Chapter 48
Chapter Forty-Eight
It was a white, misty morning and Dylan sat on the steps of his van looking over at the sad, ruined remains of the house.
Elvis had slunk in when the firefighters left and Dylan had put the horses back into the barn for the night.
Emmett had stayed with him for the whole time, till the blaze was under control and then eventually put out, the rain thankfully getting heavier as the night went on helping to quell the flames.
Emmett offered a room at Silver Sky once more before he left, and once more Dylan thanked him but turned him down.
When he woke up, he was glad he had, there was a power in seeing that fire-ravaged house that he couldn’t put into words, just knew that he needed to live through it, to see the destruction in the morning light—the hold it had over him gone up with those flames.
The only thing he would have changed was to have Willow there with him.
He could close his eyes and imagine the comfort of having his arm around her, turning and smelling the sweet scent of her shampoo and feel the warmth of her body against his.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t be alone in that moment, it was that had she been there, it would have been a comfort he barely allowed himself to acknowledge had ever been missing.
Later that morning, he rode Thunder and led Mercury through the pines and back onto Carter land, taking the same route she’d bolted months earlier.
Noah was waiting for him by the horse barn, its glossy new roof bright from the rain. It was an impressive—almost envy-inducing—structure.
As he approached, Noah tipped his hat back a fraction and said, “I heard about your place. I’m sorry.”
Jumping down off Thunder, Dylan said, “Don’t be.
I had no love for that house.” Then he handed Noah the reins of both horses and felt the pang that other people might have felt when watching their house burn down.
He did what he could to ignore the sense of reluctance he had about handing Thunder back over and leaving Mercury behind.
There were a lot of horses he’d parted company with in his time, but these ones felt particularly special, seemed to represent a time in his life he wasn’t so keen to forget. If he wasn’t careful, he’d well up.
He told himself he was just tired.
“Hello, girl.” Noah rested his hand at the base of Thunder’s neck and seeing how calm she was at being touched, glanced up at Dylan and said, “You’ve worked miracles with her.”
Dylan smiled, standing on Thunder’s other side, running his hand down her mane. “She’s a fine horse.”
Noah agreed.
They talked logistics for a moment, future racing possibilities. Dylan said, “She’s got it in her to be a star.” Thunder blinked her thick lashes, he could feel her looking at him, felt the trust there in those huge black eyes.
Noah tipped his head and said, “I think I can hear a but coming on…”
Dylan laughed, stroking Thunder’s shoulder. “She’s fast when she wants to be. She could be one of the quickest horses I’ve ever ridden. But?—”
“There it is!” Noah chuckled.
Dylan pictured Thunder gazing at the little wrens that darted about in the wildflowers, how she’d stand and look up at the rain or follow Mercury around the paddock, he thought of her fondness for mints and the zip on Willow’s jacket.
“If I’m honest, Noah, I just don’t think she wants to race.
I think she had fun for a while, but—” He looked in her eye again, saw his own smile reflected back.
“She likes watching the birds or riding out to nowhere, she’s happy to work but I don’t think she’s ever going to be happy at the track.
I don’t think she cares for the upheaval.
” He gave Thunder a pat. “Another trainer might say different.”
Noah shook his head. “You seem to know what you’re talking about, Hawkins.”
Dylan shrugged off the compliment but appreciated it all the same. “You never know, she might have some whip-fast babies.”
“If she does, I’ll give you a call.”
“You do that,” he said, surprising himself by how readily he accepted, inadvertently imagining a practice track where his old house had stood, a new sign hanging at the entrance of the drive and a barn with a roof as new and shiny as the Carters.
They walked the two horses over to the paddock. There were a couple of blackbirds sitting on the fence that Dylan noticed with quiet pleasure. Thunder would like that.
When the horses were safely settled, Noah said, “You spoken to Willow much?”
Dylan shook his head. They hadn’t talked at all, he felt it was better that way, easier to move on. “You?”
Noah made a face like he didn’t have casual phone chats with his sister. “No, but I do know Wednesday’s opening night because Brodie’s going to New York to watch. I’ve been roped in to show my dad how to watch the livestream.”
Dylan snorted a laugh, trying to gloss over what talking about Willow did to his insides.
The sun was just beginning to break through the blanket of clouds, glistening off puddles of water left by the rain.
Noah looked over toward where the horses were grazing, shielding his eyes from the sun. “I’ve got a spare ticket, if you know anyone who might be interested.”
Dylan stifled a smile at the attempt at subtlety. “I’ll bear that in mind.”
Noah tipped his head in acknowledgment, then, pointing toward where his Jeep was parked, said, “You want a ride home?”
“Nah, thank you, I’ll walk.” It was odd to hear it called home.
As Dylan was about to leave, he heard the bang of a screen door and saw Emmett come out of the house. Catching sight of the two of them, he gave a curt nod in greeting.
Noah said, “That’s the equivalent of a wave for most people.”
Dylan laughed and raised a hand at Emmett in reply. Then he set off back across the damp grass home.