I held her close, her hips still rocking against me as we swayed. “I do not. Are you inviting me to stay?”
“I am.” She pulled away from me and grabbed the two plates with the apple pie. Gesturing with her elbow to the fridge, she said, “Grab the can of whipped cream and follow me, cowboy.”
Without waiting for my response, she headed for the stairs while I stared after her. She’d reached the top of the steps and I still hadn’t moved.
“Jake?”
“Right. Whipped cream. Got it.” I checked to make sure all the doors were locked, grabbed the can and took the steps two at a time.
When I entered the bedroom, Julia was reclining on the bed, naked and waiting for me. With a grin, I popped the lid on the can and entered the room. I wasn’t sure whether we would useit on the pie or each other, but I was voting for “both” since that sounded like a whole lot of fun.
EIGHTEEN
JAKE
My frustration was threatening to boil over. I pushed up from where I was working at my desk and headed out to the barn. Being around the horses was always a balm to me. I headed straight to them whenever I needed to take a step back and figure out what I was doing wrong.
I passed the stalls where our breeding mares were happily munching away and found Queenie. She was heavy with her foal but thanks to the switch in feed, both of them were healthy.
She let out a soft nicker when she saw me and I reached into my pocket to give her some of the apple I’d grabbed on my way out the door.
“There you are, beautiful. How are you doing?” I stroked her neck and reached for a brush. As soon as I began the rhythmic strokes along her sides, we both settled into a semi-meditative state, which freed me up to think.
Julia and I hadn’t talked anymore about me using Twister, but I hadn’t changed my mind. Even though she was determined to use his stud fees to help supplement her veterinary practice,I knew that I needed exclusive use of the stallion. The quality of stock Twister would produce was exactly what Thorne Ranch needed. I knew for certain that I would get top dollar for every horse he sired.
Not only was I seeing dollar signs, but the boost to the Thorne reputation would open countless doors for the future. I needed this if I had any hope of building the program into something that could compete not only nationally, but internationally, too.
“What do you think, Queenie? I know Gambler is an okay stud. More than okay, really. I don’t fault you for taking a liking to him. But he’s lacking something in his genetics, and that’s why I need Twister.”
Queenie shuffled her feet and I changed sides, so I could make sure I groomed all of her. She’d already had one brush down today, but I knew that the closer the mares got to term, the more they appreciated the extra attention.
I heard a noise out in the barn and leaned out, surprised to see my mom walking down the aisle petting the horses.
“Mom?”
She looked up, startled. “Oh, Jake. I wasn’t expecting to see you. I thought you were in your office.” She joined me and reached out to pet Queenie’s head. “Hello, pretty girl.”
I went back to brushing Queenie. “What brings you out here?”
“I like to come out here to visit with the horses. It helps me feel closer to your father,” she said, still petting Queenie. She motioned to me. “Your father used to do that, too. When he had something he needed to turn over in his head. I used to find him out here at all hours talking to the horses and grooming them.He said it helped him get his thoughts in order so that he could finally give voice to whatever was on his mind.”
I hadn’t remembered that but it made sense. “I do that too, I suppose. It helps to be able to get my thoughts out in the open without worrying about anyone judging me or telling me my ideas are wrong.”
“I’m glad you’ve found something that works for you, but you know that you can always talk to me.”
“Thanks, Mom, but I think this is something I need to sort out on my own.” I had so much swirling around in my head—the ranch, Twister, Julia’s pregnancy. If I started talking, I might not be able to stop.
“Okay, honey, I understand.”
“Did Luke do that, too? Talk to the horses that is.” Somehow I couldn’t picture Luke ever questioning any of his decisions let alone discussing them before he blurted them out.
“Oh, goodness, no. As far as your brother was concerned, whatever tumbled out of his mouth was sealed in stone. He didn’t back down from anything he’d decided even when there was clear proof that he was wrong. He just dug in deeper until everyone gave up and he got his way.”
Whoa.I hadn’t expected her to say that. And yet she was so calm and matter-of-fact about it, as if it was simply the way of things. “Huh, okay.”
“I don’t mean to speak bad about your brother, but you know as well as I do how stubborn he could be.”
That was true. All of us Thornes could be stubborn. Even Cal had a touch of it, which probably meant we got it from our mom.
