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"I still need your promise."
She looked at him. "I promise not to be mad with the horses," she said. "I'll leave if I'm mad."
He smiled. "Perfect. And make sure to go slow, because fast movements sometimes scare them. Can you go slow?"
She nodded.
"All right, then." He lifted her down, and she walked as quick-slow as she could. She kneeled next to Phoebe and then held out her hand as she joined her mom in the song.
Jacob leaned on Freedom, his chest tightening as he listened to the beautiful song about faith and hope, watching as his two visitors held out their hands with the carrots. Rosa kept her face in the corner, but the two never faltered. They continued to sing, and Annie climbed onto her mom's lap while they waited.
Fuck. He never thought he'd share his horses with anyone, and he never thought that anyone would care like he did.
But the way they were sitting there singing to Rosa was healing every tear in his heart.
Yeah, this was going to work for him. He knew that now, all the way to the depths of his heart. The pieces of his soul that had always been missing were sitting on the floor of Rosa's stall right now.
He knew it for sure.
But did he fit them? Would they stay here with him? Because he knew he would never leave. He could never leave. This was his home. His family. His horses. Would Phoebe and Annie stay?
He didn't know.
But he was willing to take the chance. He was willing to risk breaking in half forever for this chance to have them in his life.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Phoebe smiled as she walked into the living room that evening. Frozen was playing on Jacob's computer, since he didn't have a television. Annie was sound asleep on his lap, and Cupcake was sprawled on the floor. Jacob's head was back, and he was snoring.
She sat down on the armchair across from the sleeping bunch and looked at them, really looked at them. Annie, her beautiful daughter, with her brown skin and dozens of braids. Jacob, with his whiskers and his dimples, which she could see even in sleep.
She'd noticed scars on his forearms when he'd been working in the barn, making her wonder where he'd gotten them. He'd had hard times. Very hard. A man with no reason to trust had let himself find an amazing family. A man who needed his space and things his way had let her, Annie, and Cupcake into his life, and allowed them all to thrive.
The man had a gift for protecting. For nurturing. He'd spent the whole day in the barn with her and Annie, teaching them how to build trust with Rosa, including teaching them patience. Phoebe thought she was good at being resilient and positive, but the level to which Jacob took it was extraordinary.
They'd turned the horses out in the pasture, and stayed outside with them to keep an eye on them. It was Rosa's first time out in the field, because he'd wanted her to build confidence in her stall first. Watching Rosa gain her confidence as she followed Freedom around the beautiful pasture had been so rewarding. Jacob had created a funnel by which he could turn the horses out without ever touching them, which was needed for his new arrivals like Rosa, who didn't yet want to be touched.
Everything about his barn was for the benefit of his animals. He'd thought of everything, as only someone who had personal experience with trauma would think of.
Phoebe could see that the horses were his peace. They forced him to go to a place of serenity and patience, because he practiced the lesson he'd taught Annie, to walk away from the horses the moment that he felt any negative energy that they could pick up. To heal them, he had to become a healer and encompass his healing, soothing energy.
He needed to help the animals, which meant he'd needed to become the man who could. And he was doing the same for Annie…and for Phoebe. Even Cupcake had calmed down since their arrival. Maybe it was because he was getting more exercise and activity, but Phoebe suspected it was also Jacob's energy that seemed to wrap around everyone in his presence.
Phoebe leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees, breathing in the moment. She looked around his house. She knew that if anything lasting were to happen with Jacob, she and Annie would have to come to his world. As amazing as Jacob was, she understood that he was rooted here, and he needed to be here to thrive.
Could she thrive here?
She could work anywhere, so that wasn't an issue.
But what was the town like? What would it be like to have his family around? What were the schools like? Her gaze settled on sleeping Jacob. Most importantly, could she thrive being with him? She'd planned on being a single mom. She didn't need anyone's money. She had her daughter. Her home. Her independence. The freedom to make her own choices every minute of the day.
Could she be happy sharing her life with Jacob? Giving up some of that independence? Freedom? In exchange for love, co-parenting, support?
Her heart tightened, and she realized she wanted it, that shared life, but she didn't know if she was built for it anymore.
"What's that look for?" Jacob asked sleepily.
Her gaze shot to his, and she saw he was watching her through half-mast eyes. "I was thinking that I don't know if I can give up independence and freedom to be here with you."
