Page 22 of Single All the Way

“They’re locked in their stalls, sweetie,” I said. “They know they have to wait for the horses to get fed before they get their dinner.”

“More cookies?” Skyler asked in a small voice.

With a chuckle, I said, “Just like people, they have to eat mostly healthy food. They only get two cookies a week.”

“On Tuesdays and Saturdays,” Ruby said.

“Are you afraid of horses too?” I asked Emerson in a low voice. I wasn’t throwing her shade. It was obvious her unease was real and something I hoped to help her work through soon, as, well, she was living with llamas for the next few weeks.

“Not afraid,” she said, her gaze taking in Smoky, who was a big guy but gentle. “Just…intimidated? They’re big and strong.”

“When I adopted these guys”—I swept an arm out in an encompassing gesture—“all of them, my priority was that they had a gentle disposition. My kids are around them every day, so I needed to trust any animal I brought home.”

She tilted her head. “They’re animals. Animals are unpredictable.”

“They can be, and you always have to remember that. But first you start with animals who have a gentle disposition. Some horses are projects. They’ve had a rough life or gone through poor treatment. Those need homes too, but that’s not what I wanted with Ruby and Evelyn around. Second thing is to build a trusting relationship with each of them, just as you would with a human.”

“Do you trust Esmerelda not to break out and head to the bakery anymore?” she asked, her lips twitching toward a grin.

“We’re working on that,” I said with a laugh. “That’s part of the reason I broke down and started buying her cookies—in moderation. There’s usually a reason for animal behaviors, just like there is for people. It just might be harder to figure out because they don’t answer questions.”

Ruby and Skyler had stopped a few feet in front of Smoky’s stall, my daughter sensing Skyler wasn’t ready to get closer.

I held my hand out toward the horses and raised my brows at Emerson. She hesitated only a second, then nodded and stepped toward her daughter. I fell in beside her and, without thinking, put a hand at her waist to comfort her.

Comfort was not the word I’d use for what shot through me at the feel of her curves beneath my fingers.

Dammit. I needed to be cautious and keep myself in check. That was tricky though, because Emerson was so familiar.

I’d known her for most of my life. Moving her and her kids into my house had been a no-brainer, a gut instinct, because I cared about her. Keeping attraction out of the equation, when Blake had fallen in love with her and eventually married her, she’d become important to me in a different but deep way, as the person who made my best friend happy.

I let go of her, reminding myself I needed to be more mindful of boundaries when we were together. She was a house guest. A good friend, yes. But also my best friend’s partner.

Skyler had stepped closer to Smoky, with Ruby at her side. Not close enough to touch, but her interest was clear. This was night-and-day from how she’d acted with the llamas, and I got it. Llamas looked odd, and that could frighten a child. Or a woman, apparently.

“Would you like to meet Smoky?” I asked Skyler.

With her neck craned to look up at the horse, she nodded slowly.

I picked her up and approached Smoky carefully, talking in a low voice, introducing Skyler and her mother. Eventually Skyler worked up the courage to pet Smoky on the neck. She giggled, then told her mom about her bravery even though Emerson could see everything. She too had come closer.

I eventually set Skyler down, and Ruby and I fed the five large animals and the barn cats, with the Estes ladies looking on.

When we exited the barn, the girls were animated, Skyler’s mood the opposite of when we’d entered. She’d met all three horses, though briefly. It was a first step. The llamas would be more of a process.

Emerson and I walked side by side toward the house. The temperature was nearing the freezing point, the air crisp but fresh.

“Sky did well with the horses,” I said.

Emerson nodded. “I’m proud of her. She’ll want to ride them before long, just wait. The llamas though… That’s a different story.”

I let several seconds pass before I spoke. “She can read your fear of them, you know.”

“You think?”

“I know. The best way to help her overcome her fear is to conquer yours.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “I don’t want to get spit on.”

---