Her Small-Town Cowboy (13 page)

“Are those the T-shirts the art teacher at school made for us?” the older woman asked, enthusiasm sparkling in her eyes. “How did they turn out?”

In answer, Lily took one from the top and shook it out for her to see. Bright pink, it sported the horse-and-child-rider logo Abby had designed. Printed over the farm’s name in Gallimore’s signature emerald green, it looked just the way Lily had envisioned. With one small difference.

Flipping it around to show
ABBY
on the back in bold script, she grinned. “I couldn’t resist. I got them with the names done for our first group, too, as a thank-you for getting us started. Sandy said if other kids want theirs customized, she can do it later on for an extra dollar. Kids love to have their name on things, so I’m assuming most of them will want it done.”

“No doubt. Our girl’s playing over at the neighbors’ right now, but I’ll make sure she gets it as soon as she comes home. Would you like something to drink?”

“Some ice water would be great.” While Lily refolded Abby’s shirt, Charlie waddled in from wherever he’d been, yawning big enough to make her laugh. He plopped down on the floor in an exhausted heap, resting his chin on Lily’s foot with an adorable groan. “How’s our little scamp doing?”

“He acts like he’s been living here all his life,” Maggie replied, handing her a glass before sipping from her own. “Abby’s in love with him, and he obviously feels the same way about her. I have to admit I’m a bit jealous.”

“Oh, Maggie,” Lily teased. “Would you like a puppy, too?”

Her smile had a nostalgic tinge to it. “I guess it’s just nice to have young things running around the house again. I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes I miss all the commotion we had when the kids were growing up. I even miss all the strays Erin used to sneak into her room when she thought we weren’t looking.”

Lily understood what the innately optimistic woman was trying not to say. One by one, as her children had grown and moved out, the farmhouse had probably seemed bigger and bigger to her. When her husband died, it must have felt like the Grand Canyon, empty and echoing with memories of their life together.

“We’re going to have plenty of commotion soon,” Lily reminded her brightly. “We’ve got fifteen students for our school so far, and our second class of five will be here Thursday afternoon. I asked all the parents when they’d like to start, and most of them said ASAP. One mom was honest enough to admit her daughter was driving them nuts, asking every day when she was going to get to wear her new cowgirl boots and learn how to ride.”

“How cute is that? I’m glad she’s so excited. Abby’s been around horses since she was born, and sometimes I forget she’s the exception, not the rule.”

“It’s easy to see why she loves it here. She’s been telling me how psyched she is about sharing the farm with her new friends.”

“I’m pleased to hear that. She was a bit on the shy side when she started kindergarten in the fall. I was more than a little worried about her at first, but Mike kept taking her to concerts and plays at school, setting up playdates, things like that. Now that she’s out of her shell, I have a tough time remembering her being any other way.”

“Whenever I see them together, it’s obvious what a great dad he is,” Lily commented with a smile. “I’d imagine he learned some of that from his father.”

“Yes, he did,” Maggie replied with another melancholy smile. “He and Justin were like night and day, but there was a lot of love there in spite of their differences. Mike took his death the hardest, I think, because it happened so fast, he couldn’t get back here in time to say goodbye.”

Lily couldn’t begin to understand what he’d gone through, trying to work and care for Abby while his family was grieving more than a thousand miles away. Even though he seemed to be cool and distant, she was beginning to see that his gruff demeanor covered a deceptively tender heart. One that loved deeply and was still struggling to navigate the unexpected curves life had thrown at him.

Like Grandpa,
she realized with sudden clarity. Stalwart and resolute to a fault, both men experienced joy and pain just as intensely as people who wore their hearts on their sleeves. They just refused to show it.

Outside the window, she noticed some movement in one of the front pastures that ran alongside the road. Squinting to be sure she’d seen correctly, she asked, “Is that Chance out there?”

“Yes, it is,” Maggie answered proudly. “Mike’s putting him under saddle for the first time today.”

Is that safe?
Lily nearly blurted, then recalled that Maggie didn’t know about the stallion’s dangerous antics when he first arrived at the farm. She couldn’t see much from where she was sitting, but she was dying to know how the handsome Thoroughbred’s retraining program was going. True to his nature, Mike hadn’t said a word about it to her, so she’d assumed he hadn’t started yet.

Hesitant to say anything to make Maggie suspicious, she kept her tone light. “I’d like to go watch. Do you think that would be okay?”

“I can’t think of a reason why not. Just be quiet and stand outside the fence rail. These horses weigh upward of a thousand pounds, and if you know what’s good for you, you never want to spook one.”

Lily promised to be careful and set her glass in the sink on her way outside. Pausing on the back porch, she admired yet another view of Gallimore Stables, one that most visitors probably didn’t get to see.

A good-sized vegetable garden stood off to one side, and a load of freshly washed sheets waved lazily from the clothesline. To her right was a rambling flower garden that seemed to wander through the yard with blooms of all kinds spilling onto the grass in an array of colors any landscape designer would envy. She crossed the well-used dirt lane and settled into a spot under a tree that stood outside the rail, eager to see how Mike and his troublesome pupil were doing.

While she watched, it occurred to her that in spite of the fact that he worked with horses all day long, she’d never seen Mike in a saddle. Now that she was, she couldn’t help admiring the easy way he sat up there, guiding Chance with gestures so subtle, Lily couldn’t pick them up even though she wasn’t that far away.

“Atta boy,” he praised the horse, patting his neck as he turned him into a simple figure-eight pattern. “You remember all this from the first time you learned it, don’t you?”

As if in reply, Chance bobbed his magnificent head, making the silver buckles on his bridle jingle. He pranced a few steps to the side, but Mike chuckled and corrected him somehow. Flashing a grin at Lily, he said, “Don’t look so worried. He’s a guy, so he’s just showing off for you.”

Did she look concerned? Having seen the very tall animal at his worst, she had to admit she wasn’t all that comfortable seeing anyone on his back. Not even someone as experienced as Mike must be. Feeling silly, because clearly he knew exactly what he was doing, she forced herself to smile back. “How’s he doing today?”

“Okay.” In an easy motion, he reined the horse onto a new path and nudged him into a gentle trot that brought them over to the rail. “I keep thinking that he’s trying too hard, though. Something’s still stuck in here.” Pointing to his own head, he sighed. “I’ve run everything at him, loud music, tractor noise, other horses. Sarge and I even took turns chasing him around the paddock. He doesn’t flip out the way the previous owner was claiming, but he’s definitely antsy about something. Weird stuff’s going on between those furry ears of his. I just can’t figure out what.”

“Do you think they abused him?” Lily asked with a scowl. That anyone might harm this beautiful, intelligent creature made her absolutely furious.

Mike firmly shook his head. “I know the whole team over there, and they treat all their horses—racers and otherwise—like they’re made of glass. Aside from having to sedate him for the vet and the trip here, they handled him the same way we would have. I’ve got no clue what’s bothering him.”

If there was anything Lily loved, it was a good mystery. Reaching out to rub the white strip that ran down the center of his perfectly symmetrical face, she considered what Mike had told her. If one of her students was acting in a similar way, she’d be able to ask the child what the problem was.

But, as she had learned during her first student-teaching assignment, they didn’t always know how to put their emotions into words. Taking Chance’s behavior as a whole, she rolled the evidence around in her mind, trying to examine it from another angle. Everyone was assuming the horse’s tantrums stemmed from his temperament. What if they were being caused by something else altogether?

Eyeing the calmly grazing animal before her, an idea started coalescing in her head. “Mike?”

“Yeah?”

“Chance was retired from racing last year, right?”

“In the fall,” he replied, frowning. “Why?”

“What were they training him to do next?”

“Nothing in particular that I know of. The goal was to make him into an all-around pleasure horse for someone to buy.” Swinging a leg over the back of the English saddle, he landed on the ground in front of her. “What’re you thinking?”

“Did he enjoy racing?”

“Loved it. Ever since he was a colt here with us, all he wanted to do was run. He’s five now, and the owner said it broke his heart to take the poor guy off the track, but he didn’t want Chance hurting himself in a race.” Understanding glimmered in his eyes, and he grinned. “I think I follow where you’re going. You think he misses racing, and that’s why he gets so cranky.”

Cranky
wasn’t quite the word she’d have used, but he’d caught her train of thought quite nicely. “What do you think he’d do if you just let him go and got out of his way?”

“I’ve got no idea.” Cracking a mischievous little-boy grin, he suggested, “Let’s find out.”

He deftly removed Chance’s saddle and blanket, then slipped the bridle free while the horse was in between bites of grass. Tossing the tack onto the top rail, he stepped away and folded his arms with a curious expression.

After he chomped down a few more mouthfuls, Chance perked up his ears as if he’d sensed something was different. He shook his head, then glanced over his shoulder to find he was now bareback. Then he gave Mike what Lily could only describe as a “whassup?” kind of look.

“It’s all right, buddy,” Mike encouraged with a nod, pointing into the distance. “Gideon’s out there. Go have some fun.”

He hadn’t even finished speaking before Chance wheeled on his back hooves and took off for the far end of the pasture. His sorrel coat gleaming in the sun, to Lily he looked like a bolt of copper lightning streaking through the lush bluegrass. When he caught up to his equine pal, he pulled up and tossed his head with pure joy, dancing in place as if daring Gideon to join in.

Which, to her delight, he did. The two of them bumped shoulders and then started galloping along the front fence line. Having been bred for plowing, the Belgian wasn’t as fast, and Chance blew past him within a few easy strides. Then, to her astonishment, the retired racehorse slowed his pace, glancing back at his slower stablemate.

“That’s incredible,” she breathed in amazement. “It’s like he’s waiting for Gideon to catch up.”

“Amazing.”

Something in his tone made her look at him, and she realized he wasn’t watching the horses anymore. Instead, those expressive blue eyes were fixed on her in a show of unmistakable male admiration. The heat of a blush crept up Lily’s cheeks, and while she told herself it was just the sunshine, part of her suspected it was something else entirely. “D-do you mean me?”

“Yeah, I do.”

His voice washed over her in a gentle drawl she’d never heard from him before. As he continued staring across the fence at her, his gaze warmed with an emotion she couldn’t begin to define. After a few breathless heartbeats it vanished, and Lily convinced herself she must have imagined it.

All business again, he said, “I thought you didn’t know anything about horses.”

“Compared to you, I don’t. But when I thought of him like a big kid with four legs, it seemed to me that he was throwing a tantrum because he wasn’t getting his way. I know it’s silly, but since you were stumped about what was wrong, it seemed like it was worth a shot.”

“It wasn’t silly at all,” Mike assured her with a grin. “It was brilliant. And seeing as Abby’s the only kid I’ve ever understood, I think it’s a good thing you signed up to help me teach all these rug rats. You’ve got a real knack for reading kids, and you’re probably gonna save my sanity.”

She beamed at him, his praise settling nicely over an ego that was still recovering from its most recent bruising. Maybe her parents and friends couldn’t bring themselves to support her in an endeavor so far removed from their own, they couldn’t possibly comprehend her reasons for choosing it.

But this Kentucky cowboy, who’d gradually evolved from growling bear to encouraging friend, not only understood the path she was on, he encouraged her following it. Whatever happened between them in the weeks to come, Lily knew she’d always be grateful to him for that.

* * *

Strolling along the lane that led to the barns, Lily looked around her with a contented sigh. “This is such a beautiful place. You must have loved growing up here.”

“Yeah, it was great. That’s why I brought Abby back east, so she could have what I did.”

“She’s blessed to have such a thoughtful father.”

Her comment grated on his nerves, and he tried to avoid letting it show. Judging by her sudden frown, he’d missed the mark completely. He had no idea what to do next, so he waited for her to give him a hint.

Stopping in the middle of the path, she looked up at him with a stern expression. “Mike, if we’re going to be successful as partners, we need to be honest with each other. Like it or not, we’ll be spending an awful lot of time together.”

Oh, he’d like it fine,
he corrected her silently. Probably too much. Yanking his thoughts back into line, he addressed her directly, the way she’d done with him. “I’m just not into blessings and such. God and I aren’t on the best of terms these days.”