Chapter 3
Three
Maggie knew what it was like to wait on tenterhooks to hear if a job offer was going to materialize, so she planned to call Brayden Thomas first thing the next morning so as not to drag out the waiting for him.
She’d tossed and turned all night, running the various scenarios through her mind, and had decided that while he might have committed a crime as a juvenile, she couldn’t—and wouldn’t—discount the sterling professional reputation he’d built for himself in the ensuing decade.
At eight o’clock, she put through a call to him and had to leave a message on his voicemail asking him to get back to her when he could.
After ending the call, she felt oddly let down that she hadn’t gotten to talk to him.
“Stop being stupid,” she muttered as she turned her attention to her email while she waited for Teresa to come by with the morning report.
Teresa came in ten minutes later with coffees for both of them. “Morning.”
Maggie had told Teresa that she could get her own coffee, but the older woman said she enjoyed taking care of people.
Working nights at Matthews House was her “retirement” job.
So Maggie let Teresa take care of her. Teresa had short gray hair, warm brown eyes and an endless well of compassion that made her popular with the moms.
“Morning. How’s Corey?”
“I checked with the nurses’ station this morning, and they were able to stop the contractions. They’d like to keep her for another twenty-four hours, just to be sure. Her friend stayed with her, and she knows to call when she’s ready to come back.”
“Well, that’s a relief. How’s everything else?”
“Quiet.”
“Quiet is good.”
“Agreed. The McBrides had another good morning. The kids made the bus with breakfast and time to spare.”
“Two days in a row. Is it too soon to call it a streak?”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
Maggie laughed.
“What’s up with the hunky cowboy? The moms are talking about him.”
For a second, Maggie didn’t know who she meant. “You mean Brayden Thomas?”
Teresa eyed her over the top of her coffee mug. “Is that his name?”
“Uh-huh.”
“And he’s the therapeutic riding guy?”
“Right.”
“Are you going to hire him?”
“I hope so. I’m waiting for him to call me back.
” Maggie wanted to ask Teresa’s opinion of Brayden’s sealed juvenile record, but had to respect and protect his right to privacy.
So she didn’t mention it. Sometimes, being an adult and an employer was hard.
This was one of those times. She was going to have to trust her own gut—and Ashton’s input—where Brayden was concerned.
Teresa gave a detailed report on the status of each resident. “And now I’m heading home to get some sleep.”
“Have a good day. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Bright and early. Text me if there’s any news on Corey.”
“I will. I’ll go see her today.”
“That’s nice of you. I’m sure she’ll appreciate it. All righty, I’m out.”
“See you.” After Teresa left, Maggie dove into the reams of paperwork that were part of running the program.
On any given day, she dealt with schools, hospitals, police departments and the state Department of Children’s Services.
That last one gave her the most angst. Inspectors showed up without warning to check on children who were under their auspices.
Maggie lived in fear of something going wrong with one of those inspections, even if it would be no fault of hers if it did.
Matthews House provided food, shelter, clothing, career counseling and long-term housing assistance.
Upon entering the facility, parents signed a waiver Ashton had insisted on that absolved Matthews House, the Matthews family and all employees of any responsibility for the residents or their children.
In other words, it was up to each parent to care for their own children within the safe, nurturing environment provided by the facility.
Maggie had joined an online community of shelter employees in which she’d been advised not to make their facility so inviting that residents would want to stay forever.
The goal was to help them get their lives stabilized by giving them a place to catch their breath and figure out next steps, but it was intended to be temporary shelter.
One family, the Rosses, would soon be moving into an apartment of their own after a two-month stay at Matthews.
They were the first of what she hoped would be many success stories of families returning to independent living.
Once a family completed the Matthews House program, which also included family counseling, parenting classes when needed and financial planning, they were given a stipend to help secure an apartment.
In planning for the opening of Matthews House, Reid and Kate had consulted with numerous experts and tried to think of everything needed to help families in crisis.
They had a wide variety of resources available to Maggie and the staff, as needed, including substance abuse and domestic violence counseling.
As she checked the ever-evolving program website and made a list of needed updates, she had the feeling she was being watched. “Good morning, Travis.”
“Good morning, Ms. Maggie. Can we go see the horses today?”
She glanced at the adorable four-year-old boy.
He had light-brown skin, curly dark hair and chubby cheeks that gave him the look of a cherubic elf.
When he and his mother, Kelsey, first arrived, his little face had been covered with bruises and his brown eyes had been dull and lifeless.
Watching him—and his mom—learn to smile and trust again had been among the most rewarding experiences of Maggie’s life.
“We absolutely can go see the horses. Does your mom know where you are?”
“I told her I was coming to see you and the horses.”
“Then that’s what we must do. Let’s get them some treats.
” Maggie followed Travis into the kitchen, where he went straight to the fridge to get the bag of carrots while Maggie cut some apples.
She loved how comfortable the child was in his temporary home and enjoyed the time she spent with him while the older kids were at school.
“You’re sure you told your mom where you were going, right?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
As they were leaving the kitchen, one of the other moms was coming in. “Travis and I are heading to the stables if Kelsey is looking for him.”
“I told her this time, Ms. Maggie. I promise.”
Smiling, Maggie held out her hand to him.
He took her hand and half dragged her out the door.
When she’d conceived of the therapeutic riding program, it had been with children like Travis in mind, children who’d seen and experienced traumatic events and needed to rebuild their self-esteem and confidence.
In the stables, they encountered Derek, the elderly groom who’d worked for the Matthews family for years overseeing the horses and stables.
He had white hair and the leathery complexion of a man who’d spent his life working outdoors.
For years, Reid had tried to talk him into retiring with a full pension, but Derek had said he’d die of boredom.
Derek shook hands with Travis. “I was wondering when you were going to come visit.”
Travis lit up at the sight of Derek, who was very good with the children.
“Did you bring treats?”
“Yes, sir.”
The child’s manners were, as always, delightful. “I’ve got a stall I need you to help me clean. Are you up for the job?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Let’s get to it, then.”
While listening to Derek guide Travis through the cleaning of stalls, Maggie visited each of the horses, gave them carrots and attention and an extra snuggle for Thunder, who was missing Kate. “We’ll get out for a ride this week,” Maggie promised him.
Thunder responded with a nicker that made Maggie laugh. They had no doubt a human was trapped inside the horse’s gorgeous body.
Her cell phone rang, and when she saw the number on the screen, an odd zing of adrenaline went through her, making her heart beat faster.
Before she could take the time to process what the hell that was about, the phone quit ringing.
Maggie was about to call back when it rang again. She jumped on it.
“Maggie Harrington.”
“Hey, this is Brayden Thomas. Sorry about the first call. I’m driving and hit a dead zone.”
“No problem.”
“I’m returning your call.”
“Right, well, I’m hoping you’re still interested in the job at Matthews House.”
“I am.”
“Excellent.” Maggie ran through the salary that would be paid through the grant, not that he needed to know about those details, as well as the benefits Reid and Kate offered to all their employees.
“That sounds great. I should mention that I have a weeklong trip planned with some friends at the end of this week. I can either start before that or after it. Whichever you prefer.”
“Before is fine with me. The other apartment over the stables is available for your use.”
“That’d be great. I have my own horse, too. I assume I can bring him and board him on the property?”
“Yes, of course. I’ll mention that to Derek, our stable manager, who lives in the other apartment.”
“Great. I’ll head there later today, then.”
Like today? “Great.”
“I’m looking forward to working with you and the residents.”
“Likewise. I’ll look for you later.”
“I’ll text you my ETA when I have it.” He was relocating from the Chattanooga area, where he’d worked for a horse farm.
“Sounds good. Safe travels.” Maggie stashed her phone in her back pocket and went to find Derek and Travis.
“He’s a heck of a hard worker,” Derek said of Travis, who was raking the stall with fierce determination.
“I can see that. We’ll have to put him on the payroll at this rate.”
“What’s a payroll?” Travis asked.
“It’s the word businesses use to describe how they pay their employees,” Maggie explained.
“So it’s like money?”
“It is money.”
“I like money.”
Maggie and Derek laughed.
“You keep up the good work, and I’ll make sure you get a little green stuff,” Derek said.
Travis gave Derek a high five. “Yes!”
Maggie made a mental note to spot Derek some petty cash to pay for Travis’s help. “Are you guys set for the next little while?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Derek said. “I’ll bring him back in when he’s done.”
“Have fun.”
“We will.”
“By the way, I wanted to let you know I’ve hired Brayden Thomas to run our equine therapy program.”
“Glad to hear it. Seemed like a nice young man.”
“He’ll be bringing his horse with him.”
“We’ll make him feel welcome, ma’am.”
“Appreciate that.”
Maggie went back to the main house, amused at being called ma’am by a man fifty years older than her, but since moving to Tennessee, she’d learned not to question the manners of Southern gentlemen.
She appreciated the attention Derek gave to each of the children, who were fascinated by horses the way she’d been as a child.
She’d begged for riding lessons at eight.
Her parents had finally relented when she turned nine, and she’d been hooked ever since.
One of the things that had most appealed to her about this job opportunity was the close proximity to horses and the chance to ride any time she wanted.
Although, as it had turned out, she was far too busy to ride most days.
If she got to do it once during the workweek, that was a great week.
Despite the frenetic pace of her days, the move to Tennessee had been a good one.
She loved the job, the horses and having her sisters nearby.
Her biggest challenge was protecting her own heart from some of the horrible things that happened to the people who came to them for help.
She’d had the same issue when she’d provided interpretation for the deaf at criminal trials in New York.
Some of the things she’d seen and heard then would stay with her forever.
It was a relief to be away from that and other things she’d left behind there, things she tried not to think about so she could stay focused on the present rather than the past. Too bad that was easier said than done sometimes. Some things could never be forgotten.