Page 29 of Song of the Dawn
Rachelle took a bite of the bun, wiggling her eyebrows at Ezra. “This sounds quite naughty. Why are we going to the barn?”
My face warmed, both at her words and the way she’d said them, the innuendo clear in her tone.
“I need some assistance, especially from you, Rachelle,” Ezra replied evenly.
“Only because you’re in charge,” she quipped.
I was surprised she spoke to him like that. It was borderline disrespectful, but Ezra didn’t miss a beat.
We followed him out of the inn and around to the carriage house that perched just beyond the staff quarters.
Ezra escorted us in, taking the entrance that led to the horses. I’d seen it from a distance but hadn’t gone inside myself. The scents of hay and horses filled the air, along with those of sweet grass and the mustiness of oats. It was a surprisingly homey, comforting combination of smells.
“Dusty wants to get into horse breeding,” Ezra explained. “I told him we don’t have the staff for it and we’ll need to hire some help, plus we’ll be competing with Lord Ensworth, who is a well-established name in horse breeding. However, Dusty would not relent, and I promised to look for help. If either of you would be interested in assisting with the horses, it would be most helpful. They’ll need to be walked, fed, and ridden daily. I know it’s a busy season in the inn, but I’ll speak to Ginger and see if—”
“I’ll do it!” Rachelle blurted out, dropping her half-eaten bun in the dirt. “It doesn’t matter. I can help with the horses and work inside too. I’ll get up at dawn. I’ll ride them during the afternoon.”
Her eyes were shining as she clasped her hands together, almost like a child begging for just another sweet before bed. Slowly, I lifted my gaze to Ezra, for I realized what he’d done. He hadn’t forgotten a word I’d said, and he’d given Rachelle horses in the only way she would accept. My throat went tight at what he’d done, making her happy, lifting her sadness. I was sure she wouldn’t forget about being a lady married to a wealthy lord, but at least she had something to throw her heart into.
She was already at the stables, reaching out a hand to one of the horses. It sniffed her, and she rubbed its nose, her voice soft. “My father had horses, and I loved them. He taught me everything about them…before…”
“You’ll have help too,” Ezra said. “I mean what I said. I don’t want you to work yourself to the bone, but I’ll have to find suitable help here.”
“I won’t let you down,” Rachelle promised.
We left her there, standing in the barn with the horses. I followed Ezra back outside, and once we were in the sunlight, the lump in my throat melted away like thawed ice. “Thank you,” I whispered. “You gave her something special.”
A shy smile lit up his face. “And what would that something special be?”
“Hope.”
He held my gaze a beat longer than necessary. “You gave me the idea, Mila, so in fact, you were the one who gave her hope.”
I stood there, grinning at him while the sun beamed on his head, making him appear like a sun god. “Does it always feel this good?” I asked.
“What?”
“Making people happy?”
He gazed at the orange trees. Their branches, now light from lack of fruit, swayed in the breeze. “Yes, it feels closer to redemption, closer to being forgiven.”
I wondered why he’d used those words, and caught a trace of sadness. His past was part of the mystery of him, and perhaps he’d open himself fully to me.
“Tomorrow afternoon, come join me at the lake,” he said.
“Is that a request?”
“It’s an invitation. Like I said earlier, I have forgotten nothing. I still want to spend time with you, to get to know you, if you will have me.”
“Yes. I will.”
“Well, now that’s settled, off I go to find a friend for Rachelle to work with.”
“A friend?”
He gave me a sly grin. “A friend, maybe something more. Everyone needs someone.”
The retort died on my lips. He was right. Everyone needed someone. Even if they believed they didn’t.
