Hunter’s starting an equine therapy center.” Matt took a bite of his garlic bread.
“No,” Hunter said a little too quickly. He shot a glance at Matt and then met Molly’s eyes before returning his attention to Gloria.
“Yes,” Molly said before he could speak. “That’s the goal, Hunt.”
“Right, but we’re not there yet,” he said. “I just bought a few horses.”
“He bought seventeen new horses,” Matt said in a deadpan.
Hunter had the decency to look a bit sheepish. “I do love horses, and these have worked in a therapy program before. It seemed like the Lord opening the way for me. Maybe a little early, but I couldn’t just ignore it.”
Gloria nodded, finished her bite of pasta, and said, “Equine therapy. That’s amazing. So I’d work with the horses?”
“You said you’re good with them,” Hunter said.
She had no idea what he’d done with her résumé, and she’d need to get that back before she left. She only had the one and no way to print another.
“I am,” she said. “My father owned a ranch in Montana, and I worked there my whole life.” She shot a glance at Matt, begging him to stay quiet. In the end, when she looked at Hunter again, she couldn’t fib to him, even if it was a tiny, white lie.
“Well, almost my whole life. I did a little stint at a ranch in Sugar Pond for a couple of years.” She nodded to Matt. “That’s where I met Matt.”
“Right,” Hunter said, looking between them again. “You’re from Sugar Pond.”
Matt just nodded, and Gloria took a peek at his kids. His son definitely came from him, and he had the quiet, brooding look down pat. He’d probably break a lot of hearts, the way Matt had, and Gloria found herself smiling at him.
“I know everything about running a cattle ranch,” Gloria said. “Particularly horse care, as I was primarily responsible for their care.”
“She’s got a veterinary technician certificate,” Matt said.
“Right,” Hunter said. “I read that.” He ate, and Gloria settled into the rhythm of it too. Molly kept the conversation with the children going, and Matt contributed plenty too.
Gloria didn’t want the meal to end, though she definitely needed time to figure out where she could park her truck that night. It only took ten minutes to set up the tent over the bed of the truck, and another ten to get her airbed inflated and made for the night.
Twenty minutes. She wanted to do all of that long before dark, and one glance at the clock on the stove told her she had hours to spare. Though the beginning of August lingered just around the corner, the sun still didn’t go down until at least nine or nine-thirty.
It was barely six o’clock right now.
“Cake,” Molly announced, and she got up from the table, collected everyone’s plates, and took them to the kitchen sink.
Matt joined her in the kitchen while she sliced the cake and put the individual pieces on smaller dessert plates. He put a fork on each one and started delivering them to the table, two at a time.
“Happy birthday, bud,” he said, placing the first piece in front of his son.
“Thanks, Dad.” His son smiled for maybe the first time that evening, and soon enough everyone had chocolate cake. Molly brought a plate of red velvet cupcakes to the table, and asked if anyone wanted milk, coffee, or hot chocolate.
Gloria would kill for a cup of coffee, and thankfully, Hunter said, “Coffee, please, sweetheart.” They smiled at one another, and their feelings for each other were pure and sweet. Beautiful, Gloria thought, and she wondered how long they’d been together. Neither of them wore a ring on their left hand, and she noticed Matt didn’t either.
The cake and cupcakes disappeared amidst chatter and laughter, and Gloria relaxed in this cool house with plenty of spirit.
“What are you going to name the equine therapy center?” Chris asked.
Hunter leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on Molly. “We don’t know.”
“It’s going to be exclusively for children,” Molly said. “I have a list of ideas, actually. Maybe you could all vote.” Her eyebrows went up, and she jumped to her feet in the next moment. “Let me get my binder.”
Hunter chuckled as she bustled away. “Her and that binder.” He wasn’t making fun of her though. His fondness for her rode on the air, and his smile said it all when she returned with a blue binder. She stayed standing as she opened it and