a surprise.”
“Do you really need to be at—”
“I don’t need to be anywhere but right here. I run this business. The point of being the boss is making whatever decisions I want.”
I knew that wasn’t completely true. Lucien had responsibilities he couldn’t ignore, especially now when the Riccis were trying to move in on his territory. But I also knew nothing I said would change his mind. He took a few phone calls while I simply watched the world pass by outside the windows. We headed out of town, and my mind raced as I tried to figure out where we were going.
After about half an hour, the driver turned off the road and headed up a long gravel driveway which appeared to lead to a farm.
Lucien abruptly ended his call as the driver pulled the car into a small lot near the barn.
As I stared out the window, some horses came running up to the fence beside the car.
No way.
Lucien was not getting me a pony.
How the hell would he even pull that off this fast?
“Lucien, why are we here?”
“You’ll see.” The driver came around and opened the door for us. Lucien held out his hand to me. I took it and exited the car.
A woman hurried over to greet us. “Mr. Marchesi?” Lucien nodded his assent. “I’m Cathy. We spoke on the phone earlier.”
Lucien shook her offered hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Can we see them now?”
Cathy smiled. “Of course.”
Them? Maybe he wanted me to choose from a few different ponies. I didn’t want him to feel like he had to keep buying me things, but I had to admit part of me was thrilled by it. He made me feel special, and even though he’d already done far too much, the more he gave me, the more I felt bound to him. If I were honest with myself, though, the gifts might make me feel indebted to him, but it only took his presence to hold me there. When I was around him, I forgot all the reasons why I should never have agreed to stay.
Cathy led us into the barn, and the second I saw the Shetland pony in the first stall, I fell in love. She was a deep rich brown with a blonde mane and tail, exactly like the stuffed animal I’d had.
“What do you think?” Lucien asked.
“She’s perfect.” I reached out my hand, and she walked over and stuck her nose over the low stall door. I scratched her ears, and she leaned into my touch.
“Her coloring is just like the stuffed pony I had. How did you know?” I was sure I hadn’t mentioned those details the night I’d confessed my childhood longing.
“I called your uncle, and he told me.”
I didn’t know what shocked me more, the fact that Lucien would call my uncle to ask about a stuffed animal I’d had as a kid or the fact that my uncle remembered it that clearly.
“I… Thank you. This is…” I squeezed my eyes shut. I was not going to cry. “I know a lot of people would be more excited by the other things you’ve given me, and I do appreciate them, but this… I’ve never received a better gift.”
“You’re welcome.” He laid a hand against my back. “If you can tear yourself away from Clover for a few minutes, I have something else for you to see as well.”
I gave the pony a pat on her neck and told her I’d be back before following Lucien down the aisle to where Cathy stood in front of another stall.
“This is the other pony we discussed,” she said. “As you can see, he’s much larger. He stands fourteen hands high. Fourteen point two is the tallest an animal can be and still be classified as a pony. He’s calm and perfect for a beginning rider. His name is Prince, but of course you could change that if you wanted to.”
I stared at the Palomino pony. The name fit him perfectly. “He’s beautiful, but I don’t need—”
“You won’t be able to ride Clover,” Lucien reminded me. “If you’re going to frequent the stable, you might as well learn to ride, so I’m getting you a second pony. I’ve arranged for you to have lessons here where the horses will be boarded until I can have a stable built at my family’s house in Weston.”
I stared at him with my mouth hanging open. It was one thing for him to buy me a Shetland