downplay my excitement. “I guess I could go. It would be nice to spend a night under the stars. We can take Frost and teach him how to camp.”
“Where is our newest family member?” Renee asked, carrying in the steamed vegetables. She sat down next to James and we all started filling our plates.
“He’s probably still in the pasture with Dallas,” I said, grabbing a chicken breast with a serving tong. “He’s already becoming quite the cattle dog.”
“James, I can’t tell you what it means to me that you bought Willow that puppy,” Daddy said, twirling pasta around his fork. “I’ve been watching you… in Kentucky, in Baltimore, at the hospital. You always go above and beyond to protect my little girl. You act like a real big brother to her and for that, I’m immensely grateful.” Daddy popped the pasta into his mouth while I tried not to choke on a piece of broccoli.
I feel so guilty for keeping this secret from him. If he only knew the real reason James takes such good care of me…
“You don’t have to thank me for that, Cole,” James insisted. “That’s what families are for.”
I washed the broccoli down with half a glass of wine and prayed we’d get through dinner with no other awkward comments.
CHAPTER 4
“See buddy? Lottie is a sweet horse. If you sit up in the saddle with your daddy, you’ll feel like a real cowboy,” James said. He was on one knee, trying to convince Jase, our eight year old guest, to get on horseback with his father. Jase looked terrified of the animal and refused to budge from his spot on the ground.
Jase’s four year old sister, Josie, was having a meltdown of a different kind. She was already on Peaches with her mother, Caroline, and didn’t understand why she couldn’t ride all by herself.
“I don’t wanna go!” Jase insisted, stomping his foot. “I wanna go back to the hotel and play my video games.”
“Jase, we’ve already talked about this,” his father, Thatcher, scolded him. “We gave you lots of options for things we could do while we’re on vacation, and this is what you wanted. We’re not backing out now. You can live without your X-box for a day or two.”
The little boy looked horrified by the thought. James turned to him with a patient grin. “You like games, Jase?”
Jase nodded, his lower lip stuck out in a pout.
“Well you know what? There are lots of games we can play once we get to the campsite. I can’t wait to show them to you, but we have to get there first. And to do that, you have to get on this horse.”
Jase squinted at James. “What kind of games?” he asked skeptically.
“It’s a secret,” James said in a hushed, excited whisper. “I can’t tell you until we get there.”
The little boy wrinkled his nose for a minute. “And the horse is really nice? She won’t jump or run?”
“She’s the nicest horse we have,” James said. “That’s why we saved her for you.”
Jase looked at Lottie and shook his head. “I don’t want to go on that horse. I want to go with you,” he insisted.
James looked up at Thatcher. “It’s fine with me if it’s fine with you,” Thatcher said with a shrug. “Whatever gets him up the mountain.”
“All right, little buddy. You can ride with me,” James said. He turned and looked at Josie. “I know you want to ride all by yourself,” he said, lowering his voice sympathetically. “But I need you to do a super important favor for me.”
Josie looked at him with raised eyebrows. “What?”
“You are obviously a strong, brave little girl. I need you to hold on extra special tight to your mommy, so she doesn’t fall out of the saddle. Can you do that for me?”
The little girl’s face lit up and she nodded. “I take care of Mommy.”
“Fantastic,” James smiled back at her. He helped Jase into the saddle and climbed on in front of him. I swung myself onto Mayhem’s back and we set out for the mouth of the trail. James and Jase were in the lead, I
“Where is our newest family member?” Renee asked, carrying in the steamed vegetables. She sat down next to James and we all started filling our plates.
“He’s probably still in the pasture with Dallas,” I said, grabbing a chicken breast with a serving tong. “He’s already becoming quite the cattle dog.”
“James, I can’t tell you what it means to me that you bought Willow that puppy,” Daddy said, twirling pasta around his fork. “I’ve been watching you… in Kentucky, in Baltimore, at the hospital. You always go above and beyond to protect my little girl. You act like a real big brother to her and for that, I’m immensely grateful.” Daddy popped the pasta into his mouth while I tried not to choke on a piece of broccoli.
I feel so guilty for keeping this secret from him. If he only knew the real reason James takes such good care of me…
“You don’t have to thank me for that, Cole,” James insisted. “That’s what families are for.”
I washed the broccoli down with half a glass of wine and prayed we’d get through dinner with no other awkward comments.
CHAPTER 4
“See buddy? Lottie is a sweet horse. If you sit up in the saddle with your daddy, you’ll feel like a real cowboy,” James said. He was on one knee, trying to convince Jase, our eight year old guest, to get on horseback with his father. Jase looked terrified of the animal and refused to budge from his spot on the ground.
Jase’s four year old sister, Josie, was having a meltdown of a different kind. She was already on Peaches with her mother, Caroline, and didn’t understand why she couldn’t ride all by herself.
“I don’t wanna go!” Jase insisted, stomping his foot. “I wanna go back to the hotel and play my video games.”
“Jase, we’ve already talked about this,” his father, Thatcher, scolded him. “We gave you lots of options for things we could do while we’re on vacation, and this is what you wanted. We’re not backing out now. You can live without your X-box for a day or two.”
The little boy looked horrified by the thought. James turned to him with a patient grin. “You like games, Jase?”
Jase nodded, his lower lip stuck out in a pout.
“Well you know what? There are lots of games we can play once we get to the campsite. I can’t wait to show them to you, but we have to get there first. And to do that, you have to get on this horse.”
Jase squinted at James. “What kind of games?” he asked skeptically.
“It’s a secret,” James said in a hushed, excited whisper. “I can’t tell you until we get there.”
The little boy wrinkled his nose for a minute. “And the horse is really nice? She won’t jump or run?”
“She’s the nicest horse we have,” James said. “That’s why we saved her for you.”
Jase looked at Lottie and shook his head. “I don’t want to go on that horse. I want to go with you,” he insisted.
James looked up at Thatcher. “It’s fine with me if it’s fine with you,” Thatcher said with a shrug. “Whatever gets him up the mountain.”
“All right, little buddy. You can ride with me,” James said. He turned and looked at Josie. “I know you want to ride all by yourself,” he said, lowering his voice sympathetically. “But I need you to do a super important favor for me.”
Josie looked at him with raised eyebrows. “What?”
“You are obviously a strong, brave little girl. I need you to hold on extra special tight to your mommy, so she doesn’t fall out of the saddle. Can you do that for me?”
The little girl’s face lit up and she nodded. “I take care of Mommy.”
“Fantastic,” James smiled back at her. He helped Jase into the saddle and climbed on in front of him. I swung myself onto Mayhem’s back and we set out for the mouth of the trail. James and Jase were in the lead, I
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