at her, and she was struck anew by his intelligent hazel eyes and strong, square jaw. Memories of cradling that face between her hands while they made love flooded her.
She promptly lost track of what she’d planned to say.
He stood and extended his hand across the desk. “Good morning, Lilly. How are you?”
His greeting jump-started her befuddled brain. “Hello, Jake.”
She stepped forward and accepted his handshake. His grip was confident and controlled and reminiscent of when their relationship had been strictly professional. But she’d seen him in those rare moments when he lost control and gave himself over to passion. That was the Jake she found most attractive, the one she’d fallen for harder than she would’ve thought possible.
“Thanks for seeing me on such short notice.” She cleared the nervous tickle from her throat and sat in one of the two visitors chairs facing his desk.
“I would’ve come to the center on my next trip to town,” he said, resuming his seat.
“I felt our meeting should take place here, since what I want to discuss involves Bear Creek Ranch.”
“Is that so?” he asked and leaned forward.
He wore his sandy brown hair a little longer than when she’d first met him. It complemented his customary wardrobe of western shirts and dress jeans—and was surprisingly soft when sifted through inquisitive fingers.
“Yes.” Lilly struggled to stay on track.
She couldn’t afford to mess this up. The facility’s clients and staff were depending on her to make their hopes and dreams a reality.
Besides, she and Jake weren’t an item anymore, their personal relationship over. Hadn’t he made that abundantly clear three weeks ago? He could get down on his knees and crawl across the floor and she wouldn’t agree to see him again.
Lilly Russo didn’t court misery. She’d already had enough in her life, thank you very much.
“As you know,” she went on, finding her stride, “the center isn’t just a babysitting service for emotionally and mentally challenged adults. One of our goals is to provide clients with recreational activities that enhance their life experience, either by intellectually stimulating them or teaching them skills they can use outside the center.”
“You have a great program there.”
“I’m glad you think so because we’d like your help with a project.”
“What kind of help?”
Someone who didn’t know Jake quite so well might have missed the subtle change in his expression from mild interest to wariness. Lilly suspected the wariness had more to do with his feelings toward her and their breakup than not wanting to help the center. She rallied against a quick, yet intense, flash of pain and continued with her pitch.
“The center’s revenue comes from a variety of sources, including donations. Some of those donations are in the form of equipment or furniture or even small appliances rather than money. We’ve received an item that I initially thought was unusable. But after some consideration, I’ve changed my mind. Dave, our owner, and the staff, agree with me that if we can find a suitable place to board this…item, it might prove to be very valuable and enjoyable to our clients.”
“Board?”
Trust Jake to pick up on the one key word in her long speech.
“Yes. A mule.”
“Someone’s given you a mule?”
“Tom and Ginger Malcovitch. You may know them.”
“I do.” Jake frowned.
Lilly knew why. Ginger’s brother and Jake’s ex-wife had recently announced their engagement. In fact, it was right after their announcement that Jake had asked Lilly out on their first date.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t seen the connection. Not until the night he’d ended their relationship.
She pushed the unhappy memories to the back of her mind, determined not to let anything distract her. “The mule is old and very gentle, though slightly lame in one leg. But not so lame that he couldn’t be led around a ring carrying one adult.”
“Your clients?”
She nodded. “I’m sure you’ve heard of the positive effect animals can have on the mentally, emotionally and even physically challenged. They seem to have an ability to bond with these individuals in a way people can’t.”
“I saw something on TV once.”
“Yes, well, the benefits animals have on the elderly and disabled is a documented fact.” She wished he’d sounded more enthusiastic.
“And you think this mule will help your clients?”
“I’m convinced of it.” She gathered her courage. “In addition to corralling the mule with the horses on the ranch, we’d need to use your riding equipment. In exchange, our clients who are able to will do some work for the ranch.”
“What kind of work?”
“Mucking out stalls. Feeding. Cleaning and oiling saddles and bridles. Whatever simple tasks can be accomplished in a morning or an afternoon.”
“How often would you come out?”
“Three times a week. More if I can recruit additional volunteers.”
Horizon employed ten full-time caretakers, including two nurses and several student volunteers from the nearby college. Outings required one caretaker for every two clients and put a strain on the center’s regular staff. She doubted Dave and his wife would agree to hire more employees.
Jake expelled a long breath and sat back in his chair.
Lilly sensed she was losing him and panicked. “I’ve spoken with our CPA. She tells me the cost of boarding the mule would be a tax deduction for the ranch.”
“It’s not just money.”
“You’ve offered to help the center in the past.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of repairs and maintenance. Not providing jobs for your clients.”
“Work in exchange for boarding our mule isn’t exactly a job.”
“There’s an issue of liability.” Jake spoke slowly and appeared to choose his words carefully.
Lilly’s defenses shot up. “Because they’re disabled?”
“Because they’d be neither guests nor employees. I’m not sure they’d be covered by our insurance in the case of a mishap.”
“Oh. Of course.” Insurance wasn’t an obstacle Lilly had considered, and she chided herself for her shortsightedness. “I understand. You have to do what’s best for the ranch.”
“I’ll call our agent later today. Check with him on how the policy reads.”
The wheels in Lilly’s mind turned. “What if our insurance covered the clients while they were on the ranch?”
“Does it?”
“I’ll find out. If not, maybe Dave could have a special rider added.”
Jake drummed his fingers on the desktop. “Even if I end up agreeing to your proposition, I’ll still need to take it to the family for their approval.”
Here was an obstacle Lilly had considered. Jake managed Bear Creek Ranch but it was owned equally by eight members of the Tucker family, including him.
“I’d be happy to meet with them,” she said, hope filling the void left by her earlier disappointment.
“Let’s wait a bit. That may not be necessary.”
She