by Jill Snow
“Only she didn’t?”
“She wanted Adam Malone the rock star. She had no more intention of settling down and having children than she planned on living a simple life. That whole thing, the crazy nights, the fans, Hello magazine, et cetera, that was her dream. She wanted to be the next Kardashian. I should have seen it earlier, but I was blind. Never again.”
“You can’t judge all women by the actions of this Camilla woman. It sounds like you had a lucky escape to me. Marriage is hard work. I think the best marriages last because the husband and wife are best friends and one hundred percent supportive of each other. You can have that with someone else.”
“Yeah, maybe.” It was funny how it didn’t hurt to think of Camilla now. Thinking of her just made him angry. She had nearly destroyed his life and he’d been stupid enough to let her. Eager to change the subject, he asked, “What chore do you want to be done next?”
“Why don’t you take the rest of the day off? Just chill for a while. Maybe call your mom? I have no idea what time it is in Ireland.”
“It’s the middle of the night over there. But thanks. I have a book I’ve been wanting to finish.”
“Adam, don’t give up on life. Being single is fine if that’s your choice for the right reasons. Personally, I think people are like animals, they like to live in pairs. We all make mistakes. Some of us more than others. It’s what we learn from them that counts.”
Mack walked off as Adam tidied up the last of his chores. It was a pity Mack didn’t have children. He would have made a great dad. As he walked back to the lodge, his thoughts turned to Ashley again. Was Mack hinting that he had a chance with Ashley? No. He couldn’t be. Why would she ever want a screw-up like him?
Chapter 16
Saturday morning came but Adam’s hopes of staying in bed were rudely shattered by Loretta’s breakfast call. He arrived at the table a little bleary-eyed.
“Come on, boys, the kids will be here soon. Look lively. I want that table cleared so I can set it up for their lunch.”
“Children? Coming here?” Adam asked, his stomach rumbling at the smell of pancakes. He had never tasted breakfast as good as the ones Loretta made. Even his mam’s cooked breakfast paled in comparison.
“Yes. Didn’t Mack or Ashley tell you? We have a group of children from the local area come to spend the day here every Saturday. It gives their families some respite and the children love it. The staff enjoys it, too. Most of the time. They haven’t been able to come for the last few weeks as there was a sickness outbreak at their school.”
“Respite? Just how bad are these kids?”
Adam resisted the urge to even look at Charlie. Anyone who dismissed children before even meeting them was an idiot in his opinion.
“Charlie, that’s not called for. They are adorable, just like usual kids. They all have special needs of some sort. The animals help them.” Loretta made more noise than usual as she cleaned up the kitchen area.
“Special needs? You mean the local idiots come to play. That’s not something I signed up for,” Charlie whined.
Adam jumped as the silver cake pan hit the table just missing Charlie’s elbow, sending his coffee all over Adam’s jeans.
“You listen to me. Nobody, and I mean nobody, uses those ugly terms around these precious children. If they do, they answer to me. You hear?”
“Yes, Ma’am.” Charlie looked chastised. Adam didn’t hang around to hear the rest of the conversation but jumped up and headed back to his room to change his jeans. Returning to the kitchen, he helped Loretta clear away in silence.
“Sorry about that fit earlier, Adam. Give me your jeans and I will wash them. I just can’t bear prejudice against anyone, but especially these kids. They get enough of that in their regular lives.”
“No problem. I think the same. So how far do they come from?”
“In some cases, they come miles but many live in the surrounding area. There is a local school for autistic children. Oh, Adam, you should see their little faces when the animals come out. You’d think they would be scared but usually, they aren’t. Kids who have never spoken seem to communicate with the horses. Others who have ADHD are calm when they go riding. Being around animals is great therapy for everyone but particularly for those who need a little extra. You know?”
He did know. Closing his eyes, he pictured his cousin Deirdre and her daughter Skye. Skye had been born with Down Syndrome. She was a beautiful, loving little girl with a heart of gold who brought joy wherever she went. But far too many people didn’t give her a chance. They dismissed her as soon as they saw she was different. Deirdre’s partner couldn’t handle having a special needs child and had dumped her soon after Skye was born. One benefit of having money meant the Malones could give Deirdre and Skye anything they needed on a financial basis. Deirdre spent her time bringing Skye to various therapies in the hopes of improving her quality of life. He didn’t know if any of them involved horses. He made a mental note to check into it.
The bus bringing the children arrived with a honk of its horn. Adam stayed in the background as Loretta, Ashley, and Mack greeted the children by name. There was one small girl who immediately reminded him of Skye. She seemed shy and she was sucking her thumb as she looked around her. Adam caught her eye and smiled. She blinked twice but then smiled back. He saw her head for Ashley. She obviously felt more at home around women. There was an older boy who hung back near the bus, so Adam approached him.
“Hi, there, my name’s Adam. What’s yours?”
Silence. The boy didn’t look at him but stared at the ground.
“Want to come see the horses?”
Silence again. Adam bent down so he was at the child’s level. “Are you scared? I was terrified when I came here at first, but the animals are lovely.”
There was more silence, but this time he caught the boy glance sideways. So he was listening, just not responding. At least not verbally.
“Ah, you’ve met David. He’s shy. It will be a while before he’ll talk to you,” a woman with amazing purple hair, who he assumed was their teacher, said softly.
Adam smiled at David, sure the boy was watching him without looking at him. “That’s okay. David can take as long as he needs. I’m going to go over there to see my favorite horse. Her name is Greybird. She is just awesome.”
“Why?”
The woman smiled at Adam before walking away, leaving him to answer David.
“Why is she awesome? She is kind, strong, intelligent, and she loves to eat apples. Want to feed her? She won’t bite you.”
“Why?”
“You wouldn’t taste too good, I reckon. Apples taste great.”
David didn’t argue. He just stared at him.
“Want to come meet Greybird?”
The boy nodded. He was a child of few words.
Chapter 17
“Hi, David, you came back. I’m so glad to see you again. Want to do a high five?” Ashley asked.
The boy’s face turned into one big smile as he high fived with Ashley. Adam couldn’t believe the change in him.
“David likes Devil the best. He has real taste,” Ashley said, her arm hanging loosely around David’s shoulders.
“Greybird can beat Devil any day of the week. You guys are wrong,” Adam teased back.
David moved clear of Ashley’s arm. “Devil is better. Don’t tell Ashley she’s wrong. She knows more than you do.”
Ashley patted David on the hand. “You tell him, David. We are Devil’s champions.”
Adam wasn’t sure whether to leave them to it or to stay. It didn’t seem like David had warmed to him.
“David, why don’t you go over and pick out an apple for Devil and then we’ll go visit him together. I just want a quick word with Adam, okay?”
David ran toward the tray of apples they had left out for the children.
“David takes a long time to trust people. He doesn’t like being touched or stared at, either. He is also very direct
as you have seen. But he is amazing with animals. Come watch us.”
“I thought David might prefer to be alone with you.”
“No, he won’t mind. David trusts me. It took about a year of him visiting here for that to happen. Just don’t push him to like you. He’s usually a good judge of character.”
Adam watched her walk back to where David was waiting patiently. What was that supposed to mean? He wasn’t sure he wanted to find out. The last time his character had been judged, he’d been found lacking.
He felt a tugging at his hand. Looking down, he saw it was the girl who reminded him of Skye.
“Hello there, princess. What’s your name?”
“Gracie. Can you take me to see a horse? I am a little scared but you look brave.”
“Sure I can, Gracie. Let’s go find Greybird, she is lovely.”
“Is she your friend?”
“Yes. She will be your friend, too.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.” Gracie’s trusting look, combined with her putting her hand in his, nearly undid him. She was so vulnerable and trusting. Just like Skye who couldn’t see the bad in anyone. He missed his goddaughter so much at that moment, he wanted to get the first plane back to Dublin and hug her close. But that wasn’t possible. The investigation against Camilla and the drug ring had to be resolved first.
It was a fabulous day. Gracie sat on Greybird’s back as Adam led the horse around the grass lawns. He was astonished at just how patient Greybird was with the small girl who wrapped her arms around the horse’s neck and kept kissing her. At the end of the day, he reluctantly told her it was time to go, leading her back to the bus. David was standing as if waiting to get on the bus but there was no line.
“You alright, David?”
“Can I come see you again?” he asked.
Adam choked back the lump in his throat. “I will see what I can do, okay? It was lovely meeting you, David.” Adam didn’t want to promise stuff he couldn’t make happen.
“They love the horses. The animals accept them for who they are. They don’t see anything us humans see. Too bad some humans can’t be more like animals,” Ashley said as they watched the kids board the bus.
“I know.” He couldn’t get his brain to work. She smelled so good.
“You have experience with children. It shows in the way you deal with them.”
“My goddaughter was born with Down Syndrome. She’s five now. She’s had a number of operations for heart issues. Skye is such a sweet, natural little person. Too trusting, though. Her mam, Deirdre, can be overprotective. But she’s trying to give Skye some independence. Well, as much as any five-year-old gets.”
“Sounds like she’s a good parent. Gracie’s parents weren’t able to handle her diagnosis. She lives at the children’s home full-time. Coming here is a highlight of her week.” She sighed.
“What?”
“I feel so bad for Gracie. If I had money or was more secure financially, I would adopt her in a heartbeat. She is a special little girl. I would love to her mom.”
“She sure is. Have you known her long?”
Ashley nodded. “She’s been coming for about two years. It used to be available every day but then the boss found out it was more profitable to take in guests of the government like the addicts than help the children. I started working here because of the children. Now I can’t afford to leave. I guess I should be thankful we managed to convince him to let them come on Saturdays. It’s good PR for the ranch.”
He wanted to give her a hug or something, but it wouldn’t be appropriate. But he had to keep the conversation going. He liked being around her.
“But don’t they think it’s dangerous?” he asked.
“With the horses?”
“No, I meant the guests. I mean these guys aren’t law abiding citizens. Should they be around children?”
“These guys? You mean you as well, right?”
He shrugged wishing he could tell her the truth. But in her eyes, he was the same as Rob, Charlie, and the others.
“The city runs background checks on all our guests. Any that have any issues making them dangerous to children are sent elsewhere.”
“Only the good guys come here?” As soon as he said that, he wanted to take the words back. The cold look was back on her face, her eyes pinning him with a glacial freeze. “Sorry, that was just a joke. I meant—”
“I best get back. Loretta needs help in the kitchen.”
He kicked the dirt as frustration overcame him. Every time he thought he was getting close to her, he messed it up. Every single time.
Chapter 18
Ashley walked away, aware of his eyes on her. Why couldn’t they just talk like two adults without butting heads all the time? She didn’t react when the other guests said things she didn’t like or believe in. She just ignored them. But with Adam, it was different. He’d been lovely to the children, particularly Gracie. She worried about the little girl who was too trustworthy for her own good. Gracie was such a joy to be around, Ashley couldn’t understand how her parents had given her up. Some people didn’t see past the outer packaging. The guests from the ranch tended to spend Saturdays doing their own thing. They rarely got involved with the children. But Adam had thrown himself into the middle of things from the start. Most people tended to ignore David as he wasn’t cute or sweet. He couldn’t be described as anyone’s ideal child, being awkward in almost every way. Yet once you got past his so-called weirdness, you found a child with a heart as big as the universe. Adam hadn’t cared that David wouldn’t touch him or look at him. He had just taken his time to get to know the child and allowed David to take the lead. David’s seeking Adam out at the end of the day was huge. He had been coming to the ranch for over a year and, aside from herself, had made no attachment to anyone else.
Didn’t they say children and animals were good judges of character? Maybe Adam was as nice as he was attractive. Even thinking about him caused delicious sensations to flutter through her stomach. She’d been hard on him when he made the comments about the guests not being appropriate for children. Instead of criticizing her, he was simply stating the facts. Sure, it would be nice if he had seen she would have made certain no child was put at risk, but he probably hadn’t been thinking of her. His focus was on the children. Rightly so, yet she had given him the cold shoulder. Again!
Should she go back and apologize? Or just let it go? How often did she meet someone who intrigued her on every level? She was used to good looking men coming to the ranch. With the type of guests they saw, Mom or Dad had usually paid for plastic surgery to give them the perfect Jude Law or Ben Affleck's nose or the whitest teeth. Adam was so much more than a cute face with fabulous hair. He helped Loretta with the dishes without seeming to care about how the other guys teased him. He held the door open for other people, had lovely manners and was amazing with children. He would make a wonderful dad.
She stopped walking. What was she thinking? The sun must have been hotter than usual today. Since when had she thought about families and a guy’s potential as a father? Her hormones must be acting up or a full moon was coming. She slowed her walk back to the main lodge, listening to the sounds around her. It was quieter now the kids had gone but it wasn’t silent. The subtlest of sounds carried on the wind. The bark of the dog or Devil stamping his feet. The smell of his cologne.
“Ashley, I’m sorry for upsetting you. I didn’t mean to be critical,” Adam said.
She turned to face him, hoping her previous thoughts weren’t evident on her face. “Don’t worry about it. I guess I was a bit touchy. I love the kids being here, just wish it happened all week long.”
“Yeah someone mentioned you enjoyed working with them more than the typical guests you have now.”
“Oh, I’m stupid. I sounded so rude. I didn’t mean it.” She could feel her cheeks heating up.
“It’s okay, don’t worry about it. So, are we cool?”
“Yes. See you on
Monday.” She almost ran, she moved so quickly to her car.
Chapter 19
Ashley skipped going to the ranch on Sunday as she was too confused about her feelings for Adam. Monday came all too quickly. Ashley caught Adam glancing at her a few times but pretended not to see. She couldn’t afford to develop feelings for some rich pop star. She had a real life to live. Between working all hours and looking after her parents, she didn’t have time for romance. Not that she expected him to look twice at her under ordinary circumstances. Out on the ranch, it was different. Apart from Loretta and Mack’s wife, she was the only other female. If she had a dollar for every compliment she’d got from the guests since she had started working, she would be well off. She certainly wouldn’t be contemplating bankruptcy. The loss of their animals had been the final straw in her parents’ run of bad luck. Despite being a hard worker, her dad just couldn’t cope with the demands of a full-time ranch. He didn’t have the money to employ help and between his getting sick and the animals dying, he was at rock bottom.
Ashley screwed up her face, thinking again about last night’s conversation. The bank’s financial adviser had advised him to file for bankruptcy rather than try to sell the ranch. Ashley wasn’t sure why. The ranch, although not viable now, was nicely situated on good land.
With a little bit of cash, she could turn it around. She knew that. But nobody would lend her the money. The banks wouldn’t touch her, not since she co-signed on a debt her dad subsequently defaulted on. Mack didn’t have it and her few friends from high school were all saving to buy houses or get married. The money she earned from her job here kept the bills up to date, but she didn’t earn enough to pay the arrears on the mortgage.
“Are you okay?” Adam asked catching her unawares. She thought she was alone in the barn.
