Page 27 of Love Bound

The doorbell rings, an odd twanging that moans a little at the end, and my heart leaps in my chest.

Finn Colton.

But I recognize Emily Burke's tromping after Cory gets the door, and she rises from the staircase holding a large glass bowl filled with fruit salad and coconut flakes.

I make myself busy with the gravy, handing off the whisk to Travis when the doorbell rings again. Ralph is in charge of dinner rolls, which he carries like they’re a newborn in a soapstone bowl. He sets them on the back of the woodstove, making certain there's enough heat to keep the soapstone warm.

As Devon serves up wine and sparkling juice, the door slams from downstairs and I wave to Geo at the bottom. He always brings the hard stuff as I have no sense of bar etiquette. Usually a bourbon, something new, and mixers and citrus.

He hugs everyone in turn and then wraps an arm around me. "Would have been here earlier, but life got in the way." His deep voice penetrates the room and we listen for more. In the living space, his voice carries well. "How's vet school going, young man?" he asks as he moves toward Travis.

I look at them standing together, two black men, and think back to all the times vacationers assumed they were father and son. And then, later, they kind of were.

I move past the family photo and push open my bedroom door. "Hey, Cory, you want to come with me to check the horse?"

"Sure," says Cory. He's been doing Legos in there with the ambient noise machine on.

"Can you take my hand?" I ask.

"I'm fine," he says and waits for me to move from the door jamb before he follows.

While tripping down the stairs, I grab a jacket on the line of pegs by the side door. It’s bitter cold out already. After I stuff Cory into his jacket, we move out to the stable.

Cory helps me find an electric bucket that will keep the water from freezing overnight.

Looping the cord over the bottom rail, I snake it up a vertical board and shove the cord under nails my father bent into place. "If I give you the hose, you want to fill it?"

He nods.

"You won't get wet?"

Shaking his head, he grabs the end of the hose and turns on the spigot.

"Over here, here," I say, pointing to the bucket. Water splashes.

The gelding nickers softly and makes an appearance, though he ignores us and winds around the other side of the corral.

"Can I ride him?" Cory says.

"Not now," I say. "When he knows us a lot better."

"How much better?"

"A lot better," I repeat. I step over the bottom rung and duck my head as I come back around and go to turn off the spigot, but the knob comes off in my hand.

Shit.

I fumble around, trying to get just the right amount of pressure to get it to catch, then turn the thing off. Still leaking, I try again, turning it even harder.

"His nose is soft," says Cory and I turn around in my squatting position to see him inside the corral, nose to nose with the gelding.

The gelding's breath blows Cory's hair and I hold mine. One misstep and the boy could be kicked or crushed or bitten. "Cory. Listen. It's time to go in and eat," I say quietly.

Both could spook, but they don't. They just keep breathing into each other.

"Travis says to blow in his nose," Cory says.

"Gently though," I say fast, low, as he puckers up. I don’t want to step into the ring and make the gelding feel overwhelmed, but I have no choice. Slowly and with a matter-of-fact attitude, I duck back into the paddock and walk slowly over to where they stand.