“Goodnight, Jack.” She closed the door and stood unmoving in the mudroom as his footsteps faded.
Cindy was getting married. Well, remarried. To the only man she’d ever loved.
She leaned against the door, the wood cold through her sweater, trying to understand how she felt.
Overjoyed, of course, for the sister she loved with every cell in her body. Worried, because they had no real solution for their problems. And lonely, which was the one that troubled her the most.
Was she envious of Cindy? No, not MJ. She didn’t have a jealous bone in her body.
She simply felt like she was holding on to everything by a thread…and she was afraid it was going to break. How would she get through this kind of uncertainty?
She had no idea, except that, right now, that loneliness hit harder than ever before.
The stable smelled of fresh hay and leather mixed with the earthy tang from Copper’s stall. Chilly December air snuck in through the wide sliding doors, so Nicole tugged her gloves tighter.
She stood beside her father, watching him test the buckles on a sturdy leather saddle they’d pulled from storage that morning. Beside it, neatly stacked on a wooden bench, sat the rest of the specialized gear they’d need—an adaptive mounting ramp, a body support harness, and a side-walker belt Nicole had borrowed from a therapeutic riding center a few towns over.
Nothing was going to happen to sweet Elise today—except a dreamy ride with Copper.
As if he knew he was part of something special, the big guy snorted and whinnied, his ears flicking in anticipation.
“Does it all look okay to you, Dad?” she asked, crouching to check the ramp one more time. The wood was solid, sanded smooth, with a gradual incline wide enough to accommodate Elise’s wheelchair.
“Okay?”
They turned at the sight of Red meandering into the stable with a grin on his face. “I built that beauty for a lady who came here with her husband every spring for a decade or so.”
“I remember her,” Jack said, straightening. “They came from Minnesota, as I recall.”
Red nodded. “That lady, Gayle was her name, loved Whistler, but lived in a chair. Her husband told me about this ramp and harness they had made and I fashioned one for her visit the next year.”
“That was sweet of you,” Nicole said, coming closer to her grandfather. “Was it easy to get her up and down?”
“I did it with her husband’s help, and yours, Jack.”
Her father nodded. “We got her saddled and back down again without a single problem.”
“Whistler was a little bit more mellow,” Red noted, walking over to give Copper’s head a stroke. “But I think you’re up for the task, big fella.”
Nicole smiled, gratitude spreading through her chest. “I know. I just want it to be perfect for Elise. She’s so excited.”
Jack reached out, brushing a stray piece of hay from her shoulder. “I’m proud of you, sweetheart.”
“Thanks, Dad. That means everything.”
“So this Cameron guy…” His tone shifted, teasing but laced with protective undertones. “You must really like him.”
Nicole laughed, half groan, half giggle. “You don’t waste any time, do you?”
“He’s your father,” Red said. “If he didn’t ask, I’d worry. And thenI’dask.”
She leaned against the ramp, exhaling slowly, looking from one man to the other.
“I like him a lot. It’s crazy how fast it’s all happened, but it feels…like it could get real.” She looked down, tracing a line in the sawdust with her boot. “He’s kind, Dad. The way he takescare of Elise blows me away. He’s not just a protective big brother—though he definitely is that,” she added with a laugh. “He’s nurturing, like he actually gets joy from making her life better.”
Jack’s brow furrowed thoughtfully. “And when he’s not doing that he’s a firefighter in the off-season, and ski patrol in winter.”
“And taking paramedic training.”
