by Force, Marie
He was no closer to finding a solution to his dilemma when the kids got home and came out to the stables, full of pent-up energy and excitement to get started on their riding lessons, which was how the program had been billed to them.
There were ten kids in all, ranging in age from four to eleven. They came from a variety of backgrounds, and all had experienced some form of trauma.
Brayden had them sit in a circle with him on clean straw inside a stall he’d prepared for their opening session. He sat in the circle with them, his back to the open gate to the stall, aware of Maggie behind him. He kept his focus on the children where it belonged.
“Hi, everyone, I’m Brayden, and I’ll be teaching your horseback riding class every day after school. I want to go around the circle and have everyone introduce themselves by telling me your name, age and grade in school.”
As the children complied with his request, he committed the information to memory. He made it a point to call the kids by name, to make eye contact with them, to treat them with the same respect he hoped to get back from them.
“The first lesson to being around horses is about safety. Horses are usually friendly animals, but like people, they don’t like to be startled. They don’t like loud noises or flashes on cameras or any sudden movements. It’s very important that you always approach them slowly and respectfully. Extend a hand to let them sniff you so they can decide if they want to be friends with you.”
“Like dogs?” eight-year-old Maisy asked.
“Just like dogs, only horses are much bigger. The height of horses is measured in hands, with each hand being four inches, but you can see they’re pretty tall and often weigh around a thousand pounds. They can hurt you very badly without meaning to if you aren’t careful around them. Another rule is to never approach a horse from behind. When they feel threatened, they lash out by kicking their hind legs, and trust me, you don’t want to be kicked by a horse.” He pointed to a white line on his forehead. “See this scar?”
The kids leaned in for a closer look, each of them nodding.
“This happened because I didn’t listen to my grandpa when he told me not to go near the back of a horse unless he was with me. I didn’t want to wait for him and ended up with a hoof to the forehead. It took fifteen stitches to close the wound, and because I had a concussion, I couldn’t ride for weeks, which was much worse than the stitches for me. I was really lucky that the horse didn’t kick me hard enough to kill me. He definitely taught me a lesson about listening and doing what I was told.”
The children hung on his every word. He always told the story of how he’d gotten hurt to let them know he’d once been right where they were now, eager to learn and eager to ride. Impressing upon them the potential for grave injury was the most important part of this first day.
“You may have seen me or Ms. Maggie or Mr. Derek feed the horses carrots or apples from our hands. But I don’t want you guys to do that because you can get nipped by their teeth even when they don’t mean to. They get excited about snacks just like you do, and sometimes they accidentally get a piece of hand with the snack, which doesn’t feel good. Each of them has their own bucket of feed, and they should only be fed with permission and supervision by me or Mr. Derek or Ms. Maggie and only from their own bucket of feed. Am I clear on that?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Yes, Mr. Brayden.”
“It’s very important to follow the rules in the stables, not only for your safety, but for the safety of the horses, too.”
“Because we want them to like us,” Jimmy said.
“That’s right,” Brayden said. “And we want them to feel safe with you and you to feel safe with them. Horses are very smart animals. If you’re nervous, they can tell, so it’s really important for you to stay calm and quiet and respectful around them so they’ll do the same for you.”
Thunder let out a loud whinny that made the children laugh.
“Are they listening?” Lily asked.
“Thunder is always listening. He’s Ms. Kate’s horse.”
“She’s the famous singer,” Travis said.
“That’s right. The next thing is you never duck under a horse’s leads when they’re at what’s called cross ties.” Brayden used two leads to show them what he meant. He’d learned to speak in simple terms the children would easily understand. “Stand back from a horse that’s tied until one of the adults is with you.”
Brayden reached for a helmet from the items he’d stashed in the stall earlier. “This is a helmet, and each of you is required to wear one when you ride the horses. Ms. Maggie has purchased helmets for each of you. When we’re done here, I’ll show you where you can find them.”
A nine-year-old boy named Dante raised his hand.
“Yes, Dante?”
“I saw you and Ms. Maggie riding the other day without helmets. You had your cowboy hat on. How come you don’t have to wear a helmet?”
Brayden smiled at the cheeky question. “That’s a really good question. Ms. Maggie and I have been riding for years, and we know what we’re doing with the horses. When we were youngsters like you guys, we had to wear helmets, too. When you get older, you can decide for yourselves if you’d like to wear them or not. But while you’re in my class, helmets are nonnegotiable.”
Travis raised his hand.
“Yes, Travis?”
“What does that mean? Nonneg… nego…”
Brayden smiled at the adorable child. “Nonnegotiable means it’s a rule, and we aren’t going to debate whether or not it should be.”
“Like bedtime?” Travis asked.
“Just like bedtime.” Brayden talked to them about the riding boots Maggie had purchased for each of them and how important they were to protecting their feet while around the horses and for keeping their feet in the stirrups. He held up a boot and a stirrup to show them what he meant. “Your feet go in the stirrups while you’re riding, and the boots keep your feet from sliding all around. Boots are also nonnegotiable, as are long pants.”
That met with loud groans.
“Even when it’s hot?” Lily asked.
“Even when it’s hot. Sorry. Pants protect your legs from sores, rub rash and scratches and wounds from brush while you’re on the trail. That’s why we say no shorts.”
He talked to them about the importance of putting things where they belonged in the stables and doing exactly what they were told at all times. “I want you guys to enjoy this and have a lot of fun, but anyone who can’t follow the rules won’t be allowed near the horses until they’re able to behave properly. Okay?”
They nodded in agreement.
“Great, now let’s get up and have a tour of the stables.” Over the next half hour, he showed them the tack room and how each horse had their own equipment that was labeled with their names above their hooks. Similarly, each horse had their own bin of food, also with their names on them. He familiarized them with the various pieces of tack, from reins to leads to saddles to stirrups. “We’ll get into the tack more when we start to ride next week.”
“We hafta wait a whole week?” Jimmy asked mournfully.
“It’ll take that long to get you ready.” Brayden led them out to the paddock where he’d left Sunday earlier. He whistled, and she came to him, nuzzling his side with her nose the way she always did. “This is my horse, Sunday Morning.”
“She’s so pretty,” Lily said.
“Yes, she is, and she loves children. I want each of you to take a turn saying hello to Sunday and stroking her muzzle.”
“Will she bite?” Travis asked.
“Nope. She’s sweet and gentle as long as you’re sweet and gentle to her. When you’re done, step back over to the fence by Ms. Maggie.” Brayden held Sunday’s lead while each of the children took turns greeting and touching the horse. He corrected a few of them on the proper way to place their hand on the horse’s muzzle.
Accustomed to being around kids, Sunday stood by his side and allowed each of the
children to approach and touch her.
When they were done, he gave Sunday a kiss and sent her on her way. “You guys did great,” Brayden told the children. “Sunday thinks you’re all going to be very good at riding.”
“How do you know that?” seven-year-old Jayden asked. He had olive-toned skin, big dark eyes and curly brown hair.
“I’ve had Sunday for a long time. I know what she likes and doesn’t like, and she liked you guys a lot. Tomorrow, we’ll go over how to groom her and work on getting her ready to ride.”
He led them out of the paddock and back into the stables, where they returned to their original seats. “Who can tell me what we learned today about safety around horses?”
Every hand went up.
“Let’s take turns going around, and everyone can say one thing we learned.” He dismissed them ten minutes later, feeling confident they had absorbed the day’s lessons and understood the rules.
He’d been so caught up in the kids that he hadn’t noticed that their mothers had been watching the class along with Maggie and two young people named Wyatt and Jessica, whom she introduced to him and the children.
“Sorry we were late.” Wyatt shook hands with Brayden as the kids headed inside with their mothers. “There was an accident that shut down one of the roads from town.”
“No worries. Good to meet you. Just give me a second, and we’ll talk.” He walked over to speak to Maggie. “That seemed to go well.”
“You were great with them. They loved it.”
Her praise meant everything to him. He wanted her to be happy she’d decided to take a chance on him. “Nice bunch of kids.”
“Thank you, Brayden.” She seemed almost emotional, which he chalked up to seeing the program she’d envisioned coming to life.
“My pleasure.”
She started to walk away, and his gaze was drawn immediately to the snug fit of her jeans. “Hey, Maggie?”
She turned back to him, brow raised in inquiry.
“Can we talk later?”
She studied him for what felt like a full minute before she gave a swift nod and then headed for the house.
Elated to know he’d get to see her later, he watched her walk away and then went to find Wyatt and Jessica to get them up to speed on what he needed from them.
Chapter 21
Maggie had been off-kilter for hours, ever since she’d watched Brayden spin his magic with the children. Of course she’d known he would be great with them, but to actually see him in action was something she wouldn’t soon forget. For so long, she’d dreamed of being part of an equine therapy program, and now that hers was up and running, she felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment. And the only person she wanted to share that with was the man who was making it happen.
After dinner, she went upstairs to check in with Corey, who hadn’t come down to eat with the others. She knocked gently on Corey’s door and listened for sounds from within. “Corey?”
The door opened, and Maggie was taken aback by the young woman’s ravaged face. Her eyes were red and swollen and full of heartbreak.
“May I come in for a minute?”
Corey nodded and stepped back to admit Maggie, who had brought a covered plate of Mitch’s lasagna with her.
“I thought you might be hungry.”
Corey shrugged and returned to her rumpled bed. “Not really.”
Maggie set the plate on a table and pulled a chair over to Corey’s bedside. “You need to eat to keep up your strength.”
“Why? What’s the point? The baby’s gone, Trey’s gone… What does it matter if I keep up my strength?”
“You matter, Corey. I know everything seems so awful right now, but it won’t always be this way.”
“How do you know that?”
Maggie recalled how Brayden had told the kids how he’d gotten the scar on his forehead and decided to follow his example. “I once went through a really difficult time when my mom was in a bad accident that left her in a coma.” Corey seemed interested, so Maggie pressed on. “The doctors told us she would never recover.”
“How old were you?”
“Almost ten.”
“That’s really young to lose your mom.”
“It was pretty rough for a long time, even though my sisters and I had a lot of people supporting us.”
“No one can take the place of your mom.”
“Exactly. As bad as I felt, though, it did get better in time. I missed my mom all the time, but it wasn’t as painful as it had been at first. You get used to the new normal. Somehow. That’s what this is for you, Corey. Your new normal, and as painful as it is right now, in time, it’ll get easier to cope with what’s happened. You’ll always miss the baby, and maybe you’ll always miss Trey, but you have a big, long life ahead of you, and anything is possible.”
“It’s hard to believe that. How can I still want Trey when he caused all this?” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “He’s the reason our baby was born too soon and why I had to give him up. It’s all his fault, and I still want him anyway. I hate myself for that.”
“Dr. Wright is coming out from town tomorrow,” Maggie said, referring to the counselor she’d asked to meet with Corey. “I’d like you to see her and talk to her about how you’re feeling. Will you do that?”
“I guess.” She glanced at Maggie. “They found parents for him. A couple who’ve been trying to have their own children for years. The social worker told me they’re elated and haven’t left his side for a minute.”
“It’s good news that he’ll have loving parents. Does that make you feel any better?”
Corey nodded. “It does. I’m happy for them—and him.”
“Will you have some dinner?”
“It does smell good.”
“Mitch’s lasagna is the best.” Maggie got up to get the plate and silverware she’d brought and delivered the meal to Corey.
She sat in the chair to keep Corey company while she ate.
“You don’t have to stay if you have stuff to do. It was nice of you to check on me.”
“I don’t mind staying.” Maggie vastly preferred sitting with Corey to staring at her phone wondering if or when Brayden was going to text her.
She spent half an hour with Corey and stopped to talk to the other moms in the lounge before she headed downstairs.
“The kids couldn’t stop talking about Brayden and the horses,” Trish said. “Thank you so much for making that possible for them.”
“I’m so glad they loved it.”
“They did,” Kelsey said. “Brayden was amazing with them. I feel very good about Travis taking lessons from him.”
“That’s great to hear,” Maggie said. “He’s very excited to work with them.”
“Did you talk to Corey?” Niki asked.
“I did and got her to eat some dinner.”
“Oh good,” Trish said. “We were worried about her.”
“I’ll see you all in the morning. Sleep well.”
“Night, Maggie.”
She went downstairs, put Corey’s dish in the dishwasher and went into her apartment to check her phone. Her heart leaped when she saw a new text from Kate with the day’s photos of Poppy, which she scrolled through before replying. She’s getting so big!
I know! Kate replied. I’ll be shopping for college before I know it.
Maggie sent the laughing emoji and put her phone down, feeling out of sorts and uncertain about whether she ought to reach out to him or let him make the next move. She would wait on him since he was the one who had asked if they could talk, and he was the one who had to decide whether he was going to trust her.
She changed into pajamas and brushed her teeth, exhausted after another challenging day that’d been made more so by the uncertainty with him. Resigned to not hearing from him, Maggie got into bed with a book on her reading app and tried to focus on the story. She read the same line three times before realizing she lacked the concentration to read. So she switche
d on the TV and tried to find something to watch until she felt sleepy.
When her phone rang an hour later, it startled her out of a doze. She found the phone wrapped up in her blanket and took the call from Brayden.
“Did I wake you?”
“No, I was watching TV.” And sleeping, not that he needed to know that.
“Could I come over?”
“Sure. Meet you at the kitchen door?”
“Be there in a minute.”
Maggie got up, put on a robe, ran her fingers through her hair and went to deactivate the alarm and turn on the light over the kitchen door.
Brayden jogged across the yard and up the stairs to the kitchen door.
Maggie opened the door for him and then shut and locked it behind him. She’d reactivate the alarm when he left. “Come on in.” She led him to her apartment.
He shut the door and followed her to the small sitting room that adjoined the tiny kitchen that she rarely used thanks to Mitch.
“You want something to drink?”
Brayden shook his head and sat in the other chair rather than joining her on the sofa. With his elbows on his legs and his head down, he seemed distraught.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m deeply conflicted.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No, I really don’t.” He glanced up at her, his eyes conveying more emotion than she’d ever seen from him. “But I will. For you.”
Maggie held out her hand to him. “Come here.”
He stared at her hand for a long moment before he reached out to grasp it and joined her on the sofa.
Maggie turned toward him and put her arms around him.
Brayden rested his head against her.
“You don’t have to do this. I totally understand the need to keep some things private, and I’d never want you to feel like you have to share something with me that you don’t want to. We can go forward as good friends and colleagues.”
“I’ve been telling myself that same thing all day, that I could not tell you, and we’d just not do this. But then I thought about the things you shared with me, how courageous you were, and I feel like I owe you the same in return.”
