Her Small-Town Cowboy (14 page)

Sympathy flooded her eyes, and contrary to the scolding he’d expected, she nodded slowly. “I understand. I’ll be more careful about what I say.”

“I didn’t mean to make you feel like you have to clam up when you’re around me. Religion works for some people, just not for me.”

“I respect your opinion, even if I don’t agree with it.” Giving him an encouraging smile, she added, “We all have our challenges to face, and we handle them our own way.”

Since he didn’t like to dwell on the tragic circumstances that had turned him against the faith he’d been raised with, he’d never thought of it that way. But she’d given words to how he felt, and he appreciated her understanding more than he could say. It didn’t seem like enough, but he dredged up a halfhearted smile. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Now, on the phone earlier you mentioned that you wanted me to learn how to tack up Gideon so I can handle it during my next lesson. In case you haven’t noticed, he’s about three feet taller than me.”

He welcomed the switch to a lighter topic and chuckled. “No problem. I’ve got a stepladder in the tack room with your name on it.”

“Oh, you’re hilarious.” Gazing out into one of the smaller side pastures, she smiled. “It’s nice to see Penny and Ginger enjoying themselves out there.”

The bay sisters had their noses buried in a large swath of clover, and although he wasn’t usually so inclined, he thought they’d make a pretty nice Come Visit Kentucky postcard. Then it struck him that Lily had not only remembered their names after seeing them only once, she’d been able to pick them out of a small herd of mares. In his experience, most folks weren’t that observant, and he couldn’t help admiring her attention to detail. For the whole time they’d been married and living on the ranch, Dana was convinced one horse looked pretty much like another. Apparently, it wasn’t that women in general weren’t capable of noticing the differences between individual animals. His ex-wife just hadn’t bothered to try.

Detouring from the path, Lily approached the board fence that enclosed the front pasture. Resting a hand on each side of her, she swiveled her view from the horses across the rolling hill that led back toward the road. Angling a look up at him, she smiled. “I think you have the most amazing office in the whole world.”

“Suits me.”

“Yes, it does,” she agreed with another, slightly warmer smile. He wouldn’t be surprised to learn that she regularly met up with guys who did all manner of gymnastics trying to get that reaction from her. While he had no intention of doing cartwheels to impress her, he certainly wouldn’t turn down one of those incredible smiles if she felt like offering it to him.

As they continued their walk, she asked, “Now that you’ve cracked the code, what do you think will happen to Chance?”

Mike frowned. The misunderstood stallion was covered in bruises and wounds that were in various stages of healing. While the newer ones were obviously from his harrowing trip out to Gallimore, the others were evidence that even for experienced handlers, the headstrong Thoroughbred was an ongoing challenge. Since he was fairly certain Lily didn’t want to hear all that, he kept his response vague. “He’s here now. We’ll take good care of him.”

She gave him a long, somber look and nodded her understanding. “Will you be able to teach him to trust people enough that someone besides you can ride him?”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Mike replied honestly. “I’m a trainer, not a shrink. If it turns out he’s not fit for another owner, he’s got a home with us. That’s the important thing.”

“Definitely. Everyone needs a place where they feel like they belong.”

The comment had a personal ring to it, as if she was looking for that kind of place herself. Before he could come up with a way to ask her about it, though, they’d arrived at the barn. She strode past the open door and made a beeline for the gate that led to the paddock where Gideon and Chance were now standing side by side, dozing in the warm afternoon sun.

“He looks so happy now,” she murmured. “Like he’s glad to have a friend who cares about him.”

“Yeah, he and Gideon get along great.”

After a moment, she glanced over at him and shook her head. “I was talking about you. He needed understanding and patience from you, and you didn’t let him down.”

The softness in her tone did something funky to Mike’s gut, and he tried to push the uncomfortable sensation away. It receded, but he could feel it lingering around the edges of his male defenses, waiting for another opportunity to sneak in and ambush him. He didn’t like the feeling, but he had no clue how to get rid of it, so he shrugged it off and motioned Lily ahead of him. “Your stepladder awaits.”

“Did you really—” She stopped abruptly midsentence and stared at something in the tack room. Turning to him, she said, “That cot wasn’t there before. Have you been sleeping out here?”

“Well...” he hedged, afraid she’d think he was a complete loon. Then again, he didn’t normally care what people thought of him, so her opinion shouldn’t matter to him. “Yeah. I was worried he might have a tough time settling in, even with Gideon stabled next to him. The past couple nights, he was pretty restless till about one, then he finally gave up and went to sleep.”

Going over to the sleeping area he’d forgotten to pack away, she tapped the speakers he’d hooked up to his phone. “What kind of music does he like?”

Leave it to Lily to figure out the tunes were for the horses, he mused with a grin. “Turns out he’s partial to jazz.”

“And you?”

“I’m a classic rock kinda guy myself, but I can stomach just about anything. Except opera,” he clarified with a grimace. “All that caterwauling gives me a headache.”

She laughed as he reached in to grab a halter from its hook. “I’m with you on that one. My favorite is country, because I like songs that tell a story.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Be right back.”

He wasn’t two steps away when she asked, “Do you think the boys would mind if I come out with you?”

The way she referred to the horses as if they were kids made him grin. “Can’t imagine they would. Just watch your feet.”

“Gotcha.”

He liked her can-do attitude, he realized while he slid open the bolt on a side door and led her through. Now that he thought about it, he liked her in general. Not in the plan, but there was no point in denying it. The fact that Abby adored her new teacher wasn’t going to make it any easier for him to keep his distance, Mike realized. Heaving a sigh, he resigned himself to whatever was going to happen between Lily and him. Apparently, he didn’t have any control over it, anyway.

When they entered the paddock, Gideon cracked open one eye, then the other as he nickered a greeting. Chance’s ears perked up, and he sidled closer to his new buddy, eyeing their visitors with a sad combination of suspicion and fear. When he registered who they were, the wild look left his face, but he didn’t come any closer.

“Poor baby,” Lily crooned, digging in her pocket for a handful of oats Mike hadn’t noticed she’d grabbed. Holding her palm out flat the way he’d taught her, she didn’t move toward the skittish stallion but didn’t back off, either. “Any takers?”

Gideon lumbered forward and snuffled the treat from her in one gulp. Laughing quietly, she reached up to scratch his starred forehead. With her other hand, she took more oats from her pocket and offered them to Chance. Still petting the Belgian, she talked to him but glanced at the Thoroughbred several times. He cautiously edged toward her, never taking his eyes from the treat in her dainty hand.

Then, to Mike’s total surprise, Chance craned his long neck out and slurped up the oats before retreating as if nothing had happened. His behavior made Mike think of Abby when she sneaked a cookie before dinner. “Well, I’ll be. He hasn’t come within ten feet of anyone but Gideon and me since he got here.”

“Kids and animals have always liked me,” Lily confided. “It’s grown-ups I have a problem with. I’d appreciate you keeping that to yourself, though.”

Hearing this polished, self-assured woman admit that made him chuckle. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

Flashing him another knee-buckling smile, she turned to go back inside for the tacking-up lesson he’d suggested. Without prompting, Gideon followed after her like a lovelorn colt, and after a few seconds, so did Chance. Bolting the door behind them, Mike couldn’t shake the feeling that something important had just happened to him.

What it was, he couldn’t say, and that didn’t sit right with him. For a man who prided himself on always being in control of his life, the idea of losing his grip on the reins didn’t sit well with him at all.

Then again, if he had to give them up to anyone, it might not be so bad if it was Lily.

* * *

“There you go, Kayla. All fixed.”

Lily stood and admired the girl’s newly straightened paper hat. Made of blue paper with a gold Oaks Crossing Cougars paw print on the front, it was a decent facsimile of the more formal mortarboards the seniors would be wearing for their commencement ceremony next week. The other teachers had told her that kindergarten graduation was a fairly recent tradition for this school, but the first one had been such a hit with the kids and families alike, it was here to stay.

For the countless time, Lily found herself wishing the administrators could find a place for her in this small but vibrant district. In the month she’d been here, she’d gotten very attached to the students and staff, which had seemed all but impossible that first day when she was hard-pressed to remember everyone’s name. Now that she was done with her first solo assignment, she finally felt as if she knew what she was doing in the classroom.

She’d like nothing more than to stay, but since she didn’t have the clout to make that happen, she refused to dwell on it. Instead, she opened the camera app on her phone and called the kids together for some pictures. Wherever she ended up, she’d always have a warm spot in her heart for these rambunctious children. By turns they’d challenged her and amused her, but every day they had taught her more about herself and her chosen career than she could ever learn in a college lecture hall.

“Okay, now smush together a little more. Cody, stop pulling Miranda’s ponytail, and, Jeremy, you need to look at me. That’s it, now hold it.” Snapping a couple of shots, she checked them in her viewfinder and gave them a thumbs-up. “Perfect! Nice job, gang.”

There was a knock on the door, and she glanced up at the clock to see the ceremony was about ten minutes away.
Odd time for visitors,
she thought as she went to open the door. Before she had a chance to greet their guest, the entire class rushed up behind her and nearly knocked her over.

“Mrs. Howard!” their high-pitched voices shouted in unison.

Laughing, the woman reached over to steady Lily before saying, “Hello, everyone. Are you all ready for graduation?”

They chimed in with enthusiasm, shouting over each other to tell her what they thought was most important for her to hear. Out of respect for Mrs. Howard, Lily discreetly stepped back to allow them to circle around the teacher who’d guided them through most of their first year of school. Her visit was a surprise to everyone—Lily included—and Lily thought it was wonderful of her to come by. Inspiration struck, and she suggested, “I think it would be great if Mrs. Howard walked up to the stage with you to get your diplomas. What do you think?”

Another cheer greeted her proposal, and she turned to the other woman with a smile. “That sounds unanimous to me. I’ll be happy to stay out front and take pictures for you.”

“Not a chance,” she protested with a firm shake of her head. “You came into a tough situation at the end of the year like that and handled everything beautifully. If anything, we should both go up with them.”

Someone tugged on Lily’s hand, and she looked down to find Abby staring up at her. “Please, Miss St. George? We want you to come with us, too.”

Paper hats crinkled while the kids nodded, and she agreed with a laugh. “Well, how can I say no to that? We should leave now, but first, does anyone have to go to the bathroom?” No one spoke up, and she said, “Okay, then. Let’s go graduate to first grade.”

After another cheer, they more or less settled down and fell in line to head outside, where chairs were grouped around a portable platform set up in the shade of the biggest oak trees she’d ever seen. Balloons and streamers done up in the school colors of blue and gold were tied to the lower branches and wound around the stage and lectern, where Mr. Allen waited for the three kindergarten classes to arrive.

Lily spotted the Kinleys center-front, and she couldn’t keep back a smile. The way the entire family gathered to celebrate together was heartwarming, and she couldn’t help wondering how her life would be different now if her own family had been this close instead of scattered to the winds, following their own paths.

Pushing the negativity aside, she fell in at the rear of their line, making sure everyone kept moving once they’d waved to their delighted parents and grandparents. She’d been warned there would be a massive group photo after the ceremony. If the kids’ wandering attention now was any indication of things to come, the poor photographer would definitely have her hands full.

Obviously, the principal was well aware of the students’ limits, because as soon as everyone was seated, he raised his hands for quiet. “If you’ll all stand and remove your hats, we’ll recite the Pledge of Allegiance.”

Everyone did as he asked, facing the flag that was gently billowing in the afternoon breeze. After that, he got right down to business and started calling names from the first class. Lily’s crew came last, and by the time he reached them they were all squirming in their seats. Relieved that they’d made it through without a major incident, Lily watched with pride as they each walked onto the stage and accepted a parchment scroll wrapped in intertwined blue and gold ribbons.

Midway through the roster, Abby solemnly took her diploma and politely shook the principal’s hand. On her way past, though, she flashed a sweet, dimpled smile at her father that would have turned the hardest heart in the world to mush. Hearing a sniffle, Lily grinned when she looked over to see Mike putting an arm around Maggie’s shoulders while he leaned in to whisper something. His mother nodded, and they sat like that until the last name was read.