Her small town cowboy, p.17
Her Small-Town Cowboy, page 17
“I’m the last guy to be telling anyone what to do,” Drew said on his way out. “But if it was me, I’d listen to that message before you write the lady off completely.”
Since he was walking away, he obviously didn’t expect a response, which suited Mike just fine. No matter what Lily had done, in his gut he knew the fair thing was to call and let her explain her reasons for deceiving him. Because angry as he was, he simply couldn’t believe she’d purposefully tried to hurt him. Unfortunately, he had another, much more serious problem.
By some manner of ironic insanity, he’d fallen in love with the runaway bridesmaid who’d been lying to him since the first time he laid eyes on her. Judging by the troublesome ache that had settled in his chest, his foolish heart didn’t care about any of that. It only wanted Lily back.
What was he supposed to do with that?
* * *
Her grandfather looked small.
Lily stood at the foot of his hospital bed, gazing at the man who’d always seemed larger than life to her. Not because of his actual size, but because his personality and his will carried a stature of their own that defied rational explanation. But now, even though he was resting, he no longer looked undefeatable to her.
He looked vulnerable.
“What are you doing here?”
His raspy voice startled her out of her brooding, and she looked up to find those gray eyes were as sharp as ever. She’d actually feared he might not recognize her because of the stroke, and she didn’t bother hiding her delight as she slipped into the chair near his bed. “I heard you were lazing around, and I came to give you a kick in the pants.”
His chortle lacked its usual power, but she saw the same fondness twinkling in his eyes that she’d enjoyed for as long as she could remember. “Your grandmother likes to fuss, so the doctor’s humoring her by keeping me here, that’s all.”
“Nice try,” she chided him, noting the slight drooping on the left side of his craggy face. “How bad was it, really?”
“Bad enough, I suppose. Everyone’s tiptoeing around like I’m already set up for my viewing.”
Despite the serious situation, Lily couldn’t help laughing. “Oh, Grandpa, only you could joke about something like that.”
“Tell me about you, Lily. Did you hear about that teaching job you wanted in Oak Ridge?”
“Oaks Crossing,” she corrected him gently, smoothing out the wrinkles in the snowy-white sheet that had been expertly folded over the top edge of his light coverlet. Eager to share her good news with him, she forced a smile and continued. “This morning, I accepted an offer to teach kindergarten in the fall.”
She went on to tell him the details, then about the riding school and how she planned to introduce her new students to ecology by bringing a baby raccoon from the rescue center into class. She did her best to sound upbeat, but when she was finished, his scowl told her she’d failed miserably.
“And what about the horse trainer you’ve been gushing about on the phone all summer?”
Although she’d had a firm grip on her emotions until now, the stress of her confrontation with Mike, coupled with her grandfather’s condition, finally swamped her. Tears sprang into her eyes, and she furiously blinked them away. “I don’t know what to tell you.”
“The truth, my darling girl,” he said in a soothing tone. Taking her hand, he waited until she met his eyes. “I promise you, no matter what it is, I’ve heard worse.”
Alternately sobbing and sniffling, she poured her heart out to him, not leaving out a single detail of what had gone on since she and Mike met outside Natalie’s wedding. When her grandfather gave her a half smile, she asked, “What’s so funny?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“Not really.”
“It will be,” he said confidently. “You’re a smart young woman, and I’m confident you’ll figure it out when you see him again.”
“I don’t think he’ll ever want to see me again.”
“He will.”
“You’ve never even met him,” she pointed out in confusion. “How can you be so sure?”
“Old or young, men are all the same. We bluster and complain, but in the end, all we want is someone to love, who will love us in return. Do you think you could have that with Mike?”
“Maybe,” she hedged, “but he’s so angry with me, I can’t imagine it happening now.”
“Give him time to cool off, then explain to him why you kept your background a secret from him.”
“That would be wonderful,” she admitted, “but I betrayed his trust. I’m not sure he can get over that.”
“Anything is possible, Lily,” Grandpa murmured as his medication took hold and he drifted off to sleep. “You just need to have a little faith.”
Chapter Twelve
The day of the horse show was sunny and warm, one of those gorgeous summer days everyone flooded outside to enjoy. Unfortunately, Mike wasn’t in the mood.
Since Lily had dropped her bombshell and been whisked off to Louisville earlier in the week, he hadn’t heard a peep from her. Well, that wasn’t entirely fair, he corrected himself as he strode into the barn to start prepping the ponies for their big day. She’d called him several times but he’d pressed Ignore and then deleted her voice mails without even listening to them. At first, he hadn’t wanted to hear what lame excuse she’d come up with for lying to him for months about who she was.
But as the days had dragged by, he found himself wishing she’d call. That he still had her number on speed dial and knew how to use it was beside the point, he kept telling himself. She was wrong, so she should apologize to him. Petty, maybe, but that was what he’d decided to go with.
On the news, he’d heard about Leland St. George’s stroke, and that the family had all gathered around him in a show of love and support for their beloved patriarch. Mike could envision Lily right beside her grandfather, holding his hand, reaching him when no one else could.
The same way she’d done with Mike.
She’d become an integral part of his days, and being without her hurt him so deeply, he felt as if he was just going through the motions. Brooding wasn’t getting him anywhere, so he sternly told himself to focus on something else. Mechanically brushing and tacking up half a dozen ponies distracted him for a while. When he was finished, he was grateful when Abby bounced into the stable and climbed onto her perch.
“Hi, Daddy.”
“Hey there,” he replied with a halfhearted smile. “We’re almost ready.”
“That’s good, because people are starting to show up. Uncle Drew and Aunt Erin helped me decorate the show ring.”
Glancing out the side door, he saw the stars-and-stripes bunting they’d draped along the fence, accented by dark green helium balloons with the Gallimore Riding School logo on them. Seeing them took him back to the day when Lily and Abby had designed the graphic together at the kitchen table while he marveled at how quickly his little girl had become attached to her pretty new teacher.
Suddenly, he missed Lily so much, his chest actually ached. Pushing that aside, he said, “It looks real nice out there, munchkin. Good job.”
“Daddy?”
“Yeah?”
“Is Lily’s grandpa going to die like Grampa did?”
Once again, Mike was struck by the fact that even though she didn’t remember it happening, his father’s sudden death had affected Abby greatly. Like her mother’s leaving, he added silently. All these years, he’d done everything in his power to protect his daughter from the harsh realities of life. And in the end, he’d failed miserably.
“I’m not sure,” he answered honestly. “The doctors will do what they can, but then it’s up to God.”
She absorbed that with a thoughtful expression, then caught him totally by surprise. “It’s too bad Lily couldn’t be here for the show. When is she coming back?”
Emotion clogged his throat, and Mike cleared it before answering. “I’m not sure she is, Abby. Things are complicated right now.”
“Why?”
Good question, he groused. “Because they are.”
She cocked her head with the kind of look Mom gave him when she knew something was up. “Did you two have a fight or something?”
“I’m not discussing that with you,” he bristled defensively. Normally, that was all someone needed to get the message and back off. But this was his fearless cowgirl, and she shook her head at him with a sigh.
“That means yes. Whenever I have a fight with Parker or one of my friends, you tell me to step back and look at their side of it. Did you try that?”
She was killing him, turning his own advice against him like this. But he could hardly blame her. She was six years old, and to her the world was black-and-white. Someday, when she was older, she’d learn how gray things could get. But he didn’t want this to be that day.
“I think we need to get these horses lined up for the opening parade,” he suggested, hoping that would end the interrogation for now. “Wanna give me a hand?”
She gave him a long, pitying look but jumped down and took Sparkle’s lead rope from him. After handing off another, he grabbed the last four himself and followed Abby and her ponies out into the ring.
Standing at the rail facing a crowd of beaming moms and dads, he was completely out of his element. Copying what he’d seen Lily do, he held out his arms in the quieting gesture she used. When everyone had settled, he dredged up a friendly smile.
“Hello, everyone, and welcome to the First Annual Gallimore Riding School Show. The kids have worked real hard on their skills, from barn work to tacking up to actually riding. They’ve done a great job, and I think we should give them a big round of applause.”
They all obliged, and not only did it please the kids immensely, it gave him a chance to get his bearings. Strolling out to the center, he called out, “Riders, mount up!”
A buzz of anticipation went through the crowd, echoed by the first six kids waiting in the “riders only” section of the stands Drew had built for the occasion. Erin helped each one mount, sending them off with an encouraging smile and a pat on the shoulder. Dressed in her favorite cowgirl outfit, Abby hung on the far rail, braids bobbing as she cheered her friends through the simple patterns they’d been learning for the past month.
In all honesty, Mike was a little stunned at how well everything went. No one fell off or went the wrong way, although that probably had as much to do with the steady, reliable ponies than any particular riding skill. But in the end, when all the kids gathered in the middle of the paddock to take their bows, he had to admit that their first show was a remarkable success.
When Abby came over to stand beside him, he swept her into his arms with a grin. “Well, Abs, what did you think of your very first horse show?”
“It was awesome, Daddy,” she replied in her usual bubbly way. Then her enthusiasm dimmed a bit, and she said, “I just wish Lily could’ve been here. It’s not the same without her.”
Yeah, he thought as he hugged her. I know what you mean.
* * *
Now that Grandpa was home from the hospital, he seemed to be perking up a little more every day. He grumbled about his physical therapy, scolded his private-duty nurse for harassing him and protested being brought all his meals in bed.
In short, he was getting back to his old self, and Lily was delighted to see it. His eyesight wasn’t quite back to normal yet, so she was sitting in a chair by his bed, patiently reading an in-depth article on the current state of affairs in the whiplashing stock market. She didn’t understand a word of it, but he followed along well enough, brightening at the good news and glowering at the bad.
The best part of it for her was that he was still here for her to read to. That, and it kept her from wallowing too much in the aftermath of her disastrous decision to lie about who she was to the one person on earth she should have been honest with.
And now it was too late.
Despite her repeated attempts to reach him, Mike had refused to take her calls or make any of his own. That pretty much said it all, she acknowledged with a sigh.
“What is it, Lily?” Grandpa asked, his brow furrowing with concern. “I’m sorry—I didn’t think when I asked you to read the paper with me. Is all this dry business news too boring for you?”
“Of course not. Now, where was I?”
Reaching out a shaky hand, he pushed the paper down so she had to look at him. “Your horse trainer still hasn’t called?”
“No.” Her chin began trembling, and she got hold of herself before continuing. “I don’t think he can forgive me for what I did.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
“Why?”
In answer, he nodded at something behind her. When she turned, she saw Mike framed in the open doorway, a solemn look on his face. “I’m sorry to interrupt. Your grandmother said I should come right up.”
“That must have given Mrs. Fredericks apoplexy,” Grandpa commented with a lopsided grin. “She runs this house with an iron fist. No need to be shy, young man. Come on in.”
Edging into the room, Mike asked, “How are you feeling, sir?”
“Better, with my favorite girl here spoiling me. I apologize for taking her away from you so suddenly. I understand you were in the middle of a very serious discussion.”
“Well, I—” Mike flashed her a panicked look, as if to ask what she wanted him to say.
“He knows what happened,” she explained as calmly as she could. “I told him everything. Including how much I regret keeping something so important from you.”
“If you two don’t mind, I’m starting to feel drowsy. I think I’ll take a little nap.”
Lily knew perfectly well the crafty old fox wasn’t the least bit tired, but was subtly nudging her out of his room so she could talk to the man who’d driven fifty miles in the middle of a busy week to tell her something. After kissing her grandfather on the forehead, she led Mike down the hall to an empty guest room where they could have some privacy.
She closed the door behind them and stood facing it for a moment, uncertain if she should dread the impending conversation or welcome it. While she tried to pick through her conflicting emotions, Erin’s voice echoed in her memory.
Mike’s never chased after anyone before. He must think you’re something special.
Buoyed by that thought, Lily sent up a quick prayer for patience and turned to face him. The uncertainty shadowing his eyes mirrored her own emotions, and she dredged up a wan smile. “You look the way I feel.”
“Back atcha.” He didn’t sound angry anymore, but the defeated tone in his voice was something new. Folding his arms in that stern posture she’d learned to be cautious of, he went on. “How’s your grandfather really doing?”
“He seems all right mentally, but other than that, I’m not sure yet. This whole thing is like a nightmare.”
“I can imagine.”
Sympathy shone in his eyes, and a tiny spark of hope flared in Lily’s heart. “How was the show?”
“Kids did great, and we got a bunch of new students for the fall. Only one thing went wrong.”
That didn’t jibe with what he’d said just before that, so she was confused. “What was that?”
“You weren’t there.”
When he opened his arms for her, she gladly went into them. Cuddled against his chest, wrapped in the warmth of this strong, capable man, she felt as if the knots she’d created for herself just might have a chance at untangling themselves.
Leaning back, she looked up at him somberly. “Mike, I’m so sorry for keeping the truth from you. You have to believe I didn’t mean to lie that way.”
“Yeah, it took me a while but eventually I figured that out.” Giving her the crooked grin she’d come to treasure, he asked, “So why’d you do it?”
“In the past, I had so many people jump to conclusions about me when they found out who my family was. When I went to college, I finally got a fresh start away from Louisville, and it was wonderful to be judged for what I was doing, rather than who my family is. No one expected me to be anything in particular or pretended to like me just so I’d put in a good word for them with my father. It was such a refreshing change.”
“Is that why you took a job in a postage-stamp place like Oaks Crossing?”
“Mostly I needed the experience,” she replied honestly. “Grandpa gave me a generous check for graduation, so even though I wasn’t rich, I had enough for a while. It gave me the freedom to choose what I wanted to do while I hunted for a permanent job.”
“Like work at our riding school for peanuts.”
“I didn’t mind that, since I had a blast working with you and the kids. Besides, it was my idea to take less money to pay for my lessons, remember?”
“Which you’ve had three of, ’cause we’ve been so busy with the kids.” He grinned down at her with mischief dancing in his eyes. “I’m thinkin’ we should do something about that.”
“Really?” she replied in mock surprise. “Like what?”
With no warning, he leaned in to kiss her. Angling a playful look up at him, she asked, “Does this mean you forgive me?”
“Yeah. Seeing as I’m pretty much lost without you these days, I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
For all his strength, this was a man with a tender streak that wrapped around the people he cared about in a protective shield Lily had admired from the day he showed up for show-and-tell. Sliding her arms around his waist, she gazed up at him with a reassuring smile. “Now that I’m settled in Oaks Crossing, we should be able to make that work.”
“What if you hadn’t gotten the kindergarten gig?”
“There are other jobs besides teaching. Assuming you wanted me to be there, I would have figured out a way to stay in town.”
“Even before this? I mean, you could go anywhere,” he pointed out in a practical tone. “What was keeping you there?”
