Page 52 of Beside Golden Irish Fields
Liam pulled to a stop and cut the engine. The man walked over, leaving the pony where it stood, and extended his hand to her. “You brought an extra helper, Liam?”
She tugged on her helmet, and then those same hands were helping her remove it.
“No, this is my cousin, Megan,” Liam said after taking his helmet off. “She wanted to meet you and make an appointment for Ollie.”
Kade studied her, taking his time, and she had the notion he saw everything. His regard wasn’t awkward—the opposite, in fact. Maybe it was the ride that had cleared her head, but she felt like she was seeing clearly for the first time in months. His brown eyes were kind, and were it not for the gentleness about him, his large size and stature would have made him look quite tough.
“It’s good to meet you, Megan,” he said, extending his hand.
She took it and felt her hand engulfed in a gentle clasp.
“I’m Kade, like you know, and I can’t wait to meet your son. This here is Winston.”
He made a clicking sound with his teeth, and the pony came trotting over. When it reached her, it bent its foreleg and bowed its head to her.
“It’s almost like he’s meeting royalty,” she said with awe, then sputtered, “but of course, I’m no royalty or anything.”
Liam laughed. “If you ask most Irish, they’ll say we’re all the descendants of kings and queens. Right, Kade?”
“That’s the story, so it is,” he said with a smile. “I taught Winston and some of the horses a few tricks like that, but we haven’t mastered hand shaking.”
A Jack Russell came running down the path behind the shed, its bark bigger than its little body.
Kade scratched the little dog behind his ears when it reached them. “This one does shake, and he’s clearly excited to meet you. Duke, this is Megan, Liam’s American cousin.”
The dog uttered a short bark and extended his paw. “Oh, look at you,” she said, bending over and shaking the foreleg gently. “You’re obviously great with animals. If you’re this great with people, you must be a miracle worker.”
When she stood up, he was gazing deeply at her again. “Do you need a miracle worker, Megan?”
He was asking in earnest, she realized. “Yes, I suppose I do. Losing my husband has put me in uncharted territory. I’m not doing a great job of helping my son. Or anyone, for that matter.”
“Oh, you’re being hard on yourself, Megan,” Liam said. “You’ll remember what we talked about. Movement. Time. Friends.”
“They’re all great healers,” Kade said with a decisive nod. “The hard part for most people is accepting that something can’t be undone. We only call it a loss while we’re healing. After that, it’s just a detail about ourselves we sometimes share. It might change us, but it doesn’t have to define or limit us.”
Her throat thickened as she remembered thinking about those new labels attached to her. “I can’t imagine feeling like that right now.”
He put his hand on her arm, the touch as comforting as his gaze. “No, I imagine it hurts a lot. For you and Ollie.”
She nodded, feeling tears burn her eyes.
“And your sister, Angie, too. I met her at the pub last night. I like her. I was actually planning on bringing Majestic by today to take her riding.”
Helike-liked Angie? First Carrick and now Kade? She stiffened. “She’s not supposed to be interested in men at the moment. She’s supposed to be painting.”
His mouth moved as if he were fighting a smile. “I heard she was having a little trouble on that score, so I thought a ride would help. I don’t have that sort of interest in your sister, Megan. I only planned to be her friend. Like I hope I’ll be with you and Ollie.”
Oh, how embarrassing. She glanced at Liam, and he raised his brows at her, suggesting she was on her own with this one.
“I’m so sorry. I misunderstood. Well, I don’t want to keep you from your day. Can I make an appointment for Ollie?”
“How does today sound?” Kade asked. “Now, in fact. I can collect a few horses and take you back to Bets.”
“You make house calls now?” Liam asked.
“Sometimes,” Kade said with a mysterious smile. “The fairies told me a house call was just the thing. I’ll take Angie and Ollie on a ride. You, as well, Megan, if you’ve the mind.”
“I’ve never ridden a horse.”
