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“I get you didn’t like the job, but most people get a new job before they quit. And I’m sure it was an enormous culture shock coming back to Dover,” he said, his voice tinged with curiosity as he sat down next to her.
It was the same thing she’d told herself many times, but the decision had felt right. Of course, that was before her car broke down. “It wasn’t too bad seeing as I grew up here. And as to why so sudden…it was time I believed in myself. Mom had been after me to come for a visit, and the timing worked out to make us both happy. I’ve got several interviews lined up already, so it won’t be long, and something will pan out. And then, who knows when I’ll be able to come back to Dover again for a visit.”
“Aren’t there any jobs here in town?” he asked.
“Not in fashion. I could be a stock clerk at your store, but you’ve already got one,” Madison teased.
Caleb chuckled. “True, and I’m not sure dressing mannequins is what you have in mind.”
“Depends on whether it’s my designs. Perhaps we could create a boutique corner in the store.” Nonsensical talk, but a welcome relief after her head started spinning with numbers. They both needed the break.
“Doubt there would be much call for that around here.” The flat tone of his voice dismissed her comment as though designer clothes were frivolous.
Madison shook her head, more than ready to defend her chosen career. “Laugh, but people need clothes…and women like to look nice. There’s no harm in helping them find what works for their body shape and personal style.”
“Glad I’m not a woman. Jeans and t-shirts are so much easier.” Caleb grinned, restoring the easy camaraderie between them.
“They are until you wear designer jeans. You know, the kind that shows off your derriere.” Madison blushed the minute the words slipped out. Seemed she was doing a lot of that around this man, proof she wasn’t as immune to him as she had hoped.
Caleb frowned. “Not my thing.”
“Maybe it should be.” Since when did she add flirt to her list of character traits?
Chapter Seven
Caleb’sunclewasn’tableto get the documents together for yesterday, but he promised to bring them by today. Instead, Caleb had spent the day trying to figure out who might have dropped Star off, but as of yet, he hadn’t turned up any leads. He also spent some time learning more about Sundancer’s Legacy. There were lots of stories where recipients gave high praise for the gift of love that exceeded all expectations. Not once did he find a story of someone returning a horse, or that claimed peace and happiness were but an illusion for fools.
Some folks claimed it was a magical healing power, but others described it more as a healing that came from caring about something else. The ability to open oneself up to a connection requiring more than a surface reflection of what existed in someone’s heart. It came from learning to love again. Horses were good judges of people. And for him, that meant Sundancer’s Star. The more tales he read, the less inclined he felt towards giving the beautiful mare away. And he had to admit, his focus on Star’s upkeep had allowed him to bond with her. It was as though he were forging a connection with the past, instead of wallowing in it.
He couldn’t imagine someone understanding his deep-rooted need for help that he tried to ignore. Didn’t want to admit it if he was being honest. There were certainly times Caleb had wondered how long life could continue this way. Until now, it had been easier not to fight his way out of the darkness. Not to mention, when Joelle went to preschool, he knew things would change dramatically. Their lives would no longer be just the two of them.
Horses had regular feeding and grooming schedules and Caleb was resigned to take Joelle with him each morning before Madison arrived. She skipped alongside him, holding his hand.
“Daddy, I want to pet the horsey, okay?”
“We will see, sweetheart. Star is pretty big, and I worry you’ll get hurt.”
“Frieda was big, and she didn’t hurt me.” She spoke like a staunch champion for her cause.
“Horses are even bigger and more powerful, trust me.”
“Was the horse bad that made mommy die?” The question took Caleb by surprise. It’s not as if she had been old enough at the time to understand. A simmering anger hovered near the surface, threatening to overcome him as the accident replayed in his head. The same way it had done so many times over the past year and a half. The horse reared up as a snake startled Joker, Lauren’s prized gelding. She always said Joker was just like her…a free spirit.
When Lauren had come out of the saddle and landed wrong on the tree, his wife had died in his arms leaving a hole the size of Texas in his heart. In a split second his life had changed, and happiness seemed far too elusive. Joy always seemed just out of reach, and each day had been difficult to carry on. Caring and loving Joelle had been the only thing to see him through the darkest of days. After selling all the horses, he thought it would bring him peace.
Not so.
“Daddy?” his daughter asked again, still waiting for an answer.
As much as he wanted to blame the horse, he couldn’t do it. “No. Your mother loved Joker, and the two had been together for years. It was an unfortunate accident.” A preventable one if he had only cut the tree away after it had fallen in the path.
“Where’s Joker now?”
“Some people in another town bought him when I sold the horses.”
“I would love to have mommy’s horse. Then I could ride anytime I wanted, and it would be like riding with mommy.” In his haste to sell the horses, not once had he considered the possibility his daughter would want the horse someday. Had he done the wrong thing selling Joker? At the time, selling Joker had seemed like the right thing to do.
They entered the barn, the fresh aroma of manure and hay greeting him like an old friend. Star whinnied and shook her head, pleased to see him. Or more than likely, knowing her breakfast had arrived. Caleb pulled an apple from his pocket and cut it up, then held it out in the palm of his hand for Star.
