Page 60 of Beneath Pearly Irish Skies
He chuckled. “I should have known you were up to something. Legend isn’t my horse. You’ll have to ask Dad.”
Her nose scrunched. “I’ll have to think up a way to get him to agree. I can tell you don’t think he will.”
“We’re planning on covering Legend around that time. She should be in season.” All they needed now was to find a horse.
“No chance then,” Shannon said, making a face. “Any of Dad’s horses you could suggest?”
Kade thought about it a moment. “I think you challenge Dad straight on. Tell him you’re racing and if you’re to have any chance at beating him fair and square, what horse would he give you? His competitiveness will kick in.”
“Brilliant!” She grinned at him. “Come on. I’ll race you back. The racing looks as good on you as your new girl.”
She was off before he could agree. Nudging Blaze, he raced off after his sister. When he arrived in the yard, his heart warmed at the sight. His friends had all come by, as he’d known they would. Brady. Declan. Liam. Jamie. Carrick.
Brady walked over to him, making kissing noises. “At last! You’ve finally found your woman. How’re your lips? Do you need some lip balm? You need to break them in slow, man, or you’ll have problems.”
“Like you’d know lately, Brady,” his twin brother called out. “Your lady love is a sweet woman. As is her boy.”
“Ollie is that and more,” said Jamie, laughing. “The other day I found him and Chloe Kilmartin in a tree talking about their dreams of the future. It was rather sweet.”
Kade thought about Megan’s Dream Jar. Like mother, like son, it seemed.
“So he’s a romantic like his mother,” Liam said, clapping him on the back. “I was glad to hear the news of the date, although I knew it was coming. She’s a grand girl, my cousin.”
“That she is,” he answered, turning his attention to the one friend who had yet to say his piece.
He and Carrick Fitzgerald had always shared a deeper understanding, one where words weren’t needed. This time, there was an added piece: Carrick was marrying Megan’s sister. His friend put his hands on his hips and rocked on the heels of his navy wellies. “Since we were kids, you always knew the way of things differently than most. I’m glad to see you smiling because that tells me all’s right in the world.”
“It is,” he simply responded.
A powerful scent of oranges wafted through the yard.
Carrick smiled and nodded. “Ah, that pleases my heart. I see the way of it even better now.”
Kade hadn’t expected Sorcha to communicate with Carrick again, but she likely knew her efforts on his friend’s behalf would please him.
“You see the way of it?” Jamie said, elbowing his brother in the side and looking at Kade. “That’s the understatement of the century.”
Brady sniffed the air. “Do you smell oranges? Kade, you’re not feeding your horses extra vitamin C, are you?”
“Oranges!” Declan shoved Brady gently. “Why would he give horses oranges? You’re becoming as daft as Aunt Olive.”
Kade grinned as Carrick cleared his throat. Jamie just slapped a hand to his forehead. He’d probably realized what Kade had—if Brady was smelling oranges, Sorcha had plans for him too. He couldn’t wait to see what would unfold for his friend, the traveling postal publican.
“I only smell horses and rain in the air,” Shannon said, wrinkling her nose.
Liam only shrugged when Brady shot a confused look at him, making Kade curious. His friend was so attuned to certain things—energy and signs and the like—but he’d never mentioned being able to see ghosts like his father and his oldest brother, Wyatt. Time would tell.
Everyone turned at the sound of a car approaching. Kade’s heart warmed in his chest, seeing that it was Megan’s. His friends all turned to him.
“We’ll be leaving you then,” Declan said, jerking his thumb in their direction. “New girl always trumps old friends.”
“That it does,” Brady said, making kissy faces again.
“Off with you,” Kade said, shooing them playfully like he would his ponies.
The others grinned and made their way to their cars as Megan pulled to a stop.
Carrick put his hand on his shoulder. “Angie’s happy for you both and trying to give you space.”
