Page 48 of Back in the Saddle

When he left, Mum said, “You didn’t know Isabelle was doing her work experience at the vet surgery?”

I shook my head. “I’m really failing at parenting. Ciaron handled it all. He probably told me.”

“It seems to me that he handles a lot of things.”

I rubbed my hand over my face. “I’ve been taking him for granted.”

“It’s probably easy to do with someone who takes everything on without complaint.”

I nodded. “Can you let Mermaid out? I need to ring her owner.”

“Sure. I’ll see you at dinner.”

I headed to the door.

“Taylor,” Mum said.

I turned around.

“If you need help to pay for the party, it can be my gift to Isabelle. I know money is tight at the moment.”

“Thanks, Mum.”

I headed back to the office, not thinking about the party, but Ciaron.

Ciaron did so much more than most men would. He took on my dreams about the farm and made them his own. He never considered our future as anything else but this. For him, it had always been about us. There wasn’t him as an individual anymore. And he didn’t complain about it. He didn’t complain about anything. All he wanted was more us.

For twenty-two years, his love had never swayed.

He gave useverythingand I forgot to give usanything.

I was such a hypocrite. I’d been frustrated with Mary when Ciaron told me how much he’d done while growing up. She let him do everything that she should have been doing. She was the parent, not him. He was a child looking after other children because she was more interested in the next man in her life.

And now, I was no better. The only difference was it wasn’t because of a man.

Ciaron stoppedin front of a wooden door of a brown brick building. The building was two-storey, just like the one next to it and the one after that. It was the same all the way down the street. And every door was right on the footpath. There was no yard. I stood behind him, wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans. He swung the door open and faced me.

“Ready?”

“Yep.” I smiled as much as my nerves would allow.

He stepped through the door. I followed. Shoes were scattered in the small entry. He kicked them out of the way.

“Sorry. It got a bit messy in the three days I’ve been away.”

The three days we’d spent together since we’d met.

Was it his job to tidy up after everyone? Maybe that was one of his responsibilities. At home, Mum cooked, I did the dishes. We shared the cleaning.

A young boy ran into the hallway, followed by an older one. “Give it back to me, you fucking little shit.”

“Will you stop fighting?” a female voice called from further in the house. “I’m sick of hearing it.”

The two boys stopped in front of Ciaron, who held out his hand. The younger one passed over a remote. That’s when he noticed me. Ciaron placed his hand on my back.

“Tommy, Seamus, this is Taylor.”

“Hi,” I said.

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