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We tied the horses up before Brady led the way inside the house. As we stepped through the dark wooden door, I gasped. White marble floors, exposed wooden oak beams, the open plan design—it was just incredible.
“Wow. What a house!”
He smiled and motioned for me to follow him down the hallway. “I’m glad you like it.”
I walked forwards, passing several dark wooden doors either side of me before taking the left turn at the bottom which revealed yet more doors.
“How many rooms does one person need?”
He chuckled as he led me towards the last door on the right. “His initial plan was to have people staying in the house with him. Half of these rooms I don’t even use. I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”
I laughed, wondering what lay beyond the door he was opening.
The answer was simply a beautiful room.
A huge wooden double bed sat in the middle of the room, matching wardrobes and dressing tables placed around the outer edges. Two windows, one straight in front and one to the left, were framed with sashayed deep purple curtains. The grey marble floor twinkled as the streaming sunlight highlighted its depths. Pictures of horses lined the walls, trophies stole one entire wall, and rosettes covered the perimeter of the room.
“Oh, my. What an incredible room.”
He smiled, a hint of sadness rolling over his face. “Thanks.”
He walked over to one of the double wardrobes and opened the doors to reveal a staggering collection of stunning shirts and blouses. A shelf above held several Stetson’s. Everything looked brand new and never worn.
I gasped. “What an amazing set of clothes. Are you sure it’s ok to borrow something? They look...expensive.”
He nodded. “It’s fine, honestly. They haven’t been worn for a long time. It would be lovely to see them being put to use.”
A haunted look shadowed his features, an empty wistful glaze taking over his eyes. I wanted to know who they belonged to, but that look—it clenched something so deep inside my chest, tears started brewing.
He smiled and crossed his arms over chest. “I know you want to ask.”
Heat flushed my cheeks. I looked around the room and spotted a picture of a pretty girl with honey brown hair. She was beaming from ear to ear as she stood holding a trophy with a buckskin horse which looked just like Cody.
“My sister.”
A shot of dread ran through me. I couldn’t help but cringe at the strained voice that uttered those two words. Suddenly very aware of treading on painful ground, I started to panic, wondering just exactly what wounds I was picking at.
I stumbled around for some words, anything to lessen the awkwardness surrounding me. “She’s very pretty.”
He nodded, walking over to the picture I was looking at. “Yes, she was.”
I swallowed a lump in my throat. “Was?”
He turned back to me, his eyes glistening over with water. “She died six years ago.”
“I’m so sorry. I...I...perhaps I should go?”
He shook his head and took a step towards me. “It’s fine, honestly. I just...I guess I still blame myself for it.”
“For what?”
“Her death. It was my fault she died.”
