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He nodded. “I don’t see why not, sweetheart.” Caleb pulled Madison in for a hug and kissed her, not caring his daughter was standing there. That’s what true love did to you.
“Yay,” she squealed, dancing in the puddle until she was soaked from head to toe. “I’m getting a dog and a new mommy. Right, Daddy? You did kiss Madison.”
“We’ll see, but I’m thinking you might be right.” All three of them hugged and laughed in the rain, embracing all the joy that life had brought their way.
Epilogue
Fivemonthslater…
Joelle had started kindergarten and loved it, along with her new friends, and especially her new teacher. But most of all, she loved Madison with all her heart. Like father, like daughter. He had talked to Joelle about making Madison a permanent part of the family and she had been thrilled. Of course, getting her to keep quiet until he officially asked Madison to marry him hadn’t been easy.
Two weeks later, he had it all planned out right down to the smallest of details…the ring. Joelle helped him pick it out, and he had to admit, his daughter had excellent taste. With the store making money again, life had returned to normal…only better.
His uncle would complete his GA classes and start his golden years over. Caleb had even agreed to let him come to work at the store. After all, he was family, and he knew the store better than anyone. It would be some time, and maybe never, that he would be in charge of anything, but perhaps it was better this way. They were at least on the same page and his uncle held no grudges for the change in his life, and well, Caleb held no grudges for the trouble he’d caused. It was water under the bridge now.
Star had been Caleb’s blessing. The day he had set out to rescue Joelle turned out to be the beginning of his rescue. Riding Star and the freedom and joy he found in horseback riding once again had opened his heart to see life. And from there, Madison had been a constant reminder of the good things in life, the parts he wanted to share.
Caleb wished he knew who had sent him Star as a gift, but he had also come to realize it didn’t matter.
This was a pay-it-forward legacy.
A tradition Caleb intended to fulfill. Come Spring, he was setting into motion for Star to be bred. Once that happened, he would start his search for the right person who needed hope and healing. Someone who would love the foal and honor the legacy. Someone who needed Sundancer’s Joy, the name they had picked out for Star’s first foal and the next in line as part of Sundancer’s Legacy.
It was a little colder today than he would have liked, but Caleb was eager to put his plan into motion. They were all meeting at the park to let Sergio, the new dog, run around and play. Of course, he could do that at Caleb’s place as well, which is why it hadn’t been easy for Caleb to get Madison on board, but Joelle had helped on that front. His daughter had worked her charm and convinced Madison she wanted to swing on the playground.
The perfect excuse.
He opened the truck door, and the dog jumped down.
“Sergio, here boy,” Madison called out when she spotted them in the parking lot.
The dog took off at full speed, eager to play. Caleb caught up with them, dropping a kiss on Madison’s cheek as they watched Joelle play with the dog.
“I’m glad you thought of this. With winter just closing in, there will be less and less days to play outside like this,” Madison said, her cheeks tinged with pink from the cold.
Caleb nodded. “That’s what I was thinking. This was the perfect opportunity to make a memory.”
“Oh,” she said, grinning. “What do you have in mind?”
“Joelle, look what I’ve got,” Caleb said, holding up the tennis ball he pulled from his pocket.
“Yay. It’s about time.” She ran to join them, Sergio leading the way. Except Sergio didn’t stop, instead grabbing the ball out of Caleb’s hand and making a beeline for the water.
“No, Sergio!” Caleb hollered. “This isn’t the time to play fetch in the water.” The dog was going to ruin everything. He raced after Sergio, the others following him.
The dog ran into the water, thinking they were playing a game.
Woof. Woof. When he barked, the ball dropped out of his mouth and floated away, the wind pushing it further out of reach.
“Fetch, Sergio,” Caleb commanded, hoping for once the dog would do what he was told. They were still working on commands, but so far, the mutt they adopted from the pound wasn’t on board. The dog looked at him and then at the ball, unsure what game they were playing.
Caleb watched as the toy drifted about fifteen feet away, not coming closer to shore. “I’ve got to get that ball.”
“We can get him another one,” Madison said, coming to stand behind him.
“No, we can’t. I need this one.” He wasn’t willing to offer any more of an explanation because it would ruin his not-so-well-planned surprise. There was only one thing to do…go in after the ball.
“Daddy, what about…”
