After they left, Reid took Jack out to show him the stables. “That girl of yours can sing, man,” Reid said.

“I know. We gave her a guitar when she was twelve. About a year later, she came out of her room and said, ‘Listen to this.’ We were stunned. She’s been playing and singing ever since.”

“I know some people in the business. I could make a few calls.”

“Thanks, but I don’t think that’s how she wants to do it. Why don’t we see what happens.”

“This must not be easy for you.”

Jack sighed. “You have no idea. I feel better knowing she has you and Ashton to call on if she has any problems.”

“We’ll take good care of her. Don’t worry.”

“I appreciate that. I really do.”

“There does come a time when we have to let them go their own way. I wasn’t happy about Ashton moving into the city, but he needed some space and privacy. He has a right to that.”

“He’s a nice young man. It couldn’t have been easy bringing him up on your own.”

“He’s my best friend. That boy has never been anything but a total joy to me. I don’t know what I would’ve done without him when Cindy died.”

“I sure was sorry to hear about that.”

“We had a rough go of it for a while there.”

Jack could still see a hint of sadness in his friend’s eyes. “You never remarried?”

“Never even came close,” Reid said with a shrug. “When you had what I had, well, it’s not easy to replace. I understand you’ve had your own struggles.”

“The last few years have been a bit of a roller coaster ride, to say the least.”

“Jamie said Kate’s mother is almost fully recovered.”

“Yes, Clare’s doing much better.”

“And you’re recently remarried?”

Jack nodded. “I met Andi about a year after Clare’s accident. By the time she recovered after three years in a coma, Andi was living with us, and we were expecting the twins. It was a tough situation.”

“Jesus,” Reid said as they leaned against the white fence to watch a trainer work with a black thoroughbred. “I imagine so. What did you do?”

“Well, Clare decided to end our marriage, which I guess was the right thing in light of all that had happened. But it was hard. We’d been married for twenty years—every one of them happy until all this happened.”

“So you married Andi.”

Jack nodded. “Three months ago. The babies arrived right in the middle of our wedding.”

Reid hooted. “You’re kidding!”

“Nope,” Jack said with a grin. “It was quite a day.”

“Let me see, you have Kate and the twins… ”