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Nine
“I’m impressed,” Aubrey said as they walked outside after dinner.
Vic hadn’t said what he’d said at dinner to impress her, but her approval bolstered his pride.
Night had fallen, the glow of a fat full moon cloaking the field. They passed the paddock, casting long, eerie shadows across the path where they walked.
“So, about the race to the fence. Did you cheat?” she asked.
“Hell no!” he answered with a laugh. “Layla raced that black beauty straight out of the stable and rode him like the hounds of hell were on her tail. Titan hates to lose almost as much as I do, though, so we nearly killed ourselves to catch up. Layla knows I won. She stopped arguing, didn’t she?”
“Yeah, I guess she did. I love your sisters. They’re so strong. It’s enviable.”
He stopped short of the stable to turn to her. “Why is it enviable? You’re as strong if not stronger than either of them.”
“I don’t feel strong. I feel like the ghost of someone who used to be strong.”
“Take it from me, Aub. You speak your mind, and you prioritize what matters. You don’t let anyone bully you into what you don’t want. Much to my chagrin, at times.”
She smiled. “Because I’m not the agreeable housewife you always dreamed of?”
The comment was so close to what she’d said when they’d broken up ten years ago, his heart began galloping. If she remembered that argument, it could be the crack in the door she needed to recover the rest of her memory. He wasn’t ready to let her go yet. Not when he’d just begun winning her back.
He had the acute sense he was running out of time. He knew it, even if Aubrey didn’t. Her memory would surface sooner or later. He was betting on sooner, which didn’t give him much time to impress upon her how much she still meant to him.
“Can I see Titan?”
“Of course.”
His stallion’s regal gray head was poking out of his stall when Vic and Aubrey approached. The horse blinked wide, knowing eyes when Aubrey smiled up at him.
Vic loved his horse. All horses. He was amazed by their ability to tune in to the emotions of others—horse or human. Titan held Aubrey’s gaze steadily before nudging her shoulder, his way of asking for scratches.
“The noses are the best,” she murmured, stroking the baby-soft skin of the horse’s muzzle. Titan closed his eyes and enjoyed Aubrey’s attention. Vic knew just how Titan felt.
“He likes you.”
“He probably likes everyone. Don’t you, boy?”
Titan blew out a snort in response, and Aubrey laughed. Then her laugh faded as she stroked the horse’s forehead. “What if I don’t recover my memory?”
“You will.”
“But what if I don’t?” Her green eyes were filled with fear and curiosity in equal measures. She was asking him for honesty, something he’d been half-assing since he agreed to step back into her life. So, he told her the truth.
“If you don’t, you don’t.” He shrugged. “Your doc won’t keep you from work forever. And after you’re cleared, you won’t have to live with your parents like I do.”
“In such squalor.” She gestured in the direction of the house.
It was good to see her smile. He wished she’d keep smiling. He could only imagine how frustrating it was not to be able to fill in the gaps of her memory. Which was partially why he tipped his head and asked, “Want to see the loft?”
She screwed her lips to one side. “Should I be suspicious of your motives?”
“No. Well. Maybe.” He claimed her hand and led her away. Titan complained about the loss of attention, but Vic mentally promised to give the horse extra scratches for his gentlemanly behavior. He released Aubrey’s hand and nodded to the set of stairs leading to the top of the stable. They were new, unstained and smelled of fresh pine.
“These weren’t always here,” she said. “There was a ladder, right?”
“See? Your memory’s returning already. Go on. I’ll follow you up.” He grabbed a clean blanket from the stack on the shelf, figuring the horses wouldn’t mind if he borrowed one.
