Love by the Reins: Christian Contemporary Romantic novella (Love's Sporting Chance)

  LOVE BY THE REINS

  A Love’s Sporting Chance Novella

  By Cate Nolan

  Copyright 2015

  Written by: Cate Nolan

  Published by: Forget Me Not Romances, a division of Winged Publications

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  No part of this book may be copied or distributed without the author’s consent.

  Dedication:

  This one is for my father, for all the times he scoured his school library in search of Black Stallion books for his horse-crazy daughter. I never got the horse I wanted, but I won first prize in the Best Father Derby. I love and miss you, Daddy.

  Chapter One

  “You must be Hailey.” Willa James unlatched the paddock gate and approached the young girl standing by the fence.

  “You're late.”

  Willa drew up short, taken aback by the hostile tone. She was late, but she had a good reason and didn’t really expect to be taken to task by a pint-sized rider in her own stables.

  She took a calming breath and moved forward. “I’m Willa.”

  “I know who you are. You’re the reason I’m here. We were supposed to start my lessons half an hour ago.”

  “I sent a message to your father that I’d be delayed. One of the horses was in distress and I couldn’t leave him alone.” And especially not to give riding lessons to a spoiled child who didn’t even have the grace to look guilty for her rudeness.

  The girl rolled her eyes in a way that told Willa she thought her distress over being kept waiting outweighed any valid reason. This was not a good beginning.

  Okay. Willa flexed the sole of her riding boot over the fence rail and mentally counted to ten. Hailey might be rude, but she was a child. As the adult, Willa had to be the one to handle it better. Especially since it wasn't the child's fault that Willa was nervous as an unbroken colt.

  One more deep breath, a slow exhale, and she was ready to try again.

  “Where is your father? We should talk to him so we can get started.” Not that she wanted to talk to him. The mere thought of talking to Hailey's father shook her to the core, resurrecting memories she'd crushed a decade ago.

  The girl gestured with her head and Willa looked in that direction.

  Her heart did a crazy flip-flop at the sight of David Marlow reclining against her paddock fence. His jacket hung open, his jean clad legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at his ankles as one boot-clad foot tapped impatiently. Ten years since she’d seen him, and he still did crazy things to her heart. He was speaking animatedly into the phone and never once looked up or their way. She closed her eyes a second, but that didn't block the image. She could have stood there all day soaking in the sight of him. She'd expected to feel pain, or at least regret. Maybe even anger. Instead she was filled with a longing so deep and powerful it terrified her.

  She fought the wave of memories. There was nothing left. That ship had sailed ten years ago when he chose her best friend. The expected rush of pain hit now, intensifying the longing. She might have stopped thinking about him every moment of every day, but obviously her feelings had never really gone away.

  “Are you going to stand here making dreamy eyes at my father all day or are you going to train me.”

  Snap! Caught by a nine-year old. It didn’t matter that she was a nine year-old tyrant. She was right. Willa had no business staring at David.

  This was all such a mistake. She should never have agreed to even consider training Hailey. She’d known it was a bad idea from the start, but David had been insistent and persuasive. She sighed. He’d always been persuasive.

  “Come on, let's go. Your father can catch up with us when he gets done with his call.”

  “That'll be never.”

  Willa swallowed a smile. So she wasn't the only one on the receiving end of Hailey's bitterness. She glanced sideways at the child - Susan's child too. A shaft of pain caught her unawares. Looking at the girl's profile was like stepping back in time to when she and Susan had run wild - horse crazy kids loving every minute of their time in the stables.

  She’d give anything to have those days back. To go back and start over, just stay in the stables and have fun together with the horses. Never grow up. Never allow the world of professional sports to drive them apart.

  It was just wishful thinking, but .… A nugget of an idea began to play in her mind. What if training Hailey wasn’t the mistake she feared? What if God had brought Hailey into her life to give her another chance, a way of making up for the heartbreak and betrayal?

  “Are you ever going to concentrate on me?”

  And apparently God had a sense of humor if he'd sent this arrogant, self-centered child.

  Willa stopped herself. Child. For the second time in five minutes, she had to remind herself that Hailey was a child and one who had recently lost her mother. Willa couldn't imagine not having her own mother to rely on. She had to keep these thoughts firmly in mind.

  “Come on, let’s go meet the ponies and you can tell me a little more about yourself and your riding.”

  “Didn’t my father give you all that information when he registered me? I just want to get riding. I have goals to meet.”

  Willa bit down hard on the inside of her cheek, trying to hold her expression level. How had she gotten into a verbal standoff with a child half her height and a third her age?

  She mentally counted to five before responding. “Goals are good. You can tell me about them while we walk. But it’s a rule here at my farm that new riders spend some time getting to know the horses before we begin riding. It’s —

  “You know who I am. I’m not some new rider who needs coddling. My mother was a national champion. My father hired you to train me so I can compete. We need to get me ready for the Olympic trials.

  That stopped Willa cold. “Aren’t you a bit young to be training for the Olympics?”

  “How old were you when you started riding?”

  She has me there, Willa acknowledged. But her early riding had never been with competition in mind. She’d ridden because her heart was one with the horses.

  “Let me introduce you to the horses. I have one in mind for you, but let's see which one you pick.” Willa opened the barn door and inhaled deeply. The barn smells always centered her - hay and horses - the mainstays of her life.

  She turned to look at Hailey and something in the girl's awed expression thawed her heart. Hailey might be a pint-sized terror, but from the look on her face, maybe there was hope. If she loved horses the same way Willa did, maybe this would work after all.

  Willa left Hailey to look around. She understood the look of awe and took some pride in having momentarily silenced the girl. Her farm was a pretty special place. From the turnout fields to the roomy stalls, she'd designed it to indulge every horse-loving gene in her body. This barn was a particular favorite.

  “It smells like Christmas in here.”

  Willa smiled though she wasn't entirely sure Hailey meant it as a compliment. The scent of pine from the bedding in the stalls did make it seem like Christmas year round. She loved the scent, and the horses appreciated the clean, dry bedding.

  Giving Hailey a minute to take it all in, Willa headed toward the first stall and held out her hand to her favorite horse. “How's it going today, Colonel? Keeping everyone in line
?”

  “You talk to the horses?”

  “Of course, don't you?”

  The girl was making no admissions, but the look on her face told Willa she understood. Maybe things were looking up if they could connect on this level.

  “I hope you don't expect me to ride him.”

  So much for progress. Willa stroked a hand over Colonel's flank and bit back the words she wanted to say. “No, Colonel is sort of the grandfather of the stables. He watches over all of us, but he's too old to perform anymore.”

  “Then why do you keep him?”

  Willa looked at the girl in disbelief. “He's part of the family.”

  Hailey set her shoulders and wandered off down the center aisle without another word. She wore an imperious attitude that belied her nine years, but something in that shrug of her shoulders revealed a hint of vulnerability. Willa reminded herself that family wasn't something Hailey had much of at the moment. Hailey, her father, and Susan’s mother. That was it.

  Speaking of her father, where was David? She'd thought he would have followed them into the barn by now. Apparently he was only too willing to leave his daughter to her while he conducted business on his phone.

  Whatever. It wasn't like talking to him was going to change anything.

  “I want this one.”

  Uh-oh. Willa set off down the aisle knowing a battle loomed. The one horse Hailey could not ride had to be the one she'd chosen.

  “Sorry, sweetheart, that horse isn't available to ride.”

  “But I want him.”

  Willa sighed and ignored the petulant tone. Just the way Hailey responded told Willa the girl was used to getting exactly what she wanted. Did she have her father so tightly wrapped around her finger that he'd let her grow into a spoiled brat?

  “We have several other horses you can choose from,” Willa assured her calmly.

  “He's the one I want.”

  She didn't stomp her feet, but she might as well have for the tension suddenly simmering in the air.

  “This is Wildfire. We recently rescued him from a bad place. He's not really ready to be around people much yet.”

  “I could ride him.” Hailey stared at the horse. “I've got a way. Mommy used to tell me that.”

  The “Mommy” wound itself around Willa's heart and helped her form her response. “I can tell you do.”

  The little face tilted up at her. “She said I reminded her of you.”

  Willa froze. Susan's voice coming from the grave wouldn't have startled her more. “Your mother said that?”

  “That's why I chose you, you know. Mother said you were the best.” Willa ignored the calculating look in the girl's eyes and focused on the wistful tone. She sank back on a bale of hay and watched the girl chat with the horse. Hah! She'd been the one just laughing at Willa for talking to Colonel.

  So many emotions swamped her, all circling around this one little girl, but none of them caused by her. Willa’s thoughts flip-flopped again. What was the right decision? Train Hailey and spend months reliving a part of her life that she’d worked hard to put behind her? Or say no, and crush a little girl’s dreams? She and David needed to really discuss this honestly and make sure they weren’t making a huge mistake.

  “So, when can I ride him?”

  Willa shook her head. Huge mistake indeed. “You’re not riding him.”

  “But I could.”

  “Maybe, but it wouldn't be fair to Wildfire. He's not trained to perform with you.” Willa could see that Hailey didn't want to give in.

  “Can I at least touch him?”

  Willa hesitated, but she saw the need in the girl's eye, the hint of compassion. This was different than the defiance of a moment ago. Did she sense a bond with the horse? It had been known to happen and they had much in common. Both had lost something, both had gone through a hard time.

  “Sure, but let me introduce you first.”

  Willa unlatched the stall door and entered slowly. She murmured a greeting to the horse and held out her hand to be sniffed. When Wildfire appeared to accept her, Willa slowly rested her hand on his neck and softly stroked, all the while whispering soft words of reassurance.

  “You have to be gentle,” she murmured. “Any unexpected sound or movement is going to startle him. He’s much better than when we first rescued him, aren’t you boy? But you’ll still need to move slowly and pay attention to his signals.”

  “Okay.” Hailey’s voice was so soft and sweet Willa did a double take. The horse looked at her, yawned and licked his lips.

  “I think he likes you.”

  Willa allowed Hailey to enter the stall then. The girl followed her lead, and spoke softly with the horse at the same time she held out her hand. Wildfire licked her hand and nuzzled her. Hailey giggled.

  “Maybe some day you'll let me ride you. We'd make a pretty pair.”

  They would, Willa noted. Hailey with her pale beauty would be a striking contrast to the dark horse. Her fragility versus his strength. “Some day, maybe. But not today. He’s not ready for any rider yet. I haven’t even tried to ride him. We’re giving him time to feel at home, to feel safe.”

  Hailey nodded her understanding. Willa followed her out of the stall. I’m going to have my stable boy show you some of the other horses. You can decide which one you want to train on. For now, until Wildfire is ready.” She added the concession.

  “Okay,” Hailey agreed, but Willa didn't miss the look of longing that flashed across her face as they walked away. She watched as Hailey reached out and stroked his nose. “I'll be back,” she whispered.

  “Come on,” Willa said softly. “You can come back and say good-bye before we leave. Now I want to introduce you to Billy.”

  “My horse?”

  Willa laughed. “No, Billy is my helper. He's not much older than you.” In actual years anyway. But Billy had lived a lifetime in his fifteen years. Hopefully the gentle boy would be a good influence on Hailey.

  *

  David Marlow waited until Willa and Hailey walked off to the barn before finishing up his business and disconnecting the call. He might be all kinds of a coward, but he was not ready to face Willa just yet. He'd known bringing Hailey here was a mistake, that it was bound to open old wounds and resurrect hard memories. He never should have given in to Hailey's demands. Unfortunately, he'd given in to her far too often right after his wife died, hoping somehow to compensate for her losses. Instead, he'd created a monster.

  Not that he could ever think of his beloved baby as a monster. A tyrant maybe though. A wry grin twisted his mouth as he was honest with himself. Her behavior certainly had taken on tyrannical qualities in the months since Susan died.

  When she'd asked for - well really demanded - he get her lessons with Willa, he'd surrendered mostly in the hope that Willa's gentle ways could help his daughter. He'd sought her out more for those qualities than for her equestrian prowess. He was willing to chance the pain of seeing her again if it could help him reclaim his baby girl.

  He'd been prepared to see her again, he'd thought. He'd been wrong. He hadn't ever imagined it could hurt so much.

  More than anything David wanted to climb in his car and drive away, send his sitter back to pick up Hailey. But he couldn't do that. If he expected Willa to deal with it, then he had to also.

  Steeling himself against what he might find, he followed them to the barn. From what he'd observed, Hailey had been true to form in how she greeted Willa. He probably should have ended his phone call and intervened, but Willa needed to know what she was letting herself in for if she accepted this.

  It was time to be brave. Summoning what little remained of his emotional reserves, David opened the barn door and stepped into Willa's world.

  He smiled at the memory. He'd been the one to give the barn its silly nickname. Willa's World. Willa and her horses. They were all she'd ever needed. He remembered being that jealous teen-aged boy accusing her of loving the horses more than she loved him.


  He didn't even have to close his eyes to remember the impish grin on her freckled face when she'd looked up at him. Horses don't give me half the grief people do, David. They never let me down.

  He'd known she wasn't really talking about him. Her gaze had taken on that far away slant that told him she'd been thinking of her own father. The man had abandoned his family the previous summer and loss was heavy on Willa's slight frame. “I'll never let you down, Willa. Just trust me.” He'd made that promise with such youthful brashness. And then he'd gone and done just what he'd promised not to do.

  He'd let her down when he married her best friend.

  Chapter Two

  Willa knew the minute David entered the barn. It could have been the sound of the door closing quietly. It could have been the current that ran between the horses - their alarm system that some unknown had entered the stables. It could have been the rush of cool air.

  It could have been any of those things, but it wasn't. There was a tangible change in the atmosphere when David entered a room. She'd always known when he was around. The air felt different. There was a buzz of energy, a current of excitement normally missing from her life.

  Yes, David was here and it seemed he still had the same dangerous effect on her that she'd hoped she'd outgrown.

  “Hello, Willa.”

  It wasn't fair. She wanted to hate him. She wanted to still be angry with him for abandoning her, for marrying Susan. But all that melted away the minute she heard his voice so close behind her. Now she wanted to just close her eyes and savor the memories of when that voice had been as dear to her, as familiar as her own.

  “David.”

  “I'm sorry I took so long on the phone. I shouldn't have left you alone to meet Hailey.”

  “No problem. We managed quite well without you.”

  “I'm sure you did. But that doesn't mean I wasn't wrong. I chickened out and stayed on the phone.”

  Willa smiled a bit, just a tiny smile behind her hand so he couldn't see it. Funny to see that some things never changed. David had always had that honest streak. He couldn't tell a lie - not even a little white one. And he couldn't avoid the truth by not answering. Willa knew the down side of that all too well. The truth he'd told her the last time they saw each other was still the most painful experience of her life.