The Seacroft: a love story (Paines Creek Beach Book 2) (7 page)

“Not at all. These days, everyone could use an assistant. Especially my wife.” Finn squeezed her hand gently, then grinned at Cody. “Are you two dating?”

To Vivian’s surprise, Cody flushed and looked away.

“Er. No, we’re just friends,” he said.

Vivian jumped in to save him. “We both needed to get out of that big old mausoleum today, you know? Cody was kind enough to invite me to meet the girls here, and I jumped at the chance. I love kids.” She smiled as if Finn hadn’t asked that most embarrassing question. In her mind, she thought if Cody ever asked her out, she’d say yes. But of course, that would never happen.

Ramona squawked something that sounded like “frink.”

Finn leaned down to her, his face tender and loving. “You want your cuppy, baby?”

Cody grabbed it from the storage area behind the stroller. “Here you go, sweetie.”

Olivia and Sylvia, as if being left out, cried, “Frink” in unison.

Cody laughed, and Viv helped him get their drinks ready. They passed them to the greedy little hands and both laughed until tears filled their eyes.

“Wow,” Vivian said. “Three is a lot of work.”

Finn rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “You’re not kidding. Three cribs. Three in diapers. Three car seats. And when all three cry and you’re the only one home, which two do you pick up?” He beamed a smile at the girls. “I try to get them all on my lap in the big old rocking chair, but it’s not easy.”

Vivian instantly felt a bond with this man. He was kind. Loving. And the type of father she would have adored.
What lucky little girls.

Finn leaned down to touch Olivia’s plump knees. “And now we have another on the way. Can you believe that? You might have a little sister or brother come Christmas.”

Cody looked toward the house and grimaced. “Uncle Finn? Libby’s sick. She said these guys were up all night with a stomach bug. Now she’s got it.”

Finn’s eyes widened. “No way. Really?”

“Really,” Cody said.

“Oh, man. What’ll we do?”

Viv spoke up. “I can help. I’m free all weekend, sir.”

Finn smiled. “Don’t call me sir, please. It makes me feel old. Call me Finn.”

“Okay. Finn,” she said, leaning down to retrieve another stuffed animal that Ramona had thrown to the grass this time.

“Well, we’d be happy to pay you to help,” he said. “Right, Cody?”

Cody nodded. “I’ll help, too.”

Viv frowned and shook her head. “You will not pay me one red cent. I’d be happy to help out. No salary required.”

“Well, then.” Finn put an arm around both of them. “You two may have just saved my life.”

Chapter 11

The next few hours were spent entertaining three rambunctious two-year-olds. They watched
Peppa Pig, The Very Hungry Caterpillar
, and
Barney
until
Cody thought he’d go insane. He lay on the living room rug and let the little monkeys climb all over him, and took turns reading books to them with Vivian, who seemed to enjoy the whole experience.

He watched her with growing affection.
She’s really good at this
.
She’ll make a good mother some day.

Sitting back, he watched her playing “Creeper Mousie” with Sylvia, eliciting peals of laughter every time she walked her two fingers from the baby’s toes to her neck and ear, where she was most ticklish.

“Creeper Mousie

Creeper Mousie

From the barn

Into the Housie”

Pretty soon, all three lined up for the game, and Cody had to learn it, too, so they wouldn’t fuss while waiting for their turn.

When little Olivia started to walk her fingers up Cody’s legs, repeating some of the words from the rhyme, he burst into such a belly laugh that he roared and cried and rocked back and forth on the floor. Vivian joined in, and both fell to the ground, crying and hiccupping until they could barely breathe. The girls thought this was definitely funny, too, and all three burst into hysterical giggles.  

Finn showed up in the middle of the laugh-fest, smiling from the doorway. “What’s so funny?”

Olivia said, “Creepa Mousie” and they all started laughing again.

“What? I don’t get it,” Finn said, grinning. He walked to the sink to wash his hands. “Who’s hungry for lunch? And after we eat, why don’t you two go for a ride on the beach? Popeye and Serendipity need some exercise. We haven’t ridden them more than a few times since the triplets were born.”

Cody cocked an eyebrow at Vivian, who nodded tentatively and mouthed the word, “Okay.”

After Finn made a half-dozen grilled cheese sandwiches, which he shared with Cody and Viv, he cut another sandwich into little pieces for the girls, then ran up to check on Libby, who wanted nothing but a glass of ginger ale and some Saltine crackers. Once she was taken care of, Finn took over care of the triplets. Cody and Vivian made their way out to the barn.

Cody opened the big sliding door and beckoned Vivian into the cool barn. “Come on in. Meet the gang.” He stopped first at the stall of a fuzzy palomino pony, digging out a piece of carrot from his pocket. “This one we bought for the girls. Another year or two and they can take turns on her. Isn’t she cute? We call her Goldilocks.”

Vivian leaned over the stall door to pat the pony’s face. Surprised at how velvety the pony’s muzzle felt, she smiled with delight. “Oh, Cody. She’s adorable.”

“But too little for us to ride, I’m afraid. Hey,” he stopped and turned. “I forgot to ask, have you ever been up on a horse?”

Shamefaced, she bit her lower lip. “Never. But I’ve always wanted to.”

He linked arms with her and led her down the whitewashed aisle. “Well, then. It’s about damned time someone got you in the saddle.”

The next stall they reached was empty, but Cody whistled and threw a handful of grain into the feed bucket. In seconds, an enormous white mare rocketed inside, thrusting her nose into the feed bucket.

“There she is. That’s Serendipity. Don’t tell Libby, but Finn still calls her Dippy.”

“Why?” Vivian leaned in to stroke the silken fur on her neck.

“Because, she’s a bit jumpy from time to time. Kind of a hot breed, if you know what I mean?”

Vivian nodded, but had no idea what he meant. “I see.”

“I’ll ride her. She’s not the best for beginners.” He walked down another few stalls and peered inside. “And here’s your boy. His name’s Popeye. He’s half Pinto and half Percheron. A big, solid, sweet fella. You’ll love him.”

Vivian stared at the beautiful black and white markings on the gelding. His mane and tail were full and lush, curling in glossy white strands.

“My gosh, look at those feet!”

“They’re called hooves, Viv.” Cody laughed. “Draft horses, like Percherons, have huge hooves. When you get into the really big breeds, like the Clydesdales, they can be as large as dinner plates.”

Vivian clamped a hand over her mouth. “Oh my gosh.”

“Yep. But this fellow here is only half draft horse, so he’s a nice in-between size.”

“He won’t mind if I ride him and don’t know what I’m doing?”

“Heck, no. He’ll take care of you.”

They stood side by side, patting Popeye, who kept pushing his big head at Cody to beg for a treat. Cody fished a few pieces of carrots from his pocket. “Just for you, big fella.”

Popeye gently bent his head over the door and nibbled the carrots from Cody’s outstretched palm.

“He loves them,” Vivian said, keenly aware of the warmth of Cody’s body beside her. His profile stunned her with its beauty, if you could call a man beautiful. Strong brow, patrician nose, curved lips, jutting chin… she chuckled to herself. Yes. He was definitely beautiful.

He turned suddenly and met her gaze. For an instant, she felt a connection, and heat flooded her body. Cody turned away first, and in that minute, she realized he was embarrassed. Not her, the ungainly, awkward, ugly duckling, but him, this godlike creature who could have any woman on the planet.

She laughed to cover her nerves. “So. How do we get them ready?”

Cody opened the stall door, grabbing a lead rope from a hook on the wall. “I’ll teach you.”

He grinned at her, and she melted.

“Deal?” he asked.

“Um, yes. I’d love to learn.”

Minutes later, both horses were tethered in the aisle in what Cody called “crossties,” and after a brief lesson, Vivian stood beside Popeye, cleaning him with a soft bristled brush. Shocked at how much dust lay beneath the horse’s beautiful coat, she worked hard to make him shine.

Down the aisle, she slid secret glances at Cody. He wore jeans and a thin tee shirt, and through that fabric she saw his muscles ripple and swell as he worked his way from Serendipity’s head to tail. She tried not to stare, and busied herself in untangling Popeye’s curly mane until it glistened free in the sunlight that shone through the skylights overhead. But she couldn’t stop thinking about Cody.

He showed her how to put the English saddle on Popeye’s broad back, carefully sliding it from his withers backwards, so the horse’s fur would lie flat. After buckling the girth, he instructed her how to adjust the stirrups. He held one stirrup out and showed her how to estimate the length, bringing the stirrup iron up to his armpit and touching the little metal bar under a leather flap with his fingertips. “This method gives you a pretty good guess, usually. Go ahead. You try it.”

She did, fumbling a bit with the thing. It adjusted much like a belt buckle, and she finally figured out how to adjust the stirrup to length.

The bridle seemed a little more complicated, with talk of throatlatches and curb chains and brow bands. She wasn’t really sure how Cody got the bit between the big horse’s teeth so easily, but if she were ever invited to ride again, she’d give it a try with his help.

Working so closely with him made her painfully aware of the attraction she’d so long avoided. She hated to admit it, but there it was. For some reason, she thought it made her seem ridiculous. He’d never look at her, so she was just torturing herself, really. And why? She had enough on her plate these days just keeping up with the bills for her mom’s care and those lingering medical bills for her brother.

She told herself to forget about it and just try to enjoy the ride on Popeye.

Chapter 12

They led both horses out into the sunlight, which now blazed overhead. Cody gave her a leg up, and to her relief, she landed relatively gracefully on the saddle. Cody approved of her stirrup length, and she picked up the reins as if she intuitively knew what she was doing.

“It’s easy to guide him, Viv. Just pull back gently to slow or stop him. He knows the word ‘Whoa.’ And to turn him left, gently tug on the left rein. Same for the right. Easy peasy. See?”

“Easy peasy?” she laughed. “Where did you get that phrase?”

He chuckled and glanced at his feet. “Probably from one of the triplet’s silly shows I guess.”

 She loved the way he ducked his head, letting his lustrous black hair fall over his forehead to hide his eyes.

“Anyway,” he said, adjusting her reins so they were not so slack. Let’s try going in a few circles up here on the lawn. It’ll give you a chance to get the feel of him.”

“Okay. How do I make him go forward?”

He grinned. “Oh, geez. I forgot. Just squeeze gently with your calves and shift your weight forward. He’ll move right along. And make this sound.” He made a clucking sound and before Vivian even thought to squeeze his sides, the horse responded and began to move forward.

“He knows the words ‘walk,’ ‘trot,’ and ‘canter,’ too,” Cody said, walking beside Popeye.

Vivian balanced on the horse’s back, enjoying the powerful feeling of his muscled body beneath her. She felt so high in the air, it was a thrill she’d never anticipated. After a few minutes of learning how to turn, stop, and even back up her mount, she said she was ready to head for the beach. “It’ll be cooler there, that’s for sure.”

“Right. And when you get comfortable with this big lug, eventually we’ll go bareback so we can jump in and out of the water without ruining the saddles.”

When I get comfortable?
Eventually?
Does that imply there will be more rides in our future?
She let Popeye follow tail-to-nose behind Serendipity down the narrow path to the beach. When they got to the boardwalk, Cody turned off onto a lesser sand path that meandered through the dunes down to the shore.

When they reached the azure-colored surf, he motioned her forward, so they’d walk side by side. Seagulls soared overhead, screeching and diving toward the water. It was low tide and acres of rippled sand stretched toward the frilly whitecaps of the deeper sea. Vivian marveled at the colors beneath her—from rust to magenta to amber to pale pink to blazing white, it changed and spread before her like a rainbow-hued landscape stretching toward the horizon. Little holes in the wet sand squirted water up when they walked nearby, courtesy of clams hidden beneath the surface. Crabs ran sideways to avoid the horses’ hooves, and hermit crabs luxuriated in the warm tide pools.

They walked all the way to the end of the low tide section, their horses’ hooves squishing in the wet sand. Popeye obeyed when she tweaked her little finger to move him away from the water. The waves were good-sized today, cresting in white frothy peaks that crashed near their horses’ hooves.

“Good boy.” She leaned down to enthusiastically pat his neck. “He listened,” she said with a grin.

“He’s well trained,” he said, “unlike this one who will throw you off if a plastic bag floats across her path.”

“But she’s so pretty,” Viv said, glancing across at the elegant mare.

“So are you,” Cody said suddenly. As if he’d surprised himself, he backpedaled. “I mean, you look really good up there, Vivian. Like a natural.”

Did he really just call me pretty?
“Thanks,” she said, feeling tongue-tied. She clicked Popeye on and he went into a little trot, surprising her. She grabbed the saddle and held on, but before long, she realized she could sit to his little jog and not fall off.

She called back to Cody, who’d stayed behind. “This is fun!”