Montana Cowboy Christmas by Jane Porter

Author:Jane Porter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance
ISBN: 9781951786960
Publisher: Tule Publishing Group, LLC
Published: 2021-12-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Leaving the Howes in Belgrade, Ivy and Sam headed back toward Marietta, stopping for a late lunch in Bozeman. There wasn’t a lot of conversation at first, both contemplative. It wasn’t until they’d finished their sandwiches that Sam asked about what took place in the barn.

Ivy handed her empty plate to the waitress and then looked at Sam. “Ashley’s a teenage girl wanting to believe she’s going to have a normal life, and I did my best to assure her that she could, and that she would.”

“And riding?”

“I want to get her a saddle, one that would allow her to ride, and potentially race. There’s got to be some out there, but until we find the right one, I need to come up with something that would let her ride after Christmas. That’s when I’ve promised to return and start working with her.”

“Don’t you think you need to talk to her parents, get their permission? Her dad seems pretty adamant that they protect her—”

“It’s a little late for that, isn’t it?” Ivy interrupted hotly. “She’s already hurt. Her life’s been permanently changed. Don’t hold her back. Let her challenge herself. Let her dream.”

Sam held up his hands. “I’m not the one you’ve got to convince. I just know what he said while you were in there, talking to Ashley.”

“The way I see it is, they either get behind her and make her dreams possible or they use fear to break her spirit.” Ivy tapped the side of her water glass, a restless drumming that revealed her tension. “What would you do, if she was your daughter? Would you let her compete again?”

“It’s a dangerous sport.”

“Preaching to the choir.”

“But most sports have an element of risk. Athletes in every sport get injured. I think about football—Grandad had all of us playing when we were growing up—and now they talk about the lasting damage from concussions, and it might only take one really bad hit to have permanent damage.”

“Right. So, what would you do if Ashley was your baby girl and she wanted to get back into her favorite sport?”

Sam stared off across the restaurant, his blue eyes narrowed, deep creases at his eyes. “I’d put her on the horse myself,” he said, turning to look at Ivy. “And drive her to every single rodeo she wanted to enter.”

“What about your career?”

He shrugged. “I’d be happy to give it all up, if it’d allow me to support my daughter.”

*

They reached Marietta with a half hour before she needed to start work, and Sam asked if she’d mind if they stopped at the western wear store on Main Street as he wanted her input on his mom’s birthday gift. “I want to get her a vest, something warm and comfortable that she could wear around the house.”

“I don’t know her taste, but I’m happy to help,” she answered.

Inside the store, Sam pulled out a couple different vests and asked Ivy what she thought. Ivy even modeled a few of them for him. “This collar’s too high,” she said about one.

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