“Licorice is really fast.” Eloise turned in her saddle. “I wanted to push him and see what he had. Wow.”
“Impressive.” Sean pulled a winded Hershey into a slow walk. “Like he’s part Thoroughbred.”
“He’s a great horse.” She watched the gelding’s ears flicker, taking in every word. His neck arched with a touch of pride and his luxurious black mane rippled in the warm breeze. “My guess is he was ridden often. Someone spent a lot of time with him.”
“That would explain a lot.” He rocked along with the horse’s gait. He appeared powerful in the saddle, utterly Western and heroic as if he could right wrongs and fight outlaws into submission.
Eloise shook her head to scatter her thoughts. Highly inappropriate. He was a friend, nothing more. A very handsome friend. Muscles shaped the cut of his T-shirt. He was in incredible shape, but his power was more than physical, it went deeper as if straight to the soul.
“Hershey keeps glancing back like he’s expecting someone to materialize and his life can go back to the way it was.” Sympathy etched into the hard rugged lines of Sean’s face. “He wants to go back in time, and I can’t do that for him.”
The man was way too gorgeous for his good and for hers. She drew in a deep breath. Time to stop noticing these things. She looked up to realize they were at the drive-in. How did they get there? She had no idea because she’d been watching Sean and not the scenery.
She guided Licorice into the driveway and straight toward the drive-thru lane.
“I can empathize.” She drew her horse to a stop in the shade of the building and studied the lighted display. “I remember lying in the hospital staring up at the ceiling tiles and asking God to take me back in time so I could change the events of that evening. I wanted back what I’d lost.”
“You knew you couldn’t skate again that soon?” Sean sidled up beside her, forehead furrowed with concern, sitting tall and straight. If a girl were to lay her cheek against his wide shoulder, she would feel safe and incredibly protected.
Not that she was that girl. She steeled her spine. “Oh, yes. As soon as they looked at the X-rays, they told me I’d never return to the ice.”
Sean opened his mouth to say something, probably to ask the obvious question but thankfully the speaker squawked to life. Licorice stood calmly at the noise. Hershey danced a few nervous steps and then settled.
“Welcome to the Steer In.” A cheerful teenage girl’s voice popped and cracked over the ancient system. “Is that you, Eloise?”
“Hi, Chloe. How are you doing today?”
“It’s a quiet afternoon, so good. What can I get you?”
“A soft chocolate ice-cream cone.” She shivered when Sean leaned close.
“A strawberry for me,” he rumbled in low, smoky tones.
“Oh, is this like a date?” Chloe blurted over the speaker loud enough to carry to the nearby car parked beneath the awning. Two gray-haired ladies glanced their way, familiar smiles flashing as they turned to watch the proceedings. They were, as luck would have it, friends of Gran’s.
It was too much to hope she wouldn’t be recognized. Impossible, really, since the women in the car had known her since birth.
“Not a date.” She was quick to correct loud enough for her voice to carry. “Don’t say things like that, Chloe. You’re going to ruin any chance I have of my grandmother abandoning her plans to marry me off.”
“Sorry,” Chloe laughed.
“You wouldn’t happen to know those ladies over there?” Sean leaned in and splayed his palm on the saddle’s pommel. “They’re waving.”
“I know them.” All too well. Mrs. Parnell was Gran’s oldest friend. Mrs. Plum was Gran’s second-oldest friend. They lunched together at least once a week after their church meeting.
No way was she going to keep this private. Her grandmother was sure to find out. As she touched her heels to Licorice’s sides and he obligingly stepped forward, she fought off a wave of panic. All Gran had to do was to talk to Frank Granger, and how hard would it be for the two of them to make Sean feel obligated to take her to dinner? Putting him in that uncomfortable position was the last thing she wanted.
“It’s my treat.” He leaned across her to hand money to Chloe at the window. “Keep the change.”
It was too late to protest. Chloe darted away before Eloise could dig out the fold of dollar bills she’d hidden in her jeans pocket.
“The horses are handling all of this just fine, don’t you think?” Sean knuckled back his hat, revealing more of his face. His blue eyes resonated the manly kindness she’d come to expect. A girl could lose herself dreaming about him.
But not her. She was thankful for that. She cleared her throat, surprised her voice sounded thin and scratchy when she answered. “Yes, I do. Hershey will be calmer once he gets used to all the changes he’s facing.”
“He needs time. That’s all.” Sitting in the saddle, backlit by the brilliant blue sky and the sun-kissed greenery of grass and trees, he was a compelling sight.
Not that she was compelled.
“He might require a bit of work. I’ll volunteer to train him, if there’s a need.”
“Thanks.” Her voice sounded squeaky. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Chloe popped into view through the take-out window and produced two cones. Eloise handed one over to Sean along with a few paper napkins Chloe also dispensed.
“Have fun!” The teenager called out. Clearly she had high hopes for their “date.”
The horses plodded forward lazily. It was a perfect summer afternoon. Not too hot, but hot enough to make the ice cream taste like an icy luxury. Not too windy, just a light puff of air stirring up the scents of earth and grass and horse. The noise from the main street increased as they circled the lot to the exit lane. Colorful booths and awnings stretched as far as the eye could see up the street. A red banner strung from light poles read, “Welcome to Wild Horse, Wyoming’s Pioneer Days Festival.”
“When do you have to be back to work?” he asked.
“Cady said not to hurry.” She leaned back in her saddle, tilting her face toward his. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“That’s an affirmative.” He gave his ice-cream cone a taste and let the strawberry sweetness melt on his tongue. “Nothing like hitting the festival on the first day. We’ll get the best view of stuff and it’s not crowded.”
“Yes. Wait until tonight.” She gave her cone a twirl, neatly catching all the drips. “I hadn’t realized how much I’ve missed all this. I got caught up chasing after things that didn’t last, at least not for me. Now that I’m home, I’ve forgotten how special this all is.”
“Small-town festivals?”
“Yes, and small-town life.” She sighed as the horses plodded leisurely down the empty section of the street. “Before I was always so busy and focused. When I was on the ice, I had to shut out everything else. There was only practice.”
“And the falls? That ice looks like a hard place to land.” He had to quip; it was who he was. It was easier to joke than ask harder questions.
“I don’t miss the falls.” She had a wonderful laugh, reserved and whimsical. “But I miss the skating. I trained and I trained. It took me an extra two years to squeak in college courses so I could get a degree. Between skating and school, I didn’t do a whole lot of living. I put off everything. Fun weekends, vacations, seeing movies and even the idea of marriage and a family.”
“Are you second-guessing the choices you made?” He knew how that could be.
“No. I can’t imagine following any other dream. It simply hurt when it ended.” She looked wistful and not bitter, retrospective and not sad. “If the accident hadn’t happened, I would still be skating.”
“What was your favorite part?” He took a big bite of ice cream and let it melt in his mouth, watching as she licked a dab of chocolate ice cream off her bottom lip. She was as sweet as could be, trying to eat her cone before it dripped all over her.
His chest warmed with new emotions, which had to be admiration and respect—certainly nothing romantic. He was a lone wolf. Lone wolves didn’t do romance.
“The competitions were way too stressful to be my favorite part. The travel was tough because we were focused on our training and our performances.” She frowned in concentration and gave her melting cone another lick. “It was the day-to-day skating I loved. Being on the ice when it was just me soaring. I felt like I did when I was little skating on Gran’s winter pond. It’s all I ever wanted to do.”
“You didn’t only lose a vocation, but a calling. Something you loved.”
“Yes.” She turned those incredible, honest eyes at him. “But there are worse things to lose in life. How about you? What have you lost?”
“My older brother a few years back.” He bit into the sugary cone, crunching as he gathered the courage to let down his guard. “Tim was an Army Ranger killed in action.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Me, too. It was a hard blow for everyone in my family.”
“Mostly, I felt lost. Drifting. As if everything I’d thought about myself and about life changed.”
“Trauma will do that to you.” Empathy layered her words.
“The earth had been knocked out from beneath me and I no longer wanted the same things I once did.” The first vendor’s booth was close, so he eased Hershey to a stop. “One loss made everything shift. I couldn’t see life the same way. My brother wasn’t in it. I knew the phone would never ring with him on the other end of the line. I no longer believed only good things happened.”
“Life can change in an instant. I learned that lesson, too.” She daintily bit into the rim of her cone. “It makes you appreciate each day more, I think. Here and right now it is such a beautiful afternoon. I want to soak it in, every detail, and remember it always.”
“Even me?” He finished off his cone.
“Especially you.” She blushed a little, but when he nodded in understanding, she relaxed. They were on the same wavelength, they didn’t even need the words. She’d never experienced it with anyone else before. “We can tether the horses here in the shade.”
“And bring them some water from the hot-dog vendor.” He gestured with a nod at the nearby booth before dismounting in a single powerful movement. His boots hit the ground with a muffled thud.
“Good idea.” She managed not to spill her cone as she swung her leg over and eased to the pavement. “We’ll keep an eye on them for a bit. Make sure they don’t start worrying about being left again.”
“Hershey’s already looking nervous. It’s okay, boy.” He stroked the gelding’s nose in slow, gentle glides that made the horse calm.
The moment she let go of the saddle horn she realized her mistake. Too late to get back on the horse without having to explain to Sean. She kept her weight on her good leg and leaned lightly on Licorice for support. For a little while, she’d forgotten about what the doctors had labeled a disability. She had been free from her partial paralysis and the cane she relied on.
“Did you forget something?” Sean ambled closer and tugged her hat brim up a few inches so he could study her face.
“I didn’t forget it. I just didn’t bring it.” Her cane was leaning against the stable wall, right where she’d left it. Self-conscious, she wanted nothing more than to get back on that horse where she didn’t have to be less than. On the back of a horse, she could be like any other young woman. That’s the way she wanted Sean to see her.
“No problem.” He held out his arm. “You can lean on me.”
“No, I would be embarrassed.” Every step she would take would remind her of how different she was. It would remind her even more strongly of the woman she no longer was.
“What’s to be embarrassed about?” He appeared genuinely confused, as if he couldn’t begin to see any problems. Proof of the kind of man he was. He caught her arm in his, sun-warmed and substantial. “Don’t worry. I won’t let you fall.”
“I didn’t think you would.” She took a step with her weak leg, hating the weight she transferred onto Sean’s forearm. “I weigh too much.”
“You weigh the perfect amount. You don’t have to worry, Eloise.” He took a step forward to show her he was better than any cane she’d ever used. “I don’t notice your limp. When I look, I see you.”
“You must need glasses.” She had to tease so he couldn’t guess what his words meant to her. She would never forget the look on Gerald’s face when he saw her sitting in a wheelchair for the first time. It was a blend of horror and pity that was burned on her brain, although he had quickly covered it up well enough. “I could recommend a good eye doctor.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my vision.”
Before she could argue teasingly, the rest of her ice cream was plucked out of her hand. She turned, surprised to see Licorice crunching away on the last of the sugar cone.
Sean burst into laughter. “Next time we’ll have to get some for the horses.”
“I hope that doesn’t give him a stomachache.” Good humor chased away her worries. Life was good as she and Sean headed down the street together.
It was easy being with Eloise. Sean tucked his wallet into his back pocket and handed over the twenty. The vendor looked pleased as punch as she accepted it and began to wrap up the sale.
“The wind chimes are lovely, but it’s too much.” Eloise folded a strand of blond hair behind her ear in a shy gesture that only proved how cute she was.
Cute. He kept using that word for her over and over again. It wasn’t the only word. Awesome came to mind. So did endearing. Beautiful was another that described her in any situation. To think she was self-conscious about her injury. Her limp was invisible, her loveliness outshone it tenfold.
“It will be something to remember today by. Something good, after the rough morning we all had.” The neglected horses stayed at the back of his mind. He knew they were at the back of hers, too. The set of halters and leads she’d bought from one of the other vendors was testimony enough they were not far from her mind. At least the animals were more comfortable now. He accepted the bag from the sales lady and added it to the bundle he carried. “Whenever the wind blows, you can think of me.”
“Because you’re a bunch of hot air?”
“Ha ha.” He bit his lip to keep from laughing. Before he could come up with a snazzy comeback, he heard someone say her name.
“Eloise, is that you?” a fragile voice warbled. A delicate elderly lady padded up to lay her hand on Eloise’s arm. “Where is your cane, sweet pea? How are you getting around?”
“Gran.” Eloise’s jaw dropped. As if mortified, she sputtered for a second unable to think of what to say.
Sure, he knew how it looked with her hand tucked lightly on his forearm and with him carrying all her purchases. He cleared his throat. “I’m squiring her around this afternoon. Mrs. Tipple, we met a long time ago when I was a teenager.”
“I remember. You were trouble, if I recall. Couldn’t stop fidgeting during the candlelight service.” She smiled, a timeless beauty. “You are one of the Granger boys.”
“Guilty. I hope you don’t mind I’ve stolen your granddaughter for the afternoon.”
“Not at all.” She chirped with happiness. “You aren’t married, I take it?”
“No, but I’m not looking to be.” He broke the news gently as Eloise gave her grandmother a hug.
“We’re just friends, Gran, so don’t get any ideas. Promise me?” Unmistakable love made her luminous. “I’m going out to dinner with Craig, but that is the last fix-up. No more.”
“Take pity on her, Mrs. Tipple.” Sean couldn’t resist helping her cause. He liked Eloise. He’d do about anything for her. “I know how she feels. It’s humiliating every time a new date doesn’t work out.”
“Why, I never thought of it that way before.” The older lady furrowed her brow, adorably puzzled. “I can’t think of why that would be.”
“Gran, you found your perfect match on the first try. That’s a great gift few of us are blessed with.” She probably looked a lot like her grandmother did fifty years ago, Sean decided. She had the same willowy build and oval face and eyes shining like flawless emeralds. There was strength, too, the kind that went all the way to the soul.
“I’d best leave you kids to your fun.” A grandmother’s love beamed from her as she gave Eloise one final pat. “Don’t think you have to hurry over tonight. I’ve got all the weeding done except for the tomatoes.”
“Don’t you dare do it without me.” Eloise’s warning held no bite, only sweetness. “See you later.”
Her fingertips settled on his arm as she turned to watch her grandmother join her friends at a nearby booth. He laughed. “I finally have it figured out, chickie.”
“What, exactly?” She sparkled as she leaned lightly on his arm.
“You spend a lot of evenings with your grandmother. You live with your parents.” He heard his phone ring and pulled it out of his pocket. “I’m starting to see the real you.”
“Oh, no. You don’t want to be associated with someone so drab. Or would dull be a better word?”
“You? Dull? That’s impossible.” The experience of holding her on his arm had brought him closer to her than he’d expected, both physically and emotionally. Because she’d left her cane behind he had been near enough to see the twinkle lighting her eyes when she’d spotted the wind chimes for the first time.
Eloise was quietly exhilarating and she was easy to be with. There was no knot of anxiety in his chest. Meryl had always tied him up in knots, leaving him to wonder if he’d done things right or wrong. Being with Eloise was as natural as breathing. He stepped out of the flow of pedestrian traffic. “Is that your phone?”
“Probably. If not, then it’s my guilt calling. I’m having too much fun. I should be on my way to work.” She tugged out her cell and checked it.
“I heard Cady say not to rush back. No guilt necessary.” He liked that about her, though. She was conscientious.
“Cady sent a text. She wants me to stop by the feed store and pick up a few things for the new horses.”
“Let me see.” He leaned close. His cheek brushed hers as he scanned the list. Her skin felt satin soft and he breathed in another hint of honeysuckle. It was nice. He kept using that word, but it was the truth. Being with her was so enjoyable, he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
He focused on the list typed across the phone’s little screen. “It’s all easy stuff to tie on the saddles. It’s doable.”
“Definitely.” She didn’t move away.
Neither did he. The breeze danced through her hair, sending a stray wisp against his jaw. “The feed store is across the street from the horses. It couldn’t be an easier errand.”
“True.”
Time stood still. The noise and heat and scents from the nearby hot-dog vendor became background to the slow, drum-like thud of his heart. He leaned in, so close their noses almost bumped. Her soft mouth opened slightly, betraying her surprise. The same surprise tapped like mad through his veins, but he couldn’t seem to jerk away and put proper space between them. All he could see was her. Her big soulful eyes, her incredibly beautiful face, her lips. She was sugar-cookie sweet. He wanted to kiss her tenderly to match the tender adoration filling him.
Adoration? He furrowed his brow. That wasn’t what he wanted to feel. What he wanted was to be unattached, a male wolf prowling the wilderness on his own answering to no one. So why was he inching closer?
Don’t do it, he told himself. Kissing her wouldn’t be right. It wouldn’t be fair.
It was all he wanted.