Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 83379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
The spell was broken by the sound of the stable door opening, and in walked a sopping-wet Kerry, who’d obviously gotten caught in the rain. “Sorry, I tried to get here as fast as I could. But I had to wait out the storm in the toolshed.”
“No worries at all,” Dr. Barnes replied. “As it turns out, Julian was a big help.”
“Thank you,” Kerry said, his gaze zeroing in on the scene in front of him. “Looks like Mercy might’ve enjoyed it too.”
“Who wouldn’t?” I asked, taking a step back, my neck feeling hot and sticky. Must’ve been all that humidity in the air.
Kerry took off his wet hat, then knelt down in front of Ainsley. “Were you afraid of the storm?”
She nodded and threw her arms around him. He stood up, then swung her around toward the barn door. “It’s clearing now. See the sun coming through the clouds? Maybe there’ll even be a rainbow.”
Ainsley squealed at the idea.
“And guess what? Grandma Maggie is coming for dinner. The horse show was rained out, so she’s headed over here now.”
My throat clogged with emotion as I watched them, but for reasons I couldn’t readily unpack right then.
“Well, I better get back to work,” I said, patting Mercy’s muzzle one last time, then excused myself from the stables.
“Thanks again,” Dr. Barnes said as I made my way toward the door.
“Yes, thank you,” Kerry added, but his voice was muffled as I stepped out into the sunshine, looking up at the sky and breathing in deeply. It felt like I had just had some sort of spiritual experience and was coming out of the fog.
And as it turned out, Aunt Maggie created the perfect distraction for the rest of the day and into the evening. She visited me at the silo, and then we got on the phone with Mom so she could see my progress and catch up with us both at the same time.
Dinner was delicious, especially after such a long day, and the conversation light. When they discussed subjects I knew nothing about, like the horse-show circuit, my mind would drift off to Mercy and the stables. And I knew right then I wanted to do it again.
Hang out with Mercy. With a damned horse. But maybe it was the exact buffer I needed to help me get some distance from my attraction to Kerry.
16
Kerry
When I walked into the kitchen Sunday afternoon, after corralling Phoebe and Hamlet away from our crops again, I was pleasantly surprised to see Ainsley and Julian sitting together at the table. Ainsley didn’t normally seek Julian out, but ever since he’d helped her in the stables a few days ago, she had taken to him more easily. That night she’d told me that Julian was scared of loud noises too—I figured it was something they’d discussed before I’d walked in—and damn if my heart didn’t cram in my throat hearing that.
I’d felt guilty that day because I couldn’t get to her in time and I knew she was anxious about the thunder and lightning. But I also knew she was with Dr. Barnes, who would keep her safe while I sought shelter from the storm. I’d been out repairing one of the fences between our property and the ranch. My brothers still hadn’t gotten to it, so I took it upon myself to fix it before their cattle ended up mixed in with ours in the pasture.
Still, I’d rushed over as soon as I could because I knew how nervous Ainsley got when the weather was bad and we weren’t around. And stepping inside and seeing Julian there with Ainsley and Dr. Barnes left me feeling all sort of things I couldn’t put my finger on right then. He was grooming Mercy, and it was… I didn’t know how else to describe it except to say it was beautiful. How careful he was with him, and sort of uncertain. I had a sneaking suspicion Dr. Barnes knew Julian needed that time with the horse and had come up with a plan that included helping both Ainsley and him.
She used to ask us to help Ainsley with little tasks at the beginning of her work with our daughter, to help her feel more comfortable. But it also felt like we were working together toward a common goal, bringing us closer as a family in the process.
“What are you up to?” I asked Ainsley and Julian, looking down at the newspaper Sienna had no doubt spread across the table so that Ainsley could play with a new makeup set she’d received from Sienna’s mother. Ainsley loved playing with her dolls and plastic ponies too, so the glittery set was just an added bonus, if a bit messy.
“A tutorial, apparently.” Julian smirked, watching her dab some color on the dolls and horses with a small brush. And given how rosy Sienna’s cheeks looked as she poured them glasses of iced tea at the counter, Ainsley had worked her makeup magic on her mother as well.