by Regina Duke
“No problem. I’m happy to do it. Besides, I’m just filling in while Mavis is on vacation. She comes back tomorrow. Lucky me. They say there’s more snow coming, but that will be Mavis’s problem.” She winked at Krystal, then handed over a rubberbanded stack of envelopes and magazines.
Krystal thumbed quickly through the envelopes. Her disappointment must have been obvious, but she couldn’t help herself. Nothing had the return address of a legal firm.
“It hasn’t come yet, has it?” Mrs. McAvoy was plump and comfortable, a testimony to the wonderful food at the Cattleman’s Inn.
Krystal looked up, startled. “How did you know?”
“Your face. Oh, I don’t know what you’re waiting for exactly, but your face says plain as day it’s not here. Sorry to disappoint.”
Krystal forced a smile. “Patience is a virtue. At least that’s what people keep telling me.”
“Anything we can do? Me and Reese?”
“No, thank you.”
“Well, maybe tomorrow. Are you okay?”
“Yes. But my daughter has had a very bad day, and I need to get inside and find out what’s going on. You drive safely.”
Mrs. McAvoy hesitated. “This might explain something, but you didn’t learn it from me.” She gave a conspiratorial wiggle of the eyebrows and dangled a USPS card out the window in front of Krystal’s face, then pretended to check her hair in the mirror.
It was a Change of Address card.
CHAPTER TWO
MEGAN LED HONEY OUT INTO THE covered arena. No matter how hard it rained or how deep the snow got, the Rocking Eagle now had a dry secure place to train horses and riders. With Karla and Mindy’s intense interest in learning dressage, and with Kevin’s desire that Megan learn how to be safe on and around horses, the indoor arena was an excellent investment. And now that the arena was built, Krystal had begun riding again as well.
Megan knew that Kevin had many reasons for adding the arena, but she graciously accepted his excuse that it was a Christmas present for her. In fact, she was touched by the gesture.
Zach didn’t look up as she approached but said softly, “I was wondering if you’d changed your mind.”
“No way! I wouldn’t miss my riding lesson for anything.” She reached out and stroked the neck of the aging palomino. “Poor Honey. You thought you were retired, didn’t you? Sorry, old girl.”
Zach made a sound that could have been a chuckle. “Your husband wanted a horse that was trustworthy. Honey may be old, but she’s the safest horse in the barn.”
Megan nodded. “I know. And I love him for it. But how long will we be walking in circles? Some day I’ll need to ride at a trot, and if I get brave enough, maybe even take a low jump. I’m not sure Honey is up to that, though.”
“She might fool you. But I hear what you’re saying. Don’t worry. I’m already working on your upgrade.”
Megan brightened. “No kidding? For today?”
“No. Today you show me everything you’ve learned so far on Honey. Then tomorrow, I’ll introduce you to your new ride.”
“Excellent.”
Zach patted Honey’s neck. Her winter coat was thick. “Let’s walk her around a bit before you get on her.”
Megan led Honey around the corral and Zach walked with her. Megan kept her voice even and her volume down like Zach had taught her to do around the horses. “I hope those divorce papers get here soon. Krystal’s getting all worked up. I’m worried about her.”
Zach said, “Sometimes she’s excitable. Like an Arabian. Fine boned and full of fire, but ready to bolt at the drop of a hat.”
Megan smiled. “That was very sweet. An Arabian? Not a Thoroughbred?”
“Oh, she’s got the fancy blood lines of a racehorse, that’s for sure. But she’s delicate and…” He cut himself off. “I talk too much.”
“Did you two grow up together? Krystal talks like she’s known you her whole life.”
“We were in 4-H together. But we didn’t really notice each other until high school.”
Megan’s heart melted at the thought. “Aw, that’s adorable. You were high school sweethearts?”
Zach stopped walking. “Time to get you on this horse. Can you do it without a mounting block today?”
“You didn’t answer my question,” she said teasingly.
Zach kicked at the dirt. “I’ll just say one thing.” He held the stirrup for her.
Megan set her toe in the stirrup and swung lightly into the saddle. “Which is?”
“Just this. There ain’t nothing adorable about me. Now show me what you’ve learned. Walk her halfway down the arena, then turn and walk back. I want to see you back her up, too. After that, I want to see some rein work. If that looks good, we’ll move into a trot.” He moved to the side wall where a bale of hay doubled as seating. From there, he watched as Megan rode. Zach was impressed by her natural athleticism and how easily she had taken to riding. It was as if she were born to it. He hadn’t told her that, though. He didn’t want her to get cocky. He didn’t want her to take any chances. He couldn’t afford to let anything happen to her. Better to keep her cautious for a while.
As the lesson continued, he watched her post like a natural as she eased Honey into a trot. It reminded him of someone else who had a natural talent on the back of a horse. How many times as a youngster had he draped himself casually against a wall and pretended he wasn’t watching Krystal Fineman put her pony through its paces? He hadn’t exactly told Megan the truth. Krystal didn’t notice him until they were in high school. But Lordy, he had certainly noticed her. He’d been twelve years old when he first felt her grip on his heart.
It was nothing she did on purpose. She hadn’t even been aware of how beautiful she was. But his twelve-year-old heart would swell up every time she came near. He didn’t dare talk to her. Even if speech had been possible, she was a Fineman. Her daddy owned the Rocking Eagle, and they were the richest family in the state. No, he couldn’t just up and talk to her. But he could watch her move, like poetry on the back of a horse.
He still enjoyed watching her move.
He should never have let her go. All he had to say was, “Stay.” She would have been his, and her father be damned. But he had nothing. He couldn’t ask her to give up everything to be with him. He wanted to, goodness knows. But that would have been the most selfish thing in the world, to play on her moment of weakness and ask her to stay with him. Nope. He did the only decent thing.
And he would never forgive himself for that.
CHAPTER THREE
KRYSTAL KNOCKED SOFTLY ON KARLA’S DOOR, expecting no answer. But it wasn’t latched, and when it swung slightly open, she took advantage and nudged it a bit further.
“Karla, dear?”
The room was dim, even though the December sun had not yet set. Krystal glanced at the bed, where she often found Karla and her best friend lying side by side, headphones in their ears, nodding gently to the beat over their textbooks.
Karla’s lime green backpack sat in the chair. Krystal heard water running in the bath and glimpsed her daughter inside, vigorously applying face cream between sobs. Two blobs of soft yellow lens clung to the sink where they’d fallen in Karla’s haste to remove them.
“You’re taking it off?” she asked softly.
Karla shuddered a breath. “I scared the baby. Sorry.”
“Ah.” Krystal fought to maintain her own composure. With Douglas out of their lives for so many months, Karla’s life had gotten better and better. Her natural goodness emerged, her talent blossomed, and she was able to live without fear. She hadn’t had a meltdown in so long, Krystal had forgotten how much it broke her heart to see Karla suffer. She felt herself about to shed tears of her own, but that wouldn’t help calm her daughter. Instead she said, “In a strange way, I’ve missed your vampire. I find myself longing for Halloween.”
She could have sworn that a brief laugh displaced a sob.
“I didn’t know you had to be i
n pain to wear it, though.” She waited. Pelting Karla with questions never worked. She’d learned that long ago.
Karla whipped three paper towels out of their box and wiped her mask off. Her breathing was better, but her voice squeaked with seventeen-year-old agony. “Mindy’s parents are moving right after Christmas. I’ll never see her again!” The sobs erupted once more.
Krystal reached out and touched her daughter’s shoulder. She was surprised when Karla turned and crumpled against her. They were the same height now, but she embraced her girl as if she were tiny. “Oh, my darling. No wonder you’re broken-hearted. But you’ll see her again often. Of course you will.”
“How? They’re moving out of state, and they don’t have a lot of money for college, so they think they’re doing her a favor, getting there eighteen months early so she can pay reduced tuition. Her dad got a new job there.” It came out in chunks and gasps. “Minion is my best friend, sometimes she’s my only friend.”
Krystal smoothed her daughter’s hair. “That cannot possibly be true. What about your art class? And drama class? And the dressage club? And that garage band group you two have been raving about?”
Karla wiped at her face with the palms of her hands and disentangled slowly from her mother’s embrace. Her hazel eyes were red rimmed. “Life Rule number fifty-seven,” she squeaked ruefully. “It’s hard to keep theatrical contacts in when you’re crying.”
One corner of Krystal’s mouth curled in a smile. How could she have given birth to such a funny and talented person? It took her breath away more than once. “At least you’re still in double digits,” she said softly. “I’m on Life Rule number six hundred and twelve.”
Another breathy laugh cut off by pain. “What am I going to do? School is fun because of Mindy. Art class is great because she takes it with me. We do all our projects together. And the garage band group is her idea. She has a crush on the keyboard player. I have to be there because he’s a total loser and she hasn’t figured it out yet.”
Now it was Krystal’s turn to laugh. She ended it quickly. “Losing your best friend when you least expect it is one of life’s great heartbreaks.”
“Oh, Mom, how could you possibly know how I’m feeling?” Fresh tears filled her eyes and fell in fat drops down her flawless skin. She turned away from her mother and flung herself onto her bed.
Krystal’s heart ached for her daughter’s pain. “Why didn’t she come home with you today? I thought you were planning extra riding practice over the break?”
“Her mother picked her up at lunch for a dentist appointment. That’s when she told us. Said her husband got some great job in Las Vegas and they were moving right after Christmas. Just like that. Like we should just say, ‘Well, it’s been fun, guess I don’t need that half of my soul after all.’ It was awful. Merry Christmas to me.”
Krystal frowned. “Seems like a rather abrupt announcement.”
Karla rolled over and stared up at the ceiling. “Mindy knew her dad was looking for a better job, but he’s been doing that for ages. And she figured he’d find one here or in Pueblo. Something close. How could they drag her away and make her spend the rest of high school with strangers in a whole other state? We had so many plans! It’s like our lives just ended.” She rolled off the bed to get a tissue from the table where her collection of theatrical makeup had expanded from the black and white vampire necessities to the dozens of colors required by her role as makeup artist for her drama class. She blew her nose loud and long.
Krystal felt herself relaxing. Two years ago it would have taken days to learn the whole story. But then, two years ago Karla viewed her mother as Douglas’s partner in crime, the evil duo bent on shipping her off to some girls’ prison school in Berne. Filing for divorce was the best thing she could have done for her relationship with her daughter.
“Knock, knock.” Cookie’s voice singsonged from the hallway. She entered with a tray of sandwiches and two cans of Diet Pepsi. Her steel gray hair was swept up under her old chef’s hat, white apron tied securely around her stocky figure. The pink in her cheeks and the twinkle in her pale eyes always made Krystal think of Mrs. Santa Claus.
“Hi, Cookie.” Karla’s greeting was barely audible.
“Baby girl! What’s wrong? Where’s your Minion?”
Fresh tears welled up in Karla’s eyes.
Krystal took the tray and set it on Karla’s study desk. “She had a dentist appointment,” said Krystal softly, hoping to spare Karla the pain of retelling the whole story.
Cookie looked from one to the other. “I see. Dentist, huh? Karla, honey, will you be able to eat your sandwich?”
Karla nodded feebly. “You always make such good ones. I’ll be hungry eventually.”
Cookie winked at Krystal. “All right, then. If you need anything else, you let me know.”
“Okay.”
Cookie crooked a finger at Krystal, who nodded briefly.
“Karla, I need to take care of something. Meanwhile, don’t despair. Remember what Zach told you when your mare came up lame?”
Karla nodded. “Don’t load the gun yet, it’s just a stone in her frog.” The memory made her smile and she reached for a sandwich. “Before we moved back to the ranch, I wouldn’t have had any idea what that meant.”
“Amazing, isn’t it? And the same applies now. Don’t mourn the loss of your friend when she hasn’t even left town yet. I’ll check on you later.”
“Okay.”
Krystal pulled the door shut and turned to hear what Cookie had to say.
“Principal Ball phoned a few minutes ago. She said she’ll wait for your call.” She handed over a pink message slip.
“Thank you, Cookie.”
Krystal had been pleasantly surprised to discover an old school chum of hers in charge of the high school. Beatrice Ball had been chunky in the ninth grade, and the nickname Beach Ball was inevitable. One day Krystal found her in the locker room in tears, too embarrassed to join the other girls on the field. Krystal promptly invited her to be on her own team.
“You swing the bat better than anyone, and with a last name like Ball, we’ll never lose.”
That act of kindness had been repaid many times by Principal Ball during Karla’s first six months at the school. Today was no different.
“Hello, Krystal. You undoubtedly know more about what’s going on than I do, but I just wanted to let you know that I’m aware that Karla put on her vampire face during lunch break today. She freaked out a new teacher, but I smoothed it over.”
“Thanks, Bea. I just had a talk with her. Did you know that Mindy’s parents plan to move out of state right after Christmas?”
“Oh, no. They haven’t said a word. I hope they plan to let me in on the secret. I can make sure her new school gets records. What a shame. Mindy was on the fast track for a nice scholarship to the University of Colorado. I’ve been working hard on that.”
“Maybe you should call them.”
“I’ll do that.” Bea paused and cleared her throat. “Any news on your front?”
Krystal shook her head. “Nothing in the mail so far.”
“Well, hang in there. Stay in touch about Karla, won’t you?”
“Yes, of course. Bye.”
Still wearing her winter gear, Krystal moved toward the kitchen, not realizing until she got there that where she was really headed was the arena. All those memories of high school made her want a word with Zach. She went out the kitchen door and nearly tripped over a green bicycle propped against the house. She frowned in thought. Was Keegan’s bike green? She could have sworn it was red. And what was it doing out here with an inch of frozen snow on the ground?
As Krystal moved through the barn, a sorrel mare shuffled in her stall, then quieted. At the arena, she watched her ranch foreman talking Megan through this move and that. Krystal was impressed. Megan was making fast progress with her lessons. Of course, she had a great teacher.
Zach knew she was there. She was sure of it.
She could almost see it in his shoulders, the way they dipped a bit in her direction, as if he were a dowsing rod and she was the water. She loved that about him. She’d just about decided it was time to check on Karla when he turned toward her.
“Do you need me for something, ma’am?”
Did she ever. But she couldn’t say that out loud, at least not in front of Megan. She smiled and shook her head. “We’ll talk later. Go ahead and finish the lesson. Megan, you’re doing very well. Zach will have you doing horse shows before you know it.” She wiggled her fingers in farewell. “I need to see how Karla is doing. Best friend crisis. I’ll tell you about it later. Daylight is fading. I’ll turn the lights on for you.”
She headed back to the house, but paused outside the kitchen door. The green bike was gone. It must have been Keegan’s, or maybe it was Karla’s old bike and he’d borrowed it. She never used it now that she had the Jeep. At least he’d put it away.
In the kitchen, she found Karla restocking her snack plate.
“Your appetite is back. That’s a good sign,” said Krystal.
Karla nodded. “I’m good. Better, I mean. I’ll be upstairs.” She backed out through the dining room, her arms loaded with chips and fruit and diet sodas.
Krystal almost reminded her that she would ruin her dinner, but decided against it. High school was the only time in a girl’s life when she could eat what she wanted and hardly give it a thought. There would be lots of years for Karla to watch her calorie count.
Keegan’s voice sailed in from the back door. “Mom? Can I ride my bike over to David’s?”
Krystal was horrified. “No, you may not!” She turned to verify that he was still wearing his earmuffs. “Where is the baby?”
“Maria took her to change her diaper. She was stinky. Please, can I go? It’s just next door,” whined Keegan.
“It’s the next ranch, not the next door, young man. You may not ride that far alone. Besides, the ground is covered with snow and it’s getting dark. Why do you even ask? You know what the answer will be.”
