Or he had been. He smiled more in these last few days. He initiated conversation, and was interested in her opinions. They shared the kitchen well, and he never disparaged her work or her ideas.
The farm seemed to be working its magic on him, just as it was on her.
The peace of working with a small group of dedicated people was something she hadn’t experienced before. This group had eclectic talents and ideas, yet they worked together. Encouraged each other to take their own steps and work on their own visions.
Mara realized she hadn’t thought of Anson or his bakery in days. Even thinking about it now, she felt annoyance, not rage and shame.
Sure, she’d been fired, but she’d told him to screw himself and that she quit in the same breath. That counted for something.
“You okay over there?”
Seth’s soft growl had her realizing he was slowing for the turn onto Kimi’s property. “Sorry, I zoned out there. I was thinking about how great it is living on the farm, and how everyone encourages each other to do their own thing even as we all work together.”
Which was a leap from where she’d been laughing over their shared kiss.
Instead of commenting on that, Seth’s lips tipped up. “It’s good for me, too. Your brother and the others make it easy to be part of things.”
Mara knew Ford had struggled to find his place after leaving the army. While he loved building and doing construction, he’d always been more about rebuilding and restoring than starting fresh. The farm was the perfect spot for him.
They walked back to Kimi’s barn with Fritter snuggled in Mara’s arms. The vet stood in a small corral, a horse opposite her. Kimi waved slowly at them and motioned for them to give the corral a wide berth.
The horse glanced in their direction and skittered a few steps to the side.
Kimi didn’t move, but they could see she spoke quietly to the animal.
Seth put his arm on Mara’s lower back and guided them closer to an empty corral on the other side of the pathway.
Once they were past, they walked to the front of the barn and waited, watching as Kimi continued to talk to the horse. After a few minutes, she ducked under the fence rail and approached them with a smile. “Hello. It’s nice to see you again.”
“You too. Thanks for having a look at Fritter here.”
Kimi’s smile widened. “Fritter? So you’re hoping to keep him?”
Mara nodded. “I never thought about having a pet, but he was there on the porch, and he seems to like us.”
Seth’s eyebrow popped up. “You. He likes you. He’s barely looked at anyone else.”
Kimi stroked the cat’s head. “Hi there, Fritter. Why don’t you come on inside?”
She and Seth looked back at the horse. “Is it okay to leave your horse alone? He or she looks scared.”
Kimi’s eyes softened as she looked back at the corral. “I brought him in this morning. He was living with an abusive asshole, and the poor guy doesn’t realize he’s safe now. It’ll take a few days, but he’ll learn that no one will hurt him here, and that there’s plenty of food and love.”
Mara’s heart broke, and Seth’s arm came around her shoulders. His growl didn’t hold much warmth this time. “Assholes like that shouldn’t be allowed around animals. Or people, for that matter.”
Kimi nodded. “I’ve laid charges and taken enough pictures to make them stick. He’ll never own an animal again.”
The fierceness in the vet’s voice told Mara that Kimi would make sure of it. “Good.”
Kimi nodded and called out to the horse. “I’m going inside now. Nina will be here soon. You’ll like her.”
Mara knew Nina was the daughter of another army buddy of her brother. This area was full of friends.
Inside the barn, Canuck the parrot greeted them. “Martin Short. Martin Short.”
Mara laughed. “Good morning to you, too, Canuck. Are you in the mood to discuss comedians?”
“Jim Carrey. Jim Carrey.”
