Not my prowess with horses.
It’s still hard to trust that, so yeah… I’m nervous.
My hands move to Kellen’s chest, my head tipped back to see him. “I’m sorry if any of this is awkward.”
He rolls his eyes. “Woman… I’ve concealed stolen property for you, bailed you out of jail, saved your ass from getting shot, saved your horse from a barn fire, kicked Hellman’s ass, and bought an entire litter of puppies for you. We’re past awkward.”
“You bought those puppies for me?” I ask in wonder, my eyes stinging.
“Of course,” he replies, as if that was the dumbest question ever. “I wanted to do something important to your cause. I admire your activism and want to support you.”
The words tumble out before I can stop them. “I love you.”
Kellen blinks in surprise, and I can feel his body jerk at the revelation. For a split second, I think maybe it’s too soon, and that’s beyond any brand of awkward, but then he’s crushing his mouth down on mine in a soul-searing kiss that has me clutching to him for dear life.
Someone coughs, and we break apart. I turn to see my mother standing there with hands folded demurely in front of her. “Sorry to interrupt, but we’re waiting on you.”
Her Irish accent is soft and lilting. She’s lived in the States for over forty years but still has a bit of brogue left.
I uncurl my fingers from Kellen’s arms, blushing to the roots of my hair. “Mom,” I say in a strangled, embarrassed voice. “Um… this is Kellen.”
Kellen brushes past me to greet my mother. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Blackburn.”
She bestows a warm and gracious smile on him as they shake. “Please, call me Fiona, or Fi.”
Her green eyes move to me. She passed the jade coloring to all of us kids, but our black hair is from Dad. “Got a hug for me?”
She opens her arms, and something cracks inside me. No doubt, the wall I’d built up.
I walk into her embrace, and she squeezes me hard.
“Oh, I’ve missed you, wee one.” That’s what she’s always called me and Kat, because we’re the youngest and smaller than our brothers.
“I’ve missed you, too, Mom.”
She leads us into the drawing room where the rest of my family stands around, drinks in hand. All heads turn our way.
Kellen looks to my brothers, one by one, and nods at them. “Good to see you again.”
“You mean, since you kicked us out of Abby’s apartment?” Ethan says. His tone is calm, but you can hear the underlying grudge still lingering.
“Do it again in the same circumstance,” Kellen replies, and Wade busts out laughing.
“I like this guy a lot,” he says, moving forward to shake Kellen’s hand.
Trey moves forward next, and then Ethan, though he’s less generous with his smile.
Then my dad is there, giving me a hug. It’s as tight as my mom’s, and he kisses my cheek as he pulls away. It looks like he wants to say something, but I’m terrified what it might be since he was the one trying the hardest to get me back in the ring. So I pull Kellen over and introduce them.
Thomas Blackburn is a larger-than-life character, far younger looking than his sixty-three years. His raven hair is liberally salted, his face tanned and lined from hours outdoors with no protection. But he’s strong as an ox, and while he’s turned over the day-to-day operations to Ethan, he’s still out working the horses and pulling the weight of ten men.
He clasps Kellen’s hand and rests the other on his shoulder. “I owe you a debt, saving Lunar from the barn fire. That horse means everything to Abby, and he holds a special spot in all our hearts.”
Kat passed along that Ethan told my parents what had been going on. I’m half expecting a scolding, followed by them using the fire as a means to call me back to Kentucky into the bosom of family.
“As her dad, it’s comforting to know she’s got someone like you looking after her.” I narrow my eyes at my father, waiting for him to launch into my failed show career after Molly’s death, some jab that I’m hiding in Pennsylvania.
But it doesn’t come.
For the next half hour, most of the attention is focused on Kellen. My parents are enamored—particularly with his career from a US Marine to an agent at Jameson. They relish the retelling of how the Jameson team helped bring Hellman down, and Wade asks him to tell my parents about how he confronted Hellman on my behalf and then punched him.
I feel like I’m in the twilight zone as my parents ask me about the practice and then express pride that I’ll own it soon.
When Ethan says, “Looks like Abby will lead the way for future generations of Blackburn veterinarians,” and makes no snide comment about me refusing to practice here, I lose my shit a little.