“You’re feeling better?”
He seemed reluctant to look at her. “I feel fine.”
“Well, that’s a relief.” She waved at the wrapped packages she’d brought. “Open your gifts. I’ve been anxious to see if you’re going to like what your father and I bought you. I love my new sewing machine, by the way. But you shouldn’t have spent so much.”
“I figured you could use it.”
“I can.”
He took her box out from under the rest and tore off the paper. When he lifted the lid, he glanced up at her in surprise. “New boots?”
“They seemed perfect for you.”
He whistled. “I’ve never had a pair this nice.”
“Try them on.”
She knew he preferred simple to ornate and had selected a black leather pair that didn’t have snakeskin or anything too fancy. They were simple and masculine, like him.
“They fit,” he announced, standing up.
Barbara smiled proudly as she watched him walk across the room. It was tough to believe her oldest was nearly forty. What a great kid he’d always been. He’d gotten into a few scrapes when he was younger, of course. Most kids did. But he’d turned into a fine man.
Gratitude washed over her. She’d been afraid this would be a difficult Christmas with Lucky back in town, but Lucky hadn’t affected the holidays much at all. How could Barbara feel bad about anything with two such wonderful sons?
Getting up, she went over and hugged Mike. “I love you, you know that? You and Josh make me so proud.”
“Thanks, Mom,” he said, but his voice sounded a little choked and when she pulled away she thought she saw a flicker of anguish in his eyes.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked.
He frowned and stared down at his boots. “Yeah.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
LUCKY SPENT the next few hours cleaning house and worrying about Mike’s mother. She’d already vacuumed and dusted yesterday, before she started cooking, so the house wasn’t dirty. But mundane chores kept her busy on a day when everyone else was with family and the stores in town were closed.
She opened the cards from her brothers to find a fifty-dollar check from Sean and a Barnes & Noble gift certificate from Kyle, smiled at the pictures they’d sent of the kids and stuck everything in her wallet. Then she waited for Sean and Kyle’s call, which came mid-morning. She traded holiday sentiments with each brother, listened to her nieces and nephews talking excitedly about their presents and hung up, tired of housework but with the rest of the day yawning before her and nothing to do.
After an hour of television, she decided to visit Mike’s horses. She hadn’t been over to the barn since she’d returned to Dundee, and at this particular moment, the stallions she’d always loved seemed to provide a cure for her aching loneliness.
She dragged on her coat and boots and cut up some apples before heading out the door.
Blue, cloudless skies stretched above her but a chill wind almost sent her back for a hat and scarf. She wished Mike had called to let her know how this morning went with his mother, but she quickly redirected her thoughts. The way he’d held her and kissed her so tenderly last night had changed something inside her, something she didn’t want to deal with. She needed to protect herself from Mike if she wanted to leave Dundee without a few new scars on her heart.
Taking the long path around the back, because she didn’t want to climb the fence like she used to when she was young, she felt warmer by the time she reached the barn.
As she dusted off the snow clinging to her pants, she could hear the horses, could smell the familiar scents of hay and manure. Morris had occasionally taken her riding, but not often enough. He’d always been too busy. Her mother hadn’t been interested, and her brothers had preferred not to let their little sister tag along. She missed the bumpy feel of a horse’s quick trot—missed Mike’s ranch, she realized, and the horses that used to be kept on her own property.
Pausing at the back entrance to the barn, she listened carefully to the noises from within. She wanted solitude and the comfort she’d always received here; she didn’t want to run into any of the ranch hands.
When she heard nothing that sounded remotely human, she ducked inside the open door to discover that the barn hadn’t changed at all. Fresh straw filled the stalls and the horses munched peacefully, wearing quilted blankets to shield them from the cold. Blankets…She smiled. She supposed horses that cost as much as Mike’s deserved to be pampered.
Lucky immediately recognized the tall black stallion standing in the first stall. This horse had been a new acquisition the year she’d left town, the crown jewel of the Hill brothers’ breeding enterprise. His name was Midnight, if she remembered right.
“You still around, boy?” she murmured, letting him sniff her hand.
The horse tossed his head and flared his nostrils, suspicious of her unfamiliar presence. When she tried to stroke his nose, he pranced around his stall, swishing his tail.
A slice of apple eventually brought him back to her. “That’s it, big boy,” she crooned as he took the apple from her open palm. “You’re a beauty, aren’t you?”
After another apple slice, he actually let her pat his neck. “There you go.” She grinned. “See? Don’t tell anyone, but I’m not as bad as people think.”
“Is your true nature some sort of secret, then?”
Her smile wilted. Because the ranch had seemed so deserted, she’d relaxed a little too much. Turning slowly around, she saw Josh standing at the entrance she’d just used.
“Oh.” She shoved her bag of apples into her coat pocket and started edging toward the opposite door, so she wouldn’t have to squeeze past him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were here. I—” She jerked her head toward Midnight. “He’s a beautiful animal. Congratulations.”
Pivoting, she set out in earnest, wanting to escape before she had to deal with any more of the contempt Josh had lavished on her that morning, but he stopped her with an unexpected comment.
“I didn’t know you liked horses.”
Her steps slowed at his conciliatory tone. “I…uh, yes, I do. And of course you have some of the best, don’t you?”
“Quality is important when it comes to breeding.”
“Exactly.”
“Were you hoping to see Mike?”
She rubbed her hands together for warmth. “No, I was just saying hello to some old friends. I used to spend quite a lot of time in your barn.” She chuckled. “Fortunately, I was better at going unnoticed then.”