by Kait Nolan
Climbing the porch steps, she stroked a hand along one handrail. “If this were my house, I’d paint it a lovely blue gray—you know that color you see in the Blue Ridge Mountains—with a nice, crisp, white trim. I’d get those big hanging ferns for all along the front. Maybe a couple of half whiskey barrel planters to flank the front door, filled with petunias or impatiens. Something really bright and cheerful. The barn would be painted red.”
Willing to play along for a few more minutes, he nodded. “Naturally.”
“I’d hang a porch swing just here. An oversized one that had room for cushions. Or maybe one of those old fashioned two-person gliders like my grandparents had. And every morning, I’d come out here so I could drink my coffee and watch the horses.” She leaned against the porch rail and sighed in contentment, as if she could actually see the view.
Coming up behind her, he caged her in against the rail, loving when she leaned back against him. “There are horses in this fantasy?”
“Obviously. I mean, look at the size of that barn.” They both glanced toward the massive structure that had clearly housed far more than a single horse at some point in the distant past. “What else would I use it for?”
“What, indeed?”
As she continued to paint a picture with her words, Sebastian could see it. He could see her here. More, he could see himself here beside her. He could imagine waking up with her, as he had this morning, rolling over to make sleepy love to her before starting his day with barn chores and coffee and the fuel of her sweet, sweet smile. He liked having her in his bed, in his life.
And that was a dangerous thought. No matter what else she decided to do for her career, it wouldn’t be sticking around in tiny town Tennessee to be with him. She wanted to use that big, beautiful brain of hers, and there was no need for it here. At the end of this trip, she’d be going back to Nashville, and from there to who knew where. They had an expiration date. He’d do well to remember that.
Needing to get away from the mental image she’d created before it burrowed in and made a permanent home in his head, he straightened, and headed for the truck.
By the time Laurel joined him, he’d dropped the trailer ramp and grabbed a lead rope. “Let’s go meet Maestro.”
Morning light filtered in through high windows, illuminating the long aisle down the middle of the barn. It was bigger than the one at Logan’s place, with more than two dozen stalls at a glance.
“Big place.” Laurel’s voice echoed in the empty space.
“Yep. It’s old, but well-built. Looks like he or whoever came before him had quite the operation at one time.” Curiosity stirred. At a little over two thousand people, Eden’s Ridge wasn’t big enough to justify a place like this just for boarding horses. A facility this size had to have been used for breeding or training. Tennessee Walkers? Quarter Horses?
“I wonder why Mr. Massey was down to the one horse.”
“Couldn’t keep up with more than the one I guess.”
At the head of the row, a hoof gave a sharp rap against a stall wall.
“Impatient,” Sebastian murmured.
“I don’t blame him. Didn’t you say he’d been on his own for several days until yesterday? I’m surprised Ty got him back into the stall.”
“Yeah. I want to get him out, look him over for any injuries. Ty’s not experienced enough to notice anything that’s not major. There’s a good chance he might’ve hurt himself trying to get out when he got hungry enough.”
At the stall door, Sebastian got his first look at Maestro. At a solid sixteen hands, the Appaloosa was a dark gray, stretching back into a spotted white that was characteristic of the breed. Or he probably was under the dirt. “Well aren’t you a big, beautiful bastard?”
The gelding snorted in irritation, tossing his head as if to say What took you so long?
Sebastian fished one of the carrots out of his coat and held it out on the flat of his palm. Maestro neatly plucked it up, inhaling it in three, quick bites before shaking his head and turning a restless circle.
“You like that, huh? How about another?”
They went through the routine twice more before Maestro tolerated a stroke down the nose.
“Let’s get you out and see what’s what.” Carefully, Sebastian unlatched the stall door and eased it open.
Something darted past his feet with a yowl.
Laurel jumped and screamed. “What the hell was that?”
They both stared at the pile of hay where the creature had disappeared. “Not sure.”
Her cheeks paled. “Rats don’t make that kind of a noise, do they?”
“No. At a guess, I’d say a cat. I guess our boy hasn’t been here all alone after all.” Turning back to the stall, Sebastian slipped inside, automatically latching it behind him as he turned to wait for the gelding to come to him.
It didn’t take long. He let Maestro sniff, stroking down the strong neck. This horse definitely hadn’t been neglected beyond the past few days. He wasn’t skittish or ill-tempered. It was a refreshing change to what he usually faced with a rescue.
“Open the door for me, will you?” Clipping a lead rope onto Maestro’s halter, Sebastian led him out of the stall and out into the brisk winter sunshine.
In the corral, he tied the gelding to a rail and carefully ran his hands over every inch, checking for heat or other signs of injury or infection. Maestro tolerated the inspection, shifting occasionally and swishing his tail, but otherwise minding his manners.
“He’s in good shape. Could use a good grooming, but otherwise, he’s no worse for wear.”
“What will happen to him?”
“I’ll take him for now. But after that…it’ll depend on what happens with Massey’s estate. From what Ty said, there was no next of kin to inherit. I don’t know what was in the old guy’s will, or even if there was a will, but I expect the property will be sold to pay off any debts against it. The horse might be considered part of that. Depends on what the executor says, I guess. We’ll see he’s taken care of in the meantime.”
Laurel stroked the horse’s neck. “Then let’s load him up and take him home.”
Hearing her call the farm home gave Sebastian another moment of pause. A tiny flicker of hope began to flare that maybe…just maybe…
Don’t be a fool.
He understood the parameters of this thing between them, and forevers weren’t a part of it. The sooner he got that through his thick skull, the better.
Clucking, he tugged his new charge toward the trailer.
At the ramp, Maestro balked. “Come on now, bud. You can’t stay here.” Sebastian circled him around and tried again with the same result.
“We’ve got company,” Laurel said in a low voice.
Sebastian glanced back to see a scruffy gray tabby cat bellying out of the barn. The animal was missing most of one ear and had a scar beside its left eye that gave the thing a piratical look. Maestro bobbed his head and the cat rose from its crouch to prowl a few steps closer.
“Guess they were barn buddies,” Sebastian said.
“We can’t just leave him here.” Laurel crossed toward the cat, dropping into a crouch when the thing flattened against the ground. “Come here kitty. Come here baby.”
Sebastian had his doubts about whether they’d actually be able to catch the tomcat. “Let me load up Maestro, then I’ll help you round up the cat.”
This time, when he led the horse to the trailer, he clopped right on up the ramp. “Good boy.”
Once the horse was secure, Sebastian went to help Laurel, bracing himself for the prospect of claws. As he stepped out of the trailer he stopped dead at the sight of her with a massive armful of cat. The big tom had a purr like a rusty motorboat, his green eyes slitting with pleasure as she scratched behind his one good ear.
“Well, that was fast.”
“This guy’s just a big softie. Yes, you are.” She cuddled up to the beast as if it were a tiny fluffball of a kitten instead of a clearly proven
brawler.
“I think his scars indicate otherwise.”
“So do yours, but you’re a big marshmallow, too.”
Sebastian’s mouth dropped open.
Laurel only laughed and blew him a kiss. “I promise I won’t tell your Ranger buddies and ruin your cred.”
This woman had pegged him in a week. What the hell was he going to do when she left?
“Looking good, Trish. Okay, now I want you to try a trot. Sitting instead of posting this time.”
Laurel followed the sound of Sebastian’s voice out to the training ring, where a blonde in a bright blue parka sat astride Blossom. Her considerable breasts bounced with every step. Laurel winced in sympathy as Sebastian called out instructions for how Trish could fix her seat. Still watching the pair circle, he crossed over to meet her at the rail.
“Not a lot of natural aptitude with this one,” Laurel murmured.
“Everybody’s gotta start somewhere.” He raised his voice. “Take two more laps, then drop back to a walk and start cooling Blossom down.”
“Oka..a..ay.” Trish bounced through the word.
As Sebastian turned to her, Laurel hauled herself up on the bottom rail so she could catch his mouth in a quick kiss. She didn’t miss the instant scowl on Trish’s face, and hid a smile. The woman wasn’t here for the horses.
Sorry, honey, this one’s mine.
“Do you have any more lessons today?”
“Not until later this afternoon. Why?”
“Because it occurred to me that the last thing Logan and Athena are gonna want to do when they get back is decorate for our parents. I want to run into town and get a Christmas tree, and maybe stop at the holiday bazaar.”
“Sounds good. Let me just finish up here, and we’ll head out.” With another brush of his lips, he turned his attention back to his student. “Heels down, Trish!”
She’d just asked the man to go shopping, at a craft fair, and he hadn’t uttered a single protest.
He just might be the perfect man. Phase one, complete.
That was the easy part of her plan. The next step had her squirming in the passenger seat of Sebastian’s truck as they headed toward town a half hour later. He was a cautious guy. She needed the right words to sell him on this.
One corner of his mouth quirked. “Either I’ve popped a spring in my seat or you’ve got something to say. Spit it out.”
Of course he could tell she had something on her mind. Because he could read her like a freaking book. She shifted to face him. “I’ve been doing some thinking.”
His grin was easy. “You do a lot of that.”
“I do, yeah.” She took a bracing breath, still not knowing exactly what she was going to say, but aware she had to start somewhere. “Josiah Massey’s property.”
The grin faded. “What about it?”
“I know it’s a little rough around the edges, but it would be ideal for either an equine rescue center or an equine therapy center, whichever you decided you wanted to do. It’s not actually in too bad a shape.”
His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “And you would know that how?”
Wincing, she hoped this didn’t cross a line for him. “Ivy told me Porter is a contractor. I called and had him go out to do an evaluation of the structural integrity of the house and barn, and work up an estimate of both what it would take to bring it up to any kind of code, and what it would take to make it shine. He emailed the report back this morning.”
When Sebastian said nothing, she rushed on. “The place needs more work than I’d hoped, but it’s not outside the realm of possible. I was right that both the house and barn have good bones. There’s still some question of what the property will go for, but there’s not a lot of demand for a place like that in Stone County. The bank won’t be able to offload it fast and would be likely to entertain lower offers just to get rid of it.”
A faint ripple of something that might’ve been exasperation disturbed his blank expression. “You’re talking about moving the entire operation away from Maxwell Organics.”
“Yes. There’s more space out there than you have at Logan’s, and I’m sure he has his own plans for what he wants to do at the farm. This would give you room to expand, would really mean you could make it yours.”
He’d already taken ownership of the horses. This was the next logical step. But Sebastian seemed less enthused by that prospect than she expected. If she hadn’t been watching him so closely, she might’ve missed the flicker of doubt.
He wasn’t sure he could do it. All along, he’d been cautious about the idea. She’d thought that was entirely a matter of the money. But she realized he actually didn’t know if he’d be able to pull off what she was proposing. What did she need to say to convince him of what she already knew—that he’d be amazing at this, if only he’d believe in himself?
He glanced over at her, softening his expression into something that was probably meant to let her down gently. “It’s a big commitment. And at this point, it seems kind of cart-before-horse. There’s still the matter of money. I don’t have it.”
“I’ve found some more grants.”
Sebastian just nodded. “We’ll talk about it with Logan, after the holidays. If we get the funding and the place is still available, then we’ll see what’s what. It doesn’t make sense to plan for an entire organization and program around property I don’t own.”
Laurel had the power to make it happen. Or would in a few months. But she couldn’t say that. It would be too much, too soon, and she’d probably already gone too far. So she settled back in her seat. “It was just a thought.”
On the rest of the drive, she babbled about favorite Christmas movies, determined that this wouldn’t become the white elephant between them.
Town was busy, with people strolling the sidewalks and cars lining both sides of Main Street.
“Seriously? How can you not have seen Polar Express?” she demanded.
“I was over the age of ten when it came out.”
Laurel stuck her tongue out at him, pleased when he huffed a laugh. “Fine, then, Mr. Mature. What is your favorite Christmas movie?”
“That’s easy. Die Hard.”
“Die Hard is not a Christmas movie.”
Sebastian wheeled the truck into a space about three blocks down from the VFW, where the bazaar was being held, and clapped a hand over his heart in dramatic fashion as he mimed being stabbed. “You did not just say that.”
“I did.”
“I don’t know if I can be with a woman who doesn’t like Die Hard.”
“I never said I didn’t like it. It’s a fantastic action movie. But there is no Santa in a sleigh shouting ‘Yippee ki yay, mother fucker’, ergo it is not a Christmas movie.”
His laugh boomed out, dissolving the last of her tension. “Would that make it better?”
“I mean, at least then it would qualify.”
Still debating, they slid out of the truck and joined the throngs on the sidewalk. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side as they walked.
“What’s going on today? Is the holiday bazaar that big a thing?”
“No idea.” Sebastian craned his neck. “Looks like something’s going on in the city park. There’s a line for something.”
At her first sight of the “something”, Laurel squealed. “Oh my God! It’s a llama-drawn sleigh!” A team of four llamas was hooked up to a painted plywood sleigh. Each one wore an elf hat over its long ears. A small sign toward the front of the line announced Pictures $5.
“This will never happen again. We have to get pictures!”
Sebastian was laughing as she dragged him to join the line.
“Well hey, y’all.”
Laurel swung around to find Athena’s sister, Kennedy, and Xander approaching from the opposite direction. Ari was with them. As soon as the girl caught sight of her with Sebastian, she broke into a wide grin and did a little fist pump. Xander arched a brow at
their joined hands.
Laurel just arched hers right back. She was a grown woman, capable of making her own choices, and he didn’t get to go all big brother on her in Logan’s absence. “Hey.”
“Logan mentioned you were sticking around the farm.” Kennedy’s lips twitched. “I’m guessing that’s going well.”
“It’s been a lot of fun. I’m doing a lot of riding.”
Xander made a choking noise, and Kennedy popped his chest with the back of her hand. Laurel’s cheeks heated. That so wasn’t what she’d meant.
Sebastian directed the conversation to Ari, as if nobody had picked up on that double entendre. “She’s been working with Ginger. The mare’s coming along well. She might be ready for you to give her a try in the next couple of weeks.”
“Really? That’d be awesome!”
Smart move. Distract the horse-crazy matchmaker.
Pru and Flynn joined them as Ari and Sebastian continued to talk horses.
“What’s this now?” Flynn asked. “Hello, Sebastian. Laurel.”
“Dad! I might get to ride Ginger in a couple of weeks!”
“Well now, that’s something, to be sure.”
Laurel held in a snicker at his non-answer. “Aren’t you down a family member?”
Pru rubbed her hands together to warm them. “Oh, Maggie’s babysitting to give us a chance to get out of the house.”
Flynn folded both her hands in his, automatically warming them for her. “She’s delighted for the chance to spoil the baby. Meanwhile, I’m delighted for a chance to spoil this one.” He tugged his wife in for a kiss.
Pru beamed up at him. They were obviously besotted with each other.
They all continued to talk, inching forward in line. Laurel watched Athena’s sisters with their husbands, noting the way Kennedy instinctively edged into Xander, how he toyed with the ends of her hair, always seeming to need that physical connection. Hearing the easy way Pru and Flynn finished each other’s sentences. The five of them were obviously a tight-knit, happy family, content with the lives they’d built here.
“Next!”
Laurel startled, realizing it was their turn. Sebastian helped her into the sleigh. He dug out a five dollar bill as she handed the attendant her phone, with the camera app open. They snuggled together on the seat, heads bent.
