Maisie was a fiercely loyal friend, something which Trent greatly appreciated. Up until Lily left, Maisie and Lily were the ones who were actually friends. He and Maisie always got along, but they weren't exactly close. But since Trent got a divorce, Maisie had been a lifesaver to have around.
Still, he couldn't help but wonder exactly what her friend was going through to warrant such a strong reaction from both she and Bill.
"Speaking of a good cheering up," Maisie continued. "Trent, do you mind if I bring her to the ranch?"
"Of course not! You guys want to do anything special?"
"I think I'm going to bring her on the tour of the orchards and maybe do a horse ride," she said.
"I'll set it up," he smiled.
"We'll pay for it," Bill added, never wanting to accept any freebies from his boss.
"Forget about it," Trent said, shaking his head in decline. "And if I'm not doing anything, I'll even be the one to lead the horse-riding! I figure I gotta make the most of the ranch before all my time is eaten up on other things."
"Like what?" Maisie asked.
"A race for charity," he said.
Bill perked up. "Oh? What's that?"
"It's this horse race they're doing around Texas," he explained, but before he could go into full detail of his amazing new opportunity, Bill busted out into a throaty laugh.
"What?" his friend joked. "Are you Forrest Gumping us, buddy? Gonna take off for a few months and go running?"
"Go riding," he corrected with humor. "And maybe! It starts at the ranch and ends in Flour Bluff."
"Wow, how long is that, man? Like, five hours?" Bill commented.
"Yep," Trent nodded. "Just shy of five hours on foot, and I'm going to win it."
"Is Brookside putting it on?" Maisie asked.
Trent shook his head. There was a racetrack opening up down the road from the ranch. Horse racers. The owner, Devon Wiltshire, had contacted Trent a while back about doing a horse race for charity. All of the proceeds went to an organization Trent was already familiar with called MESA, which helped provide vet care and other support for local farmers.
The winner of the race would get to have their company banner up at the racetrack for two years without charge, give two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars to MESA, and, oh yeah, have complete bragging rights for years to come.
This was the first thing Trent had been excited about in years. The only catch was that he needed a partner to enter. Once he had that, he knew he could win.
He needed to win.
4
Grace
Somehow, Maisie had convinced Grace to leave the comfort of her bedroom and head out to explore Nueces County, including the farm where Bill worked a couple of days a week
It hadn't been a good day for Grace. She'd spent the previous day babysitting the kids, something she loved doing, but it inevitably made her sad.
The kids, Jacklyn, four years old, and Harrison, two and a half, were the cutest, sweetest kids around. Jacklyn loved telling cheesy jokes, such as, “What do you call an alligator detective?—An investi-gator!”
That one always made her laugh, and Grace would laugh, too. Because that kid was so charming, it was nearly impossible not to be drawn in, but it also forced Grace to dwell on her lost baby. What would her child have been like? Would they have looked more like her or Aaron? Would they have grown up to tell silly jokes? Grown up to love art? To love sports? To love history?
She allowed herself time to have a good cry the night previous and had been wallowing in her room for most of the morning.
Then, Maisie burst through the doors with a breakfast sandwich—a thick slice of peameal bacon, one sunny-side-up runny egg, and a whole lot of American cheese nestled between two lightly toasted slices of sourdough bread—and announced that they were going on an adventure together.
Grace protested, but Maisie would not be denied, and before she knew it, her best friend had driven her out to Havenview Ranch to ride horses. Grace loved riding. Her aunt and uncle had owned horses when she was younger and she'd learned to ride at a young age—just young enough to be fearless. When she was eighteen, she'd bought her own horse and kept it at some stables down the road from her work, but the cost to house Rocky was too much, and eventually, she had to give him up.
She was excited to ride again, but before they could get to the horses, Maisie had arranged for the pair to take a guided tour through the beautiful orchards.
"It's stunning, right?" Maisie asked as they rode through the rows of apple trees that were ripe with fresh May blossoms.
"I love it," Grace gushed, looking up at the trees like she was in some sort of white and pink heaven. "It's so...wild, here! The trees are stunning and the little shack where they make the pies and sell the jam," she stopped long enough to squeal with delight. "It's all so cute! Plus, it's just crazy, there are chickens roaming around, and I can hear the horses and...honestly, can you imagine staying at a place like this?"
"Well, I have stayed here. So yes, I can," Maisie laughed. "And yes, it is awesome. We'll have to get you a room sometime!"
"Just let me know when I've worn out my welcome and I'll scram," Grace said with a wink.
"Don't even! I love having you around. It makes me feel young again," Maisie said—ridiculous, considering she was younger than Grace, but Grace took the compliment warmly.
"Plus, I'm like a built-in babysitter," she snorted.
"Yeah, that too," Maisie teased.
"So, what's the owner like? You said him and Bill are like, BFFs or something?"
"Yeah, they've been friends forever," Maisie said. "He's actually doing our trail today with the horses. I think you're really going to like him!"
"Uh-oh. I know what tone. What does that mean?"
Maisie's eyes went skyward, but the smirk attacking the corners of her lips would not be denied. "It means he is very cute, very rich, and very available," her friend said in a sing-song tone.
"Maisie, don't," Grace said with a sigh.
"I'm just kidding! Relax!"
"I don't want to be set up on any weird, awkward dates," Grace continued, knowing that once her friend became fixated with something, she wouldn't be denied.
"I wouldn't do that. It's way too soon," Maisie agreed as the wagon finally brought them back to the main building at the ranch. "That is your concern, right? Too soon?"
"Oh my gosh," Grace laughed. "You are trying to set me up!"
"No, I'm not! I'm just making sure I completely understand why you're so opposed to it."
"Um, I'd say my trust in men right now is the lowest it's ever been in my life, and that includes the time Peter cheated on me with that girl visiting from Salt Lake City," Grace said, counting on her fingers for no particular reason.
"Ick. That blew up fast," Maisie said with a roll of her eyes, recalling Grace's high-school boyfriend.
"And you know what?" Grace continued. "It's not even entirely about Aaron. It's about me."