by Amanda Renee
Lucy heard the driver’s door creak open and Carina scoot away from her. The passenger’s-side door opened, leaving her slightly unsteady since she’d been leaning against it.
Lane and Carina guided her out of the truck until she dug her boots into the soft, loose ground. “I am not taking another step with this blindfold on. Number one, I’m not coordinated enough, and number two, people will start talking.”
Lane and Carina’s laughter began to sound like cackling. “You two are enjoying this way too much.”
Lane’s muscular hands gripped her shoulders, guiding her to step forward, while he squeezed between her and the truck. The entire length of his body pressed against hers. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to enjoy the moment. Lane’s hands gently untied her blindfold, allowing it to slip away.
“Surprise,” his deep voice said against her cheek, almost causing her knees to buckle. Sensing her distress, Lane wrapped his arm around her waist.
“Surprise, Mamma!” Carina jumped up and down. “It’s a county fair and a rodeo!”
“So this is what you two have been up to.” Every time Lucy had gone to pick up Carina after her lesson, she had already been finished, off her horse and in the stables. When she’d asked why, they had repeatedly told her it was a surprise. “Carina, am I correct in assuming that this means you’re okay with Lane and me?” Lucy almost hated asking the question.
“I want you to be happy, Mamma, and Lane makes you happy.” Carina grabbed her hand and began pulling her toward the fair entrance.
Lane closed the truck door and quickly caught up with them. “I know this isn’t the same rodeo that I took you to years ago, but this one is even better.”
Lucy had expected Lane to walk next to her. She was surprised when he chose to walk on Carina’s other side. When he reached for her daughter’s hand, Lucy smiled at the quaint picture they made. They should have had this life all along. Lucy refused to think of what could’ve been. What she had now was pretty special.
“I’m going to have funnel cake and cotton candy and a turkey leg and—”
“A bellyache,” Lane interrupted. “She overheard kids in school talking about carnival food and she has it in her head to try one of everything.”
“Carina, you have had funnel cake. It’s like a flat zeppole. And I can’t even begin to tell you how much turkey this girl has eaten over the years. She’s had cotton candy before, too, considering it originated in Italy.” Lucy ruffled Carina’s hair, resulting in a mock fight. “But she was probably four or five the last time we went to a street festival. She probably doesn’t even remember going.”
“I’ve really eaten this stuff before?” Carina asked.
“See, you’re not so different from the kids at school after all,” Lane reassured her.
He paid for their tickets and they passed through the fairground gates. “This place is huge.” Lucy tightened the grip on her daughter’s hand. “Look, Carina. They have so many rides.”
Carina let go of them and spun around giggling. “I want to see it all.” Lucy fought back tears. She was not going to choke on their happy day. In the back of her mind, she feared once she told Lane about their baby, days like this wouldn’t happen again. She refused to think about it today.
“I have a hunch this is your old Carina.” Lane entwined his fingers with hers.
“Thank you.” There weren’t enough words to explain how grateful she was to him. “This means the world to me...to both of us.”
“There’s no reason to thank me.” Lane lightly squeezed her hand. “I know I should have cleared a rodeo outing with you ahead of time, but she really wanted to surprise you. She said you always talk about the one I brought you to. I wonder why.”
“My daughter betrayed me.” She leaned into Lane, resting her head on his shoulder. “And I have no idea why I enjoyed that rodeo so much.” Lucy feigned innocence.
Carina grabbed both of their hands and dragged them toward the baby barnyard area. “Look, Mamma, baby goats.” She knelt on the hay and attempted to pet a tiny black-and-white pygmy goat as it jumped up, down and sideways. “I love him,” Carina said.
“He’s for sale.” A man came over and joined them. “You can take him home today.”
“Oh, no, she can’t.” Lucy reached for her daughter. “We don’t have any room for a goat or any other animal.”
“Mamma, we live on a huge ranch. We have lots of room,” Carina corrected.
Lucy’s face reddened at her daughter’s admission. “Excuse her—we’re only renting. Thank you, though.” Lucy whacked Lane with her county fair map. “You could have helped me out.”
“Nope.” Lane shook his head, smiling. “It’s all part of the experience. Every kid goes to a fair and wants to bring home an animal. And every parent—well, most, anyway—tells them no.”
After petting every baby barnyard animal, wandering through the baby-chick and poultry exhibit and watching a goat show, the three of them walked down the fair’s midway. Lights flashed and bells rang on impossible-to-win carnival games. Impossible until Lane won Carina a giant Tweety Bird, which he then had to carry around the fair.
“How on earth are we going to get that home?” Lucy asked as they stood in line for the Ferris wheel. “It’s almost as big as she is.”
“I could always tie it to the front of the truck like a hood ornament.”
An empty bucket came around. Lucy and Carina sat on one side, while Lane and Tweety faced them. He draped his arm around Tweety’s shoulders to help keep him in place.
“You look funny with that stuffed animal.” Carina giggled as they began floating above the earth. “I thought Mamma and me were your dates.”
“That was before Tweety.” Lane faced the stuffed animal and gave it a peck on the cheek. “I think we make a cute couple.”
“You and Mamma make the best couple.” Carina smiled up at Lucy. “Are you happy now?”
Lucy pulled her daughter close and kissed the top of her head. “I couldn’t be happier, mia gattina.”
* * *
BY THE TIME seven thirty rolled around, they were ready for the rodeo. Especially Carina, who’d eaten almost the entire county fair over the course of the day, including a funnel cake and a snow cone within the past five minutes. She had butterflies painted on the sides of her face and henna tattoos from her fingertips to her elbows. And she’d placed a friendly bet with Lane on the pig races and won.
“I can’t believe I have to paint her toenails for a month,” he said to Lucy as they found a seat on the bleachers. He’d banished Tweety to the truck after his arm fell asleep from carrying him around.
“It could’ve been worse. If you won, she’d have to paint your toenails for a month,” Lucy mused. “Somehow I don’t think Rusty would ever let you live that one down.”
Lane would have slept with his boots on if that had been the case. “You do have a point.” He nudged Carina. “How are you holding up there, munchkin? You don’t look green yet.”
“Can I have a soft pretzel?” Her doe eyes looked up at him. She could’ve asked him for the moon and he would’ve obliged.
“Where do you put all that food?” Lane asked. “If we go and get a pretzel, we might miss the barrel racers. It about to begin.”
The horizon had faded into deep shades of purple and blue, sharply contrasting the flashing neon lights of the carnival rides. The music began and horses rode onto the dirt arena, each rider carrying a different flag.
Lane leaned into Carina, explaining each flag as they rode by. She sat on the edge of her seat in anticipation as the horses lined up in a row.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer boomed through the loudspeakers, “welcome to the Comal County Fair and Rodeo.”
The rodeo clowns set out three evenly spaced barrels around the arena. Lane looked around at other families in the stands. For the most part, they looked happy. He wondered if that was how he appeared with Lucy and Carina. He couldn’t remember ever
feeling this content.
“Are you ready?” Lane said to Carina. He looked over the top of her head and winked at Lucy. Even though she was seated in the shadows of the stands, he could make out a light flush in her cheeks. Carina grabbed hold of his hand and squeezed it between both of hers. “Here we go!”
The buzzer sounded and the first competitor rode into the arena in a full run to the barrel on the far end. The horse’s precise movements combined with the rider’s categorical trust created unison between beauty and beast as they ran a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels. In thirteen seconds, it was over.
“Did you see that?” Carina bounced in her seat. “That was even more amazing than at the rodeo school.” She turned to Lucy. “Mamma, now that you’ve seen it, please tell me I can barrel race.”
“I never said you couldn’t. I just wanted to make sure it was safe.” Lucy looked to him for help. “It is safe, right? They’re only out there for thirteen seconds.”
“I wouldn’t exactly call it a safe sport.” The last thing Lane wanted to do was give Lucy a false sense of security. “It’s safer than bull riding—let’s look at it that way. With everything she has accomplished in dressage, I’m confident she’ll be fine. She has the dedication and the drive necessary to succeed.”
“Okay, once I get a little money behind me, which might take a little longer now, you can take lessons.”
“About the lessons.” Lane hoped he wasn’t about to overstep his bounds. “When she’s advanced her Western skills, the school would like to offer Carina free lessons providing she’s willing to work for it.”
“Work?” Lucy asked. “She’s not even nine years old.”
“Hear me out before you say no. I don’t know how you feel about dressage right now,” Lane said to Carina. “You don’t have to make any decisions today, but I want you to think about something. I had a conversation with Shane Langtry, who is one of the school’s owners. He was wondering if you’d like to help out the dressage instructor a few days a week after school in exchange for barrel-racing lessons.”
“Would I be a teacher like Papà was?” Carina asked.
“In a way. It might be a great way for you to honor his memory. You’d help give dressage lessons to younger riders in exchange for barrel-racing lessons. They’ve discussed adding dressage to their roster at the school for about a year. They’ve had quite a few requests for it.” He met Lucy’s gaze. “It’s something I want you to both think about.”
Carina nodded. She didn’t outright balk against it, so at least the possibility was there. He hoped she’d say yes, because he’d hate to see her give up such a huge part of her father that easily. The first few dressage lessons would most likely be difficult, but with his and Lucy’s support, he knew she’d get through the emotional challenges. She’d learn to cherish the memories she’d shared with Antonio instead of burying them. She was a tough kid.
Lucy reached behind Carina for his hand. He knew where Carina’s strength and beauty came from. Both mother and daughter were fighters and survivors and now they had a chance at being a family. Family. Lane couldn’t believe how easily the idea popped into his head. If you had asked him three years ago, he’d probably have said no. Sure, he’d thought about it, but now that Lucy and Carina were firmly in his life, it was all he thought about.
By nine o’clock, Lane didn’t think Carina would make it back to the truck. She was tired and full. He hadn’t kept a running total, but he thought she’d managed to get at least one item from every food vendor. Thank God they hadn’t had any fried Snickers.
Carina fell fast asleep between them before they’d even pulled out of the parking lot. He thought Lucy had fallen asleep, too, until he noticed her looking out the window. Normally, he hated riding in a vehicle with other people when no one spoke. Tonight he enjoyed it. They didn’t need to talk. There was comfort in knowing his two cowgirls were right by his side. It was a feeling like no other.
The drive home from New Braunfels to Ramblewood took a little less than an hour. Lane parked the truck in front of Lucy’s house. Carina woke as he turned off the ignition. He untied Tweety from the truck bed and handed the giant yellow bird to her. She thanked him and gave him a hug good-night before heading to bed.
He had every intention of leaving until Lucy asked him to stay and have a glass of wine. He’d never considered himself much of a wine drinker before Lucy. He’d always been a beer or whiskey man, but she’d changed him in many ways over the past month.
“Excuse me for one second. I want to make sure she washed all that paint off her face.”
He opened a bottle of Chardonnay while he waited for her to return.
“There was no waking her. She’ll probably have a butterfly-stained pillow in the morning. Oh well—that’s what bleach is for. I put a wastepaper basket from the bathroom next to her bed...just in case. Thank you for today.” She took the glass he handed her. “I’m glad you and Carina worked things out. You’re good for her and she enjoys spending time with you.”
“There is no need to explain. I enjoy spending time with her, too. She’s the one who came to me saying you’d been miserable since we stopped seeing one another.” Lane gave her his best Hollywood grin.
“She did what?” Lucy set her glass on the end table.
“You heard me. You couldn’t live without me, so you had your daughter do your dirty work,” Lane teased.
“You are so asking for it.” She swung a throw pillow at him, but he surprised her by catching it and pulling her tight against his chest.
“You were saying?” He didn’t wait for her to respond. His mouth crashed down upon hers—eager, seeking. He’d wanted to kiss her since the moment he picked her up. Hell, he’d wanted to kiss her since the last time they’d kissed almost two weeks ago. But he knew this was not the place to lose control. Reluctantly, he released her. “I should get going. If I stay we run the risk of that happening again.”
“I hate to say good-night, but I’m as exhausted as she is.” Lucy walked him to the door. “Thank you again for a wonderful evening. I hope this is the beginning of many more to come.”
Lane summoned the restraint to give her only a quick peck goodbye. He would have preferred to spend the night making love to her, but they definitely weren’t there yet. They had time. They had a future, and most of all, they had each other.
Chapter Eleven
Despite working in the same building, Lane rarely saw Lucy during business hours, which was probably for the best. He had an increasingly difficult time not kissing her whenever he did. She’d been spending more time in the ranch’s state-of-the-art lab and less time in the stables. She loved her job and Cole had already given her a promotion.
After a month of lessons, Carina had progressed to the point where Lane couldn’t teach her any more. Not because he didn’t want to, but because she needed a barrel-racing instructor who could take her to the next level. This afternoon he planned to tell her it was time to move on. He’d tried repeatedly over the past week, but she wouldn’t have any of it. He’d decided that today—Friday—would be her last lesson. As much as he’d miss their time together every afternoon, he knew he was sending her into good hands. He didn’t know who it would be harder on today, her or him.
Carina was already leading Jigsaw out of his stall when he arrived.
“How was school today?” Lane gave her a hug hello.
“I got an A on my science exam and an A-plus on Texas history.” Carina beamed with pride.
“Excellent!” Lane couldn’t have been prouder of her if she’d been his own daughter. “That’s two As. You know what that means, Jigsaw?”
“I do, I do.” Carina excitedly bounced. “He gets two carrots.”
“He sure does.” Lane had come up with the idea of Jigsaw Treats for As on the drive home from the county fair two weeks ago. It had given Carina extra incentive to work harder in school. For all intents and purposes, Jigsaw was her horse. He’d just let Lucy believ
e otherwise. Speaking of Lucy, he wanted her to know he was definitely telling Carina today. “Saddle up Jigsaw, and I will meet you out there. I have to take care of something first. I’ll bring the carrots when I come back.”
Lane turned down the breeding corridor. He’d affectionately nicknamed it Lucy’s World after she’d accepted the breeding assistant position. As he reached for the door, it opened.
“Oh my God, Lane,” Lexi said. “You scared me half to death. Are you looking for Lucy?”
He nodded. “Is she in?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
He waited to speak until the door completely closed behind him. Lucy was too engrossed in a microscope to notice he was there. She looked different than she had the first day she’d arrived. She’d appeared more regal and rigid back then. Six weeks later, she was more relaxed—more country. Her hair was pulled high on her head in a luxuriously full ponytail. Her faded buttery-soft boot-cut jeans, bedazzled red plaid shirt and cowboy boots were a million miles away from her English riding boots and breeches. Since her new job afforded her more time off, Lucy, Ella and the kids had made numerous trips to secondhand stores for clothes they could repurpose. His Italian cowgirl was all Texas now. If it hadn’t been for her long white lab coat, he’d have thought she was ready for a night out dancing at Slater’s Mill.
He cleared his throat. “Lucy.”
Her body visibly quivered at the sound of his voice. He might not be able to see them right now, but he suspected he had just given her a good case of goose bumps.
“One second,” she said without looking up from her microscope. “I just need to check one thing.”
“I don’t want to keep you from anything. I just wanted to tell you about Carina.”
Her head popped up. “Is she okay?”
Lane immediately wished she had kept her attention on the microscope. Her intoxicating hazel eyes dulled his senses every time he looked into them. “She’s fine. Right now. She might not be in a couple hours.”
“So you are going to tell her today?” Lucy frowned. “She still hasn’t said anything to me about it, but she senses it’s coming. Her reluctance to talk about it makes me think she believes it will affect our relationship.”
