Beauty for Ashes Page 0,117

James Henry and shook her head. “People will talk.”

“Maybe they will, but you know something? I’m so happy to see Griff Rutledge that I don’t care one whit about idle gossip.”

“Obviously. You’ve mooned over him since the day you first laid eyes on him. You’ve always cared more for your own wishes than for the good of others.”

Carrie kept her voice low. “How dare you say that? After all I’ve done for you and your children.”

Without waiting for further argument, she grabbed her hat and shawl from the hall tree and went outside. “Joe and Caleb, please go inside and finish your lessons. Mr. Rutledge and I are going out for a little while.”

“Can’t we go too?” Joe asked.

“Not this time, son,” Griff said. “Go on now, and mind your aunt Carrie.”

The boys shuffled inside and closed the door. Griff swung into the saddle and held out his hand. Carrie gave him her hand, placed her foot in the stirrup, and vaulted into the saddle behind him.

“All set?” He turned Majestic toward the road.

“Yes.” She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, rested her cheek against his back, and breathed in his scent, a mixture of wool, hay, and horses. Her irritation at Mary melted away like a spring snowfall. She felt like a princess in one of Joe’s fairy tales, swept away on horseback. Whatever Griff wanted her to see could not surpass this moment, riding through the growing darkness with him and Majestic.

Griff urged the colt into a gentle canter. They left the road and cut through a stand of red cedar and old oaks, following a broken-down fence bordering the woods. The chilly spring air cooled her face. Overhead the moon rose full and bright, and the stars—shards of pure white light—glittered in the indigo sky.

They exited the woods. Ahead, shining white in the moonlight, was the Gilmans’ place. Every window glowed with yellow light that spread in rectangles across the broad expanse of lawn. Across the meadow stood the barn, lit by a single lantern.

“Here we are.”

“Mr. Gilman’s? Are you training for another race?”

Griff dismounted and held out his arms for her. She slid from the saddle and into his strong embrace. He cupped her cheek in his hand. “Carrie.”

Tears started behind her eyes. “I thought you’d left for good,” she whispered. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

He brushed a strand of hair from her face. “You won’t get rid of me that easily. I talked Gilman into selling me a piece of this place. I plan on settling down here.”

“But what about Australia? What about—”

“You’ve changed me, Carrie. You’ve spoiled me for any kind of life except the one I plan to build here.”

He had changed her too. Before Griff, she’d lived a life of quiet duty, resigned to being alone. He had allowed her to hope that perhaps one day she could live a life of joy. She wanted to tell him how she felt, but her heart was too full.

Griff offered his arm. “Come on. Let me show you.”

They crossed the meadow and came upon a small cottage, well hidden from the main road. Moonlight spilled across the wide front porch and illuminated a small garden at the side of the house.

“It isn’t much now,” Griff said, “but I plan on fixing it up, building on a better kitchen at the back. Maybe expanding the garden too. There’s already a good well out back, and a dandy creek for fishing, and thirty acres for raising and training Majestic’s offspring.”

Carrie stared up at him, scarcely able to take it all in.

“Bought him too.” Griff’s pride was evident. “Cost me a king’s ransom, but he’s worth every penny. In a few years I’ll have one of the best horse farms in the South. Maybe I’ll eventually produce a Kentucky Derby winner.”

“That’s wonderful. But I’m surprised Mr. Gilman was willing to part with Majestic.”

“Horses are in my blood, Carrie. Breeding them, training them, racing them is what I was always meant to do. Gilman understands that. That’s why he was willing to wait until I could get my funds from London. Besides, it isn’t as if he can’t see Majestic anytime he wants.”

“I’m so glad. I know you’ll make this into a wonderful place. Maybe one day Hickory Ridge will be famous because of you.”

“I don’t care about that. I’ve already got everything I could hope for. There’s only one thing missing.” He drew her close, and her heart kicked inside her chest. She could