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As I drove to Lincoln’s, my stomach tied itself into knots as I thought about seeing Piper. It was still so surreal to be seeing the daughter that I gave up, and I wanted to make the best impression possible given the circumstances.
I turned down the long dirt driveway of Lincoln’s farmhouse, then parked behind his truck. I was about an hour early, but I wanted to be there before Piper arrived.
As I got out of my car, Rufus greeted me, jumping on me in excitement.
I laughed, trying to pet him. He was moving around so much that I could barely get a hand on him. “Good to see you, too.”
I heard the screen door shut, so I turned around and saw Lincoln coming down the porch steps toward me. “Hey, beautiful.”
I smiled. “Hey.”
Lincoln wrapped me in a hug and kissed me softly. He pulled back and grinned down at me. “Are you excited about today?”
I nodded as he linked our hands and led me toward the barn. “Yeah. I can’t wait to see Piper on Buttercup.”
He squeezed my hand. “I’d like to see both of you on her together.”
My lips curved up. “That would be amazing, but I don’t want to get my hopes up. This is only our second time meeting her. She might not be comfortable enough with me yet.”
Lincoln chuckled. “You’re her momma. Of course, she’ll be comfortable with you.”
I shook my head with a laugh. Lincoln made it sound so simple. “I don’t think it’s as easy as you make it seem. I abandoned her when she was a baby, so how can she possibly trust me now?”
Lincoln stopped and turned to face me. “Liv, you carried her for nine months in your belly. Y’all have an unspoken bond that even time can’t break.”
Lincoln’s optimism made him naïve sometimes, but I loved him more for it. “I hope you’re right.”
We resumed walking to the barn. Several of the horses whinnied as we entered, and I couldn’t help but smile. I loved horses. Lincoln used to take me riding every weekend when we were dating, and I missed it.
One of the horses stuck its head outside the stable as we walked by. I glanced over at Lincoln and gestured to the horse. “Can I?”
His lips spread in a full grin. “Of course. You don’t have to ask, Liv.”
I approached the stable, slowly reaching my hand out to pet the muzzle of the horse. “Do you still have Star?”
“Yeah. She’s over here.”
I gave the horse a few more nose rubs before turning around to follow Lincoln. Star was the horse I’d ridden most often and was a beautiful chestnut color with a white star-shaped marking on her forehead.
Lincoln led me to a far corner of the stable. Star stuck her head out as we approached, and I couldn’t help but smile. “Hey there, girl.”
I reached out to pet her, and she nuzzled against my palm.
Lincoln leaned against her stall. “I think she remembers you.”
I continued to pet Star as I glanced over at him. “You think?”
He grinned. “Yeah. She doesn’t let just anyone touch her.”
Rolling my eyes, I scoffed. “You’re just saying that.”
He chuckled. “No, I’m not. She only lets me and my dad touch her, not even the other farmhands. She’s gotten irritable as she’s grown older.”
I turned back to Star, looking into her big brown eyes. “You remember me, girl?”
Her tail swished, and she nickered in response.
I laughed, my heart warming at her remembrance of me. I had so many great memories with her, and she was definitely one of the things I missed the most about being gone.
