Summer on Kendall Farm Read online

  She’d made him part of the Kendall in her mind. But he wasn’t. He had a life ahead of him. He had a son. And she didn’t see him staying around the Kendall for the rest of his life fixing broken pipes and mending fences. The letter might be his ticket out of here.

  On the other hand, Jace had told her that Sheldon treated him badly. Was this letter somehow a continuation of that? What would this letter tell him?

  Kelly slipped her finger under the flap and slid it along the edge. It opened and she pulled the single sheet of paper out and read it.

  Dear Sir or Madam,

  I am the former owner of the Kendall. I am trying to get in touch with my brother, Jason Kendall. I haven’t seen him for years and have no idea where he could be. If he contacts the farm, would you please give him my address and ask him to contact me.

  It was signed Sheldon Kendall. There was no phone number, only the address in North Carolina.

  Kelly swallowed, placing a hand to her chest. Her heart was beating double time. It was him. It was really Sheldon. She knew where he was. And he was seeking Jason, wanted information about him, wanted to find him.

  But what about Jason? He’d been angry with her once, mistakenly, over concealing information. But did he really want to suture the riff between them or did he want to start a fight over the loss of the Kendall? Would this information put Kelly in the middle of two feuding brothers? Would this mean the end of any hope for her and Jace?

  She refolded the letter, taking her time given its value and importance. She slipped it back in the envelope and pushed it between two magazines. Then she began the return walk to the Kendall. Though, this time the glistening white structure growing larger before her wasn’t what was on her mind.

  * * *

  “DON’T OPEN YOUR EYES,” Ari said. “Keep them closed.”

  “I will,” she agreed, taking a tentative step. The heat of the day hit her full-on as she left the air-conditioned comfort of the house.

  Ari’s small, clammy hand was holding on to Kelly’s. Jace’s hand was on the small of her back. The tender gesture didn’t go unnoticed. The two of them were guiding her to the garden outside. It was finally finished and Ari and Jace wanted her to be surprised when she saw it.

  Of course Kelly could see part of it from her office window, but she couldn’t see the entire thing. And she pretended for Ari’s sake.

  “Wow!” Kelly exclaimed, using Ari’s favorite word, as the blindfold was removed and she saw the garden. The wow wasn’t just for Ari. The spot was beautiful. It was more than she thought it would be. “I love it,” she said.

  The two guys beamed. “Come look at this,” Ari said. Taking her hand, he dragged her over to the seating in the center of the square. “Down here,” Ari directed. Kelly went down on her knees. In the corner was a small tile that had the word Ari written into it. The handwriting was little more than chicken scratch, but it was readable.

  “Ari, did you write that?”

  He smiled widely. “Dad showed me how,” he said. “But I wrote it. All by myself. Didn’t I, Dad?”

  Kelly twisted around to look at Jace. She raised her hand to block the sun.

  Jace nodded to his son. “All by yourself.”

  “Where did you sign it,” Kelly asked Jace.

  “I’ll show you,” Ari volunteered. “He signed it twice.”

  “Once,” Jace contradicted. “Over there near Ari’s signature.”

  Kelly looked at him questioningly, then turned back to the boy. Ari was pointing to a spot on the wall above his name. Jace bent near her and pointed. She looked and saw his name Jason Pharis Kendall. Kelly read it out loud. “Pharis?” She looked at him.

  “My mother’s maiden name.”

  He’d never told her about his mother. Only that he came to the Kendall after she died. Kelly put her hand on the carved letters. The tile was smooth, coupled with the depressions that formed his name. She felt as if she was touching him. Not the Jace he showed her, but the man he was inside. The vulnerable man who was capturing her heart.

  * * *

  THE EIGHT-YEAR-OLD Ford 150 ambled down the long driveway. Kelly’s heart beat faster as she saw the truck coming. Jace was driving and he’d reach the Kendall’s front circle soon. Ari stood by her, holding her hand.

  Frowning, Kelly realized there was a horse trailer attached to the back of the Ford and he was pulling it toward them. Why would he need a horse trailer? They had no horses.

  “What’s he got?” Ari asked.

  “I don’t know, honey,” she said softly.

  Jace smiled and waved as he went by them and continued around the house. Kelly didn’t hear anything coming from the trailer, but her jaw dropped open when she saw the backside of two horses.

  “Dad!” Ari shouted. Kelly kept a firm grip of him before he bounded down the steps in pursuit of the truck.

  “We’ll go around the back,” she told Ari. The two went through the house and exited through the patio door. Jace had parked the truck and was opening the trailer.

  Kelly let go of Ari’s hand. He flew toward his dad. Kelly took a little longer.

  “What is this?” she asked when she reached the pair. Jace backed a horse out of the trailer. It was a red mare. And she was beautiful. Kelly couldn’t help admiring her color and the proud way she stood. Putting her hands on Ari’s shoulders she held him a safe distance from the horse.

  “I bought us some horses.”

  Kelly gulped. “You what?”

  “We have a horse barn. This is a horse farm. We have to have horses.”

  Kelly wanted to react. However, she wouldn’t argue with him in front of Ari. Her parents argued in front of her, usually about her father’s drinking. Still Kelly knew how it made her feel. And while she wasn’t one of Ari’s parents, she wouldn’t put him through that.

  “Whose are they?” she asked, hoping she hadn’t heard him say he bought them.

  “Ours. They’re for the farm.”

  “Wow. Really?” Ari said. “We can keep them?”

  Jace nodded. His smile was wide. Ari squirmed out from under her and jumped up and down.

  “We have a barn,” she said, “but we don’t have any feed.”

  “I bought some.”

  “On a continuing basis,” she whispered. “How are we going to continue to feed them?” Kelly was living on the memory of money now. Her hopes were on the mansion opening in a couple of weeks. If they didn’t make any money starting that day, she would be one step away from eventually defaulting on the mortgage loan. And Jace went and bought horses.

  “We’ll make it,” he said positively. “How long has it been since you’ve been on a horse? Don’t you miss it.”

  Of course she did. She smelled the animals and all the good feelings about riding came back to her.

  “Is it okay, Kelly?” Ari asked. “We can keep the horses.” He was so innocent and so positive.

  Kelly looked at Ari and then at Jace. How could he put her in this position? She didn’t want to disappoint the child, but she was practical. And it was impractical to house horses she couldn’t afford to feed.

  “I found a couple of saddles in the attic. I guess they were left behind when the horses were sold,” Jace suggested. “Why don’t you go for a ride?”

  “Yes!” Ari jumped at the idea.

  Kelly shook her head. She wasn’t going to let him suck her in with a horse ride.

  “Hold on to these.” Jace handed her the reins. Kelly took them and Jace lifted Ari up and set the boy on the mare. The horse had no saddle. Jace looked at her. “You sure? I can bring the other one out.”

  She shook her head again.

  He walked the horse several feet away, then turned in a circle, all the while keeping one hand on Ari.

  “Kelly, you should come. This is fun.” Ari laughed and kicked his feet, obviously like he’d seen someone on television doing.

  “Don’t do that, Ari,” Jace cautioned. “We’ll have to get you the rig
ht boots and saddle the horse.” Ari laughed and Kelly thought her heart would burst.

  * * *

  IT HAD BECOME routine for Kelly to spend time watching Ari and Jace riding the horses from her office window. The horses became an unspoken addition. Jace kept them in feed and she didn’t demand they be returned.

  Lifting her cup, her arm hit the copier lid and it fell down. Kelly would swear it was closed when she left the office yesterday. She hadn’t copied anything the day before. Maybe Mira or Drew had used it.

  Turning back, she smiled at the antics of Ari and Jace. Jace got down from the horse and let Ari sit alone. He looked so small on the giant animal, but Ari wasn’t afraid. He took the reins the way his father had done. And just as Jace had shown him, Ari moved with the horse, not against it. Kelly wouldn’t say he was a natural. No one was. Everyone had to learn. She’d been around horses all her life and she knew no one took to the saddle on lesson one. But seeing the two of them every day proved that Ari would be an accomplished horseman soon.

  Jace was good, too. She’d seen him ride, but since he bought the horses, he hadn’t ridden them like he had when he was a wild teen. Kelly made a snap decision. In fact, she made two. Sitting her coffee on the desk, she opened her desk drawer and pulled the envelope out. The one she’d been hiding. Putting it in her pocket, she went to the closet and took one of the riding helmets. What Ari and Jace wore were the soft ones. They weren’t going to do any serious riding, but they made sure Ari knew he needed to protect his head.

  Moving quickly through the house and out the patio door, Kelly waved at the two guys and headed their way. Jace stopped and both climbed to the ground.

  “Hi, Kelly. Are you gonna ride with us?” Ari asked.

  “No,” she said. She looked at Jace. “You dad is going to show us how well he can ride.”

  “What?” Jace looked confused.

  Kelly offered him the helmet. “I know you want to ride how you used to. With Ari, you can’t, so Ari and I will stand over there.” She indicated outside the fence. “And you can chase the wind.”

  A smile slowly split Jace’s face. He hesitated only a second before exchanging the helmets with her. Kelly took the soft hat and reached for Ari’s hand.

  “Come on,” she said.

  The two of them walked to the fence. Ari’s wiry little body slid through the slats. He propped his arms along the middle slat, while Kelly climbed over it. When they were safely out of any danger, Jace gave them a wave and took off. She and Ari watched as Jace flew across the field. He bent forward, lowering the wind resistence and rode as if he was the lead jockey in the Kentucky Derby.

  “Wow,” Ari said. He jumped up and down, taking tiny steps and clapped his hands. “Can I do that?” He didn’t take his eyes off his father. Kelly didn’t, either.

  “Not immediately,” she told Ari. “You have to get a lot taller and learn to ride by yourself.”

  “I’m gonna hurry.”

  Kelly laughed. Jace rode and rode. He rounded the fence with precision. She loved watching him. He and the horse rode as one, each in sync with the other. Kelly thought he was truly poetry in motion. He rounded the second fence and headed for them. The sound of the horse’s hooves grew louder as he came closer. Kelly remembered this sound. She knew it intimately, knew the feeling of controlling a thousand-pound animal. Jace knew it better than she did. He was masterful.

  As he rode by her, she felt the wind against her face. The smell of man and horse lingered after he headed for the front fence again. Completing three more revolutions, he slowed the mare, walking her around the track until she cooled down. Then he slid to the ground in front of them.

  “Dad,” Ari said, wiggling through the fence. “Will you teach me to do that?”

  Jace lifted him in his arms. “One day,” he said. “But we have to take it slowly, okay?”

  “Okay,” Ari replied, smiling.

  Kelly knew he didn’t understand the concept of time yet. He didn’t understand that it would take him years to learn to ride like Jace did. But his enthusiasm would hold until that happened.

  “Thanks,” Jace said, keeping his gaze on her. “I missed doing that.”

  She nodded. Her heart thumped and she felt as if he was holding her, even though they were on opposite sides of the fence.

  “I have a surprise for you,” Kelly said. Summoning her courage, she pulled the envelope from her pocket and handed it to him.

  “What’s this?”

  “It’s where you can find your brother.”

  * * *

  JACE STARED AT what Kelly was holding. Glancing at her, she pushed the envelope closer toward him. He took it and quickly pulled out a single sheet of paper. He read it three times. This was what he wanted. He wanted to find Sheldon and now he knew where his half brother was.

  “Have you read it?” Jace asked.

  Kelly nodded. “It was addressed to me.”

  “He wants me to contact him.”

  “Are you going to?”

  Jace didn’t immediately answer. This was something he wanted from first finding out that the Kendall had been sold. He wanted to confront Sheldon, wanted to know if there was anything they could do to retake the property. And now he had a method of doing that.

  Yet, now he was hesitating. There were other factors in play that he hadn’t anticipated, mainly how he felt about the woman standing before him.

  “Jace?”

  “I’m not sure.” Jace spoke the truth. He couldn’t tell her what he was going to do. He didn’t know.

  * * *

  THE FACT THAT his half brother was alive and living in North Carolina wasn’t the only interesting information Jace had found out today.

  Jace paid for and collected Ari’s bowl of ice cream and his own milkshake and found a booth in the back of the ice-cream shop for him and his son.

  “Aren’t you gonna have ice cream, Dad?” Ari asked.

  Jace smiled. “Not today. I’m going to drink the milkshake.” Jace preferred coffee, but the only decent cup he’d had since leaving Colombia was the one Mira made several mornings ago. Jace carried the papers he’d found earlier in the attic. He’d had them for hours, but wanted to read them in solitude and at the Kendall there was every chance Kelly could walk in on him.

  Jace opened the envelope with the papers he’d found; they’d looked to be copies of the mortgage transfer documents. Kelly had told him nothing was locked. Maybe some places should be.

  Jace hadn’t been part of many contracts. Much of the information in them was Greek to him. He needed to make sure he followed through, though on any opportunity that presented itself. Ari deserved nothing less.

  “Jason, Jason Kendall. Oh, man, it is you.”

  Both Jace and Ari looked up. A man in a dark suit and white shirt stood in front of their booth. “Douglas, Doug Thurston,” he grinned, pumping Jace’s hand.

  “You’re the last guy I expected to find here,” Doug said. “Are you back or just visiting?”

  “I’m here for a while,” he answered. Gesturing at Ari, whose eyes were wide and staring at the new arrival, he introduced them. “This is my son, Ari. Ari, this man is an old friend of mine.”

  “Hello,” Doug said and offered his hand. “How old are you?”

  Ari put his hand in the larger one and said, “I’m four.” He emphasized the word four saying it louder than anything else and holding up three fingers.

  “Four, you’re a really big boy.”

  “And I help my dad all the time,” he replied.

  “Great. Do you hire out?”

  Ari looked confused. “It was a joke, Ari,” Jace said. Ari went back to his sundae.

  “What are you doing here?” Jace asked Doug.

  “This is still the best ice-cream store in three counties,” Doug said. “I’m on my way home and thought I’d stop in and get some of that—”

  “Nutty Black Cherry,” they said simultaneously.

  “It’s still a favori
te.” Doug grinned.

  “Sit down a moment.”

  Doug signaled to the clerk, then slid into the booth with Jace. “What are you doing now?” Jace asked.

  “You’ll never believe it, but I’m a lawyer.”

  Jace stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. “The terror of Duchess County is now an attorney?”

  “Three-piece suit and all,” Doug said, indicating his clothes. “I live over in York now.”

  “Married, children?”

  “Wife of six years, baby girl, eleven months, most gorgeous child on earth.”

  Jace smiled. “And your practice. Are you with someone or on your own.”

  “I struck out on my own two years ago. Things are going well.”

  “Glad to hear that,” Jace said and he really meant it. The two of them were lucky to have survived their reckless teenage years. The last sheriff who caught them had wised them up—thankfully—telling them their choices were to either end up dead or in jail. Jace didn’t take him seriously, at first, but decided to give school a try. It would get him out of the Kendall and his father didn’t care. The old man was always willing to pay for him to go away. And despite his delinquent talents, he was a good student. Doug must have gotten the message, too. They each went their own way and the sheriff’s prediction remained untrue.

  “So what are you doing?” Doug asked.

  “I spent several years in South America, but I’m back at the Kendall. I’m helping get the place in order.”

  “I heard it was sold to Kelly Ashton of all people.”

  “Why of all people?” Jace asked.

  “You don’t remember her? The little kid who used to sit on the fence and watch us. She was always there, looking over the horses and wishing she could ride one.”

  “Sheldon probably wouldn’t allow it,” Jace suggested.

  “It wasn’t him. Your old man would holler at her every time he saw her. She’d hide among the trees. I knew she just wanted to be part of the place. She was like you, Jason. She loved the horses.”