Believe in Me: A Rosewood Novel by Laura Moore Page B

it’s affecting you, too.”
    The last thing she wanted was for Jade to feel guilty because Nonie Harrison happened to be selfish and status-obsessed.
    “Nonsense,” she said briskly. “I’m a big girl and more than able to take care of myself. There’ll be other interior decorating jobs—and until then there’s loads to do at the farm helping Margot and Travis. You better get going or you’ll be late for Mr. Jawolski’s class. This is the spring semester of your junior year. Grades are crucial.” She didn’t know why she was saying this when her little sister never brought home a grade lower than an A and she’d scored above the ninety-fifth percentile in all her standardized tests.
    Clearly of the same opinion, Jade rolled her eyes. “Thanks for the newsflash. You and Margot should give the college thing a rest. I’m not even sure I want to go. It’s ridiculously expensive, and as far as I can tell we’re about fourteen vet bills away from being broke. Besides, everything I want to learn about is inside our three barns.”
    Jordan suppressed a sigh. “Thanks to Margot, we’re a whole lot better off financially than last year. We both realizehow important Rosewood is to you, but the farm will always be here for you. College offers experiences far beyond the classroom and course books. And who knows, you might discover some interests other than horses.”
    “Yeah, sure.” Jade’s laugh was a rich mix of amusement and patent disbelief.
    “Your mom would have wanted you to go to college.”
    Jade’s mirth vanished, replaced by a stony expression that made Jordan’s heart ache. It didn’t matter how often or in what context one brought up Nicole, Jade’s reaction was unchanging: shuttered and unyielding.
    Suddenly absorbed with adjusting the strap of her messenger bag, Jade said, “It’s time I split.” She reached out and plucked an apple from the bowl.
    “Please don’t tell me that’s your breakfast.”
    “Nope, haven’t had it. This is for Aspen. He needs a special treat since Travis and Ned are giving him his shots this morning. See ya. Oh, and remember to tell Olivia not to swipe my keys or I’m gonna ground her big time. Seriously.” With that she loped out the kitchen door, car keys in one hand, a bright green Granny Smith in the other.
    What a funny kid. One minute Jade was the quintessential teenager—nonstop drama—the next she revealed an altogether different and surprisingly mature side to herself. Her patient yet firm manner with the children showed real insight into their characters, especially Olivia’s. Those car keys wouldn’t go wandering again once Olivia heard that Aunt Jade would bar her from Doc’s back if she took them to Ernie and Bert and Cookie Monster’s house.
    Jade was similarly gifted when it came to handling the young horses she rode. Admittedly she’d been taught by the best in the business, Ned Connolly and Travis, but they wouldn’t have assigned her more youngsters to work with if she hadn’t possessed a knack for “reading” a horse so well. The early experiences of a green horse were too important to risk with careless or heavy-handed training.
    But what impressed Jordan most was her little sister’s fierce loyalty and protectiveness. Ever since that horrific morning last year, when they’d listened to Richard’s philandering voice over the kitchen answering machine’s amplified speaker, Jade was always ready to leap to her defense, shield her from every hurt. Though she’d tried to convince her that she was okay, that she could handle things now, Jordan realized that when Jade looked at her, she probably saw her as she’d been that morning, curled in a ball on the kitchen floor, screaming in pain as her heart was sliced to shreds by her husband’s words.
    Jordan flinched at the memory. No, she told herself, shaking her head as if she might dislodge the disturbing image, she wasn’t going to revisit that awful time. She wasn’t going to