by Deb Kastner
“Hey, watch yourself, Miss Cool Beans.” She gestured toward the phone. “Who was that, by the way?”
“Just Abby.”
“Abby? I don’t think I’ve heard that name before.”
“You should have. Abigail Carter. She’s in my class at school, and she was in your day care when she was a toddler. We used to play in the sandbox together.”
“Oh, that Abby. I know you used to be friends, way back when, but I haven’t heard her name mentioned in years. What happened?”
“I dunno. Different paths, different interests. But we’ve kind of reconnected lately.”
“Over Dawson?” Rachel was only half teasing.
Zooey’s face turned a vibrant red and she rolled to her feet.
“Mom,” she wailed. “My phone conversations are supposed to be private.”
“Can I help it if you talk loud? I could hear you all the way down the hallway in my bedroom. I would have had to shut my door and put in earplugs not to hear every word you said.”
“Please, please don’t embarrass me by mentioning this to anyone?”
Rachel flashed an impish smile. “Why would I do that?”
She wouldn’t, of course, but it was too funny to see Zooey squirm.
“What party, by the way?”
“Mom,” Zooey protested again.
“Will there be an adult chaperone? I’d like a phone number so I can check out the details.”
Zooey crossed her arms and frowned. “Check up on me, you mean.”
“I’m just doing what any responsible parent would do. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but I do want you to be safe. So sue me.”
She did trust Zooey, although in recent months, that trust had been sorely tested.
“But there’s no reason not to share that information with me, right? If everything is on the up-and-up, which I’m sure it is, and you’ve got nothing to hide, then there should be no problem.”
“There is no problem.” Zooey rolled her eyes and sighed. “If you insist. The chaperone’s name is Pastor Shawn, and I’m fairly certain you already have the church’s number stored on your cell phone.”
“Pastor Shawn?” Rachel repeated, dumbfounded.
“The youth lock-in the weekend after next. I thought I’d go check it out. I thought maybe they were lame, but Abby says they’re pretty fun.” Zooey tried to make her voice sound casual, but Rachel could see right through the facade.
She wanted to jump for joy and pump her fists in the air. This was exactly what she’d been praying about for months. Zooey coming back to church? It was exactly the news she’d wanted to hear. And she definitely wanted Zooey to know she was pleased.
But fist pumping?
Somehow Rachel didn’t think that would go over so well with her daughter.
Besides, there was one other thing.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, honey. I’m thrilled that you’re interested in attending a youth-group event, and I really like Abby, but I have to ask—does this sudden interest in youth group have anything to do with that Dawson boy?”
“No,” Zooey exclaimed, the color in her face heightening once again. “Well, yes. I mean, he’ll be there, but that’s not why I’m going.”
“Then why...?”
Zooey frowned and dropped her gaze, shoving her hands in the front pockets of her jeans. “I didn’t want to have to tell you. I knew you’d be so ashamed of me for being so gullible. It’s Lori and James. I found out they were getting into drugs.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I can’t believe I ever—”
Rachel opened her arms and Zooey ran into them. She brushed the hair off her daughter’s forehead and held her while she cried—for the loss of her friends, the loss of innocence and the vulnerability that had nearly landed Zooey in a situation beyond her control.
Rachel silently thanked God for taking care of her little girl.
Maybe Zooey no longer needed to snuggle like Caden, but in many ways a daughter would always need her mother, and right now, at this moment, holding Zooey and reassuring her that she would always be there for her was the most important thing in the world.
The sound of a truck’s horn pulled them apart. Zooey sniffed and wiped her face on her sleeve, and Rachel found her eyes were also wet with tears. She reached for a tissue and dabbed at her eyelashes, hoping her mascara wouldn’t leave any telltale signs that she’d been crying. She didn’t want to embarrass Zooey by making this a public event.
“Shall I ask Seth if you can tag along?” Rachel asked, a little too brightly.
“Yeah. I’d like that.”
Rachel dashed out to speak to Seth and returned a minute later with a broad smile on her face.
“Seth said he was hoping you’d want to come. He said he could use an extra opinion about which horse he should buy for Caden.”
“He’s probably just being nice to me because...well...I’m your daughter, and you know why he asked you to go, don’t you?”
Zooey seemed to find something amusing in the question, for a reason Rachel didn’t quite understand.
Rachel shot her a surprised look.
“Is this a trick question?”
“Do you think it’s because you’re such an expert on horses?” Zooey teased mercilessly. “I’m sure that’s gotta be the reason.”
“If you must know, he wants me to accompany him because I’m an expert on children. He thought I might have some insight and be able to discern whether Caden liked a particular horse or not.”
“Good cover story.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Rachel planted her fists on her hips and raised her eyebrows. “Be careful, missy. You’re treading on thin ice here.”
“All I’m saying,” she said with a shrug that told Rachel she wasn’t the least bit worried about her mother’s threat, “is that if you can’t figure out why Seth keeps asking you to do things with him, you’re more hopeless than me.”
“Seth and I are friends.” Rachel didn’t like the defensive note that had stolen into her voice.
Zooey just laughed.
“Right, Mom. You keep telling yourself that. I’ll tell you this, though. Now that I’m hanging out with new peeps, I could sure use a ‘friend’ like that for myself.”
* * *
The McKenna spread was much larger than the Bar H ranch. Two of the three McKenna brothers, along with their mother, Alice, still lived on the land. Alice lived in the main house, and Nick and Jax in separate cabins. Nick ran the cattle side of the operation, while Jax trained some of the finest horses around.
It was Jax they’d come to see. Wes had told Seth there was no one else like him in the county, maybe even the state. Jax knew horses like nobody’s business, and if anyone could pick out the perfect horse for Caden, it was Jax.
Jax greeted the small gathering with a wave and a smile. He had already saddled three horses and had them hitched to the corral fence.
To Seth’s untrained eye, he couldn’t see why Jax would choose these animals over others. He had expected them to be smaller, for one thing, and maybe older. Preferably so old that the horse couldn’t move beyond a walk if it had a bear chasing it.
That was Seth’s idea of the perfect horse for Caden. But Jax was the expert, so he held his tongue.
“Oh, what beautiful horses,” Rachel exclaimed, putting her hand in Seth’s. He glanced down at her and she smiled, her eyes brimming with encouragement. Obviously, she’d seen the doubt he was feeling and wanted to reassure him.
He only hoped Jax wasn’t as adept at reading faces. Seth didn’t want Jax to think he was skeptical of him. Thankfully, Jax had turned to unhitch the first horse and lead him forward to introduce him to Seth and Caden.
“Now, let me start out by telling you that
choosing horses for children isn’t something I do a lot of. I usually train horses for ranch work or for the rodeo circuit and I’ve recently been working with some mustangs over at Faith Duggan’s rescue ranch. I think I’ve got some good options for you, but I won’t be offended if you want to look around at other places, get a sense of your options.”
“Wes said there was no better man in the area when it came to evaluating horses,” Seth said, a little surprised. He wasn’t making any purchase until he was absolutely certain it was the right horse for Caden. “If Wes trusts you, then so do I.”
“I appreciate that,” Jax affirmed with a nod.
“These horses look big for such a little guy,” Rachel said, verbally expressing the concern at the top of Seth’s list. He squeezed her hand in gratitude and slowly released the breath he’d been holding.
Jax tipped back his hat and grinned. “Well, I figured you’d be wanting a horse Caden can grow with. You don’t want his feet dragging the ground next time he has a growth spurt.”
Seth chuckled, but it sounded dry even to his own ears. Caden gave a squeak of protest and wiggled in his arms and Seth realized he was holding him too tight. He made a conscious effort to relax his muscles.
Jax shifted his gaze to Seth. “Maybe you were expecting a pony?”
Seth didn’t answer. He didn’t want to look ill informed, especially not with Rachel standing right there. He’d been doing enough of that on his own lately without adding ponies to the list.
To his relief, Rachel spoke up. “I know I was. One of those cute little ones with the long manes. What are they called? Shetland ponies?”
Jax barked out a laugh. “Those ‘cute little ones’ are often the orneriest things you’ll ever see. Trust me. You want a nice, steady quarter horse for Caden.”
Seth did trust Jax, but when it came to his little Caden, a child who had already suffered so much in his short life, Seth was overprotective and not ashamed to admit it.
“Can I pet it?” Zooey asked, waiting for Jax’s nod before running her hand down the dapple gray’s neck.
“This is Monty. He’s a seven-year-old gelding and as gentle as the day is long. Patient, too. You’ll get a lot of good years out of him.”
Rachel approached a palomino mare and stroked her muzzle.
“That’s Fancy. She’s a real sweetheart. Calm as can be. Very aware of her rider.”
The third horse was a stunning black with four white socks and a sizzle of white lightning down his muzzle.
“We call that one Storm,” Jax said as Seth approached and Caden reached out to tangle his fingers in the gelding’s dark mane. “For obvious reasons. I’ll admit it was probably not the most original name I’ve ever come up with.”
“But it fits,” said Seth, tracing his fingers along the white slash on the horse’s face.
“In looks, yes,” Jax agreed. “But in temperament, not so much. You’ll never find a steadier, more tranquil horse than Storm here.”
Caden was mesmerized by the black. Seth had been worried that Caden might get too excited and frighten the horses with his quick movements, but even when the toddler leaned over and hugged Storm’s neck, the horse didn’t so much as toss his head or skitter to the side. Instead, to Seth’s amazement, Storm bowed his head toward the little boy. It almost looked like Caden was getting a horsey hug in return.
“It looks like we might have a match,” Jax said, moving to Storm’s side and tightening the cinch on the saddle. “Do you want to give him a go-round?”
Caden was clearly enthralled, but Seth didn’t think the boy was ready to sit in the saddle on his own.
He hesitated, looking first at Jax and then at Rachel, who was still standing by the palomino’s side.
“Come on over here, buddy.” Jax held out his arms to Caden and the boy immediately responded, barreling into Jax’s chest. Caden was really becoming an outgoing child, easily interacting with everyone he met. It had been only a few weeks, but Seth suspected Rachel had a lot to do with his new social skills.
“Seth, you go ahead and mount first,” Jax instructed, “and then I’ll put this little guy up in front of you.”
Seth mounted Storm with no problems. He shifted his weight in the saddle and gathered the reins. He was glad he’d been practicing with the horses at the Bar H ranch so that now he looked more comfortable with Storm than he actually was.
Jax grinned as he propped Caden up in front of Seth and told him to walk the horse around the corral a few times.
“Get up, Storm,” Seth said, nudging the horse into a comfortable walk.
“Storm,” Caden repeated excitedly, leaning forward to pat the horse’s neck. Seth drew the boy back and readjusted his hold around the toddler’s waist.
“I think you found your perfect match,” Rachel said with a chuckle that Seth joined in on.
“Looks like.”
“For a while, this is how you’ll want to teach Caden to ride,” Jax instructed. “Stay in the saddle with him and let him get used to the horse’s movements at different gaits. You’ll know when he is ready to try sitting on the saddle on his own. Caden has long legs, but you’ll probably want to invest in a children’s saddle so you can adjust the stirrups to his height.
“When you make this transition, start by leading him around for a while rather than giving him control of the reins. Before you know it, he’ll be a regular little cowboy, galloping across the fields and herding cattle.”
“Cowboy! Cowboy!” Caden flapped his feet against the leather, both hands on the saddle horn. “Storm!”
“That settles that, then,” Seth said with a laugh. “Storm is our match. How much do I owe you?”
Jax ignored the question for the moment and turned his attention to Rachel and Zooey.
“Monty and Fancy are both saddled and eager to go. Why don’t you two mount up and take them for a spin?”
Seth almost laughed out loud at the dismayed expression on Rachel’s face, but he had too much sympathy. Riding might be something he already knew how to do, but when it came to other tasks, he’d been thrown in over his head plenty of times in the past month. As for horseback riding, it was harder than it looked, and the sheer size of horses could feel intimidating to a new rider.
Jax tightened the cinch on Monty, and Zooey mounted with surprising ease, waiting with an excited smile as Jax adjusted the stirrups for her. Seth suspected it was not her first time on a horse.
Rachel, on the other hand—
“Um, yeah,” she said, clearly flustered. “I don’t really do horses.”
“No?” Jax adjusted Fancy’s cinch and laced his fingers in order to help Rachel mount. “There’s a first time for everything, right? Just put your foot right here and I’ll boost you into the saddle.”
“You have the boots for riding,” Seth pointed out, thoroughly enjoying not being the one completely out of his element for a change.
“Oh, all right.” Rachel planted her boot in the cup of Jax’s hands and he hoisted her into the saddle.
She sat as straight as a board, clinging to the saddle horn for all she was worth. Jax adjusted the stirrups to fit her height and handed her the reins, but Rachel looked as if she thought the horse was going to bolt off at a dead run.
Seth drew Storm up by her side. She’d encouraged him a lot during the past few weeks. The least he could do was try to repay the kindness.
“Relax. It’s sort of like driving a car.”
The look she shot him could have started a forest fire.
“Sitting on this horse is nothing like driving a car.”
“Seriously. You’ve got to try to relax. Fancy can feel your tension. It will make her nervous.”
“Fantastic. Good to know,” she said acerbically. “Freaked-out rider on a nervous horse.”
&nb
sp; “Okay, now for the directions,” Jax instructed. “Gently tug the left rein, the horse goes left. Tug right for right. A gentle tug with both reins means stop, and a soft nudge of your heels will get her in gear.”
Zooey giggled as she trotted Monty past Rachel and made her way around the corral for the fourth time.
“Come on, Mom. This is fun.”
“You have lived in a ranching town for the last fifteen years,” Seth said. “I can’t believe you’ve never ridden a horse before.”
“You’re one to talk. You weren’t exactly an expert when you moved back to Serendipity.”
“Point taken,” he said with a nod. “I rode a little with Luke when we were kids, but I had to relearn a lot when I returned from the army. Happily, it’s like the old cliché about riding a bike. It didn’t take me long to remember what I was doing, although I got a little bit saddle sore. The first few days I spent my evenings sitting on ice.”
She laughed. “Is that supposed to encourage me?”
He tightened his arm around Caden’s waist and urged Storm into a trot.
“Maybe not, but my progress ought to,” he called back to her. “I may not have remembered how to ride a horse when I first got back to Serendipity, but, sweetheart, look at me now.”
Chapter Seven
Rachel was looking.
It was hard not to—an attractive cowboy teaching his son how to ride a horse. Caden laughing. Seth grinning with the same glow in his blue eyes as when she’d seen him on the auction block performing his beloved parkour for a crowd of people.
And the casual way he’d inserted a term of endearment into the conversation—making it almost a cliché but not quite.
Just enough to throw her for a loop.
It probably meant nothing. Likely, he’d simply misquoted the old saying.
Baby. Sweetheart.
She could see how they could get mixed up.
But his words sent a tremor of awareness down her spine nonetheless.
