“I was.” Shaky, she lifted the glass and sipped, still watching the white puffs of clouds in the pristine blue sky and the visual wonder of the Teton Range. Maybe she was trying to keep her emotions distant, too.
“You had been together a long time?” A question more than a statement, but he wanted it to sound casual, as if his pulse hadn’t kicked up and he wasn’t eager to know why she’d been hurt.
“We were friends for the first three years and then it turned into something more. Something really nice.” Maybe she wasn’t aware of how her voice softened and her expression grew lighter as if she’d had the rare chance to touch more than one dream. She sat up straighter and set her coffee on the nearby end table. “For a while it was sweet and comfortable and reassuring. He was there whenever I needed him, at least when we were skating partners.”
“Sounds as if you two had a good bond.” He couldn’t say the same. He’d loved Meryl. He hated to admit he might still love her a little bit and against his will. But he’d never had that type of tie with her.
“It was nice.” She might think she was hiding her sadness, but she would be wrong. “I guess some things aren’t meant to last.”
“What happened?”
“Are you telling me you can’t guess?” She rubbed at her knee in small circles before turning away from him to fetch her drink. He didn’t imagine the hurt in the silence that fell between them.
A car accident, Cheyenne had said. But it was far more serious than that.
“A drunk driver was going the wrong way on the floating bridge when I was coming home after a late night practicing for my church’s Christmas pageant. I saw the lights and I tried to avoid him. But I steered toward the right hand shoulder, what little there was of it, and he decided to do the same. I spent the next few months in the hospital and the next year in a rehabilitation center in Los Angeles.” She took a sip, letting the pain settle between them. “Gerald couldn’t wait, he had to keep training, so he found another skating partner. It turned out my injury and the distance between Seattle and L.A. were problems too big to overcome and our bond faded.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you.” Sympathy, that was the only reason he reached over to lay his hand on hers. He cared, sure, but he was in control of his emotions. He didn’t care for her too much. He willed his understanding into his touch. “It wasn’t fair.”
“Fair? No. God never promised this life would be fair.” Her chin went up, not a woman to feel sorry for herself. “But there have been many blessings that have come my way. I survived the accident. I beat the odds to walk again. I’m really very blessed.”
“Sure, I see that,” he agreed. She was blessed in more ways than he had understood before. She had strength and faith enough not to let the unfairness of her accident and injuries embitter her spirit. It was hard not to like her more, and he twined his fingers through hers, holding on and not wanting to let go. When he gazed into her clear green eyes, a similar tug of emotion wrapped around him. “You’ve had some tough blows. First the accident, then the breakup.”
“Gerald tried. I have to give him credit. In the end he chose someone else.” Her fingers tightened on his, holding on to him, too. “Yes, it was his new skating partner.”
“Did you feel passed over?” That was certainly how he felt.
“Yes. It was easy for Gerald to move on. Proof his heart wasn’t in it as deeply as mine was.” She smiled, a mix of poignance and beauty that made her compelling. “Life goes on.”
“It does.” He was lost in the moment gazing into her, and he couldn’t remember the name of any woman previous. The brush of the breeze, the murmur of the other couple on the porch and the faint rasp of the rocking swing silenced. The world narrowed until there was only Eloise and her hand, so much smaller, tucked in his.
Footsteps vaguely drummed closer and a familiar woman’s voice pierced into his thoughts, pushing back the boundaries of his world so that Eloise was no longer the center. Cady smiled down at him and she wasn’t alone. Two dark-haired girls, one around ten with braided pigtails and the other a little older with a touch of disdain, stood by her.
“Are you boyfriend and girlfriend?” the youngest girl wanted to know.
“No.” He abruptly sat up and whipped his hand away from Eloise’s. He knew why the kid was asking. It looked as if they were, sitting together with hands linked and sharing secrets. Couples did that sort of thing. He noticed Eloise seemed uncomfortable, too. He caught Cady’s curious look and set out to reassure her. “Just talking. That’s all. I suppose you heard about the horses?”
“I found Eloise’s message on my voice mail when I reached the airport. I had to pick up these two and their father.” Cady was honorary family to the girls and their godmother. They all had been close when she’d lived in New York City. Cady gently steered the kids toward the steps. “I can’t wait to see our new horses. I didn’t think to ask if they were gentle or even trained.”
“They appear to be.” Eloise grappled for her cane. “Their previous owner took good care of them, rode them regularly and they are steady and gentle. With a little training, they should make good, reliable horses for guests to ride.”
“Excellent. What a great job, Eloise.” Cady beamed, her happiness evident, before leading the girls away. “Let’s go see the horses that were saved because of you, Julianna Elizabeth Stone.”
“Do we get to ride them?” the little girl wanted to know as she skipped down the steps, and Cady’s answer was lost in a rising gust of warm wind.
“Well, I guess I had better get back to my desk.” Eloise checked her watch and grabbed her cane. “I’ve got just enough of my day left to call the farrier. Tonight I have to get off work on time.”
“Why’s that?” He climbed to his feet and followed her along the porch.
“I’ve got a date tonight. A blind date.” She let her tone say it all.
“Poor you. Who set you up?”
“My grandma.” She liked that Sean opened the door for her and held it. He was a gentleman underneath his cowboy charm. She stepped into the air-conditioning with a sigh. “She is the only person I can’t say no to.”
“So you are stuck going out on a date when you don’t want to date?”
“Exactly.” She liked that he understood. Her own mother had little sympathy for the situation with her matchmaking grandma. “But it’s only one dinner. I can suffer through anything for an hour or so, at least that’s what I tell myself.”
“Sure. Who is it with?”
“I don’t know him. Some guy who lives in the next town over.” She hesitated in the well-appointed lobby, where their paths would part. The front door loomed to the left, the hallway leading to her office to the right. Remembering what Julianna had said made her blush. She wasn’t interested in Sean in that way. “The last thing I need is a boyfriend.”
“Right, because who wants to be tied down like that?” He swept off his Stetson and raked a hand through his thick dark hair. “Who needs the heartache?”
“You said it.” It was nice that they shared this common ground. Not wanting a repeat of earlier when he’d held her hand too long, she backed away. Maybe a no-physical-contact policy between them would be a good idea. “Thanks again, Sean.”
“Any time. I’ll see you on the next horse-gathering mission?”
“Absolutely.” She spun on her heel so she couldn’t be tempted to watch him walk away. So she couldn’t be tempted to wonder why any woman would have chosen another man over him. He didn’t even seem to notice her disability. He didn’t treat her differently because of her limp. He had understood the devastation she’d felt