AllFreeNovel
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The riding school, and taking care of herself, became her sole focuses.
Cody, Mia, and I worked out the partnership agreement for the store, settling on keeping the name, Brooks Outfitters, since that was how we’d built our business and our reputation. We hired a store manager that freed up my time to work with John on the teen football camp. Mia focused on marketing for both businesses.
Camille finished up her lessons. She told the girls, “Go ahead and walk the horses for a few more turns to cool them down. After you take off the tack, leave them in the cross-ties. I’m going to wash them today.”
When Camille reached us, she leaned up to kiss me. “My three favorite people.” Then she buried her nose against each child’s neck. “Hi, my babies, were you good for your daddy this morning?”
I answered for them. “We were perfect angels.”
She looked up at me and giggled. “Of course, they were. When you have a Raphael-like cherub as a father, what else could they be?”
I didn’t answer, waiting for her to finish talking to the riders’ mothers. She told one of them that she’d like to teach her to ride Western. “I think she might like it better. She seems to want to let the horse do the work, which is perfect for racing. I think she might like that.”
The mom seemed agreeable, and before they left, she and Camille agreed to talk about adjusting the lesson plans.
“Want to help me wash Betty Blue and Honey?” Her hands were in the back pocket of her dirty jeans.
“When did you start calling her Honey?”
She turned toward the barn. “Hush Money makes her sound like she isn’t worthy. Honey makes her sound sweet.” We’d reached the cross-ties where the horses waited patiently for their owner. “And aren’t you sweet? Yes, yes, you are.” She gave Honey an apple.
“Help me wash them?” She asked.
Across from the wash stalls, I’d removed the doors from another stall, and hung bouncy seats for the twins.
I strapped them into the swings. They kept themselves entertained with teething toys and a handful of Cheerios I put in their trays.
Camille handed me a bucket of soapy water and told me to work on Honey.
I wet her from the hooves up, concentrating on not scaring her, and then used the bucket of water to gently remove the dirt and sweat.
The smell of baby shampoo filled the barn. We had plenty of it on hand, and Camille liked it for the horses because it was gentle.
Together, we each washed a horse in comfortable silence, concentrating on the effort, and enjoying the quiet of the morning.
When I finished scrubbing Honey, I asked Camille if she wanted to go to Racers Roost, our company house in the woods, for the weekend.
“I was planning on looking at a horse in Idaho Falls on Friday morning. What time do you want to leave?”
“Noon? Will you be back by then?”
“Yeah, I can be. Sleds or truck?” she asked, wondering if we still could only access the area by snowmobile or if the roads were cleared enough for vehicles.
“Either, I think. We can take the sleds if you want.” I rinsed Honey, and then handed Camille the hose.
“Just us?” She flirted.
Sophia let out a loud, “Ah!”
I whispered, “I think Mia would love to keep the ‘you know who’s’ for us.”
Camille watched me, staring at me as if she couldn’t believe we were here, together.
I’d married her that Christmas Eve but she was quick to point out we didn’t actually have a marriage license. I’d rectified that a few days later, and then we did it all over again at city hall to make it legal.
I had finally woken up. Camille had always been at the fringes of my life while I was playing in the NFL, and then while Mia and I were setting up the business. The day that she’d strolled into the shop after she was booted from her home, the fog had cleared from my life and she was the sun that shone through. It was as if the world righted itself, and we had another chance. I’d loved her since I was a teenager and now, we were finally together.
A spray of water hit my chest, startling me from my thoughts. “What the…?”
