Beth lifted her left leg, the added weight of the walking boot making it hard to maintain her center of gravity. But she succeeded—somehow without toppling backward—in gently setting her foot onto the ballet barre.
She exhaled, and her shoulders relaxed.
“I can feel you watching me, you know,” she spoke aloud to what was supposed to be an empty carport.
A soft breeze moved through the open space, and Beth breathed in the scent of wild grass and lilac from the fields surrounding her sister’s serenely remote home.
“I wasn’t trying to hide,” Delaney admitted. “Is it wrong for me to want to check out my husband’s handiwork…and maybe admire my baby sister’s talent?”
Beth lowered into a right plié, attempting to stretch muscles she hadn’t used in almost two months. She winced, thankful her sister couldn’t see her face. “This only further confirms that this little visit you sprang on me was premeditated. I’m guessing Sam didn’t randomly wake up one day and decide the carport was missing a ballet barre.” She straightened, lifted her right arm into fourth position, and leaned forward over her elevated leg.
She felt her sister move closer.
“Maybe,” Delaney admitted. “But look. You’re working. You’re dancing…sort of.”
Beth reached as far as she could, trying to wrap her palm around the bottom of the boot, but her fingers barely scratched the top of it. She groaned. “It’s not enough.”
She straightened once more and slowly spun to face her sister, her left leg following along with the movement as if it were the hand of a clock. Then she gingerly lowered it back to the ground.
Delaney’s hand was pressed against her chest. “You’re really good, Bethy.”
Beth narrowed her eyes. “At stretching?”
“No.” Delaney shook her head. “I mean, yes. At all of it. You just have this grace, you know? It’s beautiful to watch, and I’m just sorry that—”
“Don’t say it, Lanes.” Beth leaned against the barre, gripping it tight beside each of her hips. “Don’t tell me how sorry you are that this part of my life is over. I know you’ve been biting your tongue for the past two weeks, but if you wouldn’t mind doing so indefinitely, I’d really appreciate it.”
Her sister moved a few paces closer, close enough to reach out and tuck a lock of Beth’s hair behind her ear.
“Have you talked to the new orthopedic therapist yet?” Delaney asked.
Beth nodded. “Today. I took the afternoon off.”
Delaney’s expression darkened. “Why didn’t you tell me? How did you get there? I could have taken you.”
“Trudy Davis drove me. She stopped by to pick up…” Beth cleared her throat. “She had Frederick cremated. Anyway, I asked her about a rideshare, and she told me there is no such thing in Meadow Valley—shocker—so she drove me.”
Her throat tightened, but she let go of the barre, shook off the feeling, and squared her shoulders.
“He said given my age and the extent of the injury that dancing for recreation was certainly not out of the picture but that the stress of trying to do it professionally…” She trailed off for a moment before collecting herself again. “It’s one person’s opinion.”
Along with that of her surgeon and the therapist she’d seen in Vegas before Delaney forced her to come here.
“There it is.” Delaney grabbed Beth’s hand and squeezed. “I knew something was up with you this week. I was afraid something happened at the clinic. But you must have been nervous about this appointment, huh? You don’t have to keep stuff from me, Bethy. You know that, right? I’m here for you. Despite whether I agree with your doctors or therapists, I’m on your side. So come to me, okay? That’s part of my premeditated plan.” Delaney laughed.
“Okay,” Beth relented. “I’ll come to you. But only if you mean everything you just said. I’ll get through this on my own if I have to, Lanes. But I really don’t want to.”
She wasn’t giving Eli the cold shoulder like she had her first week in town. What happened in the guesthouse was amazing until it wasn’t. And she’d told him flat out that if he wasn’t ready, that was okay with her. She’d just mistakenly thought once he’d brought her to climax that he was more than okay with whatever it was they were doing.
But Eli got spooked, and Beth wouldn’t fault him for that. She’d given him an out, he’d taken it, and she’d had the audacity to let it surprise her. Wasn’t that what she wanted, for Eli to change her mind about surprises?
Note to self: For you, Beth Spence, surprises only end in disaster.
She just hadn’t anticipated how lonely she’d feel the week following the latest disaster.
The week? Scratch that. The past month and a half had been the loneliest of her life. Sure, Delaney could be there for her, but her sister couldn’t fix how isolated Beth felt not being able to participate in what had been her world for more than twenty-five years.
Delaney grabbed her sister’s hand, bringing her back to the present. “Did you hear me, Bethy?”
“What?” Beth replied. Had her sister been talking to her without her knowledge?
“The clinic,” Delaney told her. “I asked if everything at the clinic was okay.”
Beth’s eyes widened. “The clinic? What? Of course. Everything’s fine at the clinic. Perfectly peachy. Why would you think otherwise? Did someone say something? Did Dr. Murphy say something?”
Good god, she needed to shut up. Could the lady protest more than too much? Because her physical therapy appointment wasn’t the only secret she’d kept from her sister this past week, but there was no way she was touching the Eli thing with a ten-foot pole. It happened. It was over. They’d obviously both succumbed to a moment of weakness after an emotional morning. The end. New story. Chapter One: We’re Strictly Professional Now. At least that was how they’d behaved around each other for week two…Eli’s choice this time.
Ms. Spence, can you grab so-and-so’s chart?
Of course, Dr. Murphy.
Ms. Spence, can you email this prescription to the pharmacy?
Sure, Dr. Murphy.
Hot and cold. That seemed to be how they rolled…with a partial roll in the hay in between.
Delaney’s brow furrowed. “Weren’t you there when Eli had to euthanize Frederick? You just mentioned Trudy Davis coming to pick up his—um—ashes.”
“Right!” Beth responded with entirely too much enthusiasm. “Frederick!” She exhaled a steadying breath. “I mean…poor Frederick,” she amended, her tone somber this time. “And Trudy too.” And Eli, she wanted to say. But she kept that part—and any other thoughts she’d had about the complicated doctor—to herself. “I think I get it a little better now, though…how you feel about animals. I only knew Frederick for about an hour, and even I got a little choked up saying goodbye.”
Her sister beamed, and Beth couldn’t help but smile too. These moments when the two of them connected meant more to Beth now than they had when they were growing up. The physical distance between the two women was one thing. But Delaney had built a whole life here with Sam and Nolan, the ranch, and the animal rescue. It had made the span from Nevada to California—a mere eight-hour drive—feel like traveling from the earth to the moon. If there was any silver lining to her sister’s manipulation and—some might say—kidnapping, it was getting to be with Delaney and her family now, seeing her sister in her element as a wife, mother, and rescuer of all animals, great and small.
Okay, so Beth would take her sister’s word on the last part. Beth had already taken her baby step into animal interaction by accepting the job at the clinic. She wasn’t about to frolic in her sister’s petting zoo.
“You’re really good too, Lanes. At all the things you do.” Beth gave her sister’s hand a squeeze. “I’m sorry if I don’t tell you that enough.”
Delaney sniffled, then fluttered her hand in front of her face to wave off the ensuing tears.
“Oh my goodness! I don’t know what’s gotten into me,” Delaney said. “Maybe I’m ovulating early. I should tell Sam. Might be time to get working on baby number two tonight!” She laughed. “And also, thank you, Bethy. That means a lot. I’ll leave you to your stretching. You’re staying for dinner, right? I hope you like baked mac and cheese because that’s pretty much all Nolan eats these days.”
Beth’s head jerked at the sound of a loud snort.
“What the hell was that?”
Delaney gasped, then covered her mouth. “It was supposed to be a surprise!” The words came out muffled behind her hands.
Beth narrowed her eyes at her big sister. “No. More. Surprises, Lanes. You got me out of Vegas, didn’t you? You got me to agree to the job and to staying here until my recuperation is over. What else am I being tricked into doing?” She did the little “Come on” gesture with her hand, like she was Morpheus challenging Neo to a friendly round of kung fu, knowing her Keanu-obsessed sister would get the reference.
Delaney groaned, then pulled out her phone and fired off a voice text. “You’re busted, Sam Callahan!”
After a short pause, Delaney’s eyes brightened. She pressed a button on her phone and played the apparent response so Beth could hear.
“Then bring your sister out back so we can do this thing!” It was her brother-in-law Sam’s voice.
“Do what thing?” Beth asked, now wishing she hadn’t pushed the matter. “Remember the pepper spray, Lanes? The pepper spray!” was all she could think to add in order to convey how surprises failed monumentally when Beth was involved.
“Let’s go!” Delaney grabbed Beth’s hand and gave it a gentle yet excited tug. “There’s no confetti, I promise! And unless you’re hiding pepper spray inside a bodily orifice, I think we’re safe!”
“Ew! Bodily orifice? And what thing?” Beth whined as she let her sister lead her out of the carport and along the side of the house.
When they made it to the back porch, they found Sam standing in the grass beyond, patting the withers of a large white horse she knew was not Cirrus.
“Bethy,” Delaney began, “this is Ace. He and Sam are going to teach you to ride.”
Beth stood there, blinking, not sure how to react. She’d wanted to ride Midnight, but that prospect was off the table. This horse was a stranger. She could feel a change in the air around them, like the barometric pressure dropping right before a storm. Meeting Midnight for the first time felt different. It felt safe. Beth felt safe. But just seeing Ace tied her stomach in knots. It made her dizzy. It made her scared.
Delaney led her toward the porch steps that lowered to the grass, and Ace snorted, shook his head, and backed up.
Ace sensed her fear, and he didn’t like it.
Beth recognized the feeling she had now. It was the same pit in her stomach she had when Eli lost control in front of Midnight, when Midnight could have seriously hurt either of them or worse.
“Easy, boy,” Sam told the gelding in a soothing voice, but Beth felt far from soothed.
“He doesn’t like me,” she finally said. And Beth was pretty sure the feeling was mutual.
“He’s just scared,” Delaney told her, trying to inch her forward.
Beth wouldn’t budge.
“And so are you,” Delaney added.
Beth nodded. “Ya think? Lanes, you’re the animal whisperer. Aren’t you supposed to ease animals into meeting new humans? I don’t know this…this creature, and it doesn’t know me. I feel like this isn’t following proper horse-greets-new-human protocol.”
Ace backed up again, head shaking and breath huffing out from his nostrils.
“Ace is the most-ridden horse on the ranch,” Delaney told her. “He’s featured on the website. People book trips at Meadow Valley Ranch specifically to meet Ace. This doesn’t make any sense.”
Beth mirrored the horse’s movement and backed toward the house.
“Lanes…” She spoke softly and slowly, all the while keeping her eyes on Ace, who looked like he was ready to charge. Did horses charge? Because Beth sure as hell didn’t want to find out.
“Yeah, Bethy?”
Delaney’s voice eerily matched her own, as if her sister was finally catching on that Beth hadn’t traveled to Meadow Valley specifically to meet Ace and that Ace was well aware of that fact.
“I don’t trust that horse, Lanes, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t trust me either.”
Beth could see her sister nod in her peripheral vision.
“Sam?” Delaney called.
It felt like Ace’s eyes were locked on Beth’s. She couldn’t look away and could no longer back away. She was stuck, unable to make a move unless he did.
The horse’s front hooves lifted off the ground as he let loose a sound that was anything but friendly.
Sam rubbed Ace’s nose and leaned over to whisper something into the gelding’s ear. Then in one swift motion, he hooked a boot into one of the stirrups and jumped onto the horse’s back.
Ace reared back, kicking his front legs into the air, and he and Sam took off across the field that separated the house from the Meadow Valley Ranch.
“Back soon!” Sam called over his shoulder. Then he tapped his heels against Ace’s sides and yelled, “Yah!” They galloped over a hill, and in mere seconds they were out of sight.
Beth stumbled backward, and her sister caught her by the elbow. Both women blew out a shaky breath.
“What was that?” Delaney asked. “I’ve never seen Ace behave that way before. I swear it, Bethy.” She turned her gaze on Beth. “I think he hated you.”
Beth’s mouth fell open, and Delaney burst into a fit of laughter.
“I mean—” Delaney cut herself off, unable to curb her giggles. “He thinks you’re the worst.”
Beth crossed her arms and scoffed. “How can you laugh when we were almost charged by that beast? You know, come to think of it, this is twice now that you’ve brought an animal into my presence and the animal has attacked or at least thought very strongly about trying to attack. I’ll have you know that every animal that comes into the clinic can’t get enough of me, and Midnight would one hundred percent let me ride her if Eli wasn’t such a stick-in-the-mud about it.”
Delaney’s smile fell, and Beth wanted to swallow the words back once she’d said them.
“Ugh,” Beth continued. “That sounds so petty and insensitive out loud, doesn’t it?”
Delaney grabbed her sister’s hand. The early evening breeze made both women shiver.
“Look, I’m sorry about Ace,” Delaney told her. “Eli might have mentioned something about you wanting to learn how to ride, so Sam and I just thought… Well, we clearly thought wrong.” She sighed. “Horses are always going to be a tough spot for Eli. You get that, right?”
Beth nodded. “But it’s better than it was, right? I mean, things have gotten better for him since…Tess?” She swallowed a knot in her throat, not prepared for how the name of Eli’s late wife would feel on her tongue after what happened last week.
“Yeah, of course.” Delaney forced a smile. “Everything gets easier with time. But some things stick with us for the long haul, you know? He’s a good man who has been through a lot. If it’s hard working with him sometimes, maybe give him a pass or two.”
Beth’s chest tightened. She didn’t want to think about the long haul, not for Eli and certainly not for herself. Those words made it sound as if one was living with a burden, with a weight that would always be tough to bear. Agreeing with her sister’s assessment felt like an admission, like Beth had to bear the weight of some sort of loss for the long haul. Like Eli would never get out from under his grief. But she wasn’t conceding to this injury, not before she gave her recovery everything she had. Even then, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to admit defeat.
What hit her stronger than she’d anticipated, though, was how much she didn’t want to imagine Eli as defeated either. He was a good man. She saw that in the way he took care of her the first day she arrived in town, from picking her up at the airport to making her pancakes to dressing her wound when a certain hen went on the attack.
And she saw it in the way he cared for the animals at his clinic and their humans. Watching Trudy lose Frederick wasn’t the only thing that brought Beth to tears that day. It was watching Eli—a man experiencing yet another loss—forcing himself to be strong for Trudy when he could have so easily fallen apart himself.
“I guess,” Beth finally replied. “But maybe that long haul with the horse thing is something I could help Eli get over if he’d be willing to give me a chance.”
Beth realized she meant every word. Riding Midnight would be as much for Eli as it would be for her.
“That’s what I’m hoping for,” Delaney replied with a mischievous glint in her eye.
“What?” Beth asked. “Why do I feel like you’re scheming again?”
Her sister scoffed. “Scheming? Bethy, I don’t scheme.”
Really? How about a plane ticket to Meadow Valley that came with a job she never applied for or a horse Beth never asked to ride showing up in the backyard? But before Beth could further articulate her thoughts, the breeze came again, this time bringing with it the sound of tires on gravel, a vehicle rolling down the quiet, lonely road.
“That must be Barbara Ann and Nolan!” Delaney announced.
“Saved by the toddler,” Beth mumbled.
Her sister continued without missing a beat. “They had some grandmother-granddaughter time this afternoon while I toiled away in the kitchen over baked macaroni and cheese.” Delaney winked. “Or maybe I enjoyed a glass of wine and a bubble bath because I bought the mac and cheese from Pearl over at the Meadow Valley Inn.”
“Phew!” Beth replied as the two women spun toward the house. At least whatever scheme her sister had cooked up didn’t include dinner. “Because your cooking might be something we all should avoid for the long haul.”
Delaney backhanded her on the shoulder but didn’t argue. Laughing again, the two women strode through the back door, making their way through the kitchen and living area before heading out again, this time through the front, to greet Beth’s niece and Sam’s mother.
But just as Beth was about to let go of the idea that her sister had more surprises in store for her today, she spotted a third guest behind the older woman and baby in tow: a man carrying a bottle of wine. A guest she hadn’t glimpsed outside the clinic since he carried her from his office to her bedroom a week ago today. A guest whose cowboy hat still hung on the row of key hooks just inside the guesthouse’s front door, reminding her that she hadn’t imagined the wonderful feeling of his hands on her skin, his lips on hers…or that he’d bolted the second she’d cried out his name.
“You invited Eli?” Beth asked through a teeth-gritting smile.
A large, rambunctious dog scurried out of the house from behind them, playfully chased by a three-legged black cat. Both animals darted back and forth across Dr. Murphy’s boots until the man finally stopped, laughed, and dropped down to greet the rambunctious fur balls.
“Of course I did. He’s Butch Catsidy’s favorite human aside from me and Sam. And Scout? She loves everyone. Maybe even you.” Delaney bopped her sister on the nose with her index finger. “There’s my baby girl!” she called, arms outstretched to the bouncing child in her grandma’s arms. “Come on in, everyone.” She propped Nolan on her hip. “The wine is already open, and Sam will be back soon.”