Page 19 of Beneath Pearly Irish Skies
He patted the mare. “This is Legend, and she’s going to be around for a while. She’s still a little skittish, but she’s learning the way of things.”
Megan edged closer. “She seems a little big for pony rides.”
“Indeed,” he said, laughing when Legend stomped her foot again. “Putting your foot down already? Megan, she’s here because of a deal with my father. He needs help breeding her.”
Her hand lifted to give Legend her scent like he’d taught her. “I didn’t know you did that kind of thing for him. Is this something new?”
“It’s a one-time deal between us.” His diaphragm started locking up as he said it, which told him he needed to process some deep emotion. “We have old business—like many parents and children. I’m hoping this will go a long way toward addressing it.”
“Good,” she said, uttering a delighted laugh when Legend nibbled on her fingers. “Oh, she likes me.”
“Kindred spirit.” Kade leaned against the stall, wanting to push a piece of her hair over her shoulder as an excuse to touch her. “Come on. Let’s take that walk. Actually, I thought we might ride there. The tide will be out, and it’s a special place I’d like to show you. Sound good?”
Legend gave a soft neigh as Megan removed her hand. “It sounds wonderful,” she said, a touch of awe in her voice. “I’ve always thought riding a horse on a beach would be…”
“What?” he asked as he opened Blaze’s and Majestic’s stalls.
She made a face. “Romantic.”
He started to saddle the ponies. “Why do you think I suggested it?”
This time he spotted a flush on her cheeks. The yard was quiet as they left the shed, leading Blaze and Majestic out with them.
“Another day of nothing but gray skies,” Megan said in a mournful voice. “I’m going to have to wear my T-shirt every day to turn this weather around.”
Kade tipped his head back and studied the clouds. “I think they’re beautiful. Pearly, even. Hard to imagine more beautiful skies than these. Great for cloud watching and dreaming.”
She turned up her face too but stared at him instead of the clouds. “Pearly skies.Kade Donovan, do you ever have a negative thought? A bad day?”
He thought about his recent upset with his father. “I had to walk off some anger and sadness only a few days ago, and I expect I have more that will need addressing.”
She swallowed thickly. “Was it because of me?” she asked in a low voice. “Because I didn’t comment on what you said the other day?”
Pausing, he dipped his head to meet her eyes. “No, love. When you come to my mind—as you do often—you light up my heart. The other issue is with my father, and it’s been a longstanding problem.”
She had trouble maintaining eye contact, but she tried valiantly, he could tell. “I don’t know what to say when you tell me things like that.”
“You don’t need to say anything,” he told her as he formed a step with his hands for her to use to alight Blaze’s saddle. It took trust to accept such help, or at least it did for her, and he felt how far they’d come. “Unless you’d like me to stop saying them.”
Their hands reached for the reins at the same time, but she didn’t pull away when they touched. In fact, she settled her palm over his and met his eyes unflinchingly. “I don’t want that. I appreciate everything you say. No one else has ever said those kinds of things to me before.”
He smiled as he checked her stirrups and saddle one last time. “Good.”
With practiced ease, he swung onto Majestic and nudged her into a walk down the path that would take them to the stretch of beach he had in mind. Megan wiggled in her saddle for a few steps until she settled.
“Did you know that riding a horse is rather like centering the clay?” He matched Megan’s pace to keep even with her. “You need to be in a good place with yourself to ride. The horse knows if you aren’t. I’ve seen grown men get pushed around in such moments. Fly off, even. You seem to be faring well on both accounts.”
She laughed with a richness he only heard from her when she was around his horses, and it scattered a few black rooks in the surrounding trees. He cherished the sound. There was a rare freedom to it.
“I love riding,” she said, patting Blaze’s coat. “I feel tall and powerful. And I’ve only started centering the clay again. I’ve made a few more pieces on the small side the last couple of days, but I have a long way to go.”
Did she expect another hiccup? “But you have it back. You’re ready for your classes. Don’t forget it.”
Her smile was more of a grin, the kind devoid of life’s weight. “I won’t.”
“If you do,” he said, leaning over in his saddle to touch her arm, “I’ll help you remember. Let’s canter.”
They picked up their speed. Again, she needed a few beats to find her rhythm, but she was posting nicely. She’d been a good and eager student. He still wondered what had happened to convince her she wasn’t good at anything. He hadn’t seen any evidence.
