The relief was instant. She was coming back. “Sure.”
“You’re just like Aaron.”
“Hey. What does that mean?”
She managed a slight smile. “Nothing bad. I adore Aaron.”
“Good. Now we’re going to start breathing.”
“Where’s the we? I’m doing all the work.”
He bent down and kissed her.
“What was that for?” she asked.
“I wanted to.”
“Just so typical,” she muttered.
But her smile was bigger and the shaking had stopped. Once again she’d proven that she could be knocked around, but she couldn’t be broken. He could respect that. Maybe more than respect, but he wasn’t going there. Not now, not ever.
THE NEXT MORNING, Izzy made her way to the barn. It was difficult, walking out into darkness with nothing but her memory and other senses to guide her. She worried about tripping over something or falling in a big hole- not that there were any on the ranch. The use of a cane suddenly made sense.
But as she got close, she could smell the hay and the horses. The quality of the dirt changed. She could feel it in her steps and knew it had been trampled by countless hoofs. She put her arm up to find the building and bumped her fingers against the wall three steps later.
“How do you do it?” she asked Rita as soon as she got to the barn. “How do you figure out where stuff is and where you are?”
“Practice. My other senses come into play.”
“I’m scared nearly all the time,” Izzy admitted, sitting on the bench by the door. “I had my first panic attack last night.”
“How was it?”
“Not something I want to repeat.”
Rita joined her on the bench. “It’s a week, kid. You’ll be fine. Think of this as a character-building exercise.”
“I liked my character fine before.”
“But it will be better now.”
“Oh, joy.”
She knew there was more at stake here than just her character. There was the possibility the surgery wouldn’t work. That she would be lost in the darkness forever. Not a thought to perk up her mood, she reminded herself.
“I can’t ride,” she told the other woman. “But I can still do the grooming and help out in other ways.”
“Then that’s what I’ll use you for.”
“I like working with the horses. Flower sure made a difference with Heidi.”
“They usually do. Riding is an act of mutual trust. Kids who have been betrayed by someone who is supposed to love them aren’t big on trust. We start with a horse. It builds confidence.”
“Did you study this?”
Rita laughed. “I have a lot of common sense. Sometimes that’s better than any fancy education, if you ask me.”
Izzy was less sure about her common-sense profile. “I’ve done a lot of dumb things in my life.”
“Who hasn’t?”
“I went swimming with sharks.”
“Then you
Izzy laughed. “So college would help me?”
“It’s a must.”
“I never went. I hated school and couldn’t wait to be out. I bummed around Europe for a few months, then came back here and joined a ski patrol in Colorado. From there it was an easy downhill slide…no pun intended.”
“I’ve never been skiing. I know they have programs for the blind, but I really hate the cold. So what do you want to study?”
Izzy hesitated. Not because she didn’t know but because the idea was so new, so tender, it could easily be crushed.
“Psychology,” she said at last. “Child psychology. Specifically childhood traumas. I want to help children like Heidi. But going back to school? I don’t know if I can do it. School was never my thing.”
“You were never motivated before. You are now. They say that returning women are the most successful students in college.”
“Seriously?”
“Sure. Start small. Go to community college, then transfer. It’s the same classes at a slower pace.”
Community college? Izzy hadn’t thought of that. “It makes the process seem more manageable,” she admitted.
“Or you could just stay here and marry Nick.”
Izzy was glad she was sitting down, but hated that she couldn’t see Rita’s expression. “What?”
“You heard me. I may be blind, but I can see what’s going on between the two of you.”
“But we…I…What?”
There was something going on, but it was just that they liked each other and were going through something intense. He had helped her last night, which she appreciated. But married?
“I don’t do commitments. Never have.” That would require trusting someone to be there, to take care of her. Not her strong suit. “And Nick isn’t looking for anything permanent.” Until he could at least start on the road to forgiving himself, he wasn’t in a position to care about anyone.
“He’s a good guy. I’ve known him a while now. And he’s supposed to be decent eye candy.”
Izzy tried to laugh and choked instead. “Less of an issue for me today,” she said, touching the bandages. “We’re just friends.”
Rita snorted. “Sure. Like anyone believes that.” She stood. “The horses aren’t going to take care of themselves. Come on. We have work to do.”
Work Izzy could handle. “You have some really strange ideas.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. But if I’m right, I’ll be the first one to say I told you so.”
“JED TITAN’S HERE to see you. He doesn’t have an appointment.”
Garth raised his eyebrows. Jed coming to see him? That could only be good. The winner in a war never bothered with personal visits.
He pushed the intercom button on his phone. “Send him in.”
He’d barely had time to walk around his desk when the door opened and Jed strolled in.
His father was a tall man, fit, with only a hint of gray in his dark hair. Garth knew he looked a whole lot more like Jed than Kathy. He’d also inherited his father’s ruthless nature, quest for dominance and business savvy. He had a feeling that any softer characteristics his mother might claim had long been burned out of him.
“Jed,” he said, crossing the space between them and offering his hand.
“Garth.”
They shook. Jed eyed him, as if assessing him.
“Nice office,” the older man said. “You own the building?”
“Sure. Why pay rent when you can collect it?”
Jed nodded. “Good. That’s what I like to hear.” He crossed to the leather sofas and chairs in the corner and took a seat. “It’s a little early for bourbon so I’ll take coffee. Black.”
Garth used the intercom to give his assistant the order, then settled in a club chair opposite Jed.
“Cowboys have a fair chance this year,” Jed said. “You follow football?”
“Not especially. Work keeps me busy.”
“It’s the Cowboys. They’re America’s team.”
“I’m not sure the rest of the country would agree with that.”
