“I couldn’t tell her about the house when it all happened. She wasn’t ready to hear it. You and I both knew she wouldn’t get it with a letter, and if I didn’t interfere, she’d lose the house for good.” He filled his fork with the last bite of pancakes on his plate. “I have plans for our future. I’m retiring at the end of the season. Opening up a bull riding school.”
“Pretty good idea,” Cliff said.
Logan ruffled Izzy’s hair, winning a giggle. “Thank this bright young lady here for planting the idea when we were at horse camp.”
Erin sat back in her chair. “The house is for youandAbbie?”
“At first, it was just for her. I was going to put it in her name, let her sign all the paperwork. But things have changed since I made that decision. I want to share it with her. Build our life together there.”
“She wasn’t wearing her ring this morning.” Erin’s tone was grim, almost sympathetic. “I’m sorry to tell you, but you should know. It got stuck on her finger before, so she must’ve really wanted it off.”
His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. He pushed his pancakes with a fork while everyone ate in gloomy silence, surely unsure what else to say that could console the situation.
“You mind helping me with something after breakfast?” Cliff asked. He glanced at Izzy, and Logan knew not to ask questions.
His eyes landed on the cottage again, where there was movement in the living room window. Gibbs poked his head through an opening in the curtains. The urge to go over there and post himself outside until she answered the door tugged at him. But if he knew anything about his Abbs, it was that she needed time. Besides, he’d see her at Izzy’s party. No way she’d miss that. “Sure thing.”
* * *
Purple balloons lined the driveway and the columns of the front porch when Logan and Cliff returned to the house early that afternoon, horse trailer in tow. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Izzy’s face when she realized her parents bought her a horse for her birthday. A horse he helped Cliff buy without going into debt, but no one ever needed to know that detail.
Cliff typed a text, no doubt asking Erin for the signal.
He couldn’t help but watch for Abbie, though he doubted she’d be in the front yard when the party was out back. “Want me to get her unloaded? Let her stretch her legs a minute before we take her back?”
“Yeah, that’d be great.”
He busied himself with unloading the yet-to-be-named mare—that honor had to go to the birthday girl. The crunch of gravel beneath heavy tires and the roar of a diesel engine caused him to stiffen.
Mr. Bennington exited his duly truck and spotted him immediately. He’d been lucky to avoid him last night, especially after Mrs. Hampton made her appearance and unknowingly spoiled all he had worked to rebuild. The bulky man strode right over to Logan as soon as he saw him.
Reins in hand, Logan braced himself for whatever happened next. “Mr. Bennington.” He reached out his hand, but didn’t get the handshake he sought. Hadn’t really expected to.
“I told you once before how I felt about you hurting my daughter.” The man, a couple inches taller and definitely a few pounds heavier, pinned him with his stern eyes. “I won’t let you do it again.”
“I love your daughter.”
“If you love her, you’ll do what’s best for her. That might mean leaving her alone.”
Despite the hint to leave town and never return, because surely that was what Mr. Bennington wanted, he held steadfast. “I’ll leave that up to Abbie.”
“Buying her house behind her back, that was you leaving it up to her?”
He didn’t think his intentions would matter much to Mr. Bennington. He was a man of action, not words. But before he could say anything more, they were interrupted.
“There you are!” Judith came around the side of the trailer, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the golden mare with the white mane. “Izzy’s been asking about her grandpa for an hour now.” She pulled on her husband’s arm, dragging him away to the back yard. But not before giving Logan a wink over her shoulder.
What could that mean?
“We’re on.” Cliff took the reins from Logan and led the horse to the back yard.
The second Izzy laid eyes on the horse, she squealed. At the news that the horse was hers, she began to cry. “She’s happy.” Judith appeared beside him, nudging him. “Kids are funny creatures, you know? Emotional in unexpected ways. Something you’ll want to keep in mind.” She patted him on the arm and walked off toward the birthday girl and her new horse.
Hope bubbled inside him until he met Abbie’s eyes and the scowl she sent his way. Obviously Judith and her daughter were on very different pages about him right now.
Gibbs watched from the window of the cottage, unhappy about his confinement. But if he’d never been around a horse before, it made sense not to risk spooking her. He sent the dog a little wave and eased his way through the family crowd until he was at Abbie’s side.
“Abbs, can we talk?”
