Dream On (Dare to Dream Book 2), page 33
His thumb brushed a stray tear from her cheek, and Marley closed her eyes as he pulled her in towards him. She went willingly, burying her face against his chest as he wrapped both arms around her, neither of them caring that Denise was staring at them with her mouth half-open in astonishment.
“I missed you so much.”
Jake rested his cheek against her hair, holding her tight. “I missed you too.”
“There’s something else I need you to do,” Marley said, tilting her head back to look up at him.
Jake quirked an eyebrow at her, but he was smiling now. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“Come home.”
* * *
Kris was lying on her bed reading when there was a knock at her bedroom door, and Marley’s head appeared around it. Kris set down the book she was reading, dog-earing the page to keep her place, and smiled at her sister.
“Hey, you.”
“Hi. Can I come in?”
“Of course.” Kris patted the bed next to her, and Marley padded barefoot across the threadbare carpet towards her. “How’s Kermit?”
“Following Jake around like a shadow again,” Marley assured her sister as she sat down next to her sister on the bed and stretched her legs out alongside Kris’s, noticing the almost identical length and shape of them. She curled her toes and took a breath.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Fire away.”
Marley bit her lip hesitantly, then made herself speak. “Are you happy? I mean, with the way things have turned out.” Kris looked startled by the question, and Marley hastened to explain. “It’s just that I know this isn’t really what you had planned out for your life. And when I turn eighteen you could have stopped worrying about me, and had a chance to live your own life, but now…”
Kris interrupted quickly. “First of all, I’ll always worry about you. Turning eighteen isn’t going to change that,” she said firmly, wrapping an arm around Marley’s shoulders and squeezing them tight. “And if you’re asking whether I have any regrets about how things have turned out, I don’t. Maybe it’s not what I’d pictured, but when does life ever go the way we expect it to? To be honest with you, I don’t know what I would’ve done when you left home, and it was just me and the dogs left behind.”
“We wouldn’t have left you here alone!”
Kris didn’t argue. “But you’d grow up and move on eventually. We couldn’t all live here like old spinsters, filling the house with cats and banging on about our glory days,” she joked, and Marley laughed. “I know that I used to talk about leaving, before…before we lost Dad. Before I had my accident. Before I realised that someone would have to stay here and run this place for as long as we wanted to keep it. But I don’t want to leave. I’m happy here, and it’s a good place to raise a family.”
Marley snuggled into her sister’s shoulder. “You’re going to be such a great mother.”
“I hope so.”
“You will. Think of all the practice you’ve had with me and Van.”
“Don’t remind me,” Kris said with a grimace, and Marley poked her in the ribs.
“I’m being serious. I don’t know where we’d be without you. Besides, I’ve always thought that you could do anything.”
“You’re gonna make me cry,” Kris warned her.
“Sorry. You’re going to have enough crying to deal with soon enough,” Marley teased, and Kris laughed.
“True. Hopefully not too much. Maybe I’ll get lucky and have a quiet little baby like you were.”
“I was?”
“Yeah, you were.” As she spoke, Kris was struck by a vivid memory of two big green eyes, staring placidly up at her as she held her new baby sister in her lap. Her own six-year-old arms carefully supporting Marley’s weight while Van hovered around and begged for her turn.
She’s my sister too.
And then Dad’s voice, as clear as he had been standing next to her, saying the words she’d never forgotten across all these years.
Yes she is, but Kris is the eldest, and it’s her job to look out for her baby sister. A mixture of sadness and pride in his voice, aware of the burden he was placing on his young daughter, and she remembered looking up at him with a determined smile, resolving to do whatever she could to make Marley’s life a happy one.
I’ll look out for her as well, Van had insisted, and their father had agreed to that, sitting down next to Kris on the couch and pulling Van up onto his lap. She had curled up against his chest, sucking her thumb and staring at the baby, and the four of them had sat in silence, their grief washing slowly over them as they wondered how they were going to carry on without their mother.
Yet somehow the years had passed, and despite everything that had happened since then, both good and bad, it had all worked out in the end. And in a few months’ time they would come full circle, and there would be another tiny baby in the house. Kris looked over at her now sixteen-year-old sister lying next to her, and smiled.
“It’s just a shame you grew out of that good behaviour so fast.”
Marley pulled a face at her. “Must’ve been Van’s bad influence,” she insisted, making Kris laugh. “You know, it’s funny how things work out,” Marley went on. “I bet you never saw this coming when you first met Seamus.”
“Not exactly.”
Marley’s eyes twinkled. “You liked him though.”
“Yes.”
“Right from the start?”
For the first time, Kris admitted it. “Yes.”
Had she fallen for him as swiftly as he’d fallen for her? She wasn’t sure, but she’d known from that first afternoon that there was something between them. It had taken time and perseverance for him to bring it out of her, but she was glad that he’d made the effort.
Marley rolled onto her side and laid her palm flat against Kris’s belly. “I can’t wait to meet whoever’s in there.”
Her sister smiled. “Me either.”
Marley’s expression turned sombre. “Are you scared, though? Because of what happened to Mum?”
Kris took a slow, deep breath. “A little bit. But the doctors will be prepared for it and we’ll just hope that it all goes okay.”
Marley nodded, but she was still frowning as she traced a lazy circle on her sister’s stomach. “Kris, have you…do you ever wonder what your life would’ve been like if I’d never been born?”
Kris tilted her head to look at her, shocked by the question. “Why would you say that?”
“Well, if I hadn’t…you would still have had Mum,” Marley said quietly.
“But I wouldn’t have you,” Kris replied. “And I wouldn’t swap you for anyone.”
Marley blinked back tears. “Really?”
“Of course not. You’re my baby sister and I love you. Nothing is ever going to change that.”
Marley wrapped her arms around Kris and hugged her tight. “I love you too. All the way to the moon and back.”
EPILOGUE
To the outside observer, it was a day like any other. The late summer sky was bright blue, with small clouds drifting lazily across its expanse as Mike climbed out of his dusty ute and strode into the relative cool of the racing stables. He pulled off his baseball cap and ruffled his damp hair, nodding to Seamus as he walked past him in the aisle. Seamus greeted him with a grin and a cheerful word, then resumed his work, the chime of metal on metal ringing across the rows of box stalls. A groom led a horse past, its shod hooves clopping evenly on the concrete floor, and Seamus paused in his work for a moment, watching the horse move and listening to the rhythm of its hoofbeats, searching for irregularities. The horse gleamed with good health, its muscles rippling under the glossy black coat, and Seamus smiled to himself as he resumed his work, sweat running steadily down his back as he toiled on.
Across town, Jake angled his chair slightly to catch the slight breeze coming in through the classroom window as his teacher marked his work. Mike had taken him back in on the condition that he worked harder at school, and part of that condition had been after school tutoring. Jake had agreed readily – he would’ve agreed to anything – but it didn’t make it any easier to sit inside on a day like this. Outside, he could see a labourer working on the new railing around the gymnasium, could hear the buzz saw as he sliced through the wood, could smell the sawdust as it filtered through the muggy air. His teacher moved, and Jake’s attention returned to her, determined to do whatever it took to keep him in Mike’s good books. His worksheet fell on the desk in front of him, and he looked at it in trepidation, then disbelief. Nine out of ten. That had to be a new record, and he smiled.
The sun-baked ground was hard under Effie’s hooves as Van clicked her tongue to the mare and she sprang into a cadenced trot. Squinting into the sun, Van watched in satisfaction as the mare trotted around on the end of the lunge line, admiring the outlines of the muscles that were slowly being built back up. Months of rehabilitation, good feeding and Seamus’s help with her damaged hooves had finally been worthwhile. Van remembered Mike’s words the day they had first seen the mare, when she was so skinny and her feet so badly abscessed that she could barely stand up. You can’t save everyone. She smiled proudly as she gave the big grey horse the signal to canter on. Watch me, she thought triumphantly, wishing Mike was here right now to see Effie’s strides eat up the ground. The days were ticking away before her departure and her bags were already half-packed, but she wouldn’t be gone for too long. Long enough to learn and ride and work like she’d never learned and ridden and worked before, but there was so much still to do here. And so much still to come home to, Van thought as she blinked the dust out of her eyes and eased Effie back to her ground-covering trot.
Kris threw a handful of grain out onto the dirt, and the chickens tore towards it, scratching and squabbling over the sparsely distributed feed. Stepping into the hen house, Kris lifted the bottom of her t-shirt and carefully filled it with brown eggs. Some were still warm. Outside, the sun baked down relentlessly, but a light breeze drifted across her skin, and Kris turned her face towards it, her arms cradling the eggs against her stomach as she walked back towards their house, trying to remember it as it was when she was small. When it had been so rundown that Mum had refused to live in it until Dad had promised he would knock the whole thing to the ground and start over. But they never had, and instead they’d learned to live with the creaking doors that didn’t shut properly, and the windows that jammed when you pushed them up and slammed on your fingers when you let them down. With the groan that the pipes made when you ran hot water, and the creeping plant that climbed its way up the side of the house, appearing at random underneath doors and loose floorboards, or peeking out from behind light switches. For so long, they’d just had to make do, but now she wasn’t sure that she would change a thing. It was their home, would be her home for a long time yet, and Kris smiled as she stepped up to the front door. The heady scent of pine needles drifted towards her through the warm air, and she wondered whether she’d ever been this happy before.
Marley walked down the dirt road towards home, scuffing her shoes through the dust with her head down. Nothing could brighten her mood today, not the sun beaming down on the back of her neck, or the warbling song of the tui in the nearby flax bushes. It didn’t cheer her up knowing that school was almost out for Easter, or that Laura was sending her another pony to make up for Gothic being sold, a four year old chestnut for Marley to break in herself. He was arriving tomorrow, and she was trying to look forward to it, but all she could think about was that right now, somewhere high above the Pacific Ocean, Cruise was on a plane, making his way to the other side of the world.
Marley had gone to school that morning knowing that by the time she got home, Cruise would be gone from her life forever. Any lingering hopes that Bubbles would change her mind had been well and truly vanquished when Cruise had jumped out of his skin for her three weeks ago to claim his second consecutive Pony of the Year title. Marley hadn’t seen it live, but she’d been unable to stop herself from watching it on TV when the Horse of the Year highlights were shown. He’d been considered an unlikely outsider, but Cruise had pulled through despite the odds to jump three clear rounds and clinch the win. Susannah had finished second, and her evident pride in her pony’s performance had done away with the last vestiges of Marley’s animosity towards her. The television footage had ended on a shot of the two girls leaving the ring side-by-side, smiling and congratulating each other as their ponies touched noses in a friendly way.
It had been a heart-warming moment, but as soon as Marley had heard of Bubbles’s victory, she’d known that Cruise’s fate was now sealed. Bubbles had been in touch since then, promising to send photos and videos of Cruise’s exploits once he arrived in America, but Marley didn’t want to see them, wouldn’t want to know. If he was gone, he was gone, and that had to be that. She couldn’t torture herself any more, and she wouldn’t be able to stand it if Cruise’s performance deteriorated again. Her advice had clearly worked, but she couldn’t help wondering if the pinto pony would enjoy the same lifestyle that he was accustomed to, once he arrived in Massachusetts. Somehow she doubted it, but she had to hope.
Marley wandered slowly up the driveway, reluctant to get inside and change. She still had Gigi and Seattle to ride, and even Covergirl was starting to come around to her. She’d made up with Van after their fight, both of them shrugging it off and continuing on as they always did, leaving the words they’d flung at each other in anger behind as they looked towards their rapidly changing futures. Kris had invited some of her keenest students to come and stay for the Easter break, and they would all arrive in a couple of days. Marley was looking forward to the distraction, but she still had the rest of today to get through.
There were deep tyre tracks in the gravel in front of the house, but Marley hardly glanced at them as she walked up to the front door. The dogs greeted her warmly, and she scooped Dash up into her arms and hugged her, heading towards the stairs to change into riding clothes.
“Marley! Come here for a sec.”
Marley hesitated, one foot on the tread of the staircase, then released the squirming terrier and walked into the kitchen. Her sisters were both sitting at the table, staring at her. Marley avoided their eyes, knowing what they were thinking. She couldn’t face their pity right now.
“What?”
Kris pushed a small envelope across the table towards her. “This is for you.”
Marley took the envelope without a word and left the room. She heard Van say something, and Kris shushed her. As she climbed the stairs, Marley looked at the envelope, and an uneasy knot settled in her stomach as she recognised Bubbles’s handwriting. What does she want? Marley thought angrily. What can possibly be left for her to say?
She flung her bedroom door open and threw herself onto her bed, burying her face in the pillow, but it hurt too much to even cry. Marley curled into a ball and lay on her side, staring at the envelope with its soft white paper. She reached out and touched it with a finger, wondering why Bubbles had written to her. Maybe it wasn’t a letter. Maybe it was a cheque, or an airline ticket to go visit her pony in the future. Bubbles had made noises about flying Marley over, but she hadn’t taken her seriously. Would she really go that far to make herself feel better?
Eventually Marley’s curiosity got the better of her and she sat up and tore the envelope open. There was a single sheaf of paper inside, and she unfolded it and sat staring at the loops of handwriting until they slowly formed into words and sentences.
Dear Marley
Owning and riding Cruise has been a special privilege that I will always treasure. He’s taught me more than any other pony I’ve ever known, about love, and trust, and the importance of finding joy in every day. But most importantly he’s taught me that my pony’s best interests should always come before my own. And that’s something I never would have truly understood if it wasn’t for you.
I couldn’t sleep last night because all I could think about was how much you cried the day that I took Cruise away from you. You made an incredible sacrifice in selling him, and your courage that day has inspired me in more ways that you will ever know.
Sometimes the right choice is the hardest one to make. I learned that from you. So now it’s my turn to do the right thing. Cruise is your pony - he always has been and he always will be.
I couldn’t take him with me. He belongs with you.
Promise you’ll keep him forever.
Your friend,
Bubbles xxx
Marley stared at the words on the page, unable to believe what she'd just read. Does she mean it? Could it actually be true? And if Cruise isn’t on a plane right now, high above the Pacific, then where is he? Slowly, with her heart pounding, Marley got to her feet and walked across the room. She pulled back the curtains on her bedroom window and looked down, hardly daring to dream…
In the paddock below, grazing calmly as though he’d always been there, was a brown and white pinto pony, with a black mane and tail, a star on his head shaped like a lightning bolt, and a splash of white on his nose. Marley flung the window open and cried his name.
“Cruise!”
Her voice choked on the word, but her pony looked up and saw her. His eyes lit up, and he whinnied, a whinny that started high and ended in a low-pitched rumble, and Marley was already running, faster than she ever had before. Down the stairs and out of the house, her feet barely touching the ground as she sprinted to the paddock and flung herself over the fence. Cruise trotted towards her, his eyes bright and ears pricked in eager welcome, and he stopped in front of her, touching his soft nose to her shoulder. Marley flung her arms around his neck and hugged him, still unable to really believe that he was here. That somehow, despite almost impossible odds, he’d come back to her. Cruise was hers to keep this time, and she knew that there was no way that she would ever let him go again.
After all, Bubbles had insisted on it.
