Chapter 13
After the incident with the horse in the corral, Athena kept her distance from Henry’s brothers. He couldn’t blame her. She was now what everyone wanted to talk about, even a week later.
He’d catch her sneaking into the barn to spend time with the horse she’d now named Beast, but making sure she slipped out before his training started. She became Henry’s shadow with the work he had to do on the ranch, offering to help every so often.
It was nice to have someone to talk to, especially since all his older siblings couldn’t find the time to hang out—not after they’d all gotten married.
Little by little, Athena continued to open up. She talked more, asked more questions, and spent more time trying to get to know him.
“Did you ever try to track down your parents?” Athena sat on a ladder that led to the loft overhead while Henry swept out the hay that had fallen loose from the bale he’d used for feed.
He glanced up at her briefly. “I didn’t see the need to.”
“Why not?”
“Because they didn’t want me.”
“How do you know?” Athena asked. “What if it was just too hard, and they were embarrassed and ended up leaving because it would be better for you?”
Henry stopped and rested his forearm on the top of the broom he’d been using. “My parents had over a decade to come back. I don’t think any amount of embarrassment couldn’t be solved in that amount of time.” He grabbed the broom with both hands and got back to work. “Besides, I don’t think any of us want to see them again. They knew what they were doing. There are twelve of us, for heaven’s sake. Who leaves their oldest child to take care of that many kids when he’s still a kid?”
“I guess you’re right.”
He paused and stared at her, hating the way her disappointed voice tugged at him. “No, you think I’m wrong, don’t you?”
She shook her head. “On the contrary, I think you couldn’t be more right.”
Henry waited. There had to be more to what she’d said. Why else would she sound disappointed about him wanting to keep his distance? When she didn’t respond, he moved closer to her and peered up at her. “What about you? Have you ever tried to find your family?”
Athena snorted.
“What?” he chuckled. “You don’t think they might have been looking for you?”
“Nope.” She said it simply and firmly enough that it sounded like she wanted the conversation to end.
“Why not?”
She climbed down from her perch. “Because I was three. I didn’t have anyone else. If they’d lost me, then they would have looked for me. Missing children on milk boxes used to be a big thing, remember? Now with all the technology, I’m sure they could have found me if they really wanted to. Besides, you said it best. There isn’t a lot that can’t be overcome in a lifetime. I’ve had twenty years of waiting. I’m not going to hold my breath.”
“But your situation is different than mine,” he insisted. “You can’t say that they didn’t want you. What’s your last name? We could look for them together. Think about it. This wasn’t a situation where they left you somewhere, saying they’d be back, and then they never kept their promise.”
Her bark of laughter was sharper than he’d anticipated, and his whole body ran cold. “How would you know? I know I don’t. My memories didn’t start until after I was placed with my first family. After that, I was bounced around from house to house. You know, it’s not always how they make it sound. Sometimes, even young children don’t get adopted. The minute I hit eight, I knew it would never happen.” She brushed past him, and he spun to face her.
“But—”
“It’s sweet that you think I could look them up and they’d accept me with open arms, but you’re wrong. And I don’t want anything to do with them. Not then. Not now. Not ever.”
He frowned. She was wrong, and he knew it. There was probably someone out there in the world who was looking for her and heartbroken that she’d never been found. Henry followed her from the barn, broom still in hand. “You can’t tell me that there wasn’t someone in your life that would want to hear from you. I heard it in your voice. You’re disappointed.”
Athena whirled around, her brows creased and pain in her eyes. “If I sound disappointed, it’s because of this.” She gestured around wildly. “You have something here. Even with absent parents, you and your family have found a place to be where you know you can count on each other. Everyone in your little fold will always have a place to come home to.”
He couldn’t help but read between the lines. As much as she wanted to be alone to protect herself, she wanted a family. She wanted her family.
“You know something funny? A part of me has always wanted my name to be Kira. It sounded so normal—like if I could just be accepted into the right family I would be happy.” Her brows furrowed and she frowned. “Kira Thompson.” Her eyes lifted to meet his once again. “See? Doesn’t get much more normal than that.”
There. He had her full name. He could call in some favors with the sheriff’s office and see what they could find about her past. She might not want him to do any digging right now, but she’d realize how important it was when he found something and she could finally find a connection to her real family.
“What’s that look for?” Athena studied him, suspicion in her eyes.
“Nothing,” he said. “I don’t have a look.”
Loud hollering saved him from having to give her a better excuse. They both turned.
In the corral, Beast appeared to have reverted to his old self. After a few weeks of being on his best behavior, he’d had enough.
Athena gasped, then charged in that direction without a moment’s hesitation. She moved so quickly that Henry had to sprint to catch up with her. Their conversation about her past and family was easily forgotten.
“Athena,” he warned, “we had a talk about this.”
“You had a talk,” she muttered. “I didn’t agree to it.”
“Not in so many words, but you haven’t been spending any extra time with Beast, either. I thought you’d decided that you didn’t want anything to do with the animals.”
She stopped suddenly and stared at him. “Do you want me to stay away?”
“That’s not what I said.”
Athena continued her fast pace. “Then I don’t know why you’re acting like this is a bad idea. I’m going over there to help. Your brothers need me.”
“Clearly, they need a lot of help, but are you sure—”
“You can’t have it both ways, Henry. You said that I have a gift. You agreed with Harley about it. Now you don’t want me to—”
Henry reached out and grasped her arm. “I want you to do what makes you happy. If that means getting in the corral and working with Beast, then I want you to be safe when you do it.”
She motioned to the corral. “We’re losing valuable time. I’m going in there, and if you want to come, then come. If not, then I’m sure someone else will.” Her voice came out strong and unyielding. This was the woman he’d met when she’d snuck into the barn. It was nice to see her make a reappearance.
Athena pulled away as if she could see the decision he’d made in his head. She darted toward the corral and through the bars. He watched in awe as Beast immediately reacted to her presence.
It was more than the way she moved or the way she spoke to him in hushed tones. Henry had the feeling that if she’d been dropped into the corral blindfolded, the horse would have calmed simply by seeing her.
Hudson and Daniel were the ones working with the animal today as others watched on. Currently, they were moving away from the animal as Athena approached. All Henry could do was watch from the sidelines.
Someone nudged him in his side, and he jumped. Annabel let out a heavy sigh. “I have a feeling that Beast isn’t going to cooperate much unless Athena is there working with him.”
“Good luck with that one. She seems to prefer staying out of the spotlight.”
“Not when she has to come to the rescue.”
They both watched the scene unfold then Annabel continued. “Do you think you could convince her to give us a session every couple of days at the bare minimum? I know the guys would appreciate it.”
“I don’t know,” Henry said. “Sometimes I can see how much she wants to be there in the thick of it, and at other times she seems to retreat into a shell of herself.”
“She’s still new. Give her the benefit of the doubt. She’ll come around.” Annabel patted him on the shoulder and then headed toward the barn, leaving him to watch the woman he couldn’t help but admire.
Athena had come from literally nothing. All she had were the clothes on her back. How could she not see the raw talent she had with animals? She was a regular horse whisperer.
With Beast settled, Athena hurried toward Henry. Her face was flushed and her eyes were bright. “Did you see that?”
He nodded, preparing himself to tell her what Annabel had requested but was thrown off when she threw her arms around his neck.
“I can’t believe that it happened again.” Her mouth was next to his neck and her warm words sent a wave of chills down his spine. “I thought that the first time was a coincidence. I was led more by my gut than anything else. I know it was stupid, but I couldn’t help myself. But then this happened!” She pulled back, but her hands were still around his neck. “It’s exhilarating.”
Henry’s eyes locked with hers. He fed off her excited energy. He’d never felt that way about anything. He wasn’t even sure he had a gift—at least not something like what he’d just witnessed. “You’re amazing,” he said under his breath.
Athena sobered, but she didn’t pull away. She was still breathing hard, her chest rising and falling with each pull she dragged in. At some point his arms had come around her waist, probably when she’d flung herself at him—he’d needed to keep their balance somehow.
His own breath hitched in his chest as his eyes dipped down to study her mouth. Those full lips parted, and she exhaled. Maybe they were caught up in the moment, or maybe this was the start of something new. Either way, all he could think about was one thing.
What would it be like to kiss her?
Henry’s head lowered a fraction of an inch as he returned his gaze to meet hers. Athena blinked, gasped, then tore away from him. “I need to go to the bathroom.”
Just like that, she freed herself from him.