by Toni Leland
If our relationship is headed anywhere. All the main elements were there—attraction, mutual respect, good basic values. The missing element had been opportunity. A quick review of the past several weeks confirmed there had been no obvious chances for a personal connection to have flourished. She slid the barn door open and stepped into the dim warmth, stopping to inhale the wonderful scents she loved so much. Her heart thumped softly. It was time to start building the foundations for love.
Dillon arrived an hour later. Julia tossed the last flake of hay into a stall and wiped her hands on her jeans, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. She pondered how amazing it was that, once she’d acknowledged her emotional attachment to Dillon, her brain had changed gears. She felt like a kid on a first date.
He strode toward her, carrying his laptop computer, a wide grin dimpling his cheeks.
“I’ve got a surprise for you. Where can I set this up?”
“The tack room. What’s going on?”
He didn’t answer, but opened the laptop and pressed the start key. He stared at the screen as he opened the Internet browser. What was he doing? His excitement was infectious.
He stepped back and gestured toward the screen. “Take a look.”
Julia leaned down, then inhaled sharply. Coquette’s beautiful face appeared on the page, complete with a full description of her, the place and date she’d last been seen, and the owner’s phone number. Tears burned Julia’s eyes, not so much for the loss of the horse, but from the rekindling of hope.
Dillon’s voice was soft behind her. “I got the picture scanned last night and uploaded it to the site. I can’t believe they posted it so quickly.”
She stood up and turned to him. Words couldn’t express how she felt, but her heart took over. She slid her arms around his neck and hugged him hard. He pulled her close and she reveled in the emotion she’d missed for so long. She eased back and gazed at his features. He tipped his head ever so slightly, tenderly meet her mouth, his lips soft and sweet.
A chime sounded from somewhere deep in her pocket, and she stepped back.
Dillon traced a finger down her cheek and smiled. “To be continued.”
She gazed into his clear blue eyes while she listened to Casey’s news, then she closed the phone and heaved a long sigh.
“Casey’s being discharged at noon. Guess I’d better get busy.”
“What all do you have to do?”
“I should probably clean up the kitchen and change her bed. I still have grain and stalls to do. Boy, I shouldn’t have given everyone the day off.”
Dillon slipped his arm around her shoulders. “I’ll finish up out here while you get the house squared away, then we’ll go pick up Casey together.”
Julia touched his fingers on her shoulder. Together. She liked the sound of that.
Chapter 44
One week later
Julia helped Casey walk across the driveway toward the barn.
“Are you sure you feel up to this? You’re awfully wobbly.”
“I’m wobbly because you won’t let me do anything but sit around. I’m ready to get back to work.”
Julia chuckled. Casey’s usual good nature had deteriorated since coming home and, as the days passed, she’d become cranky.
“As long as you’re physically strong enough, I guess a little exercise won’t hurt you.”
Casey stopped in the middle of the aisle and inhaled deeply, a reaction Julia knew all too well.
Her friend smiled and shook her head. “You can’t imagine what it felt like to be taken away from all this.”
A sharp pain ran through Julia’s chest and she closed her eyes. “Oh yes I can.”
Casey leveled a look at her and nodded. “I figured there was a story in there somewhere.”
Julia hadn’t ever intended to tell Casey about the past, but the circumstances and timing seemed right, and why bother covering it up now? The fewer secrets she kept, the better. When the time seemed right, she’d tell all.
Casey walked slowly toward Little Bit’s stall. “How’s the baby doing?”
“Growing like a weed. I took her off the bottle yesterday and she didn’t seem to mind. She’s eating a full ration of grain and hay now, so I figured the extra milk calories would only make her fat.”
Casey nodded. “Yep, I always said you were a natural.” She turned back toward the aisle. “I need to take a head count and see who we can put in the pasture or adopt out. Bill gave me the number for the vet who got saddled with that colic patient, and I called the guy. We need to free up a stall.”
“Couldn’t those yearlings go out now? They’re getting pretty rambunctious anyway.”
“Good idea. Put them in with the geldings and those two miniatures. I can’t see any problems with that combination.”
Julia’s optimism grew. Though they weren’t her own horses, she felt at home again.
Casey exhaled sharply. “Whew, I gotta sit down a minute.” She settled onto a tack trunk and closed her eyes. “I spent too much time doing nothing, now I’ll pay.” She glanced toward the feed room, then her gaze traveled up the ladder to the hayloft.
Julia saw a shudder pass over the woman’s face. “Casey, what happened that day? Do you remember?”
“Only too well. I was about two-thirds of the way up there and my foot slipped off the rung. I was only holding on with one hand and the next thing I knew, I was on the floor. Nothing even hurt. I don’t remember anything after that.”
“Well, the new rule around here is that someone else throws down the hay.”
Casey’s shoulders sagged. “Yeah. My husband never would let me climb up there. Neither did Jerry.”
“You’ve got a wonderful crew here and some strong men to do the heavy work. You just do what you do best—coordinate the rescues and care for the animals that need you.”
“Speaking of strong men, where’s that hunk of yours?”
“He’s been on the road this past week. Should be back sometime tonight.”
Casey stood up. “Well, let’s get these chores done so you can go get yourself gussied up for him.”
Dillon plopped down into the chair next to Al’s desk. “What does the schedule look like for the next couple of weeks?”
“Nothing scheduled until mid-February, unless we get a new account. That’s not too likely in this economy.”
“Well, in that case, I’m planning to do some work on my place in Massachusetts. Of course, you can let me know if something comes up, but if you have another driver who can take the job, that’d probably be better.”
Outside, Dillon tossed his gear into the back of the small pickup truck he’d rented, then climbed behind the wheel. The sky was clear and the sun cast sharp shadows against the last vestiges of snow lying in sheltered spots. He checked the time. Ginger would still be doing chores, so he’d just get something to eat before heading out to the farm.
He drove to his favorite diner on the east side of town, purchased a newspaper, and ordered a king-sized breakfast. Strong hot coffee warmed his throat and he thought about how Ginger might fit into his future. He no longer wondered or worried how she felt about him. Since the altercation with her husband, she’d softened and relaxed, let him see inside her heart, and that experience had proven to be therapeutic for his own emotional state. She was definitely a good tonic for what ailed him.
He picked up the newspaper and unfolded it, then stared at the headline below the fold. Reading quickly, his astonishment grew. He couldn’t have orchestrated this any better if he’d done it himself.
Casey looked exhausted. “Ginger, I gotta go back to the house and lie down. My arm is throbbing and I feel like crap.”
Julia hurried to her side. “You’ve overdone it. Come on, I’ll walk with you.”
As they emerged from the barn, a small pick-up truck drove toward them and Julia’s pulse spiked. Any time a strange vehicle appeared, she was immediately on alert. Silly, but she couldn’t help it.
Dillon climbed out and Casey grunted. “Damn. He just gets better lookin’ every time I see him.”
“Hey Casey, look at you walking around like nobody’s business!”
“Yeah, well nobody’s business is about to crash and burn. You’re just in time.”
Julia smiled. “I wasn’t expecting you until tonight.”
“I can come back.”
She pulled a mock scowl and shook her head. “Come on inside. I’ll only be a minute.”
Dillon held the kitchen door open, and Julia helped Casey down the hall toward the bedroom, barely able to contain her delight that Dillon was back.
Ten minutes later, she returned to the kitchen and headed for the coffeepot. “You want anything?”
He pulled out a chair, then sat down and smoothed a newspaper open on the table. “Yeah, I want you to come and sit down.”
His tone was strange and she had a momentary pang of anxiety as she moved to sit beside him. He turned the newspaper so she could read it.
Shock pounded through her chest. Stephen’s picture took up one quarter of the page. She pulled the paper closer and read the headline out loud.
“Seattle Multi-millionaire Strips Company of Funds and Disappears.
The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that an ongoing investigation of insider trading at Dorsey International in Seattle, Washington has been thwarted by the disappearance of owner and CEO, Stephen Dorsey. Sources at SEC revealed that the company’s financial records showed earnings and payments that corroborated suspicions that the electronics entrepreneur was sending hundreds of thousands of investor dollars to his own offshore bank accounts. Authorities were alerted to Dorsey’s disappearance when a process server reported to the county court that Mr. Dorsey had left the country. Dorsey’s whereabouts are not known at this time, but it is suspected that he has taken refuge in a country with non-extradition policies.”
She laid the paper down and stared at Dillon. “Why are you smiling?”
He reached across the table and covered her hand. “Because you are now one hundred percent free. He can never safely come back to this country unless he wants to go to prison.”
Chapter 45
Dillon brushed the pinto colt with long sweeping strokes, smoothing his hand over the glossy coat and grinning as the youngster bobbed his head with pleasure. Dillon stepped back and looked him over from nose to rump, withers to fetlocks. The horse was nicely conformed and surprisingly muscled for his age.
“This guy would make a helluva cow horse.”
Ginger’s head popped over a stall door. “You gonna get some cows?”
He laughed. “Hardly, but I might like to have a good horse.”
She grunted and disappeared from sight.
“What the heck are you doing in there?”
Another grunt and her head appeared again. “Having an argument with Little Bit about this halter and she’s winning…Ouch!” Ginger hopped a couple of steps, then exhaled sharply. “She just stepped on my foot. I give up.”
“Hang on, let me put this guy away and I’ll help you. One thing you can’t do with a young horse is ‘give up.’ That just tells them they’ve won.”
He led the colt into a stall and patted his rump. “We’ll talk again later, sonny.”
Ginger stepped back from the door as he entered the stall. She looked mildly annoyed as she held out the small pink nylon halter.
He raised his eyebrows and took it from her. “Here’s part of your problem. Pink? She probably wants a grown-up halter.”
Ginger scowled and he laughed out loud. “Okay, okay.” He turned and stepped up beside the filly, who eyed him with curiosity. He allowed her to nose his arm and nibble the edge of the halter, then he lightly slipped his arm around her neck just behind the head. He grabbed her ear and, at the same time, deftly slipped the halter over her nose and pulled it up. A minute later, she shook her head and dived into the far corner of the stall.
Ginger’s eyes widened. “You made that look so easy.”
“Simple trick of distraction. She’s busy wondering what I’m doing to her ear.” He unlatched the door. “Come on. We’ll let her fuss with that for a while, then take it off. You do that several times a day and she won’t resist anymore.”
Ginger shook her head. “I don’t understand why she acted like that. She’s been so good about me handling her.”
“She’s growing fast, and that’s the disadvantage to hand-raising a foal. They have no fear, and no respect. At some point real soon, you need to take your position as the Alpha Mare.”
“How do you know so much about this stuff?”
“Observation. Nothing teaches a lesson better than watching nature in action. Horses in the wild have it all sorted out. Our domestic animals have the same instincts, but are subservient to our rules.”
She slipped her hand into his, sending a wave of warmth through his chest. Such a simple gesture, but it meant so much.
He squeezed her fingers. “I’m headed east again for a few days. I was hoping you could come along, but I can see Casey’s not ready to be on her own yet.”
Ginger’s face spread into a beautiful smile. “But I’ll take a rain check on that offer.”
They strolled toward the door and Dillon felt as though he’d come through a long time-warp, from a gnarled and cloudy life into one filled with light and optimism.
He turned and took Ginger’s face in his hands, gently rubbing his thumb along her jaw. “I’m counting on that.”
He kissed her softly, resisting the urge to crush her close and let his need surface. She kissed him back, her own response in tune with his, then she stepped back. A rosy flush covered her cheeks and her eyes sparkled.
“Don’t stay away too long.”
“No worries there.” He stepped out the door, then turned back. “Tell Casey to put my name on that colt.”
Twenty minutes later, he slipped into the traffic on the interstate and settled back in the seat to think about everything that had happened over the past few weeks. All loose ends tied up nicely…a good feeling. But something felt unfinished. He brushed away the thought. Too many years watching his back, watching others’ backs, following leads, thinking, thinking, thinking. He eased back on the accelerator, reality spreading through his thoughts. What the hell was he doing?
He took the next exit and pulled into the parking lot of a convenience store.
Ginger had made a heroic decision to stand her ground for the new life she’d built, a choice that couldn’t have been easy for her. So why, just because she seemed to like him, did he think she’d gather up her stuff and follow him to Massachusetts? How dumb could he be? He started to grin, thinking about all the plans he’d made to surprise her with a barn and fences. Maybe he’d better rethink this. He let out a disgusted snort, climbed out of the truck, and strode into the store.
A few minutes later, he paged through the free real estate booklet, then dialed one of the numbers. If he wanted Ginger, he’d have to start on her own turf. She no longer needed to be rescued.
Julia stood in the middle of the barn, listening to the soft sounds of horses chewing through their grain. She had never been happier in her life. How could that be? The answer, of course, was that the things she’d left behind were of no consequence, but the new family she’d acquired—honest, decent people who cared about her and what she believed in—were treasures that no amount of money or prestige could buy. She’d had to earn their love and respect and, in the process, had learned her own worth.
She walked slowly toward the door, thinking about where she wanted to be with Dillon. He made her feel alive and even beautiful, but more important, she felt as though he valued her intellect and sensibility. The two of them were a good match—at least her heart was telling her it was so. She smiled and stepped out into the fading evening light. Bill’s red Volvo was parked by Casey’s back door and the kitchen windows glowed warmly from within. Casey’s attempts at covering up her
involvement with Bill had been transparent, at best. She was obviously crazy about him, and he made no pretenses about his own feelings. Julia’s heart warmed. Casey was in good hands.
Bill looked up as Julia came through the door. “Hey, you’re just in time for dinner. I brought Chinese.”
Casey was seated at the table and Bill was pulling carryout boxes from a large paper bag.
Julia smiled, but shook her head. “Thanks very much, but I need a shower before I do another thing. I’ll graze through the leftovers later.”
Casey chuckled. “If you’re lucky.”
Julia climbed the stairs, listening to their pleasant chatter and light laughter, and wondering how she could ever have been part of the small fraction of unhappy couples in the world. What would Dillon be like on a continual basis? Even Stephen had been more or less normal when she’d first met him. She shook her head. Dillon’s personality and values were so good, it was hard to imagine him changing into someone she didn’t love. She stopped abruptly on the step. To move into a committed relationship would require time and patience for both of them. No more mistakes.
After an invigorating hot shower, she went down to the den and turned on the computer. The day before, she’d taken photographs of every horse on Casey’s property and now she needed to figure out how to get them onto Stolen Horse International. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they could locate owners or homes for some of the horses? The main page finally appeared and Julia gasped.
Huge, blocky red letters spelled “Success Story!” across the top of the page—directly above Coquette’s photograph. Heart thumping, Julia skimmed the story, then reached for her phone.
“Dillon, they found Coquette! She’s okay!”
“Hey, that’s great. How’d they find her?”
