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“Also true. I’ll pay half. Can you unlock the doors now?”
They were both so dirty they’d be finding mud in places they usually never thought to check for days. Getting in meant transferring all that sludge to the light gray interior of the car. Faith let out a heavy sigh and unlocked the doors. Dean quickly called dibs on the shower when they got back to the farm.
“Nice try. I’m going to have Sawyer hose you off before you step foot in my house.”
Dean turned up the heat, smudging the button. “Oh, come on. You work on a horse farm. You’ve walked through that house dirty before.”
“Not this dirty.”
Dean tried not to lean back. Faith had scooped up a handful of mud and shoved it down the back of his shirt. It was cold and wet, and he wanted to keep the cleaning costs down. “Has anyone ever been this dirty? I don’t think so.”
One side of Faith’s mouth quirked up. “Do you remember when Addison heard about that spa in Belle Meade where they charge people outrageous amounts of money for fancy mud baths, and she thought she could get the same effect by lying in a mud puddle in one of our flooded paddocks?”
The memory of Mr. Stratton calling Dean’s parents to warn them that their daughter might smell like horse manure for a few days popped up and punched Dean in the gut. He could picture a thirteen-year-old Addison returning home wearing Faith’s clothes, which were at least two sizes too small. Faith had always been the Laurel to Addison’s Hardy. She had looked ridiculous and smelled even worse. Dean had teased her relentlessly for days after.
Faith laughed and the drying mud by her eyes cracked as the skin underneath it crinkled. “She told everyone at school that people in Europe bathed in the same stuff all the time because it detoxified the body of impurities. Jill and Veronica believed every word and asked when they could come over for a treatment.”
That was a perfect example of who Addison had been. She could sell ice to a polar bear. She would have grown up to be someone amazing. The pain in Dean’s chest made it hard to breathe.
“You probably don’t remember,” Faith said, mistaking his silence for a lapse of memory.
“I remember everything. Maybe I don’t want to talk about it. Did you ever think of that?” he asked, his voice a bit harsher than intended.
Faith stiffened in the driver’s seat. Her eyes stayed trained on the road. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have brought her up. I won’t do it again.”
Dean doubted that was possible. Everything in this town reminded him of his sister. It surely did the same for Faith. Maybe it was a bad idea to stay at the farm. He couldn’t go to his parents’, but he could see if there was a room open at Tanner’s. Of course, there was a greater chance he might run into his mother if he was in the middle of town. The farm was a safe distance from all the small-town eyes and ears.
A heavy silence fell between them as they made their way back. Sawyer waved from inside one of the paddocks when they pulled up. Keep your eye on the prize. Sawyer was the real reason for staying at the farm, the only reason Dean wasn’t going to call Landon and ask him to come get him out of here.
Sawyer pushed back his cowboy hat and stared wide-eyed at the two of them as they got out of the car. His dog barked, probably thinking they were creatures of some sort. “What in the world...?”
“It’s just me, Scout,” Faith told the dog. She tossed her keys to Sawyer. “Highway 14 is shut down thanks to the rain and Dean’s car is under water. I’m going to take a shower and then we can go over what you’ve gotten finished this morning. Jason’s bringing Freddy by at eleven for his session.”
She barely spared Dean a sideways glance before heading into the house. He had obviously hurt her feelings. He tried to not feel bad about it, but that wasn’t working too well.
“Care to fill in the giant blanks?” Sawyer asked Dean.
“She slipped in some mud and dragged me down with her.” Just like she’d done with her memories of Addison. “Do you think I could borrow some more clothes?”
“This relationship is becoming very one-sided, Music Man.”
“I promise, it won’t be like that for much longer.” If Sawyer proved to be the performer Dean hoped he could be, the two of them would both be reaping the benefits of this relationship.
“There you go with those promises again. You said you don’t make those.”
This promise was different. This was one Dean was making to himself.
* * *
“GREAT, I’LL HAVE the tow truck drop the car off there as soon as they can get to it. Thanks again.” Dean hung up with the auto mechanic who’d agreed to assess the damage to his car once it was rescued from its watery jail. He was praying he didn’t have to trash it and get a new one.
Having done nothing but make call after call since getting out of the shower, he wandered down to the kitchen, hoping there were some cookies hiding somewhere. Faith had made herself scarce and maybe that was for the best.
He didn’t find any cookies, so he settled for a Coke to satisfy his sugar craving. There was only one more call to make and Dean dreaded it, hence the reason he had saved it for last. Scrolling through his contacts, he stopped when his thumb hovered over Boone’s name. He needed this man to cooperate. That usually meant Boone would try to be as uncooperative as possible. It was inevitable.
He pressed Call anyway. With each unanswered ring, Dean’s desire to drop Boone, regardless of the financial loss Grace Note would incur, increased tenfold. Boone finally answered on the fifth ring.
“Save your breath, Dean. I don’t have time to babysit your little princess. Find someone else.”
“Boone...” Dean tried turning on the charm even though he wanted to wring the guy’s neck through the phone. “Have I told you lately how much I respect your honesty?”
“I’m not collaborating with anyone right now. I’ve got nothing, absolutely nothing, to give. It’s like the music disappeared from my soul.”
Dean was thankful they weren’t having this conversation face-to-face. His eye roll would not have gone over well. “I hear you, buddy. I’m taking this seriously. I talked to someone who heard that there’s this place in California where Johnny Wilmett went to clear his head a few years ago when he was having similar issues. I’m still looking into it, but I think a retreat is exactly the kind of thing you need. Somewhere your soul can reconnect with the music. Know what I mean?”
A retreat that would include Piper Starling whether Boone liked it or not. He didn’t need to know that right now, though.
“I’m not so sure. I’m trying to get my visitation rights back and Sara is being such a...”
Divorce was a killer. Fear of ending up like Boone was one thing that kept Dean cynical about love. Better to choose to be alone than to be left that way.
“We don’t have to decide today. It doesn’t have to be California. Maybe I can find somewhere closer to Nashville. We’ll figure it out. I just need you to trust me. Can you do that? Can you trust that I’m on your side?”
“I’ll trust you when you get me invited back to the CAAs. But they better not seat me anywhere near Blake Keller.”
Dean didn’t want to know what Boone’s gripe was with Blake. That was his agent’s headache, not the label’s. The good news was that Boone had a goal Dean could help him move toward.
“I’ll work on it,” he said before adding, “Having a new album to promote would be a big help.”
Boone responded by hanging up.
Dean took a deep breath and let it go. Boone hadn’t agreed to anything, but he’d given Dean the right leverage. If being at the Country Artist Awards was important to Boone, he’d need new material for them to be interested in having him back after a less-than-stellar performance, an even more embarrassing attempt at presenting an award while intoxicated and a shoving match with an assistant producer a couple years ago. He’d have to cooperate and work with Piper. Maybe Dean could even get them a shot at performing a duet on the show.
A teenage girl waltzed through the back door like she owned the place. “Oh, my gosh! You scared me.” She held a hand against her chest. “Are you a volunteer? I told Faith I would be here. Did she not believe me?”
“I’m not—”
“I missed once. It’s not fair of her to act like I’m going to blow it off every time. She’s just like my mom,” the girl said with a groan.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Dean said, trying again to minimize the teenage angst. “I’m a family friend. I’m not volunteering for anything.”
“Oh.” Her cheeks pinked up. “Good. I knew Faith was cooler than my mom. Is she in here?”
“I think she’s outside with Sawyer.”
“Dean, could you—?” Faith came in from the front room and stopped short. “Lily, you’re here. I was starting to worry. Freddy will be here any minute.”
The teenager started rambling on about how she had slept over at a friend’s and how they had stayed up all night because the other girl cried about how this girl’s boyfriend was ruining their friendship. Then, when she got home this morning, she and her mom had fought.
Dean’s eyes began to glaze over.
“I thought you had this guy come because you didn’t trust me.” Lily nodded in Dean’s direction.
“I want to trust you, but you’ve been less than reliable lately. And this stuff with Kylie...”
“I won’t let it interfere with my volunteering. You know I love the horses and the kids. I want to be here. I do.”
Faith held out a hand and pulled Lily in for a hug. All was forgiven. “I hope you and Kylie make up. Never let a boy come between you and your best friend.” Faith let her go and her gaze fell on Dean. “No one knows better than me that there’s nothing worse than losing your best friend because of a boy who will probably break your heart anyway.”
* * *
“DID SOMEONE GET a haircut since the last time I saw him?” Faith asked Jason Green as he helped his eight-year-old son out of the car.
“He’s not happy about it. Told his mother he thought it made him look like a nerd.”
“It does,” Freddy said, gripping the handles of his walker. The white plastic braces on his legs had Nike symbols drawn on them with permanent marker. Cerebral palsy may have weakened his muscles but not his fashion sense.
“No way!” Faith helped get him on his feet. “You look very handsome. What do you think, Lily?”
Lily’s opinion would matter more to him than all the adults’ combined. Josie’s daughter was gorgeous and attentive. She had all the little kids completely enamored.
“I like it.” She crouched down so they were the same height and pulled out her phone. “Smile,” she said, taking a picture of the two of them. “I’ll post this to my Instagram and you’ll see how cool you are by how many likes we get.”
Freddy’s face lit up the way it did when he saw his favorite quarter horse, Winston. The girl wasn’t always reliable, but she had great instincts when it came to the kids, always knowing exactly what they needed to hear and relating to them one-on-one. She often reminded Faith of Addison.
They walked Freddy down to the stables and let him greet Winston there to do some grooming and stretching before heading to the covered arena. Someday, Faith hoped they’d be able to build an indoor arena to make it easier to give lessons year-round. Getting the accreditation from NETA, the National Equine Therapy Association, would help ease some of the burden and make it easier for potential clients to come to Helping Hooves because insurance would then defer some of the cost.
“All right, who’s ready to ride?” Faith asked once they were in the arena. Winston was saddled up and ready to go. The four-year-old bay gelding was as gentle as they came. He obeyed commands like a champ and walked more politely than any horse Faith had ever owned.
“Me!” Freddy shouted with his arm raised. Sawyer helped Freddy mount the horse while Lily adjusted Winston’s halter. Today, they were going to work on motor planning as well as posture control. Faith handed Freddy some plastic rings in an array of colors and explained that he would have to put the correct colored ring on various posts spread out around the arena.
Sawyer and Faith walked alongside as Lily held the lead rope and guided Winston though the course. Freddy struggled but was determined to complete the task.
“Next up, red,” Faith said. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Dean had ventured out and was catching up with Jason. She had forgotten they had both graduated from Grass Lake High the same year and would have known one another.
His presence made her uneasy. It was obvious he still held her responsible for what had happened all those years ago. He had good reason. Addison never would have gone to that party, never would have gotten in the car with someone like Aaron Evans, if she hadn’t found out her brother and her best friend had been sneaking around behind her back all summer.
Faith shouldn’t have told her the truth, but the secret had been eating away at her, at their relationship. She should have known Addison wouldn’t take the news well. Dean had warned her. By the time she had admitted to him that she had told, it was too late. Addison had already made the choice to get in the car, a choice that had ended her life.
“Last one, Freddy. You can do it.” Sawyer encouraged the little boy. Freddy would have to move the green ring from his right hand to his left and lift it up above the post so it would fit around it.
“I’m tired,” Freddy said, his head drooping forward.
“You’ve got this.” Faith put a hand on his lower back to remind him to straighten up.
Freddy fought through the fatigue and lifted the ring up and over the post. His dad cheered for him like he had hit a home run in Little League.
“I knew you could do it,” Faith said, patting his leg. Lily led the horse back to where Freddy would dismount.
“Great job today, bud.” Lily held up a hand for a high five. Even though he was exhausted, Freddy didn’t pass up the chance to celebrate with the lovely Lily. She took her phone out of her back pocket. “And look, thirty likes for that haircut while you were working. I bet we hit a hundred by the end of the day.”
Freddy’s smile was wide and proud. That haircut would never be thought of as nerdy again.
Jason brought over his son’s walker. “Come meet an old friend of mine, bud.” He introduced Freddy to Dean, who stuck out his hand to shake. Freddy gripped the handles of his walker tightly. He wasn’t going to be able to let go if he wanted to remain upright.
“I need Freddy to keep both hands on his walker until we get to the stables,” Faith said so the little boy felt like he shouldn’t—instead of couldn’t—let go.
“How did you get this guy to come back to Grass Lake?” Jason asked her as they returned to the stables.
“I had nothing to do with it. He only has his car to blame.”
Dean explained what had happened the night before, but quickly steered the conversation in another direction. He seemed more comfortable talking about Jason and what he’d been up to than himself.
“How amazing is this woman?” Jason said, putting an arm around Faith’s shoulders and pulling her against his side. “I owe everything to her and this place. When Freddy was four, he was wheelchair-bound. My wife and I weren’t sure we’d ever see him walk, but thankfully Faith suggested we come out and work with her dad and his horses. She’s the reason my son walks today.”
Faith wished the conversation hadn’t turned to singing her praises. Dean had no reason to do so.
“She’s always been pretty incredible,” Dean said with his gaze fixed on her burning face. “That’s why Addison loved her like a sister.”
CHAPTER SIX (#ulink_fae03329-3eb5-51db-a150-230a67a25075)
THERE WERE NO oven timers to wake Dean up Sunday morning. Instead of the sweet smells of baking cookies, it was dreams of Addison that had him up bright and early. He couldn’t even blame Faith. She had held to her promise and hadn’t uttered his sister’s name once since the muddy car ride.
Sunlight glinted off the aerial photograph of the farm that hung opposite the window. The rain had ended and the promise of some drier days lay ahead. Dean tried to focus on the possibility of retrieving his car instead of the painful memories of his sister. Getting out of Grass Lake was becoming more of a necessity than a simple desire.
He picked up his phone to call the towing company to check the status, but it rang instead. His mother was calling. Word must have gotten out. Thanks to his reunion with Jason Green yesterday, there was no way to stop the news of his return from spreading like wildfire. It had always been a matter of when his mother would find out, not if.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Imagine my surprise when I walked out my front door this morning to get the Sunday paper and Caroline Hughes tells me she hopes to see you at church today since you’re in town.”
“I was going to call you,” he said, knowing she wouldn’t believe him.
“Where are you?”
“I’m at the Stratton farm. I ran into Faith and Sawyer at the Sundown after my car broke down.” Leaving out the fact that two days had passed since then seemed like a good idea.
“And you didn’t think to call me and your father? You decided to stay out there instead of coming here?” The hurt in her voice made him feel guiltier than he already did.
Dean rubbed his forehead in an attempt at easing the headache that was sure to stick around all day now. “I’m sorry, Mom. I planned to come see you today.”
“Good. I’ll be at church in an hour. I expect to see you there.”
Before Dean could tell her he really didn’t want to go to church, especially not the church he hadn’t set foot in since Addison’s funeral, she hung up.
Marilee Presley did not mess around when it came to going to church on Sundays. Dean and Addison had been taught early on that no excuse other than illness got them out of their religious obligation. It wasn’t until after Addison died that attending Sunday services started to seem pointless to Dean.
What kind of God let people like his sister die? Not one he wanted to pray to.
