Page 18 of Rekindled Heart

“Yeah, horses come in all kinds of sizes but Harold is a pony, so he’s a bit smaller than your average horse. He’s kid-sized.”

“Hmmm. Does he belong to a kid?”

I wasn’t quite ready to announce that I had bought Harold months ago for one special little boy that I already thought of as my son.

“Not yet. We’ll have to see how things go.”

I can feel Caro’s eyes on me and I’m pretty sure she has a clue but she doesn’t say a thing. We have so much to work through, so much to think about that it’s all just too soon. After all, I was ready to run the last time she was here. And now? I just don’t know.

“Are you ready to take a special trip?”

Christopher’s head bobs up and down and I grin, grabbing his hand. “We’re in luck since there’s plenty of snow on the ground.” I glance over at Caro. “You’re gonna love this!”

NINE

Caro

Snow blows gentlyaround us in the dark as Ricky clicks to the two black horses trotting through the snow, dragging our red sleigh.

Christopher bounces on the seat next to me and I reach out my hands with a gasp, trying to keep him still.

I know that Ricky would never let anything happen to us but this is insane! It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever done, I think.

My son points off into the woods. “What’s over there? Do you think that there’s a mountain lion out there? Are there bears in this part of the woods? Do they like people? Have you ever seen a bear up close? I don’t think I’d like to see a bear in person. How about you, Mr. Rick? Have you seen a bear in person?”

He glances back at us. “Yeah, I have. Very recently, actually.” His quick smirk locks on me. “That’s how I asked your mom to come along on this little trip.”

“Really?” His head swivels back to me. “Did you see the bear too?”

I shake my head. “No! I just saw what the bear did.”

He glances back at Ricky. “Did it dance? Roar?” He starts bouncing on the seat. “Oooh! Did it wear a hat?”

Both of us bust out laughing. “He wasn’t a bear in a circus or something. He was a wild animal. All the bears around here are so if you ever see one you should stay far away from it.”

He nods his dark head sagely. “Yeah. Wild animals can be really wild, huh?”

Ricky chokes on a laugh. “Yeah. They sure can.” One of the horse’s heads comes up and he murmurs to it softly. I can’t quite hear what he says but it settles down.

The air around us is crisp and clean and I can see our breath. The harness the ebony horses wear is lined with bells and they jingle softly in the quiet of the dark woods.

“I know this is a strange time to do this but I wanted to bring y’all out here to help me with a little project I’ve got going on.”

“Whoa!” He pulls at the long reins and the horses come to a stop, quivering and snorting, their breath frosty clouds in the chilly air.

There are soft lamps set up on iron holders like candy canes all around us. Christopher’s eyes are wide. I think mine might be just as wide.

“What are we doing here?” I ask quietly.

“I’ve marked off a couple of trees in this part of the woods and I’m trying to pick one for the house.”

“You don’t have your tree yet?” Christopher runs ahead of us and studies each of the marked trees seriously, his little fingers rubbing along his narrow chin. “Santa won’t like it if you don’t decorate.”

I choke on a laugh as Ricky sighs dramatically. “I know. That’s why I knew it was time to get out here before I make Santa too mad. I’ve got some things on my list that I’m really wantin’ this year.”

His dark eyes slew my way and my whole body lights up like one of those lamps. A soft humming of electricity skims along my skin. Goosebumps raise as my eyes dart away from the heatin his gaze. I clear my throat and try to ignore the flush painting my skin.

“Well, hopefully Santa gives you everything you want,” I whisper.

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