Chapter 18
LARKIN
Ephraim and I had worked tirelessly with the horses, but that didn’t compare to the work we did together to make the South Seattle Horse Rescue inaugural Youth Showcase and Donor Gala happen.
We had planned for everything, at least everything that we could think of.
I put my hosting skills to use, skills I developed on the Holt Ranch, and Ephraim used his big-money contacts to bring in the right kind of donors who wouldn’t turn their nose up at the amount we wanted to raise.
In fact, by the time we opened the barn doors the day of the event, it was all I could do not to grab Ephraim’s hand in joy and excitement.
The stables were spotless. The horses were bathed and groomed to perfection.
The riding arena looked like something you might see at an elite equestrian center, complete with a small stage and seating for the youth program demonstration that was scheduled to go on that evening.
I made a round through the stalls, just checking on everyone and making sure nothing had happened in the early morning hours when the barn wasn’t as active.
All the horses were quiet and content. They could tell today was different, and their energy had an almost festive quality.
But their calm behavior told me that even my most anxious rescues were ready to take center stage in a few hours.
Walking to my office, I nearly collided with Ephraim as we met at the barn door. “Hey,” I said, a little out of breath. “What are you doing back here?”
“Looking for you.” His eyes were bright with excitement. I knew that feeling. “We got word the photographer arrived and is getting set up in the outdoor ring. And one of the local news outlets wants to interview you ahead of the main event. Is that something you’re ready to do?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “Can you be there for the interview?”
“If you want me.” He reached for my hand, our fingers tangling together.
“I do want you.” I didn’t look down, but I loved feeling his warm grip.
We hadn’t done more than hold hands and steal a few kisses.
We were in a place where we both wanted more but were waiting, neither of us wanting to jump into this without knowing our footing.
And yet, even a small touch like this made my heart skip a beat, reminding me that our chemistry was still there, waiting to be explored again.
“I’ll be there, then.” He let my hand go, but his fingers trailed over the back of my hand, like he couldn’t pull away.
I wished I had time to chase that feeling, to pull him toward the hay loft and feel more than his hands on my body. But there just wasn’t enough time today. Still, the desire was there, and it was growing between us, no matter how much we pretended to be just partners and coworkers right now.
We stepped back into the main barn, ready for our day to officially begin.
This event would bring the Seattle community together for the first time in support of the work the rescue had done over the years.
It would be an opportunity for so many of these horses and kids to shine.
There would be media there to help get the word out.
The potential of what could come of this night was enough to bring tears to my eyes as I stepped into the crisp morning air and looked over everything we had created.
“I didn’t realize we could do all this,” I said as we walked toward the outdoor arena where the interviews would start.
I didn’t really mean the barn and the arena and the grounds we were standing on.
Those were all impressive, but that was never something that seemed out of reach once we got going on it.
This was something more, something I wasn’t sure Ephraim and I could actually achieve together, not as husband and wife.
“We can do a lot when we put our minds to it. Together, there isn’t much that could hold us back.
” I glanced up at Ephraim, a question in my eyes as I saw him looking back at me.
Was he saying that he thought we would make a great team?
Or was he talking about this specific day.
It wasn’t exactly the time to ask, and I knew he was probably referring to this specific day, so I bit my tongue and walked forward, knowing there was more I needed to hear from him before I even began to contemplate going back home and trying to be his wife again.
I needed more time and more of him being here to show me that we would be more than just an excellent work team.
By late afternoon, the first guests were arriving.
Cars and SUVs filled our dirt parking lot, and there was a buzz of energy surrounding everything as we directed everyone toward the stables and arena where we had games set up and light refreshments.
It was beautiful. I knew every minute of it, all the planning and coordination and hours and hours of labor it took to make this one perfect moment happen. I took a deep breath, taking it in.
We had done this. All of us. Volunteers had been coming and going all day, doing so much more than expected.
And now, in the few moments I had before going in front of our supporters and community members, I was flooded with emotion at how right this was.
This was why I did the work I did, and today was proof that it was all worth it.
I could feel Ephraim behind me, but I couldn’t turn, didn’t want to ruin the moment.
It wasn’t until he spoke that I finally looked away from the view, looking at the man who was part of what made all this possible, a man I was starting to know on a deeper, more meaningful level.
He reached his hand up, cupping my cheek, his thumb caressing me softly as my eyes closed for a moment, wanting to give in to the temptation.
But I heard someone approaching from behind Ephraim.
My eyes flew open and I took a step back, seeing one of the local government officials I had invited and sent an invite to Ephraim to greet while I made my way inside to the arena for the kids’ demonstrations.
But what happened next took my breath away, my feet feeling cemented to the ground.
Ephraim didn’t move from my side to greet anyone, just held out his hand. “Corrine, what are you doing here?”
I whipped my head around to look at the woman standing just a few feet away.
She looked older somehow, and more haggard than she had been a few months ago.
Her face was pale, the bags under her eyes prominent and her hair and makeup less perfect than I had ever seen.
It was so strange, because it almost felt like she knew Ephraim was doing something meaningful while she was not. A grim satisfaction rolled through me.
“I could ask you the same,” she hissed in response, not taking the hand that Ephraim had offered. Her gaze cut over to me. “You are an embarrassment. Did you really leave a multi-billion-dollar company to follow your little wifey out here to the city where you don’t fit in?”
“Corrine, this isn’t the place or time to have this conversation,” he warned.
I didn’t think. I just moved forward, stepping in front of Ephraim and putting myself between them. “Why don’t I show you back to your car, Corrine. You’re clearly confused if you think you belong here.”
She smirked, but it wasn’t her normal, haughty look.
This was different. “Your little boy here might be having an adventure out here in the city, but when it all falls apart, I’ll be there, ready to put the pieces back together.
” She leaned a little closer to me, like she thought I should be frightened of her.
“He’ll get tired of the game and the life he abandoned will be right there for him to jump back into. ”
“No.” The word came from my gut, from the deep knowledge I had of my husband.
“You don’t know anything about him if you think that.
” My voice was fierce. I wanted her to feel it.
I wanted her to go away and never show her face to me ever again.
“He doesn’t want you. He wants more than what you are offering. ”
“You’re really going to let her talk to me like that Ephraim?” She sneered over my shoulder.
“Why would I stop her from telling you the truth? Larkin’s right.
” His voice was strong behind me, supporting me in a way that felt so perfect, so right, that my knees felt weak for a moment.
“I’m not interested in what you have. I’ve made my choice, and it has nothing to do with you and your little schemes.
So we’re left with one simple question. Why are you here? ”
That threw Corrine off, just for a moment.
“You should have signed the deal when it was in front of you. I came to tell you that there will be consequences if you don’t change course soon.
” I watched as her gaze slipped over Ephraim again, like she was trying to find his weakness in me, as if my being at his side made him less of a man.
It disgusted me how much she still didn’t understand about us. About him.
“You need to leave. I have the resources to bury you if I need to, but this isn’t the place for whatever vendetta you’re pursuing.
This is about celebrating what is going right.
Now, you can leave on your own, or I can have someone escort you back to your car and ask you to not return.
” I didn’t bother to let her respond, just walked forward, crowding her until she finally stepped away from me, giving me an opening to walk away myself.
My heart was pounding. I couldn’t believe she would show up here and ruin a good thing.
But before I could make my way to the arena entrance, I felt a hand on my back, Ephraim’s familiar touch there, assuring me he was close, that he was with me.
And that touch, that quiet gesture, made it all feel right.
Because even with this small interruption, this wasn’t her place or her story, this was mine.
And as I took one more deep breath before walking inside and greeting our guests and the families that made this rescue what it was, I realized this had always been mine to make into whatever I wanted.
“Let’s do this, Mr. Holt,” I whispered to Ephraim before letting him escort me inside.
We put the interruption from Corrine aside.
This was our night, and we didn’t need her drama clouding that.
If she had real threats to make, they could come later, when we weren’t celebrating how far we had come in a few short weeks.
We were showing the community what it looked like to thrive and build a safe, nurturing environment for some of the kids and animals who needed it most.
The lights came up and I stood before the crowd, beaming down at all of the faces.
There were kids who had come through this rescue who now stood proud on horses they had been too afraid of just weeks earlier.
There were the faces of parents who had seen their children blossom as they connected with a horse.
There were the community leaders who came to celebrate all these little successes.
This moment felt like the culmination of what I had dreamed, the exact reason I had never backed away from my ideas and my vision.
But more than that, standing there with Ephraim beside me, looking out at what we had done, I realized how good we were at doing this together.
We were a team, the kind of partners I had always hoped we would be.
And for just that one moment, I forgot about everything that stood in our way and allowed myself to pretend we could be the husband and wife team I had dreamed of.
Because together, we were incredible. If we could harness that for our everyday lives, for the future beyond the rescue, anything would be possible.
I only allowed that dream to last a brief second.
This wasn’t our time to have those conversations and make decisions about a marriage that still needed some space before either one of us could figure out how to approach a new relationship.
But today, as we stood side-by-side, looking out at what we had accomplished, I knew there would be a tomorrow and another one after that, and maybe in all those tomorrows, we would find our way back together.
It didn’t feel out of reach for once, just inevitable.
I reached my hand out and felt his warm fingers wrap around mine as I turned back toward our guests.
“Good afternoon everyone. Thank you for joining us today as we celebrate this incredible organization, these amazing horses, and the children who give me purpose and meaning every day of my life. What you are about to see is nothing short of remarkable...” My eyes found a few of the children standing ready on their horses, big, brave smiles on their faces as their eyes were focused on me.
“You’re going to see why the South Seattle Horse Rescue is my heart and soul, and why it should be yours too. ”
The crowd was attentive. The horses and children were ready.
And for the first time in my life, I wasn’t just sharing my dream, but Ephraim’s hand was firmly in mine, his voice in my ear as he whispered, “I’ve got you.
” It felt good. It felt like this might work.
And it made my heart so incredibly full to think of all we could still do together.
And I wasn’t about to let anyone take this feeling away from us.
“Let’s meet some of these incredible kids,” I said, a huge smile on my face as the evening began, not caring how the night ended or what happened tomorrow. Today was the beginning of something beautiful, and I was going to enjoy every second.