by Barbara Gee
Amy had to cry for a bit. “I’ve waited so long for us to be a family again, Kelly. Thanks for giving us another chance, even though we don’t deserve it.”
“I’m glad we’re here, and I’m so relieved to have a fresh start. I know it would make Jamie really happy.”
The women hugged again, and then rejoined the others in the kitchen, where they all did justice to Sarah’s french toast and bacon. James and Maggie joined them as they were finishing up.
James Sr. eagerly dug in to a healthy portion of toast, and Kelly dared to hope that maybe his newly cleared conscience would aid in his physical well-being.
“Chad tells me Will is going to have another go at Wild Red,” he said between bites. “You going to watch again, James?”
“You bet, Paw Paw. Will said Red won’t buck him so long this time. I hope he doesn’t. I didn’t like Red looking so tired yesterday.”
James Sr. winked at Kelly. “Your boy’s got an affinity for horses. A Matherson trait.”
Kelly smiled. “What about Will, James? Weren’t you worried about him, too?”
The little boy shook his head. “Of course not. Will can ride any horse. Uncle Chad told me so. He said he can’t even remember the last time he got bucked off.”
“Well I remember it,” Senior said, chuckling. “It was three or four years ago. A docile little mare that no one ever guessed would buck like the dickens when Will hit the saddle.”
“She bucked him off?” James asked skeptically. “All the way off?”
“He was sitting in the dust so fast he didn’t know what hit him,” Senior replied, laughing harder. “Will was a cocky young thing back then, and he was utterly humiliated. Truth is, that mare wouldn’t have had a chance at unseating him if he hadn’t underestimated her. It’s a mistake he’s never made since. He mounts each one of those horses expecting them to buck like little Pollyanna did. It ended up being the best thing that happened to him. Made him even better at what he does.”
“How old was Will when he started riding horses?” James asked.
“Around here, kids start riding ponies when they’re two or three. But you have to be quite a bit older to try your hand at breaking in a green horse.”
“There aren’t any green horses,” James scoffed, prompting a burst of laughter from the adults around the table.
“Green is one of those words that means different things, James,” Kelly told him. “Paw Paw doesn’t mean horses are the color green, he means they are young and have never been ridden.”
James nodded his understanding, but he wasn’t done with the whole horse riding topic yet. “I’m six, Paw Paw, and I have boots already, and money to get a real cowboy hat, and I want to ride a horse. Mom said I probly could while I’m here, and I really, really want to.”
“Well what are we waiting for?” Senior said, wiping his mouth and finishing his last swallow of coffee. “Chad, why don’t you take James and Kelly into town to find that hat, and I’ll take care of a few things here while you’re gone. Then James will be ready for his first riding lesson.”
James’ blue eyes lit up and he leapt from his chair and threw himself into his grandpa’s arms. “Thanks, Paw Paw. I’ll be able to do it, I know I will. I can’t wait to be a cowboy like Will and Uncle Chad.”
Senior stood and squeezed Chad’s shoulder. “Two good men to emulate, my boy. I’ll see you out at the stables when you get back.”
Maggie followed James from the kitchen, and Amy and Chad exchanged a happy smile. Turning to Kelly, Amy filled her in. “Dad hasn’t shown that much enthusiasm about anything since his stroke. It’s wonderful to see a sparkle in his eyes again.”
“A great burden has been lifted,” Chad confirmed. Then he stood and smiled at James. “Ready to find a hat, cowboy?”
James pumped his little fist and ran for the door. “Can I ride shotgun?”
“If you call it first,” Chad replied.
“Shotgun!” He and Kelly both called it, but Kelly made sure James was just a second ahead of her.
“I win!”
Amy decided to stay back at the house, so the three of them headed out, with Kelly pretending to grumble about being stuck in the back seat. When they passed the stables, James wanted to make sure they weren’t going to miss Will riding Red, and Chad assured him they would be back in plenty of time.
At the mention of Will, Kelly remembered the photo she had taken of him and James yesterday. She scrolled through the growing number of pictures on her phone until she found it. Just as she’d thought when taking it, his eyes were shining a brilliant blue beneath the brim of his hat and he was breathtakingly handsome. The gorgeous cowboy, combined with James’ incredibly proud and happy smile, ensured that the photo immediately became one of Kelly’s favorites.
Then she had an idea, and while James chattered to Chad up front, Kelly sent a group text to Jordan, Natalie, and Heather. First she told them that her talk with her in-laws had gone way better than she’d expected, and she and James were loving their time at the Wild Rose. “We even got to see a cowboy break in a horse yesterday. Look how happy James is in this picture.” Kelly sent the photo along with the text, biting back a wicked laugh, because she knew exactly how her friends would react, and it wouldn’t have anything to do with her happy little boy.
She didn’t have to wait long. Natalie was the first to respond.
“Holy guacamole, Kelly! Who is that absolute god hanging over the fence????”
Kelly tapped out her response. “Oh, that’s Will. He’s James’ new best friend.”
Jordan chimed in. “Can he be my best friend, too? Now I’m really steamed that you didn’t let me come along.”
Before Kelly could reply, Heather joined the conversation. “Eyes like that shouldn’t be legal. OMG, Kelly, can you bring me one of those for a souvenir?”
Kelly responded. “Poor Will would be mortified if he knew what you were saying about him, especially you married ladies!”
“Men who look like that expect those comments, trust me,” Jordan said unapologetically.
Natalie, who taught at the same school as Kelly, offered to talk to their principal about getting Kelly an extra couple of weeks off so she would have more time to get to know the hot cowboy.
“Sorry to break it to you guys, but Will is only twenty-five.”
Again, the replies came quickly.
“So?” Heather asked.
“And the problem is.......?????” Natalie asked.
“Why are you sorry?” Jordan asked. “A hot twenty-five year old is exactly what you need to get your va va voom back.”
Kelly’s amusement quickly faded as she read the texts. Were they serious? Were they really not even fazed by the six year age difference?
“Come on, you all know good and well I’m not going there.”
“Why?”
“Why?”
“Why?”
Kelly rolled her eyes at their identical responses, even though they couldn’t see her.
“Maybe because I’m a thirty-one year old widow with a child and a lot of baggage? I mean, look at the guy. He has no reason to settle for a middle aged chick with issues. And don’t scold me. I’m not putting myself down, I’m stating the obvious. And geez, I’m only here for a week. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t work that fast. I’m just a little out of practice....”
“Where there’s a WILL there’s a way,” Natalie sent.
“LOL. I hope you WILL send more pictures,” Jordan added. “I’m going to make this one the background on my computer.”
Not to be outdone, Heather wrote, “Don’t fight it, if it’s meant to be, it WILL be, even if you only have a week.”
Realizing they were seriously encouraging her to get to know Will better, Kelly now wished she hadn’t sent the picture. She’d thought it would be fun to give her friends a glimpse of the handsome cowboy, because she knew they would react with comments like “holy guacamole.” What she hadn’t expected was that
her friends would immediately see Will and herself as a potential couple. Did they honestly not think it was a big deal that Will was six years younger than her? Were they crazy? Yes, definitely, and she told them so.
“You guys are crazy. Gotta go. We’re at the hat store to get James a real Texas cowboy hat. Talk to you later.”
As James tried on hat after hat, Kelly soon realized that his Uncle Chad’s opinion was much more important than her own. She was okay with that, given her very limited knowledge of cowboy hats.
“I like this one, it looks like Will’s,” James said, holding up a tan colored hat that did indeed look a lot like his hero’s.
“Try it on,” Chad urged.
“Go look at yourself in the mirror,” Kelly suggested.
James did as they asked, and Chad wiggled the hat around a little, checking the fit.
“You want it a little snug, so it doesn’t fall off easily, but not too tight or you’ll get a headache,” Chad informed them. “This one actually seems about right. How does it feel, James? Does it move around when you move your head?”
“Nope, it’s just right. I want this one.”
Chad looked at Kelly and she shrugged. “If you both give it your seal of approval, it’s fine with me. How much money did Pops give you, James?”
James proudly pulled several crumpled bills from his pocket. Kelly smoothed out two twenties and a ten, then checked the price tag on the hat. Raising her brows, she showed the tag to Chad to make sure she wasn’t seeing things.
He grimaced. “That’s about what they run.”
“Okay, James,” Kelly said, willing to cover the difference between the price of the hat and the money James had brought. “If this is the one you want, let’s do it.”
Kelly watched her son walk proudly out of the store, and decided there was no greater feeling for a mom than seeing her child’s dream come true. Even if he was only six and would be resuming his “real” life in less than a week, for now, he was a cowboy, and he was completely and utterly happy.
Chapter 9
Chad parked at the stables, and James saw his grandpa talking to some of the ranch hands by the door. He jumped out of the truck and ran over to show off his new hat.
“Is this going to tire James Senior out too much?” Kelly wondered as she and Chad walked over to join them.
“It’ll be good for him. See that Mule over there?”
Kelly looked where he was pointing, but only saw a vehicle that looked like a cross between a 4-wheeler ATV and a golf cart.
“A mule?” she asked, confused.
Chad pointed again, then started to laugh. “Mule as in the thing you drive, not a cross between a horse and a donkey. It’s a brand name.”
“Don’t laugh. I’ve never encountered that kind of Mule before. But it looks like a lot of fun to drive.”
“I pointed it out because that’s what Senior drives around the ranch in, when he has the energy. It’s easier on him than riding a horse. I’m always glad to see his Mule around, because it means he’s having a good day. Those have been few and far between lately. He might need to rest a little longer than usual this afternoon, but he’s going to thoroughly enjoy the morning.”
They joined the group of men admiring James’ hat, and after checking the fit, even Senior gave his approval.
“I can’t wait to show Will. Do you think he’ll come soon, Paw Paw? Is Wild Red out back waiting for him?”
One of the ranch hands tilted his head in the direction of the drive. “Will’s driving in right now, young man. And Red is ready and waiting.”
Kelly correctly anticipated that James’ excitement would make him forget to be careful around moving vehicles, and she reached out and grabbed his arm as he made a dash for Will’s truck.
“Hang on, cowboy. Wait until the truck is completely stopped and turned off before you go near it, remember?”
“Sorry, Mom.” James waited impatiently until the rumble of Will’s powerful truck went quiet.
“It’s off!” James announced. Kelly let go of his arm and he took off.
The two were too far away for Kelly to hear what they were saying, but she saw Will’s white teeth flash in a grin as James ran up to him. Then he reached out and gave James a high five as Dodger circled eagerly around his young friend. As the three of them approached the stable, Will bent his head down toward the boy so he could hear what he said. The sight of them together made Kelly feel inexplicably teary eyed, and she wasn’t aware of her father-in-law’s approach until he laid a big hand on her shoulder.
“As role models go, he couldn’t do any better,” Senior assured her, misinterpreting Kelly’s expression. “Will won’t steer him wrong.”
Kelly nodded. “I’m not worried about that. I just hope James doesn’t make a nuisance of himself. I know Will is busy.”
“He’ll manage. He likes kids.”
“Everyone has been so good to James. He’s having the time of his life.”
“That’s what I like to hear. Now come on, young lady, let’s go see if Wild Red takes it any easier on Will today.”
“Don’t forget to get a video, Mom,” James urged a few minutes later as they both hung on the fence, waiting as Will spent some time with his “horse whispering.”
“Okay, but it’ll be hard for me to watch if I’m concentrating on keeping the camera on him.”
“I’ll take the video,” Chad offered, holding out his hand for the phone. “I’ve seen Will ride often enough.”
Kelly smiled her thanks, switching to video mode before handing him the phone.
“Just tap the circle to start?” he asked.
“Yep, and make sure the little red light is blinking, that means it’s recording.”
“Got it.”
A few minutes later, Will executed a flawless mount and Red was off, bucking every bit as furiously as he had the day before. Kelly took her eyes off Will long enough to look at James and enjoy the enthralled expression on his face. She noticed that Senior was watching him as well, and they exchanged a smile over his head. It was obvious that Senior was falling in love with his grandson, and the thought warmed Kelly’s heart. Although she made sure James spent time with quality male role models, namely her father and her friends’ husbands, a fatherless boy could never have too many positive male influences in his life. Even though they wouldn’t be seeing them often, adding James Senior, Chad and Will to James’ list of male influences was a huge deal as far as she was concerned.
Thankfully, Will’s prediction that Wild Red wouldn’t fight him for as long the second time around proved accurate, and as the horse wound down, Kelly was able to relax. The whoops and hollers rang out again as Will dismounted and talked to Red. This time the horse didn’t hang his head, he tossed it proudly and nudged at Will’s pocket, hoping for a treat.
“Red didn’t mean it this time,” James announced, bouncing up and down on the rail, eager for Will to come over to the fence.
Senior watched James closely. “What do you mean by that, James?”
“Yesterday Red was really scared and mad when Will got on him. Today he was just pretending to be mad. He’s a big strong horse, he doesn’t really mind that Will was riding him.”
Senior looked at Chad, and they exchanged huge grins.
Squeezing his grandson’s shoulder, Senior chuckled. “I think you’re exactly right, young man. But how did you know that?”
James shrugged, his eyes never leaving Will. “I just did. Hey, Will! That was awesome! Uncle Chad took a video.”
Kelly turned her head to see Will approaching. Their eyes met and to her chagrin she actually felt her cheeks flush. She quickly looked away and hopped down from the fence, busying herself with petting Dodger.
“Nice riding, Will,” Senior told him. “Red came out strong, but James here informed us that he didn’t mean it today, he was just pretending to be mad.”
Kelly looked up to see the same proud grin on Will’s face that she had seen
on James Sr. and Chad when James had made his observation. What was so significant about James’ opinion of Red’s state of mind? Must be a male thing, but that wouldn’t stop Kelly from asking one of them about it later.
“So you think Red was taking it easy on me?” Will asked, giving James’ hat a fond tap with his knuckles.
“Yeah. Can I ride a horse now, Paw Paw? Do you have any small ones?”
The three men exchanged another glance, and Kelly decided she was starting to get a bit annoyed at being left out of all the wordless male communication that was going on.
“Let’s see,” Senior said slowly. “Chad, do you think we have any horses that would suit James?”
“Well, there is that one that was delivered last evening. He’s a little on the smaller side,” Chad replied with a knowing smile.
Kelly began to understand. It appeared that Grandpa had bought his grandson a horse. For a week long visit. Crazy. But also very sweet.
Will approached, ending up close enough to Kelly that she could actually feel the heat coming off his body. “Are you fellas talking about that sweet little black gelding I saw in the corner stall?” he asked, obviously in on the surprise. “That’s one good looking horse.”
“I wanna see the new horse,” James said eagerly.
Will squatted down beside the boy and pointed. “So take a look.”
One of the ranch hands was leading a beautiful, coal black horse from the stable. He was on the small side, as Chad had said, but he was definitely a horse, not a pony.
Suddenly apprehensive, Kelly frowned, looking quickly over at Senior, not sure she wanted this to go any further. James was only six, after all, and a city boy who had never even been close to a horse before yesterday.
Senior was watching James, however, and didn’t see that she was close to calling time out so they could discuss the situation. Before she could speak up, Kelly felt a warm hand on the small of her back, and then heard Will’s quiet voice in her ear.
“Don’t worry, Kelly. I picked him out myself. He’s an easy going gelding with a heart of gold. A perfect first horse. He’ll do right by James.”