had to stop the lessons after I started working at the music school, but I still ride as often as I can.”
Emma gave a satisfied nod. “Good. I was hoping you’d say that. About a year ago, Matthew bought me a beautiful palomino mare. Her name is Dulce, and she’s as sweet as they come. You’re welcome to ride her whenever you like.”
“Thank you. I’d love to ride her.” In fact, a ride was exactly what she needed to clear her head.
After they were finished eating, Caroline headed to the barn to saddle up. She intentionally refrained from asking Matthew about anything more than the basic layout of his land. She wanted to explore it herself as she hadn’t had the chance to do when she’d arrived for his wedding three years ago. She soon found herself alone on a landscape that was a mixture of open land and tree-covered hills.
With the sun bearing down on her and Dulce from a cloudless sky, she headed for the path that led through the trees. It brought her to a creek. The sound of water rushing steadily downstream over rocks and the occasional downed tree soothed her tattered nerves.
A barking dog dashed across the path. Caroline started, and Dulce spooked a little, shying away from the puppy that was now splashing into the shallow creek. Caroline almost had the mare under control when a little boy burst from the trees yelling, “Come back!”
Dulce bolted into a gallop. Heart lurching into her throat, Caroline automatically slouched into the saddle and held on for dear life. The ground flew by beneath them. Dulce dodged through the trees and careened into open land. A fence appeared in front of them. She braced herself for the jump. Instead the mare ground to a jarring stop and lowered her head. The world turned end over end. Caroline landed on the ground with a thud.
Staring up at the sky, she couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. She was dying.
“Breathe, Caroline. Just breathe. Take a breath.”
The voice was deep, soothing, commanding. She forced herself to obey it. She took in a small breath. Her lungs eased. She gasped in air.
“Calmly now. That’s it. Nice and deep.”
Slowly becoming aware of the strong hand holding hers, she lowered her gaze from the sky until she found David McKay’s. He offered her a reassuring smile that made her breath hitch again. She concentrated on the task at hand. Did she have enough air in her to speak? If so, she’d like to ask what was wrong with her.
“You got the wind knocked out of you. On top of that, you’re probably a little stunned. You’ll be all right in a few minutes.”
He was right. She was starting to feel better already. She tried to sit up. He pressed a hand to her shoulder to stop her. “Whoa now. Take it easy. Before you get up, tell me—does anything hurt?”
She paused to take inventory. Her voice came out a little breathlessly. “Everything hurts a little, but nothing vital seems injured. Just my pride.”
“Not much you can do when a horse decides to bolt other than stick to your saddle and try to calm her down.” He helped her sit up. “You did that pretty well until she decided to throw you.”
“Where is she?”
Approval filled his eyes. Apparently, the way to this rancher’s heart was through worrying about her horse. “My men will round her up for you.”
“Thank you.” She rubbed at the burning sensation on her arm.
He caught her hand and pulled it away to look at the spot. “Looks like you’ve got a pretty bad scrape there.”
“How?”
“Probably the fence. You flew right over it on your way down. You didn’t notice that?” After she shook her head, he placed a knuckle under her chin and lifted it slightly. “You’ve got another scratch on your chin. Come back to my ranch house. My ma will fix you up. Then I’ll escort you back home.”
“Oh, I’m sure that isn’t necessary.”
“Maybe not, but it’s neighborly, and that’s how we do things around here.” He stood, then reached down. “Shall we?”
She hesitated only for a moment before placing her hand in his. He pulled her up. The world tilted before settling in place. She instinctively caught his free arm to steady herself, then let go. “I’m sorry.”
“Dizzy?”
“A little.”
He took hold of her elbow. “You didn’t hit your head, did you?”
“No. My equilibrium needed to catch up. That’s all.”
He gave a reluctant nod. “Let’s get you to the house.”
She grew steadier by the minute as he guided her through the tall, yellowing grass toward the two-story house in the distance. “Thank you for coming to my rescue yet again. I promise I’m not usually this much trouble.”
He smiled. “No trouble at all. Do you have any idea what made your horse spook like that?”
“A dog ran across the path with a little boy chasing him.”
“A little boy?” His eyes narrowed as he scanned their surroundings. “That’s mighty interesting. I don’t suppose you got a good look at him?”
“Nothing more than a glimpse.”
He opened the door for her. An acrid smell reached her nose. Since she was a horrible cook, it was one she knew all too well. “Something is burning.”
“Uh-oh. Why don’t you wait in the parlor while I take care of this?” David rushed away, presumably to the kitchen.
Left alone in the foyer, Caroline caught a glimpse of the parlor through the half-open door on her right. Her eyes widened as she stepped inside. She crossed the room to where the upright piano stood against the wall. She pressed middle C. The note filled the room until a discordant cry drowned it out. Was that a baby?
As though in confirmation, the cry seeped down through the ceiling above her head. Hadn’t Matthew said David had been a widower for five years? What on earth could he be doing in possession of a baby? She was halfway up the stairs before realizing it was bad manners to explore someone’s house uninvited. Still, she couldn’t ignore the baby. Not when she was so close and willing to help. She followed the cries to the nursery, then stopped short when she discovered there were three babies and that they weren’t alone after all. An older woman with a cloud of white hair sat in a rocking chair. The baby in the nearby crib caught sight of Caroline and stopped crying in order to watch her attentively.
She gave a little gasp. “Oh my! How adorable! Are they triplets?”
The woman blinked in surprise, then offered an amused smile. “Why, yes, they are. And who might you be?”
“Caroline Murray. I promise I didn’t just walk in here off the street...or range. David invited me in.”
“Did he?” Surprise filled her warm brown eyes, followed by a speculative look. “Well, then, welcome to our home. I’m Ida Winthrop.”
Not
