When he hung up, Edward discovered a text from Elinor saying everything was a go. He hurriedly sent back a thumbs up icon, then did a little dance in the room. Glad no one saw that, he sat down to stop whatever Frank's aunt was trying to do. An hour later, Edward was able to call Frank back with the good news: the dates hadn't been changed. He was free to go. Edward then had to hold the phone away from his ear as Frank whooped in delight.
"You'll have to tell me all about this trip," Edward said once Frank calmed down.
"Ha, I might. Or I might not. Depends on how it goes."
That seemed ominous. "Not going to Europe then?"
"It's not where my interest resides. But I can't say more because if I do, I know I'm gonna spill everything so, I'll see you when I come in for the transition. Bye!"
Edward bid him farewell, then hung up the phone, wondering what Frank was up to. But that thought paled in comparison with the eagerness for tomorrow and a whole day—well, most of a day—spent with Elinor.
Chapter 13
Edward half expected to wake up to a voicemail from either his mother, sister, or Elinor that would somehow cancel the day's events. Instead, he found a text from Jess.
"Heard you're coming for a visit. Can't wait to see you. Hope you've finished my book."
He frowned at the text, not sure if it reflected what she actually felt or if she'd doctored it for his mother's sake.
The next dilemma was the book. Since he had never listened to an audiobook of a children's story, he had no idea how long it would take. Could he finish it on the airplane ride over to her place? Or perhaps he could convince the Dashwoods to listen to it on the way to the horse farm? He had no idea if that interested them, but he tucked the audiobook into his briefcase just in case.
Twenty minutes too early, Edward arrived at the Dashwoods' home. Normally, he'd cool his heels at some cafe nearby, working on something, but for some reason, he didn't have his usual feelings of anxiety when having to deal with people. All he wanted was to see Elinor.
He shouldn't have worried anyway. Elinor and her family were all smiles, as eager to see him as he was for them. Well, except the youngest. She had a blanket over her head and, while she nodded when he greeted her, didn't say a word back. Still, he was happy to see she had ventured out of her room and treated her as if she was only wearing a fancy hat. To be honest, he was jealous she could put a blanket on her head. If only he could resort to such tactics when dealing with his mother or Lucy.
When they crowded into his car, he was surprised to see Elinor's mother cram herself in the back seat with her two younger daughters. His mother would never have sat in the back, not even if someone's life depended on it. He couldn't help wondering why this mother would willingly endure being cramped for three hours when she could have the front seat—until he remembered she didn't know him that well and might not want to be forced to speak with him for three hours. Elinor, on the other hand, had no qualms and eased into the front seat with a smile.
The first ten minutes were consumed with the logistics of the drive, but then the conversation waned and Edward wasn't sure what to talk about. Normally, he'd switch to business, but he didn't think the three in the back would be thrilled to listen to that for three hours.
"Anyone interested in listening to a book?"
He half expected a general silence of confusion, but to his surprise, they all agreed to the proposal. Praying the book would actually be good—and that Jess would never find out he'd doubted her ability—he popped in the audiobook and let it play. To his relief, it was actually more entertaining than he had expected and the three hours whizzed by so fast, he nearly forgot to make the final turn.
Entering the horse farm, Edward noted the new fences around the pastures as well as the new barn, probably only a year old. The paths and roads were also recently trimmed and paved. The place was either making good money or was striving very hard to look so in order to attract a good buyer.
He decided on the former when his eyes fell upon an old, leaning cottage that seemed better suited in a ghost town than in a prosperous horse farm. If they had been meaning to sell the place, that cottage would have been updated by now. Either that or there was some law forbidding the house to be modernized.
A couple emerged out of the old cottage. Edward had been under the impression that the owners would be around the age of Elinor's father, but these people were near his age. Either they had discovered the fountain of youth somewhere on this wooded property or he had missed an important detail.
Despite her young age, the woman walked with a rigid step, shoulders and back straight as if used to being a soldier. The man lagged behind, limping in obvious pain and aided by a wooden cane with a carved bird at the top.
Elinor's mother stepped out of the car and threw out her arms toward the couple. "Star!"
"Linda!" The woman, apparently named Star, rushed forward and clamped her strong arms around Elinor's mother. The two burst into chatter, catching up on each other's lives. Though Edward would guess there was over a decade of age difference, the two didn't seem to care and acted like the best of friends.
Marianne, grabbing the blanket-covered girl's hand, dragged her toward Star while Elinor seemed content to hang in the back. Edward was glad of that since it allowed him to somewhat hide behind her. He knew he'd be forced into introductions, but he hoped it would be quick and he'd be meeting horses instead of people.
Luckily, the women seemed absorbed in chatting amongst themselves, but when the man with the cane finally joined the group, Elinor faced him. "Thank you so much for letting us come despite the late notice—"
"Nonsense," the man announced, shifting his weight so none of it lingered on his right leg. Edward couldn't help wondering how badly injured the leg was. Judging by the well-crafted yet well-worn cane, the injury was over a year old and obviously couldn't be easily fixed by modern science.
"But, Linda," the man said, turning to Elinor's mother, "you didn't mention you were bringing a handsome guest!" Without warning, the man stretched out his hand directly at Edward. The introduction process had begun.
"I'm Harv and that gorgeous woman by Linda is my wife, Star. How about you?"
Putting on a polite smile, Edward shook the man's hand. "Edward Ferrars. I'm the brother of their half-brother's wife," he added to ensure no one thought he was dating Elinor.
Harv burst out laughing as if he didn't believe for one moment Edward wasn't interested in Elinor. Edward tensed, not sure how to react.
"What a mouthful!" Harv announced once his laughter subsided, "We'll just call you family, how's that?"
Edward relaxed. The man was like Elinor's family: kind and happy. He liked those type of people. "That works, thank you."
"Good!" Harv abruptly slapped him on the back as if they were old friends. At least, Edward assumed that was what old friends would do. He'd never had one to know for sure.
"And," Harv continued, turning his attention to the blanket-covered girl, "I see you brought a ghost!"
Edward eyed the girl, wondering if she'd open up to the friendly man. But she remained rigid, producing only a slight wave to acknowledge she'd heard him.
Star stepped forward and grabbed the waving hand. "I love ghosts! And ghosts love horses, don't they?"
The girl's stance relaxed as she gave a slight nod.
"Come along, then." Star gave the girl's hand a tug. "Let's go see if we can scare the horses, huh?"
The girl's nod grew eager and she happily followed Star toward the big barn. Edward guessed that must be where the horses were kept. It would explain why he hadn't seen any in the pastures. However, nothing had explained why the young couple seemed to know all of Elinor's family. If they had been coming here for years, Harv must have been running this place in his early teens.
"I can see why you came," Harv said, leaning on his cane and watching his wife and the girl disappear into the barn. "She's not taking her father's stroke very well, is she?"
<
br /> "No one is," Marianne muttered in a grumpy tone despite the stiff smile on her face. "Except Elinor, of course. She never cries."
Edward glanced at Elinor whose smile had turned as stiff as her grumpy sister's. Edward opened his mouth to defend Elinor, to insist that she may not cry, but the toll of her father's stroke was still evident in her eyes, especially when she spoke about him, but Harv beat him to it.
"Come now, Marianne," Harv said, waving his finger at her, "Don't you remember what I've taught? Everyone shows grief differently. Never assume someone is fine just because they don't grieve like you."
Edward was impressed. Harv had deep depths of wisdom for someone who was about his age. Add the fact the man was happy and helpful despite suffering from a debilitating injury, plus ran a successful business since his early teens, and Edward was starting to think the man was a saint.
Harv, however, ruined his sainthood by cracking a joke for everyone to go ride a horse. Marianne took off in a second while her mother steadfastly refused, so Harv turned his attention to Edward as if he was a pile of books that needed serious dusting.
But Elinor, like an angel, intervened. "Mind if I take him into the barn?"
"Sure, sure," Harv limped out of their way. "He can ride, too. Take all the time you need to convince him. We're in no hurry." He added a wink as if referencing a private joke. Edward suddenly wondered how many people have been injured while riding a horse. Which led him to wonder how close was the nearest hospital. The wooded areas made it difficult for a helicopter to land in the area. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
However, Elinor motioned for him to follow her and since the only other option was to remain with strangers—friendly ones, but still strangers—he obeyed Elinor.
"Sorry about Harv," Elinor said once they were out of earshot range. "He loves to tease anyone within his vicinity."
Ah, teasing. He hadn't considered that option. "I'm beginning to see that. But, uh," he hesitated, not sure he should ask the question on his mind.
But Elinor prodded him for it.
"I was under the impression you've been coming here for a long time."
She nodded. "Since I was a child."
"And Harv has owned this place the whole time?"
She grinned. "No, he used to work for the original owner who was a good friend of my father's. Harv bought it when he retired and has been running it for the past couple of years. He's turned this place into a therapy farm now."
"Really? Therapy?" He would never have put horses and therapy in the sentence.
"Yeah, Harv was in the army and got wounded—"
"That explains the limp."
"Yes, but he also had invisible wounds inside him. At least, that's how he described it. And it wasn't until he discovered horse therapy that he was able to heal. Now he offers the same opportunity to others."
"Ah, I see." He stared around him, wondering how this horse therapy worked. And if, perhaps, it could work on him. Then again, his wounds weren't really scars yet. Lucy kept ripping them open. And he highly doubted horse therapy would permanently rid him of Lucy.
When they entered the barn, however, a putrid smell of manure, horse sweat, and a myriad of other smells that, when combined, hit him almost as bad as Lucy did to his spirit. If he had a choice, this is where he'd condemn Lucy for the rest of her life.
"You get used to the smell after a while," Elinor said, apparently seeing his grimace.
He avoided laughing—it would mean inhaling more of the horrible scent. "I'm not sure if it's something I want to get used to."
Elinor, as if showing off, laughed. "That is a good point."
By this time, they were near the wall where saddles hung precariously on small nails. But, a little efficient voice piped up, it did save costs instead of building expensive shelves. Harv either had an eye for keeping costs down or just had no interest in shelving.
Elinor began to heft one saddle of the nail, but she wasn't tall enough for the maneuver.
"I can take that." With his extra inches in height, he swung it off with ease and onto his shoulder like he'd seen in the old black-and-white cowboy movies his grandfather loved to watch, then strode forward like a seasoned cowboy. But when he reached the first stall with a real horse in it, his stance wilted. The beast was huge and taller than him and with more muscle in those legs than Edward had in his whole body.
"Wow, they're a lot bigger than I expected."
Elinor leaned on the slim railing—the only thing between them and the heavily muscled creature—apparently not afraid of the horse at all. "To be fair, this one happens to be one of the bigger ones, but the smaller ones aren't much smaller."
"And you get on top of this thing?" He put the saddle between him and the horse like a shield. "On purpose?"
Her laughter peeled out. Despite his nervousness around the horse, he'd risk it for that laugh again.
"It's not as bad as it seems," she said with a grin. "Want to try?"
She looked like an angel with that grin. Too bad the smell ruined the heavenly moment. "Will you be on your favorite horse?"
Her smile died. "No, he was put down some years ago."
He instantly regretted the question. "I'm sorry to hear that." He had brought her here to bring her out of pain, not remind her more of it.
"It's all right," she said with a sad smile. "He was old, his joints weren't working so well, and he had gone blind. It was a good thing for him."
Despite the big creature looming on the other side of the railing, he leaned against it, eying Elinor. "Do you realize you always put a positive spin on everything?" He should have realized this a lot sooner. No wonder he loved being around her.
She flushed as if embarrassed. "I like to put things in perspective, that's all. View life's hiccups as a stepping stone instead of a stumbling block."
Stumbling block. The nightmare of Lucy rose up in his mind like a sinister ghost. She wasn't just a block. She was a gigantic mountain of despair. "What would you do if you were handed a stone that was too large to step on?"
Elinor seemed to consider the question for a moment. "Well, I might, at first, be daunted, but then I'd try to look for a crevice that I might get a foothold on."
He glanced at her. "A foothold?"
"Yeah, to climb over it."
Climb over the mountain of Lucy. The resulting image was ludicrous. "I wish I had your fortitude. I bet if a mountain landed in your path, you'd still find a way to call it a stepping stone." She might even have bested Lucy instead of becoming trapped like he did.
Elinor shrugged. "Well, a stepping stone does sound easier than a mountain."
He stared at her. "How do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Make life seem so much easier than it is?" What was her secret? Despite all her trials, she always seemed so happy and content.
She ducked her head, letting her hair fall to hide her face. "I didn't know I was doing that."
He had embarrassed her. Normally, he'd rush to apologize, but he didn't want to negate what he had said. She was amazing and needed to know it.
Without another thought, he reached out, touched her chin and raised it up until her eyes found his. "Don't be embarrassed by that gift. Being positive—you have no idea how rare a gift that is." Just being around her gave him more joy than he'd experienced in his entire life. And now she was less than a foot away.
Every fiber in his being wanted to wrap her into his arms and never let her go. Maybe he didn't have to give her up. Maybe she was strong enough to take on Lucy, to help him find the foothold he needed.
He felt himself lean forward. If he kissed her, his secret would be out. She'd know without a doubt how much he craved her energy, her spirit, her everything. But if she could save him—
The horse abruptly neighed, the sound vibrating in his mind like a wailing wind of doom.
He immediately backed up. That was too close. Elinor may be positive, but positivity wouldn't solve Lucy. Eve
n if he was desperate to be saved, it was wrong of him to drag Elinor into the mess he'd made of his life.
"Star has a horse for beginners," Elinor said as if nothing special had happened. And, perhaps to her, nothing had. It wasn't like she had ever expressed an interest in him. She might even had recoiled with his attempted kiss. He was a fool to think Elinor could ever think of him as a potential mate. What did he have to offer, anyway?
"I take it that's a good thing?" His voice was too polite, but it was better than the lovesick tone his heart wanted.
"Yes; want to see him?"
He wasn't in the mood anymore, but he picked up the saddle and nodded like a resigned cowboy. She led him past stalls of different colored horses until they stopped at the last stall containing one plump horse that kept his head to the floor as if it had more interest in the floor than the gangly bipedal people before him.
He eyed the bored beast. "You're right. Smaller doesn't really mean small."
"He's slow, at least, and he's too lazy to be startled by anything."
"So, you're saying my chances of falling off are minimal?" He'd rather they were non-existent.
"Yes. And I'll be leading you while you ride so—"
He faced her. "You're not riding?"
"It will be easier on you if I—"
"No, no, we came out here for you to ride. For all your family to ride," he added in a rush. He really was doing a terrible job hiding his feelings for her.
Thankfully, she seemed only interested in the logistics of riding instead of his heart. "I'll need to get another saddle, then."
"I'll get it," he laid the saddle in his hands on the ground, but a warm hand clasped his arm, making it tingle all over and in one second, he forgot what he was doing. All he could think about was the warmth of her skin penetrating his sleeve.
"Let me first get you on this horse and then we'll worry about mine." Before he could react, she opened the door, removing the only obstacle protecting them from the bored horse.
Instincts shot through him and he hefted the saddle in front of him for protection. Elinor, however, whisked the saddle out of his hands and waltzed right up to the creature. With obvious practice, she threw the saddle onto its back, then buckled the cords under its belly. Next, she slung on the reigns and tied behind its ears. Once finished, she presented him the reins.
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