30. Chapter 30
Chapter 30
Luke
T reasure is uncomfortable. She snorts and sweats. I brush her side with handfuls of hay and talk softly to her about how beautiful she is. The mare paws the ground and whinnies plaintively, then snorts some more and walks around her stall. I can’t do anything more for my prize mare. It’s all up to her now. I leave Treasure and join Lydia and Ray who watch from the other side of the gate.
“The vet should be here soon,” Ray says quietly, more to himself than to me.
“Are you worried?” Lydia asks clearly concerned for the distressed animal pacing around the stable.
“Nah. Not yet. She’s a good mom,” I say calmly, although there’s always a chance of mortality even with the best vet on site. “This is not her first foal. But it’s good to have medical expertise standing by. Just in case. There’s a whole raft of things that could go wrong if she can’t manage on her own.”
Treasure circles the stall, kicking up hay. Her belly is taut, stretched wide by the leggy offspring due to be born any second. The mare blows and grunts. She circles once again, then lies down, her nostrils flared, her eyes wide, her breathing short and shallow.
Ray’s phone rings. “The vet’s here. He’s in the yard,” he says. “I’ll bring him in.” I nod and Ray hurries away.
I watch Lydia who hasn’t taken her eyes off Treasure. She is caught up in the moment, willing the animal to relax and for her pain to cease.
Ray is back soon enough and introduces the vet. Efficient and business-like, formalities are brief. The vet carries his bag into the pen and strokes the mare’s neck. He puts on plastic gloves and checks her temperature. Then he examines her rear end.
“She’s doing well. Nicely dilated,” the vet says. He looks at his watch. “I say we wait. Give it fifteen, twenty tops.”
It’s midnight when the vet leaves. The foal is suckling, standing next to his mother on wobbly skinny legs. Treasure turns to sniff and groom her new baby. She is as proud as any mom could be with her beautiful boy. Finally, I feel confident I can leave them for the night. Ray says that he’ll check in on them every hour, just to be safe.
“Are you sure? We can alternate, Ray. No problem,” I say although I’m beat.
“I won’t sleep, Luke. So, I may as well be here at the stable keeping an eye on things. You go and get some rest. I’ll report anything that happens, but it all looks swell so far. She’s a good mom. You can tell. And that little guy. He’s a future champion.” Ray smiles. He’s tired but happy.
I say goodnight to Ray and shake his hand. Then, I put my jacket around Lydia’s shoulders and lead her slowly out of the stables, through the yard, and back to the house. She cries the whole way. Silent tears. I guide Lydia up the steps, onto the porch, and sit her down on the swing seat.
“That was the most wonderful thing I’ve ever seen in my whole life,” she says between sobs. “I’m sorry. I’m just a bit overwhelmed. It was just… so real. So beautiful. And the little foal. So… helpless.” I hand Lydia a box of Kleenex that I retrieved from the truck. She takes a couple of sheets, blows her nose, and wipes her tears.
“It’s alright,” I say gently. “I think I was the same when I first saw a foal being born. The miracle of life puts everything into perspective, doesn’t it? And you’re right, it is the most wonderful thing.”
We sit side by side on the swing seat. The night is quiet. A big old full moon hangs fat in the sky, shining down on the valley stretched out beyond the crabapple trees.
Lydia sniffs and I hand her more Kleenex. She takes another and I leave the box on the cushion beside her.
“I’ll get some water. Do you want anything? Something to eat, maybe?” Lydia shakes her head. I slowly stand up. “Alright. I’ll be right back.”
Without turning on any lights, I find a jug on the shelf in the kitchen and fill it at the sink. Then I place it on a tray with two glasses. The moonlight is bright enough for me to see. I walk out to where Lydia still sits, where I left her, on the swing seat. I set the tray down on the side table, pour the water, then hand one of the glasses to Lydia.
“Thanks,” she says. Her teary eyes shine. We sip our water and listen to the natural noises which fill the night air.
“Lydia. I’d like to talk about something I was going to share earlier.”
“Okay, Luke. I think I know what you’re going to say.” Lydia moves to the corner of the swing seat. She looks small and timid in my jacket. Holding her glass in both hands in her lap, she bites her lip and gazes at the floor.
“When I last saw you…,” I say from the other end of the seat. “… I maybe overreacted.”
“No. I don’t think you did. Gosh. I can see how everything looked from your side,” says Lydia. “What I did was unforgivable. Really. I don’t know.” She turns to face me. The moon has sculpted her features in silver. “I get an idea in my head and run with it without thinking things through.” She laughs. “Luke. I’m sorry.” Her eyes search mine in the moonlight, pleading with me. “I am so sorry.”
The woman in front of me is so perfect I melt. I let out a long sigh. “Lydia.” My shoulders relax. I resist a need to reach out and hold her. “I was angry. No doubt about that.” Lydia shrinks visibly into the cushions. “But I believe your intentions were good. Even though you went about things in the most ridiculous messed-up way.”
“Yes. I know. Things turned so bad.” Lydia takes a moment, wipes her eyes, sniffs, and turns away. “Listen, Luke,” she says sliding closer to me, still sniffing. “I know you must think I’m about the worst person alive, but I’m not. I would love it if… ” Lydia sighs.
“Firstly, I don’t think you’re the worst person alive.”
“You don’t?”
“No. I’ve had time to process stuff. And here’s what I think…”
“Okay, let’s hear it.”
“I hope you don’t think that I’m judging you. I’m not.” I stare out into the semi-darkness of shadowy trees and bushes. “I believe you have a good heart. That your motivation is from a place of love. You didn’t mean any harm to anyone. And I don’t really believe you tried to match me with your friend as a business prospect.”
Lydia smiles at me and visibly relaxes. “Luke. You don’t know how happy hearing you say that makes me feel. Do you think that maybe we can move along and… be friends?”
“Friends? Yeah, we could start by being friends for sure. But Lydia…” I turn to face her in the moonlight. Her eyes still glisten with tears among the shadows of her face. “… when I came to Oak River, I was here to fulfill a purpose. I had a job to do and that was that. I had no idea that I would get so caught up… emotionally. With you.”
“With me?” Lydia says with incredulity.
“Oh, my. It’s been so frustrating,” I say slowly shaking my head. “All this time, I’ve wanted to ask you on a date. But then, I’d get all these contradictory messages. I’d feel as if you liked me one minute, and then you’d start talking about Sheena and saying how much she was into me. Look. Sheena’s nice and everything, but she doesn’t light me up the way you do.”
“I light you up?”
“Yup.”
“Luke.” Lydia says, scooting over a little closer to me. “You light me up too.” She sips more water from her glass then sets it down on the table. “So, did you want to slow dance with me at the Star Rangers gig?”
“Oh, yes. I really did.”
“And did you want me to win the horse trek voucher at the Open Day, so we could ride to the lookout together?”
“Uh-huh.”
“And did you want a romantic date at The Half Moon Café, at the corner table with raspberry heart cupcakes?”
“No. Not really. That’s not my thing.” I reach for Lydia’s hand and hold it in mine.
“What I really like is something more like this.” I gaze around at the serenity surrounding us. The trees, the stars, the moonlight. “I’ve pictured us just like this. On the porch in the moonlight.”
“Luke,” says Lydia, her head tilted to one side. “I am such a dummy.”
“Yes. This is true.”
“Would you mind…? I mean… Do you think you could ever…?” Lydia searches for the words she wants to say. “Could we perhaps…?”
“Start again?” Lydia nods. She is right next to me now and leans her body against mine.
“From the beginning?” she asks.
“Well, not quite the beginning.” I release Lydia’s hand and wrap my arm around her shoulders. “Maybe from where we agree we like each other.”
“Oh, right,” she says as I pull her to me. “Yes, that would work.”
“And maybe we could start at the point where you want me to kiss you.”
Lydia relaxes against me. She leans into my body tilting her head back. Her moistened lips slightly parted. She closes her eyes as I trace my finger across her cheek and down her neck. I’ve waited for this moment. I have dreamed of this moment. Gently, I push a strand of hair from her face as I bend to graze my lips lightly over hers. Lydia sighs and sinks into me further, then I pull away slightly releasing my hold, and look into her eyes. Lydia smiles then reaches her hand around my neck and pulls me to her. We kiss with urgency and desire, enraptured by the moment. Kissing Lydia in real life is even more pleasurable than I imagined it would be. I’m lost in the kiss. The passion. The desire. But we’re moving too fast. I break away, find her hands, and hold them in mine. We’re both breathing heavily. Both wanting more.
“I’d like to take things slow, if I may, ma’am.” I kiss Lydia’s fingers. “One step at a time. No need to rush. What do you think?”
“I think you’re about the most perfect man in the world. Yes, please. I’d love that.”
“Promise me one thing,” I say relaxing back against the swing seat which gently rocks to and fro.
“Okay. Although it depends on what the ‘one thing’ is.”
“No more matchmaking. You’re not very good at it.”
Lydia laughs. “Okay. You’re so right. I’ll just stick to things that I am good at. Floral design and weddings…”
“And kissing. You’re pretty good at kissing.”
The moon beams down as I take Lydia in my arms again and kiss her with all my love; with my whole being; with everything that I am. “Taking things slow is going to be difficult,” I whisper into her neck.
“It’s okay. I won’t judge.” She kisses me back.
“So, it’s late,” I say nuzzling Lydia’s neck some more. “I could drive you back or…”