Beyond the Pages (Winhaven #1)

Chapter 1

one

Rosalie

“Surprise!”

The shouts of friends and family ring in my ears as I freeze, completely shocked, in the doorway of my childhood home. My mom gives me a little nudge forward as I continue gaping at the crowd of people piled into our living room.

“Oh my gosh! What’s all of this?”

It’s then I see the giant handmade banner hanging across the back wall that says Congratulations, Dr. Whittington, DVM! The words are surrounded by abstract drawings of what I think must be horses, courtesy of my daughter, Paige.

My cheeks turn pink, and I have to clasp my hands in front of me to refrain from covering my face.

I’m touched by everyone here celebrating my accomplishments, but I’m also easily embarrassed when I’m the center of attention.

Since we already had a small family gathering when I graduated with my Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University, I definitely wasn’t expecting this kind of celebration today.

However, I just got the news I passed my boards and am now an official licensed Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, so I guess another celebration is warranted.

I look around the room and catch the warm hazel eyes of my sweet little artist, her strawberry blonde hair in an untamed ponytail at the top of her head, standing next to my dad, clapping wildly, hands covered in marker, with a gigantic smile on her face, and I smile back.

While this moment holds a considerable sense of accomplishment, nothing will compare to the pride I feel staring at my little girl’s face.

There’s a sudden warmth in my chest, an added layer of emotion knowing my daughter’s seeing her mom do something she’s worked for so tirelessly.

I know she’s young, only seven years old, but I hope her mind holds on to these memories forever.

I move across the living room, accepting hugs from friends and family, until I catch a blur of motion running toward me. I brace myself just in time for a pair of little arms to wrap around my legs.

“Mommy, you’re so special, you get two parties!”

“That’s right, Paige,” my mom says from behind me. “Because your mom worked twice as hard as anyone else to become a veterinarian.” The pride in her voice is unmistakable, and radiating warmth blooms in my chest.

“That’s right! And now you get to take care of all the pretty horses in the world,” she says with so much enthusiasm she jumps straight into the air, arms outstretched above her head.

I place my hand on her shoulder and move her vibrating little body toward the kitchen and away from the larger group of people in the living room.

Once in the quieter space, I stoop down with an enthusiastic smile and place my hands on her cheeks. “Well, Paigey, we’ll have to start a bit smaller than the whole wide world, but I think Kentucky is going to be the best place for our world horse domination to begin.”

Her expression briefly dims before it lights up again as my dad and both my brothers wander up to us. My dad turns me to face him and gives me the tightest squeeze.

“I’m so very proud of you, Rosie.”

He’s always been a man of few words, but simple statements like this and his gentle gestures let me know exactly how proud he is of my accomplishment today.

Before I can react, my two brothers, Carter and Jeremy, flank me like I’m the calf in a team-roping competition.

With mischievous grins and zero regard for personal space, they sandwich me between their giant bodies.

Carter digs relentless fingers into my sides while Jeremy goes straight for my head with a noogie.

“Seriously?” I gasp, thrashing and twisting as I try to get loose. My stomach aches from the combination of my feral escape techniques and forced laughter.

I finally break free, my hair a mess and my ego slightly wounded. I shoot them a glare that would turn lesser men to dust.

“For one day—just one day—you two can’t act like mature adults?”

They grimace, offering me sheepish shrugs in unison before each takes a turn giving me a normal hug and doling out congratulations like they should have in the first place.

“All right, everyone,” my mom says, putting her arm around me and herding us toward the table. “Let’s have some cake to celebrate our Rosie passing her exam and getting her dream job in Kentucky!”

“Yes!” Paige enthuses, with another toss of her celebratory arms. “I’m so ready for cake and ice cream! She freezes and looks around. “Wait, there’s ice cream, too, right?”

My mom walks beside me with a warm laugh, her signature bob tucked behind her ears.

The silver streaks that have just begun to appear are shining in the light.

Her smile lines seem deeper, and fine lines crinkle at the corners of her eyes, but there’s a youthful spark in them that never seems to fade.

“Of course, there’s ice cream. What kind of grandma would I be if I fed you cake and no ice cream?”

Paige moves toward the cake on the kitchen table with a little more pep in her step.

“I take it back. With all that energy, I don’t know if she needs all the sugar she’s about to ingest.”

“I dare you to try and keep it away,” I say with a raised eyebrow and a challenging smirk.

“I would never! That’s your job,” she says incredulously. “My job is to love her to pieces and spoil her rotten.”

I shake my head and laugh as my mom walks over to where Paige is eagerly waiting for her to cut the cake.

I’d been extremely fortunate that my dream veterinary school—one of the best in the nation—was so close to my family, and that they accepted me.

Getting pregnant my freshman year of college was completely unexpected, but being close to home meant I didn’t have to give up my dreams. Being a new mom at nineteen was the most terrifying time in my life, but having my family’s help meant the world.

Paige’s dad was a random hookup, a friend of a friend of a friend who was attending the same off-campus party as me. We had sex in the back of his old Suburban and the condom broke, leaving me pregnant with no knowledge of how to locate him once I found out.

I was kind of a wild child before my life was turned upside down by the most perfect little girl ever to grace this earth. I was lucky my family didn’t freak out, they didn’t judge, they only asked what I needed, supporting me along the way.

They never wanted me to give up on my dreams of becoming a veterinarian, so they jumped in, helping me as much as humanly possible. With their support, I was able to continue my college courses after taking only one semester off.

My life was nothing like my classmates’. Instead of outfit changes or lack of sleep from all-night parties, I was dealing with diaper changes and lack of sleep from Paige’s feeding schedule, but I loved every minute of it.

When I got accepted to veterinary school after I finished undergrad, I found a small apartment over a horse barn with cheap rent, in exchange for feeding and managing the horses’ day-to-day needs.

That tiny apartment above the barn has given us both so much.

I always loved horses growing up, but caring for them as an adult helped me decide to become a large animal vet with a focus on equine medicine.

It also fostered Paige’s insane love for horses.

I mean, it borders on obsession, but I can’t blame the girl because I love them equally as much.

So far, every Halloween costume has been some variety of “horseback rider,” and I can often find her downstairs in the arena on her stick horse running between jumps and scaling them, as if she’s on a horse of her own.

And the best part of living in a barn, I’ve been able to avoid the “Can I have my own horse?” conversation for quite some time, telling Paige she’s part owner of all the horses downstairs.

Is it a white lie? Sure. But what parent hasn’t told one of those now and then?

I take this time to look around my childhood home filled with all the people who got me to this point and bask in all the love, committing every detail to memory.

From the slightly worn path on the carpet showing just how many times my brothers and I ran in and out of the front door while playing outside to the stack of old board games we still break out occasionally at our many family dinners, I don’t want to forget a single thing about this time in my life because everything is about to change.

I’ve been hired as the newest vet at Winhaven University Equine Center and couldn’t be more excited.

I’m sure I’ll get the cases many of the seasoned vets don’t want.

Still, the anticipation of finally realizing my dream of being an actual veterinarian has kept my reservations at bay.

Paige is beyond excited to be moving to horse country, just as I am.

That excitement doesn’t completely drown out the trepidation, though. This will be the first time I’ll be away from my family, truly on my own.

Tonight, Paige and I will head back to our apartment for the last time before we wake up bright and early tomorrow and head to our new home of Winhaven, Kentucky.

Our views will no longer consist of vast mountain ranges and rocky foothills.

Instead, we’ll wake up to lush green pastures and rolling hills as far as the eye can see.

There will be no more driving on autopilot from the barn to my family home to chat with my mom and dad over dinner, or meeting them at the park to play with Paige.

After-school ice cream treats will be just me and Paige, and we’ll have to explain our crazy order of a twist cone turned upside down in a bowl—yes, we like the cone and the bowl—covered in hot fudge, caramel, and sprinkles to someone new.

All sense of comfort and familiarity will be gone.

My gaze catches on the family photos covering the walls, and I keep reminding myself they’re only a car or plane ride away, I can call anytime and they’ll pick up, that they’ll be there when I need them, no matter the distance.

The party is light and lively, filled with many congratulations, well wishes, and tons of laughter. Time flies by much too quickly, and before I know it, all the guests have left, and I’m loading my car with the gifts some of my friends and family gave me.

My parents come out, my dad trailing my mom with Paige in his arms. She fell asleep on the couch in the basement after dinner while watching Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, her current favorite movie.

Honestly, I’m not surprised, that movie puts me to sleep every time, too.

There’s just something about Matt Damon’s voice and the placidity of the music and storyline that has me wanting to close my eyes within the first ten minutes.

Or maybe it’s the fact that I’ve seen it no less than twenty-five times and it doesn’t hold my attention anymore.

Regardless, it’s her favorite, and I’ll do anything to spend time with my girl.

When my dad starts to lower Paige into the back seat, her eyes flutter open, and she squeezes him tighter, causing him to stand back up, readjusting her into a bear hug.

“I’m going to miss you lots, Grandma and Grandpa,” she says a bit groggily, clinging to his neck.

“We’ll miss you, too, sweet pea,” my mom says, taking her from my dad to give her an all-enveloping hug before setting her on the ground by the car. I can see the emotion pooling in her eyes as my dad stands supportively by her side, his hand on her back.

Once I know Paige is buckled up in the back seat and all my gifts are stowed in the trunk, I turn one more time to the two most important people in my life and promptly burst into tears. I angle my body so my back is to the window where Paige sits, not wanting to scare her with my emotions.

I’m about to leave my parents for the first time in my life. I know I can do this, but right now it’s hard to fathom them not being down the road to jump in and help when I need them, or simply coming over for dinner to chat about my day.

My mom reaches forward, bringing me into her arms, hugging me tight and placing a kiss on my forehead.

“You were meant for great things, Rosalie. You have persevered through circumstances where most people would have given up. You’ve managed to raise a fantastic daughter while achieving a dream years in the making, and we’re so incredibly proud.

We’ll miss you every day, but we look forward to the daily calls we know you’ll make to update us on your new adventures,” she says with a wink.

She’s not wrong. My mom and I talk every day. Even on days I see her, I still find myself calling to ask some ridiculous question or wanting to share a funny Paige story.

Her words reassure me as I finally turn to walk toward the driver’s side door, my dad’s steady presence following behind me.

He’s been relatively quiet all night, but as I open the front door to my truck, his weathered hand catches the frame, and I immediately turn and burrow myself into his chest. His arms come around me, and his chin rests on top of my head.

“You’re going to do great, Rosie. I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become.”

His words are simple but laced with so much pride. I squeeze him one more time before backing out of his grasp.

“I love you, Dad.”

“I love you, too, Rosie.”

I’m about to get in the truck when my two brothers rush out of the house.

“What the hell, Rosalie? You were going to leave without saying goodbye to us?” Carter says, crushing me in a hug as Jeremy sweeps in on the other side, effectively sandwiching me between the two of them.

“We said goodbye in the house,” I say, my voice muffled.

“Yeah, but now you’re leaving the driveway, so another goodbye must be given,” Jeremy says, as if it makes all the sense in the world.

Honestly, these two are the best idiots I could have ever asked for as brothers, so I soak in their hug sandwich before wiggling out of their hold.

“Love you both! And be nice to Mom and Dad!”

“You say that like we aren’t grown-ass men,” Jeremy says.

“Um, that’s because you aren’t grown-ass men. Research shows men’s frontal lobes aren’t fully developed until at least twenty-five, so…” I let that statement trail off as their faces register what I’ve said.

“Always the smarty-pants,” Carter says as he playfully shoves me toward the front of the truck.

I push him back with a laugh and close the door.

As I back out of the driveway and pull away from my childhood home, a trepidatious smile spreads across my face. I’m really doing this. I glance in my rearview mirror to check on Paige, but instead see my family waving back at me while yelling “good luck” and promises to talk soon.

With a laugh, I turn right to head back to our apartment and finally let out a deep breath. I did it, and now our new life awaits.