief, he rode much farther than he’d intended to. Darkness was falling by the time he turned Sunday to head back toward the stable. He slowed their pace in deference to the falling light so there was no chance she could be injured.
That was his greatest fear now that his mom was gone, that something would happen to the other woman in his life. It was him and Sunday against the world. He was nearly back to the house when another horse and rider came around the stable, heading toward him and Sunday.
He brought her to a stop as Maggie came alongside them, riding Thunder. Brayden noticed the smooth way she handled the large horse and the confidence with which she rode. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail that was almost as long as Thunder’s tail. The hairstyle made her look ten years youn
ger.
“Did you have a nice ride?” she asked.
“I did. Beautiful property.”
“It’s gorgeous. I love it here. I wondered if I would, having been raised on the coast.”
“Where?”
“Rhode Island. Newport area.”
“Fancy.”
She shrugged. “It’s home. What about you?”
“Right here in Tennessee.” He glanced at the sun firing the horizon. “You’re heading out late.”
“Just going for a short one so Thunder can stretch his legs. I’d better get to it. Are you all settled in?”
“Yes, thanks. Good to go.”
“There’s dinner in the main house if you’re interested. Make yourself at home.”
“Thanks very much.”
“I’ll see you in the morning.” She nudged Thunder forward, and he took off, apparently eager to move.
For a long time after she left, Brayden kept Sunday on the path facing sideways so he could watch her go. He told himself he was watching the horse, but when he was still there ten minutes later, he had to acknowledge that he found the rider every bit as stunning as the horse.
Chapter 6
Maggie was late getting to Kate’s the next morning. By the time she arrived, Kate and Jill were already through hair and makeup, while she looked like she’d just fallen off the turnip truck. That was nothing new. She’d spent her entire life trying to catch up to her older sisters. “Sorry I’m late. Rough morning at the ranch.”
“Everything okay?”
“It is now.” She didn’t want to talk about several of the kids getting into a hair-pulling fight at breakfast or how Brayden Thomas had intervened before she could and diffused the situation with calm resolve that had further impressed her. She didn’t want to talk about the uncomfortable attraction she felt for her new employee, because it was inappropriate for her to think he was hotter than the sun. “Where do you want me?”
