Page 99 of Beneath Pearly Irish Skies
Chapter Twenty-Six
The day of the race dawned glorious and beautiful, with a sunny sky and no wind to speak of.
Of course, Kade had known people would come out for the St. Stephen’s Day fair even if the day was miserable. The Irish didn’t let weather deter them. But as he closed his eyes and soaked in the warmth of the winter sun, he had to smile. Good fortune was all around them, potent and undeniable.
Still, he was on the lookout for the source of Sorcha’s warning to Megan. She hadn’t steered them wrong yet.
He was in the shed preparing the ponies for the pony rides when Megan and Ollie arrived.
“Hi, Kade! Carrick says this is the best day we could’ve hoped to have for a horse race. I can’t wait for it to start.”
Winston nickered as Ollie ran toward him and hugged his neck. “Hi, boy! Have you met my new pony, Socks?”
Socks gave an answering neigh upon hearing his name. “He’s going to make a lot of children happy today, Ollie. It was nice of you to suggest he give pony rides with the rest of our crew.”
Ollie grinned, rubbing Socks’ mane. “He’ll be a good pony for kids to ride, but I get to go first.”
Kade and Megan shared a smile. Then he walked over and kissed her lightly on the mouth. “I have another present of sorts for you.”
Her face lit up. “You’ve already given me so much, Kade. I can’t imagine anything more.”
As far as he was concerned, he could never give her too much. “You can always say no if you’d like, Megan, but I thought you might want to race Breezy today. If you do, I’ll race at your side. We wouldn’t be racing to win. Only to have fun. It’s your call.”
She sputtered and pressed her hands to her face. “Really?”
“You’ve got to, Mom.” Ollie threw his hands up and turned in a circle. “It’s going to be awesome. I wish I could.”
“You’ll be big soon enough,” Kade said, tousling his head. “What say you, love?”
“Oh my God! I’d love it. Kade, it’s…going to be so great.”
He smiled, aware she didn’t know that he’d never raced before. Growing up, he’d avoided competing in horse jumping and racing, refusing to cede to his father’s wishes. The goal of those contests was winning, beating others, something that had never mattered to him. But racing with her, for no reason but to give them both joy, the same way they did on the beach? Yes, he would do that today and any day. “Yes, it’s going to be grand.”
“Is Brady really going to ride his donkey?” Ollie asked, giggling.
Kade chuckled himself as he thought of his friend. “He is. Technically Spark isn’t a horse. But everyone loves Brady, so they’re making an exception.”
“Mom, that’s why Mr. McGrath called his pub the Brazen Donkey. They’ve always had donkeys. Did you know?”
“I did. Brady is good craic.”
Kade sent her a wink. “He is. Shall we saddle up our ponies? Carrick, Jamie, and Liam will be here soon to help.”
He was grateful that his friends had offered their time. There would be a line of children wishing for rides, and each pony needed a handler.
“I wish I could help,” Megan said, rubbing Winston behind the ears, “but I have to sell my pottery. Listen to that.Sell my pottery.I thought that was going to be the big event today, but I’m going to be in my first horse race too.”
“You’re killing it, Mom,” Ollie said, holding out his fist.
She eyed it with confusion. “What’s that? Oh, a fist bump.”
Her fist glanced off Ollie’s, making him groan. “That was so weak, Mom. You need to practice.”
“I never thought of myself as a fist bumper.” She held it out again. “One more try?”
Their fists connected this time, and Megan let out a sound of delight. “All right, I’m ready to kill it.”
The words didn’t sound right coming from her, but he liked the sentiment very much. “Let’s saddle up the rest of the ponies and tell Legend not to miss them too badly.”
