Page 8 of Back in the Saddle

“Depending on the results of the necropsy, we can send her back to the stallion when she’s ready.”

We wouldn’t have to pay the stud fee again because we had a live foal guarantee. But that didn’t help us right now. That foal would have been worth a lot of money and would have been future income for us when we sold it. It could have helped us boost the bank balance and help pay the bills.

Isabelle brought the bowls to the table. Callum poured some wine for Taylor and me. Taylor’s favourite—a sparkling roséfrom Hollydene. She must have found it stored away in the cupboard. A reminder of drought free years gone by. We sat down to eat. I tapped my foot in the silence. I didn’t want to talk about work or the farm. But what else was there to talk about these days? I couldn’t remember the last time we had an actual conversation. The kids were the most common ground.

“Callum and Isabelle have their parent-teacher interviews tomorrow,” I said.

Taylor’s brown eyes widened. “Did I miss the email?”

“It came out a couple of weeks ago.” But obviously she’d been too busy to read it. I trapped my tongue behind my clenched teeth.

“We brought a note home,” Isabelle said, sarcasm layered in her voice.

Taylor swallowed.

“The first one is at 5pm if you want to join us,” I said. I didn’t think she would. The school stuff was usually left up to me. It had been a year or so since she’d been to a parent teacher interview.

“Yes, I’d like to come.”

What? Really? I gulped some wine. And another.

Callum and Isabelle glanced at each other, unable to hide their surprise.

“Excellent. I’ll pick you all up at 4:30.”

I could have told her we’d meet her there but that felt weird. I’m sure we would be fine going as a family unit, even if we weren’t exactly a family anymore. And it’s not like we argued…much. To argue, we would actually have to speak to each other. And we hadn’t really done that since my big blow up. Most of the time she gave me the silent treatment, like I wasn’t even worth the effort of arguing with.

Either she’d be quiet at the parent-teacher interviews or she’d be polite and agreeable. Both options would suit me fine.

4

Taylor

Iwalked in the door at 4pm and headed straight for my bedroom. I needed to be showered and dressed in less than half an hour. I grabbed a newer pair of jeans from the shelf and a shirt to go with them. Were jeans OK? I didn’t want to overdress for a parent-teacher interview. I shook my head as I walked to the bathroom. What did it even matter? It wasn’t a job interview, and we lived in the country; jeans wouldn’t be a surprise or unexpected. Besides, I wasn’t there to impress anyone. Would Ciaron be wearing jeans?

I slammed my clothes down on the bathroom vanity. Enough with the overthinking.

The kids pulled into the carport, laughing and grumbling as they got out of the car. Isabelle kicked off her shoes as she came into the house. They thumped into the wall one after another. I smiled. Ciaron always told her that she’d be the one repainting the wall. Next would come…the fridge door opened—Callum wishing for some sort of treat to magically appear.

“Mum’s home already,” Isabelle said, her voice higher than usual.

I winced. She didn’t even have confidence that I’d be on time for their parent-teacher interviews. I sighed as I hopped into the shower. I needed to up my game. As Ciaron and I had drifted apart, I’d drifted apart from the children. Why had I allowed that to happen? It must have made them feel shitty, and I’d never want them to feel that way. Lucky they had Ciaron…the Wonder Dad.

I shoved my head under the water and squeezed my eyes shut. Imagine resenting your own husband for being a good father. What was wrong with me? We’d become parents together, grown together in the role, supported each other. It’s not his fault that I’d failed.

I hopped out of the shower and dressed. I brushed my hair slowly, killing time. As I walked into the living room, I plastered a smile on my face. “Are you ready?”

Callum looked up from his phone. “Yep.”

Isabelle didn’t bother giving me her attention. She merely nodded.

I tidied while waiting for Ciaron. Anything to keep busy and keep my mind off the distance between us, even though we were in the same room. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw his car travelling down the road. I grabbed my bag and jacket and headed to the door, the kids in tow.

My phone beeped as I sat in the car. Ciaron’s name popped up.

“The interview schedule,” Ciaron said.

“Thanks.”

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