29. Chapter 29
Chapter 29
Lydia
I was so surprised to see Luke in the marquee at the Floral Design Competition. And even more surprised when he asked me to go for coffee. He seemed pleased to see me. It was like a dream. We sat at a picnic table. Things were going well. We chatted about this and that, and then I felt he was going to tell me something important when his phone rang. It was Ray, his stable manager, telling him that his prize mare, Treasure, was going into labor.
I thought that he’d rush off and leave me, but then, more surprise, Luke asked me if I wanted to join him. Of course, I jumped at the chance. I’ve never been at the birth of anything before. What an honor to be invited. I hope I don’t faint or throw up. He holds my hand as we hurry through the crowd to where Luke parked his truck. We jump in and before I can process what’s going on, I’m sitting up front in Luke’s truck, and we’re driving out to Green Acres.
I feel a bit apprehensive. We don’t talk much on the drive up to the ranch. I can only imagine how Luke must be feeling. I sneak a sideways peek at Luke. He drives steadily. His face is serious. I text Marty, asking if he and Laura can manage packing up after the Floral Design Comp. He texts me back straight away with a smiley face emoji and a thumbs up. He has a key for the van and says he can drive it back to base for me at the end of the day. I text back a heart and breathe out a relieved sigh.
As if he’s concerned with how I might be feeling, Luke says with a smile, “Are you alright? Almost there. I hope Treasure’s okay.” There’s a beat before he says, “Thanks for dropping everything and coming with me.”
“Hey. No problem. Thanks for asking me. It’s quite humbling to be invited to witness a birth. And I’ve messaged my team. They are going to pack up after the event. I’m so lucky. They are very capable. They can probably run the entire business without me.”
“Oh, I’m sure that’s not possible, Lydia. You’re the life and soul of Oak River.”
My chest contracts with emotion at Luke’s kind words. Even after the Valentine’s Day disaster, Luke can still see good in me. No one has ever called me the ‘life and soul’ before. ‘Pain in the butt’, yes. ‘Life and soul’, no. I clench my jaw to squash a sob down where it belongs and blink away tears to stop them leaking out. I’m way too emotional. Maybe it’s because of the foal about to be born, or being whisked away by a gorgeous cowboy, who calls me ma’am; who, until a couple of hours ago, I thought hated me. I don’t know. All this drama is creating an urge to grab Luke’s leg. But I resist for fear of causing an accident.
We drive on without speaking for a few moments more, then Luke says, “I’ve been wanting to call, Lydia.”
“Oh yeah?” Luke flicks a glance at me, but his eyes quickly dart back to the road ahead.
“I’m not a complicated man. I like things to be simple.” I nod encouragement but I don’t interrupt. “That whole dating thing, when you tried to set me up with your friend. Well, I felt like a wild mustang caught in a pen. I was cornered. And I didn’t like it.” Luke looks at me briefly again. “Now. Don’t get me wrong. I believe you may have had the best intentions.”
“I did. That’s right. Misguided, I admit. But my motivation came from a good place.”
“I see that now. And I’ve had time to…” Luke’s sentence is cut short by his phone ringing. “Sorry. It’s Ray calling.” He taps the green square on the screen of the dashboard to answer the call. “Ray, talk to me.”
“Luke. Just checking where you are,” says the voice on the line. “Treasure’s waiting for you but the baby wants to make an appearance.”
“I’m through the gate. See you in five,” says Luke before he hangs up the call.
Luke steers the truck through the ranch gate and up the driveway to the stables. He cuts the engine and jumps out. Then he comes round to my door and offers me his hand, which makes me swoon. But I pull myself together. This is no time to be mushy. A baby horse is being born.