A Father's Stake

by Mary Anne Wilson

  “Do you have tack here?”

  “There’s a few pieces in the stables.”

  “What about the hay barn?”

  “It’s too unsteady, needs to be redone to secure it. I don’t go in there. Sure don’t want a kid to.”

  Jack had forgotten about that. “I’ve got extra tack if you find you need some.”

  “Thanks for that,” Parrish said.

  “Let me know when Grace is coming back?”

  Parrish shook his head. “Tell you what, I’m thinking maybe you’d do better asking Grace about her plans, rather than getting them secondhand. Just wait here.” Parrish took off for the stables at a jog, and when he came back, he was carrying a piece of paper. “Here you go.”

  Jack saw a phone number printed on it. “Thank you,” he said. “It’s appreciated.”

  “The info on the horse is appreciated. Not that she said she was for sure buying, but she’s interested.”

  “Either way,” he said, holding up the paper, “this helps a lot.”

  “Good luck,” Parrish said, turning to leave.

  “Parrish?”

  “Yeah?”

  “What’s wrong with the roof?”

  “Nothing. For its age, it’s darn near perfect.”

  “What were you up there for?”

  “Checking the chimney to make sure no critters made nests in it while the house has been empty.”

  “Any problems?”

  “Let’s put it this way, there’s going to be a few ticked-off bats if they ever try to get back in there to nest. I put wire over the opening and a spark suppressor, too.

  “Grandpa had a huge barn owl get down there, and come out in the great room. He just opened the door and let the thing go out.”

  Parrish smiled. “He sounds like he was a cool old guy.”

  “He was, very cool,” Jack murmured and headed for his truck, paper in hand.

  * * *

  GRACE SANK DOWN on the drab sofa in the living room of the apartment and slowly rotated her neck to ease the soreness there. Her last shift at work had been two days ago, and ever since, she’d been packing. Finally the boxes were all in order for the moving company to pick up tomorrow. Once they were gone, all she had to do was get the suitcases in the car, along with Lilly and her mother, and they’d drive away from this place forever.

  That thought made her feel so good. Being away from the land for almost two weeks had been too long for her.

  Her phone vibrated in the pocket of her slacks and she pulled it out. The screen showed a number she didn’t recognize. Nine o’clock at night. She cautiously hit the answer button. “Yes?”

  “Grace?” The voice shocked her. Jack.

  “Yes,” she said a bit cautiously.

  “Sorry to call out of the blue, but Parrish gave me your number.” She recognized Jack’s voice. “I hope that’s okay.”

  “Why did he give it to you?” She hadn’t meant to be so blunt, and she immediately regretted her words.

  “He thought firsthand beat secondhand.” Before she could ask what he meant, he said, “Have you figured out when you’re coming back this way?”

  “Actually, yes. We’re leaving here the day after tomorrow.”

  “Flying?”

  “No, driving.”

  “It’s a nice drive coming in from the west.”

  “I bet it is,” she said, but thought of all the desert area in Arizona her maps had shown. She wanted to just ask, “What’s the real reason you’re calling?”

  Then he told her. “Have you made any decision about the ranch?”

  She felt like saying, “I’m staying,” but didn’t want to make that commitment yet. Just in case. “I’m still considering everything,” she finally said.

  “When you get back, we can do boundary rides.”

  “What’s that?”

  “We’ll ride and follow the boundary of the ranch so you can see everything, get a grasp of the size and how it has to be handled.”

  “Thank you,” she said, “But I told you there are no horses at the ranch, and I—”

  “I’ll bring one for you.”

  That surprised her. “Oh, no, you don’t have to—”

  “No, I don’t, but I will. I wouldn’t mind riding the boundaries myself. It’s been a long time since I did.”

  “We’ll talk when I get back,” she said, but thought she’d rather not get on a horse again in this life. Her two experiences as a kid had been less than fun. She didn’t want to repeat them. She should have told him that when he’d asked if she rode or not. “Okay, then, you have a good trip,” he said, and the line went dead.

  She slowly closed her phone, and sank back on the sofa. Her mother came out of the bathroom and crossed to sit down beside her. “Making a call?”

  “No, I just got a call from Jack Carson.”

  “What did he want?”

  “To find out if I’d decided about the ranch or not.”

  “How did that go?”

  She shook her head. “It didn’t, because I didn’t tell him. I said I still needed to figure some things out.”

  Her mother turned toward her. “Why?”

  “I just don’t want to put him off if it turns out we have to sell. Maybe he’s the kind who gives up easily. I need to know that, if this venture fails, we still have an out.”

  Her mother shook her head. “I’m afraid I taught you too well about covering your back.”

  “No, you taught me to be smart and careful, to not go off on some tangent and to ignore the future.” She didn’t add, “Like my father always did.” Both women already knew that.

  * * *

  WHEN GRACE, LILLY and Gabriella finally drove between the stone entry posts at Wolf Ranch, Grace felt as if she’d come home. Just two days at the place, and it felt right to be there. Her mother quietly took everything in and Lilly, in her navy overalls and yellow T-shirt, her hair up in twin ponytails, didn’t stop talking.

  “Look, Mama, it’s smoking behind us!”

  Grace glanced in the rearview mirror. “No, sweetie, that’s dust, dirt going up in the air.”

  The child had already turned to something else that amazed her. “Oh, look, a bird!”

  A covey of small birds burst out of the tangle of dead weeds, rocks and dried grass. They flew with squawks up into the air and out of sight. Lilly laughed. Then she spotted the stable. “Is that the house?”

  “No, it’s the stables. That’s the place where the horses and chickens can stay.”

  “Oh!” she gasped, and Grace watched her eyes widen with wonder. “Horses?” she whispered.

  “No, maybe a horse,” Grace corrected, slowing the car to a crawl so her mother could see the house as they approached it.

  “Oh, Gracie, it’s nice.” Gabriella’s voice held almost as much wonder as Lilly’s. “Really nice and big.”

  “Yes, it is,” Grace agreed and pulled to a stop by the porch steps. “We’re here,” she said, and Lilly quickly undid her seatbelt and pulled her door open. She was out in a flash, running across the dusty ground, heading for the porch. She took the single stone step at a run, then turned to Grace, who was just getting out of the car.

  “Hurry! Hurry, Mama,” she called, motioning with her tiny hands for Grace to catch up.

  The air was warm, but not oppressive, and the house did look welcoming. Parrish had tamed the dead weeds in the front and had come up with a few chairs to put on the porch. “I’m coming,” Grace said, leaving everything in the car to go to her daughter. She took out the key and handed it to Lilly. “Open the door,” she said. Lilly managed to get the key in the slot and Grace helped her turn it until the lock clicked open.

  The door swung back and the little girl suddenly became very still. Her large bright eyes peered into the great room, then finally she looked up at her mother. “Can I?” she asked hesitantly.

  “Of course,” Grace said, then added, “It’s all yours.”

  With that, Lilly w
as off, darting here and there in the great room, all smiles and squeals. She disappeared into the hallway, doors opened and closed, then she was back, grinning ear to ear. “Can I go outside?” she asked, almost skidding to a stop by Grace.

  Gabriella came up behind Grace and touched her on the shoulder. “I’ll watch her while I get things out of the car.”

  “Okay, but please, watch out for snakes, or...things.”

  “Come on, pumpkin,” she said, offering her granddaughter her hand. “Let’s go explore.”

  Grace watched Lilly jump from the porch to the ground, bypassing the stone step completely. Putting both hands high above her head, she began to twirl and laugh.

  The stable doors moved back and Parrish stepped out into the sun. He looked up at the house, then smiled and waved to Grace. “Welcome back,” he called.

  She returned his smile, then saw Lilly shrink back a bit toward her grandmother. Grace had drilled into Lilly never to talk to strangers or go with them. And Parrish was a stranger.

  The older man strode up toward them, and as Grace reached her mother and Lilly, he took off his straw Stetson. “Mom, Lilly,” Grace said. “This is Parrish, the caretaker. Parrish, my mother, Gabriella Michaels, and my daughter, Lilly.”

  “Right glad to meet you both,” he said, then turned his attention to Lilly. “Ever been on a ranch before?”

  Lilly was still a bit hesitant, pressing against her grandmother’s leg. Shaking her head to make her ponytails dance, she said, “Never. But I was at the zoo once and they had lions and tigers and a really weird alligator.”

  “Sounds great, but a ranch is more about horses and cows and chickens.”

  That did it for Lilly. Grace could see her ease a bit. “Horses?” she asked in that young awestruck voice again. “Really?”

  He glanced at Grace, as if to say, “What do I tell her?”

  “Yes, most ranches have horses,” Grace said, “and maybe we’ll get one someday. Who knows?”

  Parrish nodded. “We’ve got the perfect stall for a horse, maybe a Paint, really pretty, with brown spots. We can get it all fixed up so it would be ready if you ever get one.” Parrish looked at Grace. “You all want to come down and look at the stables?”

  Grace shook her head. “I’ve seen them, but I know Lilly and Mom would love to take a tour.”

  “Great,” he said, motioning them to follow him. Lilly took off at a dead sprint and was waiting by the open doors by the time the other two got there. Grace watched all three disappear into the darkened interior, then she turned to the house

  She stepped inside, feeling good about her daughter’s total happiness. So far, so good, she thought with real relief. So far. Slowly, she walked around, just touching the walls and fireplace, inspecting things she’d missed on her first visit, and ended up in the kitchen. When she opened the refrigerator she was surprised to see replenished staples...milk, eggs, bacon and butter. Parrish must have done that and she appreciated it.

  She went back to the front door and out onto the porch. But instead of going to the car to start unpacking, she sank down on the stone step and just sat there. The peace was almost tangible, the same way it had been the first day before Jack had broken it. Complete and so very welcome. With her arms around her knees, she looked off into the distance, and the only sounds she heard were coming from the stables, laughter and a high-pitched squeal, then more laughter.

  No matter what his motives, her father had done a good thing for all of them. “Thank you,” she whispered into the air, and felt an almost childish wish overcome her that her father could see all of this.

  At that moment, a sharp cry came from the stables and Grace was on her feet running before she even began to figure out what she’d heard. Almost out of breath, she raced into the semidarkness of the stable and headed down the aisle to her left. “Lilly? Lilly!” she called.

  Rounding the corner near the tack room, she came to a stop to find her mother sitting on a hay bale, holding Lilly to her, while Parrish hunkered down in front of the two. “What happened?” she asked breathlessly, grabbing Parrish by the shoulder.

  “It’s okay, Grace,” her mother said in an even voice. “She’s okay, just a bump.”

  Parrish was putting down a towel and picking up a bandage. “She’s fine,” he said as he eased the bandage onto a small scrape on Lilly’s elbow. The child whimpered, but the tears were gone. “She tripped over a rake I should have put away and scraped her arm on the side of the stall.” He slowly stood and looked at Grace. “Nothing at all.”

  Lilly was already squirming off her grandmother’s lap. “Nothing at all,” she echoed, and showed her bandaged arm.

  “Okay,” Grace said. “If you’re sure?”

  Lilly nodded. “I’m sure.”

  “Ready for some lunch?” she asked.

  Lilly hesitated. “But Mr. Parrish said he’d show us where the rabbits run.”

  “It’s a pasture to the east, a nice little nook that is sort of a rabbit haven at the moment, since the land isn’t being worked.” He looked down at Lilly and held his hands about a foot apart. “Some of them rabbits have ears this long!”

  She started to bounce in place. “Please, Mama, can’t we go see?”

  Grace looked at her mother. “Why don’t I get the things out of the car and you go on a rabbit hunt.” When her mother nodded agreement, she looked at Parrish. “Just, please, be careful of the snakes. I need to get Lilly boots as soon as I can.”

  He shrugged, “Of course.” He looked down at Lilly’s sandals. “Thing is, you gotta have on good shoes to do this, not necessarily boots, but not sandals.”

  Lilly’s face fell. “I don’t have any boots.”

  Grace broke in. “She has high-topped tennis shoes, and Mom has some too. Would that be okay?”

  He nodded. “Sure would be better than sandals.”

  Five minutes later, the three of them set off with bottled water to see the rabbits’ run.

  Grace managed to make some sense out of Lilly’s bedroom and her own, and by that time the rabbit hunters were back. Lilly was glowing. But as Parrish headed back to the stables and the others went into the house, the little girl yawned, then rubbed her eyes.

  “How about you take a nap, and when you wake up, we’ll have a late lunch?” Grace suggested.

  Remarkably, there were no cries of, “naps are for babies,” or “I’m too big for a nap.” Lilly just nodded and took her mother’s hand. Within a few minutes, she was fast asleep on Grace’s bed.

  She went back out to find her mother in the kitchen. “Did she really go down that fast?” Gabriella asked. “She’s exhausted.” Grace sank down in a chair at the table. “Just worn out.”

  “No wonder.” Gabriella came to sit across from Grace. “She never stopped running the whole way there, and when she spotted the rabbits, it was off to the races! Even if she caught up to one of them, she wouldn’t have known what to do with it.”

  They both laughed, then her mother said softly, “It’s lovely in here. It’s so much more than I expected.”

  “Me, too.” Grace laid her hands flat on the table top. “You know, no matter why or how Dad did this, it’s perfect. He’ll never know how perfect.”

  Gabriella sat silently for a long moment. “Just because he couldn’t use it for himself doesn’t mean he didn’t know it would be good for us.”

  She was right, not defending the man, just seeing the way it all came about. “Yes, absolutely. I just wish that there wasn’t baggage with it.”

  “Baggage?” Gabriella frowned.

  “Just Jack Carson, the man who wants it back. I wish he wasn’t in the picture.”

  “I thought we agreed that his wanting it makes it more secure for us if things don’t work out. He’s our backup plan.”

  Again, she was right, but it didn’t feel as comforting to Grace as it had before.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  GRACE MOTIONED TOWARD the hall that led to the bedrooms. “I put yo
ur bags in your room, the first door you come to, and Lilly’s room is next. She’s sleeping in my room at the end of the hallway, in the back, for now. There are two bathrooms, and the bigger one has an old claw-foot tub.”

  “Better and better,” her mother said, leaning back in her chair. “What was Parrish saying about a horse? I thought you hadn’t decided yet.”

  “I asked him to look around for me, for a smaller horse, safe for kids, and for someone to give her riding lessons. I don’t even know what a horse costs, but I’m sure it won’t be cheap.”

  “You might be surprised.”

  She looked at her mother and narrowed her eyes. “What do you know that I don’t?”

  “Parrish wants to talk to you about it, but Jack Carson told him about a nice horse that the man in the General Store owns. Used to be his granddaughter’s and she’s getting too big for it. She wants a horse she can use for ‘barrel riding,’ whatever that is.”

  “How does that make it cheap?”

  “Parrish spoke to Oscar and Oscar said that he’d let you take the horse for one month, as a trial, and if you like it and Lilly likes it, he’ll take three hundred for it.”

  Grace was surprised. “I’d heard a good horse was more like three thousand.”

  “He said that she’s a good horse, but not a purebred. Her name is Mosi—it means cats or something like that.”

  “Wow, you two worked in a good conversation on your rabbit hunt.”

  “He seems to be a really nice man, very good with Lilly.”

  “I’m glad he’s here,” Grace admitted. She shifted in her chair, then brushed at the hair that was coming loose from her ponytail. “That horse sounds perfect. I mean, there is a trial period and all. I just wish I knew more about horses.”

  “Jack Carson recommended it, so that seems like a seal of approval.”

  “Lilly’s going to want it, I know. And once it’s here, it won’t go back, not unless it’s mean or bites.”

  “That’s all good,” her mother said.

  A rap on the door caught their attention and Grace went across to answer it. Parrish was standing there. “Ma’am,” he said. “I was wondering if you want me to start doing anything with the irrigation. I got the wells primed and they look good. Next step is trying them out.”