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“I don’t think that is true. He’s your dad so you’re going to think that. But if he’s like my dad, he will just hug you, tell you he loves you, and move along.”
“Are you… gay?”
“No,” I answered. “At least I don’t think so.”
“What do you mean?” Piper laughed.
“It’s a long story, but no. Generally speaking, I don’t consider myself attracted to women. But I know for a fact my family would still love me if I was. You gotta give your dad more credit. He’s never once made a homophobic comment around me or anyone at the barn.”
“Well, you don’t know him that well. I worry about it.”
To Piper, maybe that was true. It dawned on me that the more I worked with Cole, the more I enjoyed him as a person.
“I’m a pretty good judge of people,” I said. “Your dad and you are good people, Piper. Here’s how it will go. He’ll tell you he loves you, give you a hug, and if he’s like my dad, he’ll want to meet Leslie and her parents far before you are ready.”
“Ugh! Awkward! No!”
“That’s parents for you,” I said.
Piper groaned. “When I am a full-fledged adult, I am not having kids. They make people weird as fuck. You’ve got it made.”
I laughed. “Yeah, maybe.”
“I guess I should like… assume. Because maybe you are a breeder?”
“A breeder! Oh my God, Piper! You are killing me!”
“What? It’s true!”
“I still have time,” I protested. “It’s not high on my list right now. I’m trying to keep my head above water with my agent and editor and trying to show a horse in a discipline I have no business entering. All while globetrotting every other week.”
“I felt like that at Lamplight,” Piper said.
“Yeah, and you placed fourth in your division with a first-level test! Piper, that was a big show, and you did a great job!”
“You sound like Dad. He has to say that.”
“Your dad is a professional. I trust that he meant it, but yeah… the sun shines out of your ass, so I get it. If it makes you feel better, I have been competing internationally for two decades, and I'm still impressed because you rode your heart out on a horse you trained. That is a big deal!”
“Everyone has a huge warmblood. I have a lovely horse but she’s not like that. Cash is going to maybe get me to second level. Maybe.”
“I bet you probably max out there,” I said, being realistic. “But there are some thoroughbreds all the way up in PSG. Another horse will come along, Piper.”
“Dad cannot afford a made horse like that. Opal will probably fetch fifty grand, but a schoolmaster in need of maintenance will be more.”
The child talked like a seasoned horsewoman.
My jaw dropped. “Okay, that’s true, but you’re forgetting the most important part.”
“What?”
“That you made Cash a dressage horse—you saw her potential and put in the work even if she’s not the most naturally talented ride. If you had a youngster with ideal size and movement, imagine what you could do! And you could very well afford a horse like that with what Opal will sell for—two even!”
“Like what?”
“Mack, for one,” I said. “He’s well-bred but even after your dad gets him to the point I will finish him, he’s going to be maybe twenty-five grand, right? I got him in utero for a song.”
“Really?”
