Dreaming of Tomorrow Page 11

  When David left, Pete seemed more cheerful and relaxed than he had in a long time.

  The next night as David and Emily bobbed in the hot tub, David brought up her birthday and asked her what she wanted. He didn’t mention the puppy he had already bought. They bobbed in the water and talked softly.

  “I already have one present for you,” David leaned over to kiss her, “but I wanted to ask you if you would accept more.”

  “I love presents, but I figured just having you in my life was my present this year.” She grinned and reached out to tickle his ribs. “What’d you get me?”

  “I’m not telling.” He laughed. “Even if you torture me.”

  “How about if I kiss it out of you?” She moved closer.

  “My lips are sealed,” he managed before her mouth closed over his.

  Emily put a lot of effort into unsealing his lips, but he wouldn’t give up his secret.

  “Well, if that didn’t do it, I’m stumped.” Emily pouted.

  “You’ll just have to wait for your birthday,” David said smugly.

  That night when David took her home they sat in his car talking in front of her house.

  “I want to ask you something,” David said hesitantly for once. “I’m going to a horse show in Santa Barbara next weekend. I’m leaving Friday morning and driving back Sunday night.”

  He paused.

  “You want me to watch the horses?” Emily guessed. “Sure. I’d love to.”

  “That’s not it. Nicole’s putting her horse in a boarding stable for a few days since she’s going to be out of town on assignment for a while. I’m taking Target and Raider, so there won’t be any horses to watch. Kate and Bob will watch the dogs.”

  “Then what is it?” Emily’s pulse was racing now.

  “I want you to come with me.” David had a pleading look in his eyes.

  “I can’t, David. My parents . . .” Emily was regretful.

  “Julia’s there now. She’ll call us if there’s a crises and I’ll take you home on the first flight we can catch and go back for the horses later. You need to get away.” David looked at her tenderly then continued, “I’ll make sure you have your own room. I’ll book a suite with two bedrooms, whatever you want.”

  “It sounds fun, more than fun. I want to go.” Emily thought for a moment then said, “Let me think about it, okay?”

  “I should tell you, don’t be mad, but I asked your father if it would be okay with him if I took you away for the weekend, next weekend.” David paused. “He seemed to think it was great.”

  “I bet you didn’t mention hotel rooms to him,” Emily muttered.

  “You win that bet, I’m not stupid.” David grinned at her. “Going?”

  “Yes. I will.” Suddenly everything seemed so clear to Emily, she would go on the weekend with David and stay in touch with Julia on her cell phone.

  She smiled to herself and said, “I’m mature enough and secure enough in my faith to resist temptation. I hope.”

  For the most part Emily had faith in David, in their future together, and in their love for each other. Emily still had some of her insecurities though, and they surfaced from time to time. She still had low self-esteem. Sometimes she still thought of herself as a fat slob, even though she had lost just over forty pounds. She even worried that David might get tired of dealing with her problems. David was patient but the need to constantly reassure Emily so often was getting on his nerves.

  One night David called Emily from his office and cancelled their dinner date, saying he had to work late. She considered staying home and watching TV but instead she decided to take Pete, Mae and Julia out to dinner. She got Mae dressed up nicely, helped Pete get ready, and took the group to one of the nicer restaurants in town. They were halfway through dinner when David walked in with one of the most beautiful women Emily had ever seen. She was tall, blonde, and beautifully built.

  One look at David, sitting there with this woman, talking with her, laughing with her, seemed to crystallize all of Emily’s worst fears. What if the warmth and loving he showed her was just an act? What if he was tired of her? She thought back and realized he had been working late a lot more recently.

  Stop it! Emily told herself, David had been working harder than usual to catch up on things that he’d let slide since they’d met. He loved her and constantly let her know it. Excusing herself, Emily went into the ladies room, mainly to compose herself. She freshened her make-up, straightened her clothes, and brushed out her long hair. She was just about to leave the ladies room when David’s date came in and began fussing with her make-up.

  “I saw you out there, having dinner with David Silvan,” Emily ventured.

  “You know David?” The woman laughed lightly. “Isn’t he about the sexiest man you ever met?”

  At Emily’s nod she continued, “I usually let men pursue me but for a hunk like him, I’ll make an exception.”

  “I’d wish you luck, but he’s taken,” Emily said with a trace of defiance.

  “So what? There aren’t many women who can compete with me,” the other woman shot back, smiling into the mirror.

  “I’m sure there aren’t.” Emily turned to leave the room, shaken inside.

  She walked over to David’s table and said, “Hi David.”

  “Emily!” David got up. “It’s so good to see you! I thought I’d be tied up with my client all evening.”

  He hugged and kissed her warmly.

  “I’m here with Mom and Dad, and Julia.” She gestured across the room. “I saw you here with someone so I decided to come over and say hello.”

  “Stay here and meet Megan, my new client. I’m going over a major contract with her. She’s one of the top models in the world.” David watched Emily closely for signs that her low self-esteem had resurfaced.

  “I talked to her in the ladies room,” Emily said. “She mentioned wanting more than legal services from you.”

  “What did you say?” he quizzed her.

  “I told her you were taken,” Emily replied, her chin held high.

  “In other words, you told her the truth.” David grinned. “Because I am taken, by you.” He kissed her. “Why don’t I come over when I’m through here?”

  “You’d better.” Emily turned to go back to her table and almost bumped into the beautiful Megan.

  “Have a great dinner. Nice meeting you, Megan,” Emily said as she turned to leave.

  “Nice meeting you. . .” Megan floundered.

  “Emily,” David supplied.

  “Nice meeting you, Emily.” Megan held out her hand, with a warm smile on her face.

  “Same here. I’d better get back to my table.” Emily shook Megan’s hand and then left.

  “Your um. . . friend seems very nice, David,” Megan said, sitting down and grinning ruefully. “Is it serious?”

  David nodded and smiled the biggest smile Megan had ever seen. “She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s going to be my wife.”

  “She’s made you happy, I can tell.” Megan reached for a roll. “I’m a little surprised that you weren’t taken by one of Nikki’s model friends, though.”

  “Actually, Emily is doing some modeling for full figure fashions. I guess I see enough glamorous women to see that most of you are really just ordinary people with great looks. Some models are vain, some models are air heads, and some, most, are warm, intelligent women.” David smiled at a memory. “It was a surprise when I met Emily though. We were at a horse show and she was scared of the horses, and dirty. She weighed more than she does now.”

  “Really?” Megan was interested in the story.

  “Sure, Nicole’s been working with her to teach her fashion sense, and how to use make-up. It doesn’t matter to me, except for Emily’s sake, for her self-confidence.” David smiled softly. “I enjoyed talking to her most of the day at that horse show and then, when I took a fall, she ran over to see how I was and I looked up into her face and fell hard.”

  “Dav
id, I think you made a good choice,” Megan said with a trace of regret in her voice.

  “Trust me Megan, I didn’t choose to fall in love, it chose me,” David told her.

  A few nights later when a quiet dinner at David’s had turned into tender loving, David told her about Megan’s comment.

  “She’s sometimes vain and she can be ruthless about getting what she wants, so I’m a little surprised that she gave up so easily.” David smiled. “She must have known it was really a hopeless case.”

  Emily just smiled.

  Emily’s birthday was great. Aside from the puppy, Pete and Mae gave her a laptop, and Nicole had sent some new clothes and all the supplies for her new puppy she would need. Her friends Kate and Laura and their husbands came over with their kids. Even Kate’s friend Frank brought his family. Emily wound up with a pile of gifts and a great cake.

  When Frank learned Emily was working with David’s young horse he suggested, “Why don’t you come over and ride with my daughter a few times. She doesn’t ride gymkhana events, she does Western Equitation. It would give you a chance to learn about more events.”

  “That’s a great idea!” David reached over and picked up the puppy. “You can learn more about the different events and see if you like something other than gymkhana.”

  Later, David took Emily aside away from the group. “Emily, there’s one more thing I want to give you.” He paused, suddenly nervous. “I know we haven’t been together long, but I know what I feel. I love you, Emily, and I want to marry you.”

  He pulled out a ring.

  “This is pretty quick, but it feels right. Let me ask you one thing: Are you doing this so fast because of my father?” She met his eyes.

  “Partly, but it’s what I want, too,” he admitted, “more than anything.”

  “That’s so thoughtful.” Emily sighed. “I want you to understand, I don’t want to get married just to make my father happy, I want to get married because I love you. I think you’re my miracle.”

  He put the ring on Emily’s finger and together they went in and told their friends.

  David pulled Kate’s husband Bob aside and said, “I seem to recall that you know a lot about planning a wedding.”

  Bob had surprised Kate with a wedding in the disguise of a family reunion.

  “I need help to get this planned as quickly as possible.”

  Bob looked over at Pete and then turned back to David. “You’ve got it, anything I can do.”

  “Thanks.”

  The week passed in a blur, with Emily getting ready for the weekend trip. Still the time passed slowly because David had to work late several nights to get the weekend off. David was also on the phone a lot, calling the caterers, photographers, and the wedding cake maker that Bob suggested.

  Emily called David and asked, “What should I pack?”

  “Well, wear something comfortable to travel in, and take two sets of clothes to run around the horse show. Let’s see, you should take a nice Western shirt for each day, and also a grubby t-shirt for each day. You’ll need something to go out to dinner in a nice restaurant, for both nights, and something to swim in. That should be it.”

  “How about something to sleep in?” Emily asked flirtatiously.

  “You’ll have plenty to sleep in. You can sleep in my hotel room, even in my bed, and in my arms if you want,” David replied in kind.

  “David, dear. You know I can’t do that, my conscious won’t let me.” She let the words hang in the air.

  “We’re mature enough not to cross any lines,” David said slowly. “We can just cuddle.

  “If I decide to spend the weekend in your room, your bed, and your arms, I wouldn’t get any sleep and neither would you.” She hung up.

  Chapter Thirteen

  That Friday morning Emily drove over to David’s and parked her car. She pulled her luggage out of the trunk and sat it next to David’s truck which was already hooked up to a horse trailer. With the puppy she’d named Top Knot, for the small tuft of hair that stuck up between his ears, on a leash, she walked into the barn to find David wrapping Target’s legs.

  “Is that to protect them while they travel or what?” she asked, watching him work.

  “You’re very quick. Yes, it’s for protection. I usually don’t bother when I take Target to a local show, but for a five hour drive, even he will get restless.” David looked up at her. “You look great!”

  “Thanks, David.” She grinned. “Really, it’s just a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. I took your advice and went for comfort.”

  “You can put your bags in the truck if you want.” He finished the leg he was working on before he stood up and kissed her. He knelt again to work on Target’s other front leg.

  She threw her bags into the truck as he suggested. It seemed like a lot for only two nights, but she’d only packed what he’d suggested. Clothes to care for the horses in, and nice clothes for the show, plus two dresses to go out to eat in, and she also included make-up.

  David finished wrapping Target’s legs and asked Emily to walk him around while he started on Raider. She tied Top Knot’s leash to a tree and started to lead Target around. The big horse walked so funny, raising each leg so high and shaking it, that Emily laughed.

  “What’s he doing?” she asked David. “Has he gone nuts?”

  “He’s getting the feel for the bandages,” David told her. “I don’t use them very often. Wait ‘til you see how Raider acts.”

  In a short time, Target calmed down and began to walk more normally. She tied him to the side of the trailer. David finished Raider and Emily walked him. True to David’s prediction, Raider’s walk was even more exaggerated and it took him longer to settle down. Meanwhile, David loaded Target into the trailer.

  Emily brought Raider over to David as soon as he began to settle down. Raider was not as good a traveler as Target, so when David loaded him, he had Emily stand behind the horse, but safely off to one side.

  “Watch him, in case he spooks,” David instructed her, “but click to him and pat his rump to ask him to go in. Be careful.”

  Raider went in more reluctantly than Target, but he was calm enough. David made sure each horse was fastened in place before shutting the trailer door.

  He turned to Emily. “I just want to say that I’m so excited and glad you’re coming with me.”

  “I’m glad I’m going.” Emily smiled back at him, trying to suppress her excitement and nerves.

  She watched as he went around the truck to the passenger side and opened the door for her. She untied the puppy and got into the car.

  “Let’s hit the road!” David pulled the rig out of his long driveway and onto the country road.

  It was a great day for the trip, warm but not hot. The traffic was still light as they had avoided most of the weekend crush. The horses were well behaved and the scenery was fantastic. Emily and David talked about everything. Only two topics were left off the table, by unspoken consent. One was whether or not they’d sleep together that night, and the other was her father’s health. She made sure Julia had David’s number on speed dial, and that was it. Of course, they did discuss their upcoming wedding. David told her about the help he’d gotten from Bob,

  “Because he put together his own surprise wedding?” she asked.

  “Yes, and in a very short time,” David said. “Ours is kind of different. Emily, we may need to move up the date and location, but God willing, it’s going to be great.”

  “It’s an answer to my prayers that I’m marrying you at all, I can get married anytime and anywhere.” She looked at him with tenderness in her eyes. “It would only take one thing to make it perfect.”

  “I know my love, I know.” He reached over to grasp her hand.

  After about three hours they stopped at a hamburger stand for lunch. They watered the horses and ate their burgers, sitting by the trailer. Some of the kids whose families were eating there came over to look into the trailer and see the horses. They
also fell in love with the puppy who ate up the attention as if it was her due. Since David was used to this reaction to his horses, he had some carrots ready for the kids to give the horses as they stuck their noses out the side window. He was careful to ask the parents on hand for permission before letting any of the children feed the horses.

  When there was a break in the line of children they got back into the truck and started up again. They pulled into Santa Barbara around 4 PM, and then made their way to the show grounds. David stopped and got the stall numbers for the horses, then pulled them around to their barn.

  He unloaded both horses, handing Raider off to Emily before he got Target out. Emily took a hint from him and unwrapped Raider’s legs. Then she walked him around for a few minutes before tying him to a rail in front of the barn. David did the same with Target.

  Together they broke open a bale of straw and spread it in each stall. David had hooks to hang the hay sacks, water buckets, and grain buckets. He fastened the buckets and then filled each one, using a hose he’d brought for the water. They let the horses into the stalls.

  Next he began the long process of unloading the trailer. First was a toolbox filled with eyebolts and a screwdriver. He put up several hooks in the tack room.

  “Don’t they complain about you putting holes is the walls?” Emily wondered.

  “Nope.” David explained, “Look at these walls.”

  Emily realized that the walls were indeed covered with hooks and holes from old hooks.

  “I try to use the old hooks and holes as much as possible,” David said, “but this is how things are done.”

  They unloaded their tack, David’s show clothes, and the other supplies they had. Some of the things they hung on the hooks. They had barrels for the grain, and the hay was put outside by the horses’ stalls. They had a lot of things for each horse: a halter and lead, a blanket, a saddle and bridle with saddle pad, and a set of brushes for each horse. They also had first aid supplies for horses and people, some folding chairs, a radio and a cooler. David also brought out some hat boxes and some garment bags which he hung on a nail on the wall. He set up the puppy’s bed in the corner, and arranged a barricade across the doorway to prevent any chance of escape. He also had a small, but sturdy cot.