Page 40 of Sweet Madness
She’s the type of woman most men would dream about, yet few could ever be deserving. I am one of those men.
“I love them already,” Ella whispers as she brushes Geraldine’s soft mane.
With a lump in my throat, I touch one of the petals on Peppermint’s mane and stifle a laugh when the horse looks at me disapprovingly.
He always had a sour mood. I guess I’m not so different from him.
“Horses are easy to love,” I admit. I don’t know how Ella does it, but she gets me to share more than I ever do with anyone else.
And it’s only been a couple of days. I’m afraid to think about what she might be capable of if she stays longer.
“Life has taught me that sometimes animals are more compassionate and kinder than humans,” she whispers, her voice tinged with sadness.
I see Ella gazing at Geraldine with distant sadness. What changed? She was just beaming with happiness.
A painful pressure builds in my chest. It’s different from the ache I felt when watching her smile. I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all. “What’s wrong?” I bark, feeling uneasy.
She turns to me, her blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “It’s just... I miss her,” she confesses, her voice barely a whisper.
“Your mom?” I ask, thinking of the first person who comes to mind.
She shakes her head.
I sigh, feeling helpless as I watch her with a sad smile. I hate her sad smiles just as much as the fake ones.
Understanding dawns on me. Ella had a horse she loved dearly when she was younger. “Bliss?” I ask softly, remembering the horse’s name.
Ella nods, a single tear tracing down her cheek. “You remember her name,” she whispers, her voice thick with emotion. “She made me so happy. Bliss was my friend for so long, my confidant.”
“Was?” I ask, knowing the answer already.
She is quiet for a moment before saying, “She left us.”
Her horse died. The one gifted by her father to his wife but shared by mother and daughter. “I’m sorry,” I tell her sincerely.
“Losing her... was like losing a piece of myself.” She shrugs and wipes the tears from her cheeks.
I feel a lump in my throat. Shit. Goddamn tears.
I wish I could erase the pain from her face and replace it with the lightness I saw when she laughed among my horses. I truly despise tears, but her tears—especially hers—undo me.
The more I look at her sad eyes, the more helpless I feel. What should I do? What should I say? I haven’t dealt with someone with a soft heart like hers in a long time.
Struck by a sudden impulse, I blurted out, “Would you like to go for a ride through the tulip fields?” I say through gritted teeth.
Ella wipes a tear away, her eyes widening in surprise. Then a radiant smile breaks across her face, illuminating everything in sight, including part of my tattered soul.
Space Note
“This galaxy made of love…” — S
Chapter
Eleven
ANGEL BABY
Shaw