The Amish Cowboy's Homecoming Read online

  “We’re staying with my brother—a few days at most, I hope.” He was pleased she was interested in his future enough to inquire, but did it really matter to her?

  “And then what?” she asked.

  “I’m not exactly sure yet, Grace.” He lowered his eyes and kicked at a rock, his heart feeling heavy and sluggish. “Boarding in Honey Brook costs money, and I don’t…” He let the rest trail off, knowing he didn’t need to explain the situation further. “I have one or two plans in mind, though—I always do.”

  She nodded while tugging at the front of her apron. “Why don’t you take Sin out today,” she said. “Keep him as long as you want.” She dropped her chin, breaking eye contact. “Take him now, out to the far back pasture where there’s privacy. I’m sure you’d like to say goodbye on your own.”

  Isaac didn’t want to be on his own; he wanted to be with her. But, since she was practically shoving him out the barn doors, what else could he do but agree?

  “Danke,” he said.

  After another quiet moment, Grace broke the silence. “Well, uh, I suppose I’ll leave you to it.” She began backing away slowly. Right before she turned around, Isaac saw her clamp a hand over her mouth, though not soon enough to block a heartbreaking sob as she ran out of the stables.

  As his gaze helplessly followed her, Isaac’s chest felt hollow, empty, even while fighting back the urge to go after her. But he’d tried that and failed. Grace had made her feelings perfectly clear. She didn’t want him.

  For the next few hours, Isaac rode Cincinnati all around the Zooks’ property, even out to the furthermost corner of the very back acre. He didn’t give Sin a normal training session because, knowing this may be the last time he’d be alone with the grand gaul, he wanted the final memories to be special.

  By the time he returned to the stables, he was breathing hard, his hairline damp with perspiration, and he’d even lost his hat somewhere along the way. Sin was ready for a rest, too, and as Isaac led him to his stall, he was relieved to feel the first presence of peace return to his soul—despite the sadness he felt about a future he could no longer count on.

  After watering and brushing, Isaac took one last moment alone with Sin. He stroked his face and ears and down his long, graceful neck. “You’ve been such a good boy,” he whispered, feeling a lump in his throat. “Thank you for bringing me to this wonderful place with all these gut, gut people.” He touched his forehead to Sin’s in the way Grace always did. “Don’t forget to lift that back leg high on the first jump like Grace said. And get ready to be a star.”

  Before he got any more choked up, Isaac walked down the long row of horses, saying goodbye to each of them, and then smiling to himself at how much he’d learned the past few weeks—about training horses and about himself.

  Lessons he wouldn’t have learned anywhere else.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Grace gazed out the window of the SUV as Dr. McBride drove them onto the winding road leading to the farm.

  It had been three days since she’d left home. Maam had been anxious after her surgery, and Dr. McBride had seen no reason why she and Daed couldn’t stay a few more days. Just that morning, Maam was moved to a rehab center where she would get her legs, stomach, and back muscles working strong again. Lucas had given her a phone, and Maam had already called them twice since Grace had left.

  Daed had also reached out to Travis Carlson, changing their plan for Cincinnati to be picked up later today. Grace couldn’t help smiling—though it was a melancholy smile—knowing that Isaac had been able to spend a few more days with Sin.

  “Just five more minutes,” Daed said, grinning from the seat beside her, looking about ten years younger. “That hospital’s real nice, but I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed.”

  “Same,” Grace agreed, feeling a tweak in her back.

  She didn’t say a word to either of her parents, or to Lucas, but she’d been thinking about Isaac the whole time she’d been in Hershey. Wondering what the future held—for both of them. She knew how badly he and Sadie needed to start a new life apart from his in-laws in Silver Springs. Even though they couldn’t be together like they’d been before, she couldn’t bear the thought of Isaac not getting exactly what he wanted, what he’d worked so hard for.

  But hadn’t she worked hard, too?

  “I wonder what Isaac will do if he doesn’t get the endorsement from Travis,” Grace said, staring out the window, not really wanting to discuss the money but longing to speak of anything concerning Isaac. “Will he stay in Honey Brook, do you think?”

  When Daed didn’t reply, Grace glanced over to find him looking down at his cell phone, his two index fingers tapping at the numbers. She’d seen it before—her father was texting.

  “Could be,” Daed said, but she could tell he wasn’t giving her his full attention.

  “He has some money, I know that,” she continued, not caring if she was talking to herself now. “He’s been saving for a few years. Hopefully, it’s enough for them to—”

  “I know for a fact,” Daed said, putting his phone on the seat beside him, “that money has been spent.”

  “On what?” Grace sat up straight. “And how do you know?”

  Before her father could even open his mouth to reply, his phone rang. “It’s your mama,” Daed said, quickly putting it to his ear. “How are you, dearest? Gut, gut. Jah, I know, only a few more days, eh? Ha-ha.”

  Despite not getting an answer, Grace couldn’t help pulling back a little smile, so thankful her mother would be returning to them soon, and on the road to a healthier life.

  “Aye, I know, liebling,” Daed continued. “What an unexpected blessing—nay, miracle that money was. A surprise, oh, surely, for how else could we’ve ever paid for your surgery?”

  Grace glanced at her father, who was beaming as he spoke to Maam. What surprise was he talking about? A miracle? Grace thought for a moment, realizing that—in all the excitement—she’d barely even wondered how Daed had finally come up with the cash for the surgery. Maybe he’d made some deal with Dr. McBride, or Lucas.

  So then, what had Daed meant when he’d said he knew for a fact that the money Isaac had been saving was spent? How in the world would he be privy to that? Unless…

  Her hands flew to her throat when she brought to mind that rainy day not so long ago, when Isaac had said he’d wished he could pay for the surgery himself.

  Had he? Could he really have done such a massively generous thing? Given up his money for her family?

  Grace almost couldn’t believe it.

  Then again, did she expect anything less than miracles from Isaac King?

  Suddenly her skin began to shiver, and she had trouble catching her breath.

  “Daed!” she nearly shouted, grabbing his elbow.

  “I know, I know,” her father replied. “He’s early.”

  “Early?” Grace’s mind spun. “Isaac?”

  “Nay.” He leaned forward to stare out the front windshield. “Travis Carlson.”

  Grace’s stomach dropped when she realized they were pulling into their long gravel driveway; Travis’s truck and silver trailer were parked beside the front pasture. But Isaac…Isaac was nowhere to be seen.

  Good gracious! Travis is early, and Isaac doesn’t know!

  “Call him,” she said, turning frantically to her father.

  “Just did,” Daed replied, holding up his cell. “Straight to voicemail.”

  Grace bit down on her lip as the car slowed to idle in front of their house.

  “Danke, for everything,” Daed was saying to Dr. McBride. “Words cannot express how much…”

  Grace dashed out of the car, ran up the porch steps, and threw open the front door. “Isaac? Is Isaac here?”

  Sarah and Amos jumped apart from each other. Grace would have to think about it later, but sh
e could’ve sworn she’d caught them in an embrace behind the icebox.

  “Isaac?” Sarah echoed, smoothing down her apron, rubbing a thumb along her bottom lip. “Haven’t seen him in two days.”

  “Two days?” Grace put her hands on top of her head, pushing in her kapp, trying to think.

  “Grace!” her father called not five seconds later. “Would you bring out Cincinnati? It’s time.”

  Grace’s heart pounded as she glanced about the room, hoping Isaac would somehow appear out of nowhere. She couldn’t possibly do this without him, not with what she now knew.

  “Gracie?”

  Taking in a deep breath, trying to steady her wobbly knees, she called back, “Coming!” As she entered the stables, eyeing the tops of Sin’s ears, she knew the time was far spent for any last goodbyes. At the hospital, she’d privately wept over knowing she would miss her last training session with Cincinnati, but how grateful she’d been to know Isaac would be there to do it.

  So where was he now?

  Grace felt frantic. And lost. Lost without her partner.

  “Good boy,” she said to Sin as she approached his stall. “You’ve been such a good boy, but it’s time for you to go home now. Jah, I know, but it’ll be okay.” She pressed her forehead to his, taking in one big inhale, hoping to never forget how the events surrounding the tenacious, marvelous horse had altered her life forever.

  “Hey, boy,” she said after a thought suddenly popped into her head. “Are you up for a bit of showing off?” She gave his neck a pat, eyeing the soft saddle on the tack wall. “Because your friend Isaac gave me a wonderful idea the other day.”

  She worked quickly but safely, sitting tall and proud—proud of her beloved Cincinnati—as the two of them trotted out of the stables and into the bright sunshine. She was confident that the gaul’s knees were high, head up, chin tucked, prettier than any show horse.

  Not making any sort of eye contact with her father, Grace led Sin forward, backward, and side to side. Then, just as Isaac had probably envisioned, she galloped him into the front pasture where all of the jumping equipment was still in place.

  “I can’t believe it,” she heard Travis say after Sin took the jumps perfectly, not missing one beat. “Is that really old Sin?”

  “He likes to show off!” Grace called out, unable to stop from grinning.

  “I’ll say!”

  After running the course four times, Grace slid off the horse, gave him some long strokes down the neck, then led him over to Travis and her father, whispering soft praises to Sin along the way.

  “I can’t tell y’all how impressed I am,” Travis said. “It’s like I can’t believe my own eyes. What an entrance!”

  “It all started with kindness,” Grace said, a bit out of breath, coming to stand beside her father. “And trust.”

  “I’ll certainly do my part at spreading the word about this training farm,” Travis said, shaking John’s hand vigorously. “Now, let’s get to the lead trainer endorsements.” He paused and looked around. “Where’s Isaac?”

  “He’s, uh, he’s not—” Daed began, but Grace cut him off.

  “Isaac had urgent family business but wishes he were here.” She took in a deep breath, sent one glance to her father, then stepped up to Travis. “Before you say anything more, I must insist that you give the endorsements, the publicity, the money…give it all to Isaac.”

  “Grace,” she heard her father whisper, but it didn’t stop her.

  “I brought some of my own expertise to the table, and we were a true partnership, but Isaac was the leader, and he deserves everything.” She put up a hand when Travis tried to speak. “I don’t want to know what your earlier decision was, because it doesn’t matter. Isaac earned it.”

  She finally stopped, needing to still her racing heart, let her words process. When she glanced at Daed, his mouth was open. Grace knew she’d shocked him more than anyone, but she’d decided—maybe almost the very second she’d realized what Isaac had done for her and her family—that she’d do whatever it took to keep him and Sadie in Honey Brook. It tore at her heart to think she would never be with Isaac in the way she’d hoped, but still, it was more important that he was happy and raising his daughter in a stable home with a real future.

  “Gracie,” Daed began, speaking in Dutch, “you should’ve talked to me first—”

  Her father was cut off when Travis started laughing. “This is the strangest day I’ve had in a while,” he said after taking off his ball cap, slapping it against the side of his leg.

  Daed let out an exasperated sigh Grace knew was meant for her. “How so?”

  “Isaac King had me on the phone late last night,” Travis said, pulling a small piece of paper from his shirt pocket and holding it out to Grace. “He made me promise—no, practically swear on the Bible that I would give the endorsement to you, Grace Zook. Insisted I put it in writing, in fact. See?”

  When Grace was too stunned to move, her father reached for the folded piece of paper. “This isn’t legal.”

  Travis chuckled again. “No, but I’d never renege on a promise like this. And not to someone like Isaac.” He slid on a pair of sunglasses that had been hanging around his neck. “Seems I’ve been dealing with some mighty generous folks here.” He smiled at Grace. “Too generous to take credit where credit is due. Nice, though, for a change.”

  Grace’s mind was whirling. She couldn’t believe what was going on. Why on earth would Isaac insist she was the lead trainer? Didn’t he know he was throwing away his future? Tears began to burn her eyes when she thought of the sacrifice he was making, an even greater one than she’d first assumed.

  Suddenly, she had so much love in her heart, she felt almost giddy.

  “Suppose we should get our Cincinnati ready to travel,” Travis said.

  “Aye,” her father replied. “I’ve got all his tack here.”

  “He likes sour apples,” Grace said, trying her best to engage in the matters at hand.

  “Thank you,” Travis said. “For everything. I mean it.”

  Grace could only go through the motions as they loaded the now obedient horse into the trailer. So much different than the first time, she couldn’t help recalling, then almost laughing at the way Isaac had looked that day when Sin had nearly kicked off the back of the trailer.

  “You and I have some business to conduct, young lady,” Travis said once Sin was safe and sound. “And you, sir.”

  The next hour was a whirlwind as Grace and Daed sat in the office with Travis, going over the details of the new collaboration.

  Their first new horse would be arriving in three days. Two mares the day after. And Grace would be attending a rodeo at the end of the month to inspect the potential booth that would be used for advertising Zook’s Horse Training Farm all around the state. If neither of them wanted to man it, they were free to hire and train someone else. Grace couldn’t help thinking that she’d love if they hired a young Englisher woman who adored horses as much as she did.

  Her mind was still in a haze when she and Daed waved goodbye to Travis. The second the truck and trailer were out of sight, she felt another gush of warmth toward Isaac wash over her, followed by a sadness of what might have been. Despite everything, she knew she’d never meet a better man.

  “Looks like it’s already started.”

  Hearing her father speak, Grace opened her eyes. She was surprised to see the number of buggies and carriages parked by the house, the side field filled with grazing horses she didn’t recognize, but who most likely belonged to those buggies.

  “What’s going on?” she asked. “We were only inside for an hour. What’s started?”

  Daed was smiling. “Told you I sold some land.”

  Grace’s mouth fell open, her mind whirling in confusion for not the first time today. “But you don’t need to now. We won t
he endorsement.”

  “I made this deal before today,” Daed said, rubbing his hands together as he gazed toward a group of men. “Don’t forget, when your mama comes home, she’s gonna need me around the clock the first few months.” He paused to grin. “My favorite job—nothing I’d rather do.”

  “I don’t understand,” Grace said, alarmed by the growing number of people gathered by the lane that led to the back pasture. “Why are all these folks here? It looks like they’re getting ready for a barn raising.”

  “Well, Gracie…” Daed took off his hat and scratched his head, motioning for them to sit on the porch. “A lot’s been happening lately; forced me to do some real hard thinking.”

  “Okay.” After they sat, she patted her father’s arm, offering comfort. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  Her daed pulled back a crooked grin. “Come to think of it…” He touched his index finger to the tip of Grace’s nose. “You can take over the family business—and the sooner the better.”

  Grace blinked slowly, unsure of what she’d just heard. “Take over?”

  “The training, all of it. I’m retired.” He threw his hands in the air. “I don’t wanna have to be involved in all that promotion and whatnot. I’m too old and set in my ways. Travis needs someone more energetic and forward-thinking than me to run things.” He put an arm around her shoulders. “I should’ve admitted this a long time ago, Gracie. You’re the right person for the job, you always have been—no matter what dangers are associated with it. I guess I didn’t want to admit it.” He lowered his eyes. “Will you forgive your father for being such an old fool?”

  Grace didn’t have to think twice, but flung her arms around her father, both of them shaking with sobs of joy. “There’s nothing to forgive,” she said when she could finally speak again. She felt a swelling in her heart like a pot on the stove ready to boil over. “I can’t believe it. Are you sure? Even after what happened with Maam?”

  “Never been surer of anything,” he answered.

  “But…” She sat back and wiped the tear trickling down her cheek. “You told Isaac it isn’t proper that I keep training. It’s not traditional for a woman—”