Just Home for the Holidays - Deborah Cooke Page 0,50
left the bedroom, only to find Hunter on the threshold of the house. His gaze flew to hers and she sensed that he was uncertain, then someone shoved a glass of champagne into his hand.
“Merry Christmas,” someone cried and the call was taken up by the other guests. “And welcome Natalie!” Glasses were clinked and smiles exchanged as they drank to the health of the baby, Damon and Haley.
It wasn’t easy to cross the room to Hunter, but Chloe saw that he was working his way toward her, too. They met in the middle with glasses of champagne and he tapped the rim of his glass to hers.
“How was dinner?”
“Great. Good place. Jacinda brought her new boyfriend.”
“You okay with that?”
“Of course.” He held her gaze. “She’s moving forward. Told me that I should do the same.”
“Are you going to take her advice instead of mine?”
Hunter’s smile flashed. “No, it counts as your advice because you gave it first.” He paused and she gave him time to choose his words, guessing that whatever he was going to say wouldn’t be easy for him. “I was thinking...”
“Always the better option,” she said, just to make him smile.
He did, briefly, then his gaze sought hers. “You said the other day that your nieces wanted to see the horses.”
“Oh, they wanted to run down in their jammies and ride in that carriage.”
“I’m going up to Reg’s family stables tomorrow. Want to come along?”
“Why?”
“I could use the moral support.”
“You?”
“I’m going to see Duchess for the first time in ten years.” He shrugged and she saw that he was fighting his emotions. “Horses live longer than dogs, but they don’t live forever.” He took a breath. “I think I should go.”
“You think you should take a chance on something that actually matters.”
He met her gaze and his eyes were vividly blue. “Someone recommended that to me recently. It’s good advice. Jacinda was totally on board with it.”
“I’d really like to come with you,” Chloe said. “But let’s leave the girls out of it. Can we be back in time for me to make my flight at four?”
“I’ll make sure of it,” Hunter vowed.
It was exactly right to be visiting Duchess with Chloe. Hunter felt like he had a friend at his back, and for this, he needed it. He was nervous as he seldom was and fidgety on the train. Chloe was dressed up a bit, her hair twisted up, wearing her glasses. It would have been easier to feel a connection with her if she’d been dressed down a bit, but he respected that she had her travel plans and was doing him a favor. She checked her bags at Grand Central Terminal before they got the train to Westchester County.
“Wish I still had my boots,” he confessed. “Reg is going to lend me a pair, but borrowed ones never fit as well.”
“What happened to yours?”
“I sold all my gear. I didn’t need it any more.”
“Tell me about dressage,” she invited and he did, explaining to her the rules of competition, the objective of each step, the way that the horse is taught to dance to the music.
“I wish I had a video of Duchess competing,” he said. “She loved it.”
“There aren’t any?”
“If there are, Char has them in the box with our ribbons.”
“Do you think you can make her dance again?”
“I’ll see if she remembers. She might.” He didn’t want to think about Duchess forgetting him so he told Chloe how Duchess had been a small foal, rejected by her mother, and that his mother had bottle-fed her. She’d spent time in their yard, cajoling apples and nipping hair, as much a part of the family as his siblings. “She grew into a powerful beauty and a smart, smart mare.” He shook his head. Now that he’d started to share his secrets with Chloe, he couldn’t stop. “When we sold the farm, it nearly killed me to let her go. But Reg’s family have treated her well.”
“Why didn’t you keep the farm?”
“Char never liked riding much and was moving to California for a high tech job. Hollis only loved his music. I was the one who wanted to keep the business, but I couldn’t have done it alone.”
“You would have had to buy them out.”
“That, too. I didn’t have the money and my share wasn’t enough for that.” Hunter shook his head. “It wasn’t just the money, though. I like to ride. I like to dance. I couldn’t have run the business myself.” He