Page 117 of Beside Golden Irish Fields
He couldn’t let her leave without at least trying. Maybe she wouldn’t be able to get past his decision to step away from her when she’d needed him. Maybe she’d leave anyway. But that would be for her to decide. If she could believe he loved her enough—and he did—and was willing to hold his hands through those awful moments, then he would sink to bended knee and apologize and ask for another chance to love her for the rest of his life.
As he shut the front door, he braced himself for the path ahead.
Carrick Fitzgerald knew what he had to do.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Being greeted by her dog friend always put a smile on her face.
Megan bent down to pet Duke as he gave a delighted bark. “Know what? I’m going to be around a little longer. I just couldn’t leave you.”
“I heard,” Kade said, leading Majestic out of the barn. “You got an early start.”
“Angie was finger-painting, and Liam took Ollie with him to learn how to build a fence.” She flexed her muscles and almost laughed at herself. “Man stuff.”
He smiled like he always did. She’d never known a man to smile so much. “Man stuff is good. We’re all on the journey of learning what it means to be a man—or a woman.”
“You seem to have it down.” She sputtered, her face turning red. “The man stuff… I didn’t mean it like that.” But it was hard to ignore how handsome and wonderful he was. Forget about cloning sheep. The world needed more men like Kade: kind, handsome, dependable.
Majestic neighed, and Kade laughed. “See. This one agrees. I’m still learning. Every day.”
She thought about Carrick and how he’d broken Angie’s heart. Should she ask? Duke nudged her leg and barked, and she took it as a sign. “What about Carrick? Is there any hope ofhimlearning? Oh, that sounds harsh, especially with me being a widow myself. But it’s kinda ironic. Angie’s accident has made me appreciate her more, and it’s made Carrick back away. It’s only… Angie really loves him. I hate seeing her so upset, and to be honest, I really don’t want her to leave. We’re in a good place.”
He led Majestic across the yard, signaling for her to join him. She fell in step with him. When he handed her the lead rope, she didn’t object even though her stomach flipped. He’d never had her take charge of a pony—not that his ponies needed it. They were all well behaved from his care and training.
“I told Carrick it’s for him to decide,” Kade said as they walked down the lane where he gave the pony rides.
The wildflowers were so bright, they might have been painted by Angie’s own hand. “I thought about going to see him, but I didn’t know what to say. Her fall scared me too.”
“Scared everyone. Someday I’ll tell you why it scared me. But not today. The sun is shining, and it’s another glorious day in Ireland. I think it’s a good time for you to have a ride yourself.”
She faltered, and Majestic looked at her, the horse’s eyes filled with the same care as she saw in Kade’s soulful gaze. “Me? Oh, I don’t know.”
He halted, and Majestic stopped as well. “I think it’s time. Do you trust me, Megan?”
Had she said soulful eyes? They were both looking at her now. “I do trust you. Completely.”
“Then hold on to the top of the saddle and give me your foot.”
He leaned over and cupped both hands, and she put her shoe in them. Then she was being lifted in the air, and he helped her mount. She settled her bottom until she was more comfortable.
He handed her the reins. “Well done. You’re a natural. Now hold the reins like this, and we’re going to walk. Shoulders back. Check out the horizon.”
She scanned the view. The dirt road tracked through grassy pastureland lined with flowers. On either side in the distance, large hills towered over the land. “Everything looks different from up here.” She’d thought it would be scary, but she felt powerful. Like the world was at her feet.
“Sometimes we need to see things from a new perspective,” Kade said, walking beside her. “Ollie will be going to school soon. What are your plans?”
She tightened her hands on the reins. “I’m on a marathon run of reading self-help books and listening to the podcasts Liam recommends. He thought I might like to learn how to meditate, but I’m not sure I can sit still for that long.” Of course, she’d lain around tons, so that wasn’t true. She just wasn’t sure she could be silent like that, and what if she didn’t hear anything? Worse, what if she heard something she didn’t like?
“No one is as well versed in such things as Liam, and he’s a wiser man for it,” Kade said, patting the gray pony on the mane. “Life can be a meditation too. You engage with everything around you. The land. The people. The animals. Don’t you feel a connection to them?”
Suddenly she felt newly aware of the sun warming her head and shoulders, of Majestic moving under her. The wind came up, rustling the grass. She looked over at Kade, who was gazing at her like he always did, an easy smile on his face. Her heart warmed. “I do. Thank you, Kade.”
“Oh, that’s all you, Megan,” he said, patting Majestic again. “You’re waking up after a long sleep.”
That was a good way of putting it, she thought.
“I wondered…” he started. “You’re so good with the animals. I wanted to see if you’d be interested in helping me with them.”
