“How did they help?”
It would be hard for her to explain. “They were there,” she said simply.
“Did you whisper to them?”
She shook her head. “I just watched them.” Kelly stared in the direction of the spot where she used to get off the school bus. She was really looking into the past. “They were huge, gorgeous, proud animals. I loved watching them. I could get lost in their movements. After a while I thought they’d miss me if I wasn’t on the fence. I knew I’d miss them. So I watched them every day.”
“And you found peace.”
“Some measure of it.” That had been so long ago. Kelly thought it could have happened to a different person. No one she knew had lost their mother. Some kids had divorced parents, but they were alive and they either knew where they were or they visited them. She felt so alone. And what was even worse was that her father went from the loving man who’d held her safe in his lap to a stranger who could only be consoled by a bottle of Kentucky Bourbon.
“Who taught you to ride?” Jace asked.
“My dad. He put me on a horse when I was five years old. After that I pestered him every day to let me ride again. Eventually, I got to ride the quarter horses and exercise some of the others.”
“And you stood in for him when he was too drunk to work,” Jace said.
Kelly whipped around to focus on him. “How did you know?”
“I observed a little, too.”
“But he didn’t work here.”
“And I didn’t confine my antics to this farm, either,” Jace said.
“You saw me?” Kelly frowned.
“I didn’t know it was you. I saw your hair.” He gave her a big smile.
Suddenly self-conscious, Kelly used her hand to smooth down her hair.
She’d never noticed him glancing in her direction when she was working in place of her father. Kelly had her foot wrapped around the fence post, and her balance was off. She moved to get down.
Jace stepped back and reached over to help her. Her hands went to his shoulders and his caught her around the waist. Jace set her on the ground, but didn’t release her immediately. Kelly looked up at him, her hands still on his shoulders.
“We’ve been here before,” she said.
“Yes, we have.”
“And we decided you wouldn’t confuse me.”
“Not we,” he said. “You.”
Jace slipped his arms around her, drawing her closer to him. His head dipped and he kissed her. She didn’t try to stop him. His mouth was warm on hers and it had been a long time since someone had held her. She let herself relax and enjoy the sensation. But she had to stop this. Slowly she pushed him away.
“This is more confusing than I thought it would be.” She wanted to leave, but she was pressed up against the fence. Jace must have sensed her wishes. He moved away, putting more distance between them.
“We’d better get back,” he said. “I need to try Ari’s cookies.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
FINALLY, AFTER MONTHS of preparation, it was the day before the Kendall would be open to the public. Kelly was preoccupied with checking that everything was in order.
“Any questions?” she asked the college students who’d been hired to escort the visitors around the main house and property. One young woman raised her hand.
“What time are we to be here?”
“The tours begin at ten. Please be here by nine to get dressed in your costumes.”
The woman nodded.
“For those posted along the tour, does everyone know where their station is?” She noted the nodding heads. “Is there a problem with anyone’s costume? Bad fit? Items missing?” Again the nodding. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow at nine.”
They dispersed, returning to cars and vans parked in the lot on the opposite side of the road. Kelly ran her hands down her pants. She was nervous about the next day. So much was riding on it. Her entire future was at stake. And there was one more task she needed to do for the benefit of the Kendall’s opening.
And she wasn’t looking forward to it.
Kelly headed for the kitchen. She’d get a soft drink and go out to find Jace. The kitchen was hot and filled with people, all preparing for tomorrow.
“How is everything,” she asked the head baker, Mrs. Templeton. They would have homemade baked goods to not only make the house smell delicious, but also for people to purchase to eat while visiting or to take with them.
Grabbing three colas from the fridge, she went out the back door. She didn’t see Jace anywhere, and she didn’t hear Ari’s laughter. They were usually with the horses when they weren’t fixing anything. Kelly headed in that direction. The barn was empty when she got there except for the two horses.
Where could they be? she wondered. Returning to the house, she looked in all the rooms, but they weren’t there. Then she heard the unmistakable sound of the truck. Kelly had been so busy with the students that she hadn’t realized Jace had left the property. Going to the porch, she watched Ari get out of the cabin as soon as the vehicle stopped. “Kelly! Kelly!” he called her name as he sprinted toward her.
She came down a few steps to meet him. “Not so fast, Ari.”
“You should see what I got. Dad bought me a...a...” He looked to his father for further explanation.
Jace got out of the truck carrying a box from Hector’s Riding Store. It was a local shop that sold boots and riding gear.
“A habit,” Jace said.
“That’s it,” Ari went on, still as excited as a four-year-old could be. “And we got boots, too. I can’t wait to ride with them. I saw this picture in the store of a boy on a horse. He looked just like me in my boots.”
Kelly smiled. Ari was so exuberant. She couldn’t be anything but happy around him. Jace, however, was a different story. He walked slowly to the stairs, but didn’t climb them. He put a foot on the bottom step and leaned forward, looking at her.
“Ari, why don’t you go to the kitchen and ask Mrs. Templeton to open this for you.” She handed him one of the soft drinks.
“I can tell her about my hat...”
“Habit,” Kelly corrected.
Taking the can, he ran up the stairs and into the house. Kelly could hear him calling the baker’s name as he headed for the kitchen.
“I brought one for you, too,” Kelly said, extending the can to him. Jace took it and moved back. She only realized she wanted him to come forward when he retreated. If he was adhering to her wishes that she not be confused by his kisses, he was already too late.
“Why were you waiting for us?” he asked. “Is there something we need to do?”
“I want you to leave,” Kelly said.
Jace’s eyes grew wide.
“Now?”
“Tomorrow,” Kelly clarified. “The first open house is tomorrow. Everything is ready. You said you didn’t...wouldn’t,” she corrected, “wouldn’t be part of the open house. So tomorrow will you take Ari out until the event is over? It’s from ten to six.”
“Ari wants to be here. He’s very excited about the guests coming. That’s Ari’s word. He believes it’ll be a party and it’ll be his first.”
“You know it’s not a party. Why didn’t you explain it to him.”
“I tried, but he still thinks that if a lot of people are coming and all those cakes are baking in the kitchen, there must be a party.”
“I see he’s becoming very accustomed to things around here,” Kelly said with a smile.
“I thought it would be harder, but with the horses and you.” Jace stopped while she processed that.
“I haven’t been around small children much,” she said, “but Ari is such a ball of energy. Everything is new and exciting to him.”
“He loves you like a— Well, all the while we were shopping, he was insisting he had to show you his new clothes.”
Kelly felt her entire body suffuse with color. “I like Ari, too.”
A long moment passed between them and Kelly wondered if they were still only talking about the child. She couldn’t imagine the house without Ari scampering through it.
“About tomorrow,” Kelly went back to her task.
“Ari has a doctor’s appointment tomorrow. He understands we’ll be away for most of the day. I’m sure we can find something else to do until after six.”
Jace’s voice seemed to hold an angry note, but he was fighting to conceal it. Without opening the soft drink, he went up the porch steps and into the house, leaving her alone.
Kelly wasn’t supposed to feel this way. She wasn’t usurping his place in the Kendall. The farm belonged to her. It was her domain. And she had no choice about the open house. This was the only solution. She wished Jace would embrace it.
* * *
THE NEXT DAY arrived sunny and warm. Mrs. Templeton and her assistants were already busy in the kitchen. The smells permeating through the air were bound to make people want to purchase the cakes and cookies on offer. Kelly hadn’t heard Ari or Jace that morning. She looked out the window where they often rode, but saw only empty lawn. For a split second, she wished she was with them. She wanted to go to Ari’s doctor’s appointment, wanted to know if he would get better.
The clock in the hall read nine-thirty. All the students were in their places. Suppose no one comes? The thought crossed her mind. She clenched her teeth. She’d spent so much money on this venture. The first car pulled into the lot at nine forty-five. Five people got out of it and went to the ticket booth. Kelly let out a breath. “This might work,” she said to no one.