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“When do you want to bring her home?” Margo asked.
I looked to Riley.
“If Cole is cool with having her back there and my assistant trainer can get her into work, I’d say by the first week of February. That way, she’s got time to quarantine with our string.”
“I can definitely manage that,” I agreed. “I’ll come down with a trailer and bring her back myself.”
“You can take her home tomorrow to your place in Ocala if you’d like. Or I can drop her when I come down next week. All I need is an agreement to take over her board and dates. We can sign the contract whenever you are comfortable. I promise I’m not the type to sell her out from under you.”
“No, you aren’t,” Riley agreed. “We’ll work that bit out.”
And with that, I was now the proud owner of a branded Dutch Warmblood of exceptional pedigree. Never in a million years did I think I’d find myself here.
35. TO GERMANY WITH LOVE
COLE
I arrived in Germany with a one-two punch. With me, came bad news about the house and good news about the best present in the world. I wasn’t about to give it all away, but planned to breadcrumb about the new horse. My only hope of matching the new pair of custom full-seats and tall boots that her mother sent for Christmas rested firmly on Fable’s withers.
Piper and I went out for a nice dinner on Christmas Eve. She ordered a beer—something legal here. I sat dumbfounded as she ordered our meals and conversed with the server in German. Who was this child? And why was she so confident.
“You’re really doing the German thing, aren’t you?” I asked. “This is… very good.”
“What?” Piper tossed her now-purple hair over a shoulder.
That was another notable change. Her mother would loathe when she dropped in soon.
“They are so festive here.” I glimpsed pine boughs and nutcrackers in all directions. “Or is this just for tourists?”
“No one does Christmas like Bavarians,” she giggled. “This is sort of great, sort of cringe, but I love it. We can hit the market after this. You’ll see.”
She was so confident. I wanted to bottle the version of her that would always be my baby, but knew she was grown. Hell, she drank a beer like she knew what she was doing!
“You’re just living like a German.”
“I’m trying. Germans don’t always make it easy. I fight to keep them from switching to English. I’m learning. And school is great.”
“I’m so glad,” I said. “That’s wonderful, honey.”
“I really am glad I got to go, Dad. Thanks for letting me.”
“You earned it.”
“I know it cost—”
“Sweetheart, don’t worry about that,” I said. “Your mother and I made it work.”
“I know.” She looked at her beer. “But I know with the tornado and everything… things are tight. And mom can be… challenging.”
I squeezed her hand. “Sweetheart, you don’t need to apologize. If we couldn’t make it work, we would have told you. Also, let the grown-ups worry about grown up things. Be grateful for that. You’re growing up too fast.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. You’re becoming a beautiful young woman who knows what she wants. You’re a million miles ahead of where I was at sixteen. As Chloe says, I love that for you, sweetheart. Just give me a minute to catch up.”
“I just know the situation with you is sort of in flux. And we’ll move back.”
I took a deep breath. Here was the bad news. Thankfully, our food arriving gave me a beat.
