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For a few seconds, Lilah watched Trace walk off, appreciating his help . . . and all six feet of lean muscle and golden-tanned skin. Then she abruptly turned and walked toward the house, fighting a sense of guilt that had become commonplace.
Trace Cardona was her late husband’s best friend.
Henry and Trace had known each other all their lives, and Lilah had known Trace almost as long as she’d known Henry. Since Henry had passed—just over two years ago now—Trace had gone over and above the duties of a friend. He’d been a strong support for Lilah and the kids, right along with Henry’s family. He’d been there, supporting her day by day as she crawled out of a very dark place.
But lately, there’d been a shift. She’d started to enjoy having Trace around. She looked forward to seeing him. And there was a deep-seated voice inside her that said she couldn’t let those feelings grow into anything more.
She wasn’t ready for more. Not with anyone. And especially not with Trace.
Not wanting to disrobe outside since Trace was here, Lilah cautiously tiptoed through the house and upstairs, trying not to drip mud on the floors and carpets. Once in the bathroom, she stripped off her soaked clothes, took a quick shower, and threw on some fresh sweats. Fifteen minutes later, her body and mind were free of muck. Finger-combing her wet, shoulder-length hair, Lilah bounced down the stairs to the kitchen. When she stepped out of the stairwell, she met her mother-in-law’s gaze. Gayle had Sofie on her hip, and Lilah’s cell phone was pressed to her ear.
“Here she is,” Gayle said into the phone before handing it over to Lilah. “It’s the rescue group from Duluth. There are some horses a few hours north of here that need help.” Gayle bounced Sofie in her arms.
Lilah’s stomach dropped. It always did when she got a call like this. This was the reason she’d startedHearts and Hoovesin the first place—to help animals in need—but that didn’t make these types of calls any easier.
Lilah pressed the phone to her own ear, bracing herself for what she’d hear next. “Hi, this is Lilah.”
The woman started in quickly, telling Lilah about three horses near the Canadian border that needed to be picked up as soon as possible. They’d been voluntarily turned over to animal control after a neighbor called the police, worried about the horses’ welfare. Lilah grabbed a notebook and pen from the kitchen counter. She wrote down an address and a few other details. As she continued asking questions, Trace and the boys entered the kitchen.
“Let me contact a few people, and then I’ll call you right back.” Lilah hung up the phone. Both Trace and Gayle were staring at her expectantly. “The horses need to be picked up tonight, but I’m not sure I have a place to put them. I can’t take them to Frankie’s. She’s got that sick horse.” Lilah’s friend ran a riding program for kids and always kept a few extra stalls open to house rescues, but one of her lesson horses had come down with strangles the past week. Her barn was on quarantine for the next month to keep the highly contagious disease from spreading.
“The Westons?” Trace asked, knowing Lilah’s close-knit circle of volunteers as well as she did.
She shook her head. “They’ve got a full barn right now. Plus, both Jesse and Evan are leaving this week for the rodeo in Vegas.” A tense quiet filled the kitchen. Lilah’s chest tightened with doubt. But there wasn’t any other answer, and they all knew it. “I’ll take them.”
Gayle continued to bounce Sofie. Trace stilled.
Lilah hadn’t housed any rescue horses in her barn since Henry had passed. It was something she and Henry used to do together, and she hadn’t felt confident enough or comfortable enough to do it since. Henry had introduced her to horses. He’d been the one who handled all the riskier aspects of rescuing traumatized animals. She wasn’t sure she could do this by herself.
But she couldn’t just leave the animals.
Trace set a hand on the back of a kitchen chair. “If that’s what you want to do, I can go with you to get them.”
Lilah swallowed and nodded.
“I’ve got the kids, Lilah.” Gayle patted a sleepy Sofie on the back. “Do what you need to do.”
“Thank you,” Lilah said, trying to muster her confidence. “I’ll call Frankie and Jesse and see if they can help too.” The horses needed her. It didn’t matter if she was ready for this or not.
Chapter Two
Apeachsunrisetintedthe sky as Trace drove the truck and trailer through Maple Bay, aimed at Lilah’s place, just south of town. The horses bounced in the trailer, protesting their unwanted trip, and the commotion rattled its way up through the truck. Trace could tell it had set Lilah on edge. She was unusually quiet. In the rearview mirror, he noticed she was sitting stick straight.
“That gelding is wound tighter than a girdle on a cow,” Frankie Barnes said from the backseat, where she sat next to Lilah. Jesse Weston occupied the passenger seat and Trace was glad they’d had four people for this rescue mission. It had taken coercing from all of them to get the three horses loaded.
Another kick rattled the trailer. Trace cringed, wishing the horses would keep their hooves on the trailer floor.
“Maybe he’ll calm down once we get them settled in the barn?” Jesse said. He glanced at Trace, and the look in his eyes said exactly what Trace was thinking. Jesse trained horses for a living, and even he thought this horse was a handful.
How was Trace going to help Lilah through this?
“Doubt it,” Frankie said bluntly. “And he’s definitely going to need a visit from the vet.”
Lilah piped in. “Dr. Shiner said he’d be over as soon as he finishes up with the colic case he’s working on.”
Pulling into Lilah’s place, Trace parked the rig in front of the barn. “Lilah, are you sure you’re comfortable keeping the horses here?” He killed the engine.
Taking on horses for the first time since Henry passed was a big step. Especially when one of the horses didn’t have a lick of manners. The young chestnut gelding was big, strong, and resistant to human contact. That was a tricky combination for anyone, especially a busy young mom who hadn’t had full-size horses around in a while.
