“Probably. Have you ridden at all since the last time you were on him?”

  “A few times with friends in Central Park.” She made a face. “Not enough to get used to an English saddle, though.”

  “I’ve never tried one but I sure like your saddle. Fits me perfectly. We obviously have the same butt.”

  “Yeah, we do.” Mandy smiled. “I’m glad you’re able to use it. That saddle wasn’t cheap and I doubt I appreciated how much money you had to shell out for boarding and vet bills, either.”

  “Hey, sweetie, if you’re feeling guilty about Eeyore, let it go. Thanks to him, I got over my fear of horses.”

  “Yes, but you could have done that without owning one.”

  “But since I do, I ride him quite a bit.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep. Kendra and I go out together, especially in the summer when it stays light for so long. We ride after I get off work and then have dinner together.”

  “Sounds nice.” Her mom wouldn’t be able to do that anymore if she moved to New York, but those frequent flier miles could get her mom back here for visits with her best friend.

  After studying the horse for a moment, Mandy handed it to her mom. “Put him in the second box, please. I’m taking him with me. That might be all I want, which means I can tuck him in my carryon.” She sorted through what was still on the floor and put everything in the box except an empty picture frame with her graduation year in sequins along the bottom edge.

  “I couldn’t remember what that frame was all about,” her mom said.

  “It’s from my senior prom. It was the table favor.”

  “Oh! That explains why the picture’s gone. As I recall you had a fight with your date and Zane brought you home.”

  “There was more to it than that.”

  “There was?” Her mother’s forehead wrinkled as if trying to fill in the blanks.

  She wouldn’t be able to, though, because during that time their mother-daughter bond had been weak and confidences had been few. “Zane and his date came out of the gym after the prom was over and discovered my date had me backed up against his car while he attempted to maul me.”

  Her mom covered her mouth in dismay.

  “So Zane pulled him off and decked him.”

  “Oh, sweetie. I had no idea.”

  “Because I didn’t tell you.”

  “That was a horrible time, just horrible. Your dad and I were fighting, you and I weren’t talking…” She twisted her hands together. “And then that creep spoiled your prom. Thank God for Zane.”

  “He was my hero that night. It’s why I saved the picture frame.” She gave it to her mother. “I’ll take that back with me, too.”

  “As you should. And just think, he was your hero again today.”

  “Yeah, he sure was.” Eliminating him from her life had weighed on her, but now that they’d reconnected, she was a hundred times lighter. “Is he seeing anybody?”

  “I don’t think he is. There was someone, but they broke up months ago.”

  “Anyone I know?”

  “She wasn’t from here and she’s since moved. I can’t remember her name. Kendra could give you more info.”

  “It isn’t important. I was just curious.”

  “Well, since we’re on the subject, anybody special in your life these days?”

  Mandy chuckled. “Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you. I’m in love with a guy named Guido. He and his pet boa constrictor will be living with us in New York. It totally slipped my mind until you asked just now.”

  “Okay, smarty pants. Let me ask it a different way. Would you tell me if some idiot recently stomped all over your heart?”

  “Sure I would.” She peered at her mother. “Why are you asking?”

  “I just wondered if…well, it’s just that this idea of me moving back there is so unexpected.”

  “Mom, give me a little credit. I wouldn’t ask you to move across the country to help me through a breakup. I haven’t dated anybody seriously since Anthony and I split.”

  “He wasn’t right for you.”

  “Nope.” She paused. “I know it seems that this idea came out of the blue, but my reasoning is simple. It’s silly for us to live so far apart when we get along so well. You said today that you’re ready for a fresh start, so why not go all out?”

  Her mom gazed at her. “You’ll need to give me time to consider all the angles, sweetie. As you well know, it’s not in my nature to be impulsive.”

  “I do know that. It’s one of the things I love about you.” She gave her mother a fond glance. “But the more you consider it, the more you’ll see what a great adventure it’ll be for both of us.”

  * * *

  As Zane drove down the dirt road to Wild Creek Ranch, he waved to newlyweds Greg and Libby heading out for their evening ride at a brisk trot. Not long ago Libby had never ridden a horse and now she looked like a pro.

  Watching a novice become a seasoned rider was gratifying. He’d been thrilled when Aunt Jo had made the transition from someone who feared horses to someone who rode every chance she had. That was another thing wrong with Mandy’s idea. Aunt Jo was comfortable riding here. Take her back East where the saddles were different and the horses were an unknown quantity and she could lose some of her hard-won confidence.

  He was a little later than he’d meant to be and he wasn’t surprised to see his mom in the barn with a wheelbarrow full of hay flakes. She hadn’t heard him come in because she was singing along with an eighties tune playing on her phone. He smiled when she added a couple of dance steps to “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”

  When he caught her in an unguarded moment like this, she looked way too young to be the mother of five adult sons. But then she’d had them early – Ryker and Zane before she’d turned nineteen and the twins a little over a year later.

  A weather-related car accident had taken out both of her parents not long afterward. These days she freely admitted that having Cody had been a way to bring happiness back into her life. But Cody had been less than a year old when their dad had died, leaving her with five boys to raise and a ranch to run.

  Many people would have crumbled under that weight, but his mom had grit and the challenge had brought out the fighter in her. Her dark hair had a few strands of silver mixed in, but she was as vibrant as ever.

  He walked toward the wheelbarrow and sucked in the sweet aroma of hay. “Hey, Mom.”

  She spun around mid-lyric and grinned. “Hey, son. That eagle release must’ve taken longer than you expected.”

  “It wasn’t the release that held me up. I stopped to help somebody change a tire. You’ll never guess who.”

  “George. For a guy who used to sell tires, he has an embarrassing number of flats.”

  “Good guess, but not this time. Mandy Fielding.”

  Her eyes widened. “No kidding! Jo told me she was coming back this week but I lost track of the day.” One of the horses whinnied and she laughed. “Okay, Winston, we’re on it!” She glanced at Zane. “Guess we’d better keep moving before they mutiny.”

  “Yep.” He grabbed the bundled hay and carried it into a stall. He worked one side of the barn and she worked the other. With eighteen horses to feed it was a two-person job.

  He delivered the hay and patted Jake, a handsome bay with a smooth gait he’d inherited from his Tennessee Walking Horse daddy. Great trail horse.

  “So how long’s it been since you’ve seen Mandy?” his mother called out.

  He carried another flake into an empty stall, one that would soon be occupied when Greg and Libby brought their horses in from the trail. “Almost ten years. How about you?”

  “The same. I kept thinking she’d stop by on one of her trips home, but I guess she hasn’t had time.”

  “Probably not.” Zane didn’t want her to think Mandy had deliberately stayed away, although she had. He deposited hay in the next stall, which was also empty. “She’ll be here a week helping Aunt Jo pack up.”

  “That’s what Jo said.”

  “But she wants to see the raptors so she’s coming over around ten tomorrow.”

  “She is? Then she’d better stop and see her Aunt Kendra, or she’ll be in big trouble.”

  “She will. I told her to meet me at the house. We’re also taking Eeyore and Jake up to the lookout to check on the eggs.”

  “Just like old times.” Her voice echoed a little in the barn’s rafters. “I can’t wait to see her again. How is she?”

  Gorgeous. “A little skinnier, I think.”

  “Jo doesn’t think she’s eating right. I keep hearing about the fabulous food in New York but I wonder if people besides tourists have time to eat it.”

  “Maybe not.” He gave a sweet-tempered roan named Strawberry his evening meal. “But there is something you probably should know before she gets here. She’s pushing for Aunt Jo to pull up stakes and come live with her in New York.”

  “What?”

  He stepped into the aisle.

  His mom stood on the other side of the wheelbarrow, hands on her hips and blue eyes shooting fire. “That’s the craziest damn thing I’ve ever heard. Jo would hate living in New York. What’s Mandy thinking?”

  She didn’t swear often, which indicated how strongly she must feel about this. He did, too. This would be bad for Aunt Jo, but also for the McGavins. Aunt Jo was considered a member of the family and Mandy was trying to pluck her out from under their noses. “Mandy talked about all the things they could do together.”

  His mom blew out an exasperated breath. “But Jo’s gone back there at least a half-dozen times, maybe more. She’s seen the sights.”

  “Mandy says she’s barely scratched the surface.”

  “Maybe so, but she hardly needs a degree in all things New York. She’s happy here. She’s finally coming into her own after twelve years of being divorced from that slime-ball Robert –“ She clapped a hand over her mouth.

  He laughed. “It’s okay. I’ve heard him called worse.”

  “Probably by me. He was horrible to Jo, but treating Mandy that way was unforgivable.”

  ”How did he treat her?”

  “When he got his new family he cut off communication.”

  Zane’s gritted his teeth. “You never told me that.”

  “You weren’t in touch with her anymore so there was no reason to. Please don’t mention it to her.”

  “I won’t. But thanks for telling me. It’s good to know.”

  “Jo was ready to kill him with her bare hands. He’s lucky he doesn’t live here anymore. It would be bad for his health.”

  “No kidding.” His heart ached for Mandy.

  “I suppose her dad’s rejection could have something to do with this gonzo plan, but it happened years ago.” She heaved a sigh. “Relocating there would be rough on Jo, but she loves that girl and she might do it if Mandy puts the pressure on. It’s a terrible idea but I won’t say anything. They need to work it out.”

  Zane hated to think how Aunt Jo leaving would affect his mom. If she moved into town things wouldn’t change much. If she moved across the country, they would. His mom wanted to let them work it out, but he couldn’t just stand by and say nothing. When a train was barreling toward a broken trestle, he felt the need to shout a warning.

  He still wasn’t sure what form that warning would take, but he had until tomorrow to figure it out. Luckily he and his mom would be video chatting with Ryker tonight. Ryker wouldn’t like this any better than he did.

  Chapter Four

  Several hours later Zane and his mom were set up for the video chat. Ryker missed the ranch, so they always set up the laptop so he’d have a view of something he loved. When it was warm, they sat in rockers on the front porch and when it was cold, they switched to the living room with a fire going.

  The fireplace arrangement was trickier. Including the fire without sitting in pools of sweat took engineering, but they’d worked out a system with chairs in the foreground and the fireplace in the background. They put the laptop on a box on top of a card table.

  They’d been doing this routine for years now, and Zane still wasn’t used to thinking of his brother on the other side of the world facing danger every day. Ryker had been determined to follow in their late dad’s footsteps and join the Air Force, but Zane wanted him home, not flying the unfriendly skies and risking his life. If talking to Ryker made his stomach churn, his mom had to be even worse off

  But no one would ever know it. Every time they started a video chat and Ryker’s smiling face popped up on the screen, she always smiled right back and asked how he was, her voice filled with warmth and optimism. She followed the same routine again tonight.

  “Fine, Mom,” he said, as usual. Ryker was always fine. He never complained or discussed whatever bad stuff was going down. Despite that, the weariness in his gaze spoke of those things even if his words were upbeat.

  He’d also taken to wearing a battered old cowboy hat during their chats. Some buddies in his outfit had found it at a flea market and had presented it to him because he’d earned the nickname Cowboy somewhere along the line. The hat covered his buzz cut and made him look less like a soldier and more like the Ryker Zane loved.

  “So what’s up?” Ryker always asked right away because he didn’t want to talk about his life and was obviously hungry for news from home.

  Zane described the golden eagle release and Ryker’s ever-present smile broadened. “Well done, bro. That makes my day knowing she’s back out there where she belongs.”

  “And driving home he came to Mandy’s rescue,” their mom said. “She had a flat on the way in from the airport.”

  “I’ll be damned.” He looked at Zane. “Did you two have a semi-normal conversation after all this time?”

  “We did. She’s coming over tomorrow to see the raptors and ride to the lookout.”

  Ryker nodded. “That’s excellent news. Tell her hello for me. How long will she be in town?”

  “A week. She’s helping Aunt Jo pack up the house.”

  “It’s on the market?”

  Their mom shook her head. “It will be soon.”

  “I hope we like whoever buys it.” Ryker repositioned his worn hat. “Hard to think of strangers living in that place.”

  “No worries, son. Jo promised she’d engineer a meeting between any prospective buyers and me before she signed the papers. I have veto power.”

  “That’s great, Mom.” Ryker lounged back in his chair. “Aunt Jo’s always looking out for us McGavins. It won’t be too bad having her living in town. I’ll bet she’d let me sleep on her sofa if I decide to have an extra beer at the Guzzling Grizzly.”

  “About that.” She cleared her throat. “Mandy’s trying to convince Jo to move to New York.”

  Ryker sat bolt upright. “What the hell?”

  “It’s true.” Zane was glad his mom had brought up the subject because if she hadn’t, he would have, even if it was potentially bad news. “I was there when she presented the plan to Aunt Jo.”

  “How did Aunt Jo react?”

  “Startled, but she didn’t totally reject it, either. Then Mandy left the room to take a call and Aunt Jo admitted she wasn’t crazy about the idea.”

  “No surprise, there. She’d hate living in a big city.”

  “That’s what I said.” Zane was more convinced than ever after hearing Ryker’s opinion.

  “Listen, bro. If you and Mandy are buddy-buddy again, you need to talk her out of this.”

  “Nope, nope.” Their mom waved her hands at the screen. “We’re Switzerland, totally neutral. It’s a complicated dynamic and Jo’s the one who has to decide.”

  Ryker leaned closer to the screen. “Sorry, that won’t work. You’re a mom. You know how moms are. If they think their kid desperately needs something even if it requires great sacrifice on their part, they’ll do it, especially if it’s an only child.”

  Another face appeared over Ryker’s shoulder. “I’d listen to him, ma’am. Cowboy’s wise beyond his years.”

  Ryker snorted. “Get lost, Badger.”

  “Just wanted to put in my two cents. Sounds like a knotty problem. I wish y’all luck with it. ‘Bye-bye, Cowboy’s mom and Cowboy’s brother. Cool about the eagle release, by the way.”

  “Don’t mind Badger,” Ryker said. “He was transferred to our squadron three weeks ago and dropping in on everybody else’s video chats is his thing. Hell of a pilot, but a royal pain in the butt.”

  Zane laughed. “Sounds like my kind of guy.”

  “Glad to hear it, because I told him he could bring his sorry ass for a visit when he gets out.”

  “He’s more than welcome,” their mom said. “But despite his opinion of your great wisdom, Mandy and Jo should work this out on their own without comments from the peanut gallery.” She gave Zane a pointed glance.

  “Mom, I love you to pieces,” Ryker said, “but I completely disagree with you. I’d talk to Mandy myself except a video chat wouldn’t be as effective as ol’ Zane making the case in person.”

  “Neither one of you should talk to her. You need to leave it alone.”

  “Like I said, I love you but you’re mistaken, Mom. Aunt Jo needs backup on this deal. Hey, I’m getting the signal to sign off. Give my love to Cody, Bryce and Trevor.”

  “Will do.” She got up and walked closer to the screen. “Stay safe, son.”

  “Always. See you both soon.” The screen went blank.

  Zane walked over and put his arm around his mom, who had reached out to touch the blank screen. “He’ll make it home.”

  “I know.” She swallowed. “And the day he does will be the best day ever.”

  * * *

  A mixture of eagerness and anxiety gave Mandy the jitters as she left the main road and drove the narrow dirt lane toward Wild Creek Ranch. It was as if she’d been here yesterday but also a lifetime ago since she’d parked beside the house and walked around to the front porch.

  The one-story log house looked basically the same, but the pitched roof’s original shingles had been replaced by dark green galvanized tin. She used to play in the attic under that slanted roof with Zane and Ryker and they’d all loved huddling up there during a rain. The tin roof would make it even more fun, although those two big guys wouldn’t fit too well in the cramped space.