Treading Water: Coming Home Part 34

On the way past Ashton, she squeezed his arm. "Take good care of my sister."

"You have my word on that."

Kate nodded and preceded Reid out of the office and down the stairs.

When they reached the car, Reid stopped her from getting in. "What was that all about with Ashton just now?"

"He and Jill are seeing each other."

"Really? He never said a word!"

"He was probably waiting for her to tell me."

"What do you think of them together?"

"I don't know what to say. I've barely had a chance to get my head around it."

"I know you don't think too much of him-"

"That's not entirely true. My feelings where he's concerned have been complicated. But Jill just told me that he regrets calling my father about us, and he regrets what he said to me after he found us together."

"What did he say? You never told me."

"It's not worth repeating, and it's so far in the past it doesn't matter now. I'm glad to know he regrets it. That matters to me."

"So you approve of her dating him?"

"I want her to be happy. I don't think she's ever been in love before, and it always made me sad to think she might miss out on love because she was taking care of me."

"You and your sister with a father and son," Reid said with a grin as he started the car. "Now there's a hit country song waiting to be written."

Kate busted up laughing. "So true. What do you think of them together?"

"Well, I only just met Jill, but if she's anything at all like her sister, my son is a very lucky man."

"Aww, you're very sweet to say that. She's like me in some ways but nothing like me in others. The differences make us a good team, but I've always thought that any guy who ended up with her would be very lucky."

"Then I'm glad for him-and for her."

Kate withdrew her cell phone from her purse and called Gordon. He agreed to bring Thunder to meet them on the road that ran from her neighbor's property to hers. A quick call to her neighbor gave her permission to access the road from their side.

"We're in," she told Reid when she was done with her calls.

"I can't wait to see Thunder. I sure have missed that old boy."

"Having him helped me through a rough time, so thank you again for that."

"That's good to hear, darlin'. He was meant for you."

Kate leaned her head on his shoulder and wrapped her hand around his. "So were you."

He squeezed her hand. "Our little family. Back together again."

Despite the worries about her dad and what to do about her career, Kate smiled all the way home.

Chapter 14.

Gordon was waiting for them with Thunder when they emerged from the woods on Kate's property. The groom eyed Reid suspiciously, and Thunder whinnied when he recognized them.

Kate released Reid's hand and broke into a run, delighted to see her horse.

Thunder rewarded her hug with a horse kiss to the cheek that made her laugh.

"Gordon, this is my fiance, Reid Matthews."

"Good to meet you," Gordon said gruffly.

Reid shook hands with the other man. "Same here."

Kate couldn't get enough of Thunder and his nuzzling. "Look who I have with me, pal. Your old friend."

Reid stroked the horse. "Hi, there, bud. Looking good, old man."

Kate leaned in close to the horse's mouth. "What's that you say? He says same to you."

Reid laughed and put his arm around Kate.

Gordon cleared his throat. "Will you be set from here, Ms. Kate?"

"We'll be fine. Thanks again, Gordon."

"Any time." With one last suspicious glance at Reid, Gordon mounted the other horse he'd brought and headed back to the stables.

"Chilly around here," Reid said with a s.h.i.+ver.

"Sorry. My staff is protective of me."

"He's probably wondering what a gorgeous young woman is doing with an old man like me."

"Let him wonder. If he says it out loud, he'll be looking for a new job." She raised her foot into one of the stirrups and hoisted herself up onto Thunder-one of the few places on earth she ever felt truly at home. Extending a hand to Reid, she said, "Let's ride."

"Are you sure the old guy can handle both of us?" he asked as he swung his leg over Thunder's back and settled behind Kate.

"He says to tell you he can still outrun you."

Laughing, Reid said, "I don't doubt that." He gathered up her hair and moved it to one side, baring her neck for his kisses. "Just like old times, huh?"

Kate snuggled into Reid's embrace and gave Thunder his head. "The best of old times."

Thunder took them the long way home. Kate pointed out the creek that ran through the south border of her property, took him over the bridge she'd had installed where the creek bisected her land and showed him the grazing field that had once been full of trees. "We used all the trees we removed to build the house."

"I love that."

"And then we planted a bunch of new trees to replace the ones we had to take out."

"Sounds like you put a lot of thought into it."

"Everyone told me not to buy it. They said it was a wreck and would require too much work to make it habitable, but it was exactly what I had in mind when I set out to find the perfect place. So I made it work."

"Sure looks that way to me."

"I almost called you."

"When?"

"Before I bought it. I wanted your opinion so badly. That was the closest I came to reaching out to you."

He groaned and hugged her even closer to him. "G.o.d, I so wish you had."

"So do I. Would you have approved?"

"Absolutely. You didn't need me to see the potential."

"I really wanted your approval, though, and for you to tell me it was perfect."

"Well, I can tell you now. It's perfect-for you, for me, for us."

Kate tipped her head back so she could see him. "You haven't even seen the house yet," she said with a smile.

"Do you live there?"

"Um, yeah. You know that."

"That's all I need, baby."

Those words, that accent... Kate wondered if she'd ever get so accustomed to hearing his lyrical voice that she wouldn't be moved by it anymore. She sure hoped not. "So you'd be okay living here?"

"I'd much rather live here than in the mausoleum my family called home. There's nothing warm or inviting about that place. I only keep it for the airfield that Ashton still uses and for the stables."

"I wonder if there's something we could do with that house so it isn't sitting there empty."

"Like what?"

"Maybe it could be a place for women and children who've fallen on hard times to get back on their feet," Kate said, thinking out loud. "We could hire counselors and help them with career stuff and housing advice and teach the kids to ride-"

"I love it. That's absolutely brilliant."

"Really? You think so?"

"I do. I enjoyed working on the affordable housing initiatives in St. Kitts. It's very satisfying to know you're helping people who've been less fortunate. I was born into a lot of money. I've never known any other life until I started getting down in the trenches with people in need. I liked the feeling that came with knowing I'd helped to make a difference for them. So yes, I love your idea. I'd need to run it past Ashton, but I'm sure he'd be all for it, too. He does a ton of pro bono work for needy causes in town."

Kate was a little ashamed that she was truly surprised to hear that Ashton gave back to the community. She'd spent far too much time thinking poorly of him to entertain such a possibility. "I didn't know that."

"I'm hoping the two of you can get to know each other better and discover there's a lot of good stuff you don't know about each other."

"I hope so, too. I appreciated his input today. What he said made a lot of sense to me."

"Did it?"

She nodded. "I suppose I'd be a fool to walk away entirely, but I'm determined to cut way back. He made it sound like that's totally doable. What do you think of summers on tour?"

"Sounds fun to me. Would we get to sleep in one of those narrow bus bunks that are made for one person?"

When she laughed, he took advantage of the opportunity to slide his cold hands under her sweater.

Not wanting to startle Thunder, she forced herself to stay still as the chill quickly turned to heat. "How about we go home and I show you the incredible bed I had custom built?"

"Now that I'd like to see."

"Thought you might say that." She directed Thunder to the stables, where she turned him over to Gordon for grooming. They fed him some carrots to thank him for the ride before they walked to the house.

"I swear you'd probably sleep with that horse if you could find a way to make it happen," Reid said.

"You know it. It's so not fair that dogs can live in the house but horses can't."

"Do you have dogs?"

She shook her head. "I'm away too much, but I want them. A whole bunch of them. The bed is big enough for all of us."

"No way am I sharing you with anyone else in bed."

"You're showing your age."

"Call me a fuddy-duddy, but I have my limits. No dogs in the bed."

"All right. If you're going to be that way about it."

Reid's cell phone rang. "I gotta take this. It's Ashton. Hi, son." As he listened to what Ashton was saying, he stopped walking and frowned. "I suppose that was to be expected." He listened some more. "Thanks for letting me know. I'll call you tomorrow."

"What's wrong?"