Healing Hearts (13 page)

“I’m glad there’s a good breeze tonight. The mosquitoes aren’t as bad.” Abbey came up beside him and tipped her water to her mouth.

“Also keeps the heat bearable.”

Abbey glanced at Madi. Gabe had come up to her chair and plopped down beside it. “I think my dog is tired, too.”

“Today has been a nice distraction from everything I need to do.”

“Back to work for both of us tomorrow. I didn’t get a chance earlier to ask you what made you decide to change cattle for horses at Winter Haven. I got the impression that you weren’t interested in becoming involved with the ranch.”

“So did I for a while, but as I rode over the land looking for a place to put the factory, I began to remember how much I used to love the place.”

“What changed that for you?”

Dominic inhaled a deep breath, his eyebrows dipping down to form deep grooves at the bridge of his nose. His mouth tightened, and he faced the river, throwing his profile into the shadows.

Silence hovered between them, and Abbey realized this was a subject he didn’t want to discuss. Why? She knew he held part of himself back from her, even after she’d told him about her husband’s abandonment.

Realizing she’d overstepped their boundaries, she said, “I didn’t mean to pry,” and started to turn away to help her mother clean up.

Dominic caught her arm and brought her back toward him. “My father and I had a falling-out years ago, and I left home, not intending to ever come back. But Madi came along, and I began to yearn to see my little sister. But even then, Dad and I didn’t really make up. We silently agreed not to talk about the past, but it was there nonetheless. Always between us. I’ve finally realized my anger was only hurting me, holding me back. It would be much easier if I made the ranch my home. Madi doesn’t need the upheaval of moving away. This is her home, too. I tried to put my differences with Dad behind me. When I did, the solution I’ve been wrestling with lately came to me.”

She tried not to feel the hurt that he never had confided in her about the problem he’d been wrestling with. She felt as though he’d slammed an impregnable door in her face. Her throat swelled with emotions she fought to tamp down.

“In exchange for using part of the ranch for my factory, I’ll fulfill what my father always wanted me to do—take over the ranch and run it.”

“I’m glad.” She wished she could be as forgiving to her ex-husband. She’d seen him the other day at the post office with his pregnant wife, and that had cut deeper than she thought it would. Her heart still cracked at the thought that he would have what she didn’t—a family. “I’ve always been so close to my parents. They were here when I needed them the most.”

“I used to think that about my father. He helped me through the death of my mother.”

“So what happened that caused you two to become estranged?” She prepared herself for him not to answer her, and for a long moment he averted his gaze and stared at Madi.

Abbey had started to make some excuse to leave when finally he said in a low voice, “My father married the woman I was engaged to.”

“Madi’s mother?”

He nodded.

Abbey was speechless. Looking at him, she held back the impulse to put her arms around him. Something about his stiff posture warned her off.

“I know. When it happened to me years ago, I couldn’t think of anything to say. All I could do was leave. I didn’t talk to him for four years, then he went into the hospital with pneumonia. They weren’t sure he was going to live. Mrs. Ponder called to let me know. As angry as I was at him, I didn’t want him to die without saying goodbye. I knew I would regret that later.”

“Then you met Madi and that changed everything.”

“Yes. I even was able to have a civil relationship with my dad and Susie, for Madi’s sake.”

She thought of Peter with his wife. “I applaud you for being able to put aside your feelings and forgive your father.”

“That sounds like you haven’t been able to forgive your husband for leaving you.”

“It’s hard when I see him from time to time, especially with his pregnant wife.”

“That’s got to be hard. Seeing him like that. It was torture for me every time I came back to the ranch, seeing Susie and my dad together. After a while I became numb to my feelings.”

“Each time I do see them, I think of all the children we were going to have. I wanted a large family. I...” The words clogged her throat. She was afraid to say anything further, for fear of breaking down in her parents’ backyard.

“This probably wasn’t the best place to have this conversation.” Dominic wrapped his arms around her and pressed her against him. “It’s never easy to look at our pasts and see what could have been.”

His chest rose and fell beneath her cheek. His warmth surrounded her as though protecting her from harsh reality. She was scared to trust her emotions. Look what had happened with Peter. She couldn’t go through that again. And yet...

She leaned back and stared up into his eyes, the shadows hiding part of his face. She lifted her hand and caressed his jaw. “We need to build new dreams.”

His mouth curved up. “You’re right but, like you, I’m not sure if I can trust my feelings. I’ve taken a beating the past months. It’s been one thing after another.”

“But Madi’s getting better each day. It won’t be long before she’s walking again.”

He cradled her face between his palms. “That’s what I like about you. Your positive attitude. I know what you’re saying will happen, but as I saw her playing and trying to fit in with the others today, I wanted it to be right now.” The corner of his mouth hitched up. “I guess I’m an impatient man. I know God is working in Madi’s life, but why does it have to take Him so long?”

Abbey chuckled. “That’s a question I’ve often asked myself. That’s when I figure the Lord is trying to teach me patience. I’m not the best student in the world.”

He laughed, wiping away the intense moment between them. “I think you’ve described me perfectly.”

Then, taking her by surprise, he lowered his head toward hers. His lips whispered across hers so softly she wondered if she’d imagined it. But when he pressed her even closer and claimed her mouth, there was no doubt.

She savored every second in his arms. Her heartbeat galloped like a runaway horse and she clung to him, wishing the moment could last for eternity. But the feel of a cold nose against her leg and a single bark reminded her where they were. And that was wrong.

Chapter Eleven

D
ominic rushed over to find Madi thrashing around on the lounge chair where she’d fallen asleep. The child bolted up, looking around frantically. “Dominic,” she cried out.

“Here I am.” He sat on the chair near his sister.

“Where...” Madi’s gaze landed on Abbey, standing next to Dominic. His sister twisted around and saw the house and patio. “I didn’t know where I was at first. I thought I was—” she shook her head “—in the airplane, but that can’t be.”

“No, you’re with me, and Abbey is here. We’re at her parents’ home. Do you remember?”

Madi nodded slowly.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded again.

Dominic rose. “We’d better go. It looks like everyone is leaving, and Madi needs her rest.”

“No, I don’t. I don’t want to go yet. I’m not tired anymore.”

“But I am. It’s been a long day, and I have a lot to do tomorrow, and so do you.” Dominic picked up Madi and placed her in her electric wheelchair. “Greta will be over in the morning, and the tutor in the afternoon.”

“Oh, great. Schoolwork.” A pout descended over Madi’s features as she maneuvered her chair around and started for the patio.

Abbey smiled inwardly. “Tell you what. If you do a good job tomorrow, I’ll come pick you up on Saturday and you can help me at the nursing home again. We could use Cottonball again, too.”

“Cottonball loves going there. I’ll have to be careful. Mrs. Parks wants to keep Cottonball all to herself.”

As Abbey and Madi talked about Shady Oaks, Dominic slowed his pace and watched them interact. Abbey had a way with his sister as though they had been friends for years. Madi needed someone like Abbey in her life. But it was getting harder and harder to see Abbey and not want more from her. He thought of the kisses they had shared, and his gut clenched. She stirred something in him that he hadn’t felt in years. But what were Abbey’s true feelings? Was she around because of Madi or because she cared for him? Their kiss said the latter, but he’d been duped before, by Susie. Could he ever trust another woman with his heart?

* * *

Abbey looked at her car clock. She didn’t have much time before she had to meet Emma at the ranch to set up the birthday party for Madi. Why couldn’t she get all the items she needed on her first trip to the Super Center? Now she had to make a second trip.

Passing the stack of handheld baskets in the store, she grabbed the handle of the top one and didn’t slow her pace as she headed back to the area where the eggs were.

When she came around the corner near the dairy section, she halted in front of the yogurt. There in front of the milk stood Peter, holding his newborn baby, with his wife next to him.

Peter glanced up and spied her. Saying something to Julia, he gave the baby to her and started for Abbey. Panic set in, and all she could think to do was hurry in the opposite direction.

Why did I run?
Because she hadn’t expected to see him, especially not with his new baby. But mostly because lately she’d been revisiting her emotions about when he’d left and Lisa had died. She didn’t know what she felt anymore. Dominic’s, and even Madi’s, entry into her life threw her into confusion. She loved Dominic, but there were so many barriers in their way.

After a few minutes had passed, she snuck her way to the dairy section and saw that the coast was clear. Relief washed over her. She knew she had to deal with these conflicting emotions someday, but today was not the day. She had a party to throw. And she would see Dominic, who had been so busy recently that they often only glimpsed each other in passing. But today he would be there the whole afternoon. And she was looking forward to that very much.

* * *

“We have about an hour to set up before the guests arrive, then Dominic will be bringing Madi home about thirty minutes after that,” Abbey said as she carried several sacks into the barn. “I’m so glad you agreed to help me, Emma. I want this to be perfect for Madi. She doesn’t know that the doctor has said it’s okay for her to ride with the physical therapist’s direction.”

“And Greta’s coming today?”

“Yes. All Madi’s wounds have healed, and she is getting stronger, especially her upper body. She should be fine on a horse with some help. She’s going to be so excited.”

Abbey and Emma headed toward her yellow car, which was parked on the side of the barn away from the house. “It sounds like someone else is excited, too,” Emma said.

“I can’t wait to see the expression on her face. Ten girls are coming. Brandy had already told some of them how good Madi was getting around. I’m hoping this is the start of her getting involved with her friends again.” Abbey slid the huge cake from the back of her car. “What do you think?”

Emma whistled when she glimpsed the cake decorated with chocolate icing as though it was dirt. An enclosed paddock made out of candy cane sticks and candles surrounded a pinto that looked like Spice. A banner on the candy fence said, “Happy Birthday, Madi.”

“I think you’ve gotten more out of this than anyone. Since you’ve met Madi, you have changed. You’re happier.” Abbey had opened her mouth to protest when her friend hurriedly continued. “Not that you were moping around. This past year you’ve come a long way. Helping people has done wonders for you.”

“Yeah, instead of focusing on my problems, I’m enjoying helping people solve theirs.” Abbey put the cake down on a table she had set up in an empty stall that Chad had cleaned out for the food. “I think I’ll have Chad come clean my house. This looks spotless.”

“Where is the foreman?” Emma began emptying the bags of food. “I’m gonna need help with the cooler of soft drinks.”

“He’ll be here soon. He’s dressing up in his costume.”

“As what?”

“A clown.”

Emma laughed. “Does he do balloon animals?”

“No, trick riding. He offered to be the entertainment.”

“You seem at home here.”

Abbey straightened from stuffing the empty sacks under the table and looked at Emma. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“You care about Madi—”

“Of course.”

“And Dominic. I haven’t seen you like this in... I’ve never seen you like this.”

Abbey leaned against the wall of the stall. “Meaning?”

“You’re falling in love.”

“With Madi, yes.”

“And Dominic?”

“I don’t know. I’m confused. When he kisses me—”

“Hey, you never told me he kissed you.” Emma lifted her hand for Abbey to high-five it. “You’re getting back in the saddle, as they say.”

“A kiss doesn’t mean I love him, and it certainly doesn’t mean he loves me.”

“You didn’t see him looking at you at the barbecue last week.”

“He was looking at me?”

“Yes, when you were in the petting area, he stood at the fence and watched you interact with Madi and the other kids.”

A flush suffused Abbey’s face. How had she missed that? “He was looking at his sister.”

“No. He was looking at you.”

Flustered, Abbey busied herself by taking the chips out of the bag and putting them in a bowl. “I’m mixed up and don’t want to make a mistake. It would probably be best if we remained friends only.”

“If you can manage that, congratulations. It’s hard being around someone you’re attracted to and act as if you’re not.”

“Sounds like you speak from experience.”

“It was a long time ago.”

Abbey checked her watch. “We need to hurry. The guests will be here in forty minutes, and we need to lay out the food, get the drinks, and then put up the decorations where she can’t see them when she first comes into the barn.”

As Abbey went about making this the perfect birthday party for Madi, she couldn’t shake thoughts of Dominic from her mind. His second kiss had plagued her even more than the first one had. Emma might be right. How could she be around Dominic and pretend not to care about him?

* * *

“Since it’s my birthday, I think we should go out to dinner and ask Abbey to come along,” Madi said from the backseat in the SUV.

“Oh, you do, do you?” Dominic turned into the driveway that led to the ranch house.

“Yep. She’s done a lot for us. She brought me Cottonball and let me borrow Gabe. You like her, don’t ’cha?”

Like
was too mild a word for what was happening between him and Abbey. “Well, sure. You’re right, she has been a good friend to us.”

“Then you agree? Call her when we get home and ask her out.”

Like a date?
No, he was sure Madi didn’t mean it that way. What would she know about dating? She was only nine years old.

“I know she doesn’t have plans this evening.”

“How?”

“I asked her yesterday when we went to see the people at Shady Oaks.”

“First, I thought we would go to the barn and see Spice. You haven’t gone for a couple of days with all the physical therapy you’ve had plus your schoolwork.”

“We’ll do that after you call Abbey.”

He looked in the rearview mirror. “Why is this so important to you? I had Chad bring Spice in from the pasture. She’ll be waiting for you.”

“She can wait. You shouldn’t ask someone at the last moment to go out to dinner.”

He parked in front of the house and twisted around. “Where in the world did you hear that?”

“Brandy. She has an older brother who dates a girl and knows all about this.”

“But this isn’t a date.”

“Yes, it is. We’re going out to dinner,” she said with intensity. “We’ll go to a restaurant, and you’ll pay for it.”

“Okay, it’s a date. Now what’s this about?”

“Nothing. Dinner.” Madi stared at her lap for a long moment, then opened the car door. “Let’s call her now, and then we’ll go to the barn.”

“I thought you wanted to see Spice. You told me so at the mall.”

“I do. You’re not supposed to be difficult on my birthday.”

Dominic climbed from the SUV, went to the back and let the electric wheelchair down from the platform attached to the car’s rear. Then he went to get Madi. After she was settled, he pulled out his cell phone and punched in Abbey’s number.

“Dominic, what’s wrong? I saw you all driving up to the house. Everything is set down here at the barn.”

He strolled a few feet away from his sister. “Would you like to go to dinner tonight?” he asked as Madi watched him.

“Tonight? It’s Madi’s birthday. What’s this about?”

Turning his back on his sister, he lowered his voice. “Madi thought you would like to go out with us tonight.”

“Well, why didn’t you say that?”

“Because I think she is trying to set us up and she is staring right at me.”

The whine of the electric motor came nearer to him. He glanced at Madi, who was now only two feet from him. “I’ll see you at seven then,” he said in a louder voice.

Abbey chuckled and disconnected.

“Well, what did she say? Why were you whispering?”

“She’ll go with us. Where do you want to go?”

“To Andre’s.”

The most expensive restaurant in town. “How do you know about that place?”

“Dad used to take Mom there.”

“You need reservations for it.”

“Mrs. Ponder made some two days ago.”

“What is this? A conspiracy?”

Madi swung her chair around and started for the barn. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

For a few seconds he watched his sister drive away in her wheelchair, stunned that this had been planned out. What was she up to? He intended to find out. With a shake of his head, he jogged to catch up with her.

* * *

“Was that Dominic?” Emma asked as she and Abbey ducked behind a stall door.

“Yeah, he asked me to go to dinner with Madi and him tonight.”

“Good. It’s about time he made his move.”

“It wasn’t his idea. I have a feeling Madi is behind the invitation.”

“Sure. It’s her birthday. He wouldn’t ask you out on a date on her birthday.”

Abbey shot her friend a look. “Quit trying to make this into something it isn’t.”

Emma put her finger over her mouth. “Shh. I hear the wheelchair.”

As the sound came closer, Abbey peeked through the slats of the stall door. Madi appeared in the entrance into the barn.

“Where’s Chad with Spice?” The girl drove a little farther inside.

Abbey popped up with Emma following. “Surprise! Happy birthday, Madi!” She pulled the rope that held a large banner over the back double doors.

The rest of the guests jumped up and spilled out of the stalls, clapping and shouting, “Happy birthday!”

Madi’s eyes widened, and her cheeks reddened. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

“We caught Madi speechless. That’s got to be a first.” Brandy smiled from ear to ear.

“You threw me a surprise party,” Madi finally said, tears shining in her eyes fastened on Dominic.

“With a lot of help from Abbey. My job was getting the list of guests to invite and to make sure you were away from the ranch.”

“And you did a great job.” Abbey came up and gave Madi a hug.

“So when he called you, you were in the barn?” Madi laughed.

“Yup.”

The child scanned the area with all the streamers and banners released. She stared up at the ceiling where a net hung with brightly colored balloons in it. “I can’t believe you did all of this.”

“It was fun.” Abbey stepped back from Madi to let her friends crowd around her. For a few seconds she thought about Lisa and how she would have enjoyed a party like this. Emotions lumped in her throat, and she turned away.

“You okay?” Dominic whispered in her ear.

“Just thinking about my daughter. She loved animals. This would have been the perfect birthday party for her.”

He settled his hand on her shoulder. “I can’t imagine losing a child.”

She was not going to let anything stand in the way of Madi having the best birthday ever. She pushed the melancholy feelings away, then waded through the group of girls to Madi. “You think this is neat. Just wait. Everyone, let’s go out into the corral behind the barn. I have a surprise.”

“Another one?” Madi’s grin dominated her face as she pushed her wheelchair knob to go forward.

“What is the entertainment?” Dominic asked as he strolled next to Abbey.