Ring of Fire by Susan Fox

turned from rummaging through her tea drawer, with an uncharacteristically dreamy expression on her face. “The Six Million Dollar Man.”
    â€œWhat?” Lark asked.
    â€œIt was a TV show in the seventies. He was an astronaut who crashed and was rebuilt with bionic parts and enhanced powers, so he could be a government special agent.” Humor played around her lips. “He was also very handsome.”
    â€œMother, honestly,” Lark said with amusement.
    â€œI’m glad I can provide fodder for fantasies,” Eric said, giving an easy grin to Mary, then glancing at Lark and away again.
    Did he guess that her own steamy dreams would not feature a fictional character, but this real live man?
    To Mary, he said, “Thanks again for dinner, ma’am.” He shot another glance between the two women. “Guess I’ll see one of you at the Sunday lesson.”
    â€œIt will probably be me,” Lark told him. Only a major callout would keep her away.
    â€œI’ll look forward to that.”
    For the life of her, she couldn’t tell whether his comment was just politeness, or if he truly meant it.
    * * *
    Eric rode Celebration around the ring on Sunday morning, keeping the horse to a walk while Sally focused her attention on Jayden.
    He was enjoying this lesson better than the previous two. Partly it was due to Lark being there, and also the sense that he was becoming friends with her and her son. He’d learned as a little kid, from sad experience, not to get too invested in friendship. You moved someplace new; you hoped to find a few buddies to hang out with; you didn’t get attached because in a couple years or even a few months you’d be moving again.
    That was how it was for him now as well, here in Caribou Crossing. If riding worked whatever magic his psychologist and physiotherapist hoped it would, he’d finally kick his PTSD and get back where he belonged. But in the meantime, it was nice to feel some small sense of closeness with other people.
    Another thing he liked today was that Sally had switched things up again. Starting the lesson in the small ring, she had borrowed Eric’s horse to give them a refresher on everything they’d learned to date, and then to demonstrate the lope. After Eric had mounted, she’d had him and Jayden repeat everything she’d done, including the trot and lope. He found that each motion used his muscles differently, and tested his balance. His physical issues—learning to adjust after more than thirty years of relying on a strong two-legged body—were different from Jayden’s and, in comparison, pretty minor. The boy had never known what it was like to be strong, much less to walk on two firm legs.
    Eric respected that kid. Hearing the women and boy talk, he’d learned how far Jayden had come in less than three months, going from needing Sally’s support behind him on the horse all the way to riding on his own. His physical progress was more impressive than Eric’s efforts to overcome his PTSD. Which only went to show how fucked up his life was, that a tough soldier wasn’t doing as well as a child with disabilities.
    Show a little backbone, Eric. Don’t let it get the better of you. Soldier up, son.
    Eric forced his father’s voice out of his head. All his life, he’d strived to win his father’s praise. Rarely, too rarely, he’d received an “I’m proud of you, son.” More often, he’d known he didn’t measure up to his dad’s high standards. If the Brigadier-General knew what was going on with him now, he’d consider Eric a failure.
    But damn it, he was trying his best. He was frustrated, though, because every time he took a step forward, there’d be a setback. For example, after last Wednesday’s lesson and dinner at the Cantrells’, he’d been flashback-free for three nights and two days. But then on Saturday, he’d