“Who taught you to ride?” Jace asked.
“My dad. He put me on a horse when I was five years old. After that I pestered him every day to let me ride again. Eventually, I got to ride the quarter horses and exercise some of the others.”
“And you stood in for him when he was too drunk to work,” Jace said.
Kelly whipped around to focus on him. “How did you know?”
“I observed a little, too.”
“But he didn’t work here.”
“And I didn’t confine my antics to this farm, either,” Jace said.
“You saw me?” Kelly frowned.
“I didn’t know it was you. I saw your hair.” He gave her a big smile.
Suddenly self-conscious, Kelly used her hand to smooth down her hair.
She’d never noticed him glancing in her direction when she was working in place of her father. Kelly had her foot wrapped around the fence post, and her balance was off. She moved to get down.
Jace stepped back and reached over to help her. Her hands went to his shoulders and his caught her around the waist. Jace set her on the ground, but didn’t release her immediately. Kelly looked up at him, her hands still on his shoulders.
“We’ve been here before,” she said.
“Yes, we have.”
“And we decided you wouldn’t confuse me.”
“Not we,” he said. “You.”
Jace slipped his arms around her, drawing her closer to him. His head dipped and he kissed her. She didn’t try to stop him. His mouth was warm on hers and it had been a long time since someone had held her. She let herself relax and enjoy the sensation. But she had to stop this. Slowly she pushed him away.
“This is more confusing than I thought it would be.” She wanted to leave, but she was pressed up against the fence. Jace must have sensed her wishes. He moved away, putting more distance between them.
“We’d better get back,” he said. “I need to try Ari’s cookies.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
FINALLY, AFTER MONTHS of preparation, it was the day before the Kendall would be open to the public. Kelly was preoccupied with checking that everything was in order.
“Any questions?” she asked the college students who’d been hired to escort the visitors around the main house and property. One young woman raised her hand.
“What time are we to be here?”
“The tours begin at ten. Please be here by nine to get dressed in your costumes.”
The woman nodded.
“For those posted along the tour, does everyone know where their station is?” She noted the nodding heads. “Is there a problem with anyone’s costume? Bad fit? Items missing?” Again the nodding. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow at nine.”
They dispersed, returning to cars and vans parked in the lot on the opposite side of the road. Kelly ran her hands down her pants. She was nervous about the next day. So much was riding on it. Her entire future was at stake. And there was one more task she needed to do for the benefit of the Kendall’s opening.
And she wasn’t looking forward to it.
Kelly headed for the kitchen. She’d get a soft drink and go out to find Jace. The kitchen was hot and filled with people, all preparing for tomorrow.
“How is everything,” she asked the head baker, Mrs. Templeton. They would have homemade baked goods to not only make the house smell delicious, but also for people to purchase to eat while visiting or to take with them.
Grabbing three colas from the fridge, she went out the back door. She didn’t see Jace anywhere, and she didn’t hear Ari’s laughter. They were usually with the horses when they weren’t fixing anything. Kelly headed in that direction. The barn was empty when she got there except for the two horses.
Where could they be? she wondered. Returning to the house, she looked in all the rooms, but they weren’t there. Then she heard the unmistakable sound of the truck. Kelly had been so busy with the students that she hadn’t realized Jace had left the property. Going to the porch, she watched Ari get out of the cabin as soon as the vehicle stopped. “Kelly! Kelly!” he called her name as he sprinted toward her.
She came down a few steps to meet him. “Not so fast, Ari.”
“You should see what I got. Dad bought me a...a...” He looked to his father for further explanation.
Jace got out of the truck carrying a box from Hector’s Riding Store. It was a local shop that sold boots and riding gear.
“A habit,” Jace said.
“That’s it,” Ari went on, still as excited as a four-year-old could be. “And we got boots, too. I can’t wait to ride with them. I saw this picture in the store of a boy on a horse. He looked just like me in my boots.”