Page 15 of Saving Grace
Her eyes mist over as she tentatively reaches a hand out to squeeze Kaia’s bootie-covered toes. “I expect you three over for dinner tomorrow night.”
“I don’t know if Leila would be up for—”
“Not up for discussion. Family dinner. Tell Gavin to tag along as well if he’d like. I wantallmy babies under my roof for a meal.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I glance to Kelsey. “Where is she, anyway?” I ask, gesturing to Kaia. “More than a little surprised to find my daughter without her or Gavin.”
Kelsey returns from behind the counter, a sugary concoction in hand. “Leila had an appointment and Gavin needed to run some errands. I volun-told them to leave Kaia with me,” she says as she passes me the drink.
I nod my thanks as I shift Kaia in my arms to take a sip. Knowing how stubborn both Barrett siblings are, I ask, “How’d that go over?”
“’Bout as well as you’d think. But they both need a break.” Her eyes soften as she gives me a pointed look. “You guys need to figure something out. She’s running on fumes, D.”
I nod, looking away to avoid the guilt that hasn’t stopped eating at me. “Working on it,” I mumble before stepping back to my mother and letting her coo over her first grandchild while a plan starts to spin in my head. It’ll take some work and some major convincing, but it just might be doable.
Chapter 8
Leila
Therapy sucks. Sometimes, I wonder if it wouldn’t be easier to just let the memories lie where they are and quit digging into the bad parts. My emotions are all over the place. First, I had a nightmare but instead of the usual terrors playing back like memories, it was of something happening to Kaia. When I finally gave up on sleep, I fell apart in the kitchen because there weren’t any little spoons in the drawer when I wanted to eat cereal.
It’s stupid. A grown-ass woman should not overreact because the only spoon available is a big one. And yet, here I am hours later and still irritated about it.
Kristen says it’s probably a combination of my usual bad thoughts mixing with postpartum rise and fall. It’s been a day. Jett and Kelsey have Kaia. It gives me the good kind of chills to realize that we actually have a support system here, more than just Gavin.
Taking advantage of the fact that I have a few hours to myself without feeling guilty for pawning my daughter off on Gavin, I start the walk to the ranch. It’s been too long since I’ve felt ahorse’s mane under my fingers. Even longer since I’ve been in the saddle. Maybe I can talk Drew into a trail ride one of these days.
I wander down the barn aisle, glancing at each horse that is in for the day. Most of them are too busy munching on alfalfa to notice the human ogling over them. As I make it to the end of the barn, I come up on an oversize stall. A stocky built, leggy chestnut stands with his head in the corner, but his ears twitch as I approach. His feet stay planted, nose to hay, but he knows I’m here. He’s watching. Calculating.
A sign on his stall readsWeary of Humans. Keep Out.I chuff a laugh.
“You and me both, buddy,” I whisper as I lean against the stall door and glance out the end of the barn, taking in the breathtaking views of the rolling green pastures, the scent of horses a long-forgotten comfort.
A soft snort and sniff at my shoulder makes me glance back into the stall. The chestnut has come out of the corner, now leaning his nose against the stall bars. I run my knuckles gently along his muzzle, the bruised skin from the bag work in my morning workout protesting at the contact. Even still, I continue scratching the gelding’s nose all the way up to the cowlicks between his eyes as we soak up each other’s company.
A time later, though I’m unsure if it was ten minutes or an hour, the air stirs behind me about the same time the gelding’s ears flick back. I turn my head, hand pausing mid-stroke, to find Drew standing against the stall across from us.
“Wondered how long it’d take for you two to realize you weren’t alone anymore.”
“What’s with the warning sign?” I ask immediately. “This guy’s a sweetheart.”
I’m surprised to find Drew hesitating in his answer. “He’s the horse I was on when we went down.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “This is the horse Gav said shoulda been put down?”
Drew nods. “When Declan realized the extent of the trauma to this guy’s mind, he started questioning if it was something that could be overcome. Being the phenomenal horseman that he is, though, he gave Havoc the time and space he needed. Moved him to one of the big back fields with a few of the old retired geldings where he wouldn’t be around people or vehicles.”
“Then I’m assuming you started building trust with him as soon as you could.”
He nods. “As soon as I was back on two feet, I started spending a few hours a day just sitting by the round bales reading or listening to music.”
“Seems like he bounced back.”
“He’s still extremely skittish in the arena. He’ll probably never accept a saddle thanks to me, but he’ll never live a day not spoiled like a little pasture princess.”
“You’re a good man, Drew. A good horseman. Anyone who’s met you knows that.”
He shrugs one shoulder.
