Page 51 of Captured by the Billionaire Cowboy (The Secret Billionaires #7)
J asmine strutted around the paddock like a queen, her head held high, her lines full, muscular and healthy. She moved gracefully, with newfound health and vitality, as she frolicked with the other animals, while the children watched happily from behind the fence.
“They’re playing hide and seek!” Shannon giggled, her red pig tails swishing in the wind.
Several families approached, their expressions delighted as they watched the majestic animals.
Another successful retreat was coming to a close, the last of multiple retreats in the month since they opened.
With many more scheduled for the future, the rescue was already sustaining itself, with funds left over to upgrade the facilities and purchase new equipment.
They had adjusted their rates so more people could enjoy the ranch, and now even offered scholarships to deserving people.
The horses were faring well, recuperating and blossoming under the attentive care. Most of the original two groups had already been adopted, and several new dozen had been rescued from dismal futures. Ciara was tracking more horses they would soon pursue.
But none had as dramatic a change as Jasmine.
With the true cause of her discomfort addressed, Jasmine now thrived.
She left the hospital a few days after surgery, and the horse that returned was not the same that left.
She ate well, if not heartily, making up for all those missed meals, gaining weight and flourishing.
She accepted others, humans and horses alike.
She no longer rejected Ciara’s overtures, and grew excited instead of wary every time someone ventured near.
If all continued well, she may even hold a rider one day.
A gust of wind blew, the slightest tinge of fall gracing its tendrils. Soon the weather would cool, and with it the many autumn activities would commence. In the next deep breath, Ciara caught a whiff of another welcome scent.
Rowan.
As she turned to the powerful man, she couldn’t stop the smile.
She didn’t even try. And yet not everything was perfect.
They had not spoken again about children or the future, nor had she mentioned leaving or staying.
In a thousand moments together, talking and laughing and basking in each other’s company, they forwent talk of a relationship and beyond.
Despite it all, the love she’d discovered grew with each passing day.
Rowan still liked to be in charge, but it no longer bothered her.
His protectiveness was part of him, and how he cared for others.
A hundred times she almost shared her feelings, and a hundred times she stopped.
How could she endanger the perfection, yet how could she not be honest?
Soon a decision would have to be made.
“Good afternoon.” He stopped a little too close, just as she liked. He towered over her, blotting out the sun and riling her senses. “Are you all right?”
“I’m perfect.” She stood on her tiptoes, and he leaned down. He brushed a soft kiss on her lips.
“That’s great, because I’m going to steal you away,” He pulled those luscious lips away. “We’re going on a ride.”
“It’s the middle of the afternoon.” Yet the protest was half-hearted as she fell into step beside him, allowing him to lead her to the stables, where Snowflake and King already had their tack. Clearly, her kidnapping had been meticulously planned. “Is there a special reason you want to go riding?”
“I didn’t have a special reason the last dozen times, did I?”
She laughed. Rowan had developed a habit of stealing her away whenever the whim arose.
In return, she stole him away just as often.
It was hard to believe the man who once considered a root canal a vacation had changed so much.
He still did plenty of work, yet he balanced his time, interweaving professional and personal tasks without neglecting either.
He had also become closer to his brothers, joining them on many evening outings.
Still, she had a business to run. When she opened her mouth to protest again, he silenced her with a kiss. “I already talked to Chelsea, and she can spare you for a few hours.”
He didn’t wait for another protest. She laughed lightly as he grasped her waist, his warm touch spanning her entire stomach. In the next second, he hoisted her on Snowflake. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
Even though it was just a ride, a strange sense of anticipation heightened her senses as she followed Rowan out of the stables.
They conversed as they rode a familiar path, under a shining sun tempered by the milder temperatures of summer’s end.
The horses ambled along, cantering through the tree-lined trail next to the softly flowing brook.
Ciara smiled as their secret garden came into view. “I knew you were bringing me here.”
“Did you?” Rowan drawled. “Can I keep no secrets from you?”
“Nope. You’re totally predictable.”
“Am I?” he said softly. Yet his voice held a hidden facet, a secret she couldn’t quite decipher. “I’ll have to work on that.”
There was something about the way he said that…
They soon reached the garden’s entrance, heralded by blooming wildflowers and climbing vines of deep emerald.
A heavy floral scent surrounded them, sweetening the cool breeze.
After dismounting the horses, they attached long leads and led them into the garden, giving the animals plenty of room to roam in the clearing.
As the horses explored their new surroundings, Rowan took Ciara’s hand, gently leading her to the center of the garden.
They stopped as they came to a small box sitting atop an old tree stump, wrapped in simple white paper.
Ciara’s breath hitched. She slid a sideways glance at Rowan, yet his lips were downturned, his features marred in confusion. She frowned. “Is it yours?”
He shook his head curtly, his serious expression giving credence to the gesture. She stiffened. Someone had visited their sanctuary. They gripped hands, walked slowly to the box.
She stopped just short of it. “Who do you think it belongs to?”
He shrugged. “Whoever it is, they must have just been here. It would’ve gotten dusty if it was here for more than a few hours.”
“There’s a card.” Ciara pointed to a small rectangular envelope.
She lifted it and gasped. “For Ciara and Rowan. From F and C.” The handwriting was precise and strangely familiar.
She parted her lips as an impossible connection formed.
“I don’t believe it. It’s from whoever carved their initials into the tree. ”
Rowan’s frown deepened, as he took the envelope. Whatever he had planned, this was clearly not part of it. “That etching appeared old when we were children. They must’ve been coming for decades.”
“It looks like they’re still around, and they must know us. Did you tell anyone we were coming?” Rowan seemed about to say no, then stopped. She knew that look. “Do you know who it is?”
He exhaled lowly. “I’m not sure. Do you want to open it?”
She hesitated. After all these years, it seemed strange to solve the mystery.
Yet how could she ignore the chance to learn the truth?
She tore open the crisp linen envelope, removed the scented note underneath.
She read out loud, “Dear Ciara and Rowan. It warms our hearts to share our magical garden with you. It’s been our special place this last half a century. ” She blinked. “ Half a century ?”
He shook his head. “Read on,” he urged.
“We spent many wonderful moments here, each one stolen. We’re so happy you’ve found this place, and each other. For years we wondered if you would.”
“They know us well.” Thoughts swirled, possibilities and impossibilities as she returned to the letter. “Your future is brilliant, forged from the beauty of the past. Always remember what is truly important. All our love…” Her voice trailed off. “Oh my goodness.”
“What?” Rowan leaned over her. “Who wrote it?”
His eyes widened when he saw the letter, then he smiled softly. “Frank and Caleigh.”
“The initials,” Ciara murmured. She searched out the tree, traced the letters carved so long ago. “When Grandma Leigh signed the contract for catering, she used her full name – Caleigh.”
Her uncail never married, and he certainly never talked about romance. Yet all this time, he’d had a secret love. “Did you know about this?”
“No idea,” Rowan admitted. “Frank knew I was bringing you here today, however. He must have snuck in so it would be waiting for us.
She reread the letter, stopped at stolen moments . “I wonder why they never got together,” she mused quietly. She picked up the smooth box. So many mysteries, a love lost… or found?
“Open it.”
She carefully unwrapped the paper to reveal a simple white box. With only slight hesitation, she lifted the top, revealing a thick book with a rich burgundy cover and gilded pages. She grasped the heavy volume, removed it from its cradle and turned to the first page.
“Wow,” she breathed at the stunning photographs.
They were faded with age, yet preserved with love, carefully tucked in handmade borders.
The first was a larger version of the picture in her locket, showing Rowan and her blossoming with the innocence of youth.
They wore oversized overalls, brilliant smiles and pure happiness.
She turned the page to another snapshot with the same exuberance, this one showing them splashing underneath a small, natural waterfall.
She turned to another photograph and then another, reflecting so many memories, a hundred moments captured in time.