Chapter 1
“Get up, there, Steel. Walk on.”
Mae Monahan, dressed in black boots, black wool trousers, and a heavy black wool coat against the cold night, sat up high on the front of her white Landau carriage and looked down at the big, grey draft horse pulling it. Steel was doing well since he’d pulled city carriages before, but this was Mae’s first night driving a horse in the heavy traffic of the downtown streets … especially the happy, crazy downtown streets of New Year’s Eve.
Carefully watching the oncoming traffic, Mae guided Steel away from the curb at the convention center and sent him slowly jogging along the street in the direction of the Santa Maria Hotel about five blocks away. It was nine o’clock in the evening and Mae had just started off with the very first ride for the Tipperary Carriage Company.
After taking a deep breath from the tension of getting her horse into his lane near the cars, Mae glanced back at her passengers. “How’s everyone doing back there? Are you enjoying the ride?”
The five men inside the carriage rode on two bench seats – one seat across the front end and one across the back – so that they faced each other.
“Great,” called one of the men on the front seat, twisting around to speak to Mae. “We decided to opt for a smaller party at our hotel instead of that huge crowd at the convention center. This was a terrific idea to have carriages going from the main party and back to the hotels.”
“Yes, the city came up with this,” Mae answered as her shoulder-length auburn hair fluttered in the breeze. “They thought it would be a safer alternative to driving or walking, and would be more fun for everyone. It seems to be working.”
“There are horse carriages all over the place tonight,” said one man with a smile. “Are those yours, too?”
“No, no,” said Mae. “I’m a business of one, so far, and this is my first night driving out on the city streets. It looks like there are plenty of folks out who want rides and we’ll all be busy most of the night.”
“Well, it’s not a bad deal,” said the first man. “Around a hundred bucks for all of us and by the time the five of us split it up – ”
“What do you mean, split it up? This one’s on you,” said one of the man’s companions, and all of them laughed.
Mae turned around to face the front closely watching her horse and the traffic. She was glad that her passengers were enjoying a fine holiday celebration, though New Year’s Eve was often bittersweet for her. It always reminded her of how she and her husband, Kevin, had loved celebrating New Year’s Eve together with their two children.
But Kevin was gone now, taken far too soon at the age of forty-seven. He had never even seen the car that had instantly ended his life. Mae tried to take some solace in the fact that he had not known pain or fear and had lived his life with joy and gratitude.
But she would always miss him and the life that she and her husband and their two sons had together.
“So, is this your horse, then?” asked another of the men.
With a quick glance over shoulder, Mae nodded. “He is. He’s a Percheron and was a carriage horse in New York City until that company went out of business. He won’t have to work so hard with me since he won’t be out on the city streets every night. Tonight is an exception. I don’t like having the horse on the street in traffic. I’m glad to have him because he’s got more experience with this than I do.”
“What’s his name?”
“Steel. Because he’s steel grey, of course,” Mae told them. “I was lucky to find a grey for my first driving horse since everyone likes grey and white horses and I plan to be doing mostly weddings and private events.”
“Oh, you don’t do this all the time? I work downtown and I see all kinds of carriage horses every evening, especially on the weekends.”
“Some of the companies specialize in city driving, but Tipperary Carriage is going to be more of an events company. We’ll be doing weddings, parades, proms, festivals, and even funerals. That means we won’t often be out on the streets in traffic. This is just for tonight, as a way to get started.”
“Siobhan Maeve O’Neill Monahan,” said one of the men, pronouncing each name very carefully, and Mae knew he was reading off of her license posted in the back of the carriage. “Now, that’s a fine Irish name if I’ve ever heard one.”
“Oh, it is, isn’t it? Mae asked. “The whole family is Irish, as far as we know. Starting this company fulfills a lifelong dream I’ve had to go into the horse business, and with my Irish background, I decided to name it Tipperary Carriage. Feel free to take a business card. There’s a little holder filled with them back there.”
“Wow. You must have saved up for a long time to be able to buy horses and carriages.”
“Well, my grandfather passed away a year ago, and this is how I’m spending my children’s inheritance,” Mae kidded.
All of the men chuckled.
Mae added, “My grandfather knew that I’d wanted to do something like this all my life, and he encouraged me to pursue it now that both of my sons are in college. Besides, the two of them like horses, too, and I think I can get them to help me out a little whenever they’re home. This harness takes a lot of saddle soap to keep it looking good.”
“Well, good for you,” another of the men said. “It’s wonderful to have a job you love where you can make others happy at the same time.”
“That’s what I hope to do. I’d love to work with kids in some capacity, too, and teach them about the lost art of carriage driving. Horses are great for kids – for everyone, really – and if you can’t ride for some reason, you can always learn to drive and enjoy your horses that way.”
“Well, Ms. Monahan, I hope we get to ride in your carriage again on the next New Year’s Eve.”
“I hope so, too, gentlemen.” With that, Mae broke off the conversation and set to work driving the last part of the trip. They were passing the state capitol building right in the heart of the downtown district and would soon be at the Santa Maria Hotel. It could be tricky getting into the drive-up lane since there was always traffic coming and going there and it was especially bad that night.
She kept her head up and watched the road in front of her, guiding Steel without looking directly at him. After negotiating around a few cars, a truck, and several pedestrians, Mae pulled into her designated spot at the front of the hotel and breathed a sigh of relief. Steel rooted his head down a little and chewed at his bit, also seeming relieved to be safely back.
“Good boy, Steel,” Mae told her horse.
The five passengers got out. “How much do we owe you in total?” asked the older man, taking out his wallet. “I think it was twenty-five dollars a person?”
“It is, but there’s a maximum charge of one hundred so you’re in luck. A hundred will cover the five of you.”
“Good, good,” the man said, counting out the cash. “Here you go. Thanks for a great trip, and Happy New Year to you and your horse.”
“Happy New Year to you, too,” Mae called in return.
As her passengers walked away, a man in his late fifties wearing a leather coat and a western hat approached Mae’s carriage. The man had grey hair that was the same color as Steel. He carried a bucket of water which he offered to the horse.
Steel just dunked his mouth in it and licked his lips, but didn’t really drink.
“Not thirsty, yet,” the man said, walking up to the front wheel of the carriage. “It’s going down to thirty-five degrees and will be windy tonight.”
“But no rain and no freeze,” Mae said. “I’ll take it.”
The man set the bucket down on the sidewalk. “You doing all right?”
“I sure am,” she said, grinning at her friend, Ross. “I get to keep seventy dollars of that fare, including the twenty-dollar tip they included. The hotel thought having a romantic carriage service from the convention center to the hotel would appeal to couples, but this is even better as far as I’m concerned. We’re getting loads of publicity for the brand-new business.”
“That’s good.” Ross smiled up at her, and then took a step back as a group of seven young women, all of them breathless and happy in their expensive-looking coats, hurried over to the carriage.
“Are you going back to the convention center?” asked one woman. She wore a bright red coat with silver trim and stood looking happily at the handsome grey horse and lovely white carriage.
“We sure are,” said Mae, with a smile. “Want a lift?”
“Yes, please,” said another of the young women. “It’s too far to walk in these heels.”
Then all of them seemed to start talking at once.
“We came out to get a cab, but this would be much more fun.”
“Can the horse pull all of us? There are seven of us.”
“How much would it be to take us to the convention center?”
“Steel can take all of you just fine, and it’s a flat one hundred dollars for the group to go the convention center. We’ll be there in about ten to fifteen minutes, depending on the traffic and you can get a great view of the Christmas lights along the way.”
“Ooh, perfect,” squealed the first young woman, and she immediately handed Mae a stack of cash. With that, the women began climbing into the big white carriage.
Ross found himself helping seven giggling and slightly tipsy young women up into the Landau.
“Mind your step there,” Mae heard Ross tell them. “Yes, four in the back and three across the front. Please stay seated once the carriage is moving. If you look under the front seat, you’ll find a couple of lap robes folded up on the floor. It’s a little chilly back there once you get underway.”
Thank you,” the women said.
“You’re very welcome. Enjoy the ride.”
Mae grinned at Ross as he shut the carriage door and stepped back. She leaned down to talk to him over all the chatting and giggling in the back. “Thank you, kind sir. I hope I don’t lose any of them on the way.”
“Most likely not, but before you go, would you like me to hold the money? It’s not good to drive around with cash that everybody knows you have.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right. I’ve already got a pretty good stash. Here it is. Thanks, Ross.”
Ross nodded and put the cash in an inner pocket of his heavy leather coat. “Be careful out there.”
“I will.” After taking a quick drink from the water bottle in her bag under the driver’s box, Mae guided Steel away from the curb and back down the street to the convention center.
Ross Goodnight owned the small stable where Mae had arranged to board Steel and keep her carriage, and she counted herself very lucky to have met him. He was an old cowboy and ex-sheriff from somewhere in Texas, and he was a very good horseman and barn manager. It was still something of a mystery as to why he’d moved to a little farm in the Midwest after spending his life on a ranch in the Lone Star State.
She hoped that her future horses and vehicles would join Steel out at Goodnight Farm before too long, for she hoped to get four more horses and rotate the work among them. She also dreamed of getting one more Landau, this one in polished black, as well as a couple of smaller novelty vehicles.
Her brand new, small business seemed to be off to a great start with this happy load of chattering passengers. Even while watching the traffic and guiding Steel, Mae thought of how she especially wanted a small “fairy-tale” coach for weddings and proms.
She’d seen a few that appeared to be enclosed in a glass bubble, and others with ornate satin and gold furnishings. Something like that was sure to be a hit.
Suddenly the carriage swerved as Steel abruptly swung left, nearly stepping out of his lane. Mae heard the telltale ring of his shoes on metal and realized that she’d taken him right over a large metal plate in the road, left there by some construction crew.
Steel had been doing very well except for the sudden appearance of the metal plate under his hooves.
Mae spoke in a calm and gentle voice to get the horse’s attention, and found she was able to quickly get him back where he belonged. Steel was steady and solid.
The instant rush of adrenaline had made her remember why she did not want to work a regular business driving in the downtown streets every night. Weddings and park drives would be pleasant and easier on both her and her sweet horse.
“Everything okay?” called one of the young women, sounding a little anxious.
“Yes, yes,” called Mae. “Steel was just a little startled by a metal plate in the street. He’s fine now. Are all of you warm enough back there?”
“It’s chilly,” said the same woman. “But we’re all friends … actually sorority sisters, so we don’t mind sitting close together under these lap robes.”
“Well, that’s good,” said Mae, with a laugh. “Which sorority?”
“Alpha Gam at Ohio State,” said the young woman. “I’m Suzie. You must be Mae. I see your name on this business card I’m going to take with me.”
“Please do. Tipperary Carriage doesn’t just drive downtown. We can do weddings, proms, parades, all kinds of events. Just give me a call.”
“I might do that. I’d love to have a horse and carriage for a few of the upcoming activities we’ve got planned for fund-raising and such. If we survive all the partying tonight, you may be hearing from us.”
Mae was very happy to hear that.
Chapter 2
After dropping off Suzie and her sorority friends at the convention center, Mae quickly got another carriage full of riders and was off again for the Santa Maria Hotel. For the next three hours, she went almost non-stop carrying loads of passengers going back and forth between the hotel and the convention center. And with every hour that passed, the temperature dropped and the wind grew colder.
Steel was given water and allowed to rest each time he was at the hotel and especially at midnight, when both Mae and Ross stood at his head as the fireworks went off all around the downtown area.
Finally, while resting Steel at the hotel, Mae saw Ross hold up his smartphone as he walked over to her.
“We could leave now,” he told her. “Or, you can go back empty to the convention center and pick up a big group that just called. They want to get taken back here.”
“Think Steel’s all right for one more trip?” Mae ran her hand along the horse’s neck.
“He’s fine. As long as you’re not too cold.”
“If they tip me enough, I won’t be cold at all,” Mae joked. “Will you hold him a minute, please?”
“Sure thing.”
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