Page 38

"Wow." She walked over and stood beside him. She could see Annie and Bella baking, and many shots of nature. "This is a lot."

"It's more than the others have, but it's what I need."

She slanted a glance at him. "Why do you need more?"

"Later. You need to do your class." He walked over to the side and opened a door. "In here."

She peered past him, and she saw the room had a bed, a dresser, and a desk. Not much else, but it was enough. "Perfect."

"Can you keep the door open? I'll be quiet. I just want to be able to keep an eye on you."

She nodded. "You bet." She set the phone on the desk, propping it up so she could see Annie, then she set her computer bag on the desk. The moment she pulled out her computer, she felt everything inside her settle and focus.

This was her life's work: helping other women have the confidence they needed to do whatever they needed or wanted to do.

She needed to do this not just for the money, but because it made her soul whole.

Jacob helped her log into his network, then slipped away as she got ready.

By the time she started the call, she was wholly immersed in her world. And when she saw the faces of the women in her community, she knew she'd done the right thing to make the call.

This was her mark to leave on the world, and what she did mattered.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Jacob hummed softly to himself as he leaned on Freedom's stall door, watching the horse munch as Phoebe finished up the Q&A portion of her class.

The hour and a half he'd been in the barn, working with his horses, and listening to Phoebe had been an extraordinary gift for him.

His horses were always peace, but the addition of Phoebe had raised it to a new level.

He'd been willing to have Phoebe run her class while he was in the barn with his animals, because his job was to take care of Phoebe and Annie.

He'd expected that having Phoebe present and teaching would be a distraction, a break in the equilibrium he needed so badly in his barn.

But he'd been wrong.

He loved listening to her teach. She spoke to her students with such warmth and humor that he knew why they stuck around. Her advice was innovative and insightful, and her absolute lack of judgment of anyone was stunning.

He judged the hell out of people, most of it bad.

But Phoebe gave credit to every single woman, saw them as worth being loved, both by her and by themselves.

Shit. After listening to her, he was ready to fall in love with her, too.

She was a gift to the fucking world.

He patted the stall door, then walked across the main floor to Phoebe's doorway. He folded his arms and leaned against the doorjamb so he could watch her coach.

She glanced over at him. He expected her to wave him off, but she just gave him a little smile and kept talking.

Right. He could stay.

Her voice was different when she spoke to her clients. She had more confidence. More authority. More electricity. He could tell she was completely absorbed in her coaching. She'd set aside her problems and her fears, and she'd given herself over completely to empowering others.

Fucking riveting.

He gave himself over to peace when he was out riding Freedom, or sitting alone in the barn listening to the sounds of his animals. But even then, the past nagged at him, whispered through his mind, always present, always stalking him, never leaving him.