Trixie leaned closer, lowering her voice. “Is that Travis? You didn’t tell me your friend was hot.”
Nick gritted his teeth. “That’s his daughter walking beside him.”
“He’s married?” she asked.
Christ. Really? “Divorced.”
Travis had married his high school sweetheart right after graduating from college, and they’d divorced before finding out she was pregnant. Travis and Jenny shared custody of April. Nick had never known a divorced couple who had gotten along better than the two of them.
“Interesting,” she whispered.
He narrowed his eyes.
Trixie giggled and waved to Travis, walking toward him and calling out with all her Southern sweetness, “Hey there!”
“Hi. You must be Trixie. I’m Travis. Nick’s told me great things about you.” He shook Trixie’s hand, lifting his chin in greeting to Nick.
“Has he? That’s good to know.” Trixie eyed Nick curiously. “He had great things to say about you, too. Thanks for making time to show me around.”
April toddled over and exclaimed, “Nick, see my hawsey?”
“I sure do, darlin’. That’s one fine-looking horse,” he said as April walked around him and grabbed at his back pocket.
“Wow, even little girls can’t keep their hands off you,” Trixie teased.
He gave Trixie a deadpan look and whipped a lollipop out of his pocket.
April’s eyes lit up. “Lolli!”
He crouched as he unwrapped the candy for her and tapped his cheek. April pressed her tiny lips there, and he handed her the lollipop.
Travis touched her shoulder and said, “What do you say?”
“Mine!”
Everyone laughed.
“Close enough,” Nick said. “Remember to give the stick to me or Daddy when you’re done.” He caught Trixie watching them with a dreamy expression, and she quickly averted her eyes. “How’s it going, Travis?”
“Great. I’m really glad you set this up.” Travis’s gaze flicked to Trixie.
I bet you are.
Trixie crouched beside April and said, “Hi. I’m Trixie, a friend of Nick’s. What’s your name?”
“Apwil. This is my hawse, Dolly.”
“She’s beautiful,” Trixie said as Dolly lowered her head for April to pet her. “And she sure loves you.”
Oh yeah, you’ll do great working with kids.
“You could pet her,” April said.
Trixie grinned up at Travis as she petted the horse and said, “She’s a cutie pie.”
“Thanks.” Travis looked lovingly at his daughter. “Around here Peaches is the boss.”
“Peaches? What an adorable nickname,” Trixie said, rising to her feet.
“You’ll never believe this now with all her curls, but when she was born she had a head full of peach fuzz.” Travis shrugged and said, “The nickname stuck.”
“I love that.” Trixie pushed to her feet and said, “You bring her to work with you?”
“We live in a house on the back of the farm, and my grandmother lives in that house.” He pointed to the old farmhouse up the hill. “She watches her for me, but Peaches wanted to show Nick this week’s favorite horse.”
Nick had known Travis for years, and April since she was born. They didn’t see each other all that often, but when Travis was going through his divorce, he and Nick would often grab a beer. Travis watched over Nick’s animals when Nick traveled, and Nick helped out when Travis needed backup. And Nick always brought a little something for April when he stopped by.
“Why don’t you tell me what you’re looking for and we’ll get started,” Travis suggested.
Trixie bubbled over with enthusiasm as she told Travis all about her plans.
“We can definitely help you get started,” Travis said.
“Are any of your younger horses, say six or seven months old, halter trained or comfortable with people?” Trixie asked, stealing a glance at Nick and April.
“Absolutely,” Travis said. “We’re lucky to have several volunteers, which allows us to be more hands-on with the horses. We start halter training shortly after birth and lead the foals with their mothers. Do you know what size minis you’re looking for?”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about that. I want to get three horses, two that are thirty-two to thirty-six inches to accommodate the height of a hospital bed, and a smaller one for younger children. Maybe twenty-four inches or so.”
“Great.” Travis looked at Nick and said, “Why don’t we head down to see the horses.”
“I go!” April exclaimed.
“We’re going, darlin’.” Nick walked with April, giving Trixie a chance to talk with Travis about the horses. Trixie was impressive as hell, asking all the right questions about his breeding practices, veterinary care, and other things. She radiated confidence, and Nick could see that Travis was equally impressed.
“Nick said you wouldn’t mind if I came by a couple of times this week to get a feel for the horses. Is that still okay?”
Travis nodded. “Of course. We recommend it, actually. We want to make the best matches for you and the horses. I’ve just turned them out, so you’ll have plenty of time to watch them in their natural surroundings and see which ones are naturally curious, get a feel for their sizes, and that sort of thing.” Unlike regular-size horses, miniature horses couldn’t be left out to pasture for too long or they’d eat themselves into oblivion. “When you’re ready, you can choose a few and we’ll bring them up to the barn. That can be done today, tomorrow, or whenever your schedule allows, so you can see how you feel about them individually. Once you’ve narrowed down your selections, then we can see how they do together. For some people, connections are immediate, but we have other people who take weeks to decide. There’s never a rush on our end, and since you’re looking for therapy horses, it’s all about temperament and approachability, which makes taking your time even more important.”
“Great, thank you. I think we’ve covered all the bases.”
As they neared the pasture, Travis said, “So, how do you and Nick know each other?”
“We met through his cousins in Peaceful Harbor when I was a teenager. I’ve competed in some of the same races as Nick’s brother Graham and his cousin Ty.”
“You’re kidding? We’ve got that in common, too. I grew up at the Harbor with Ty, Sam, and the rest of the Braden gang. I’m a race guy, too. What type of races do you compete in?”
“Running, swimming, biking. Whatever I have time for. I did the Mad Prix last year.”
Nick watched April leading her horse, trying to ignore the uncomfortable twinge of jealousy nagging at him.
“That’s a tough race,” Travis said. “Sam just sent out an email about a river race he’s throwing together in September. Did you hear about it?” Sam owned Rough Riders, a rafting and adventure company in Peaceful Harbor.
“No. I haven’t checked emails in a couple of days.”
“It’s up on their website. You should check it out. It’ll be fun.”