“What’s going on?” Candice asks when she reaches the kitchen.
She looks tired, and is wearing the pajamas I put her in earlier, with her hair in two disheveled braids. Beau comes around the corner and he looks just as rough, with dark circles under his eyes and scruffy hair. Seeing the Wilson siblings in person convinces me that Jenny and I have done the right thing—they may be in mourning, but they need to eat. And they need some joy, too.
“Lila is having her first riding lesson,” I say. “With Bubba.”
“Inside our kitchen?” Candice asks.
“Inside your kitchen,” I confirm. “You and Beau wouldn’t come see the horses, so I thought we had to bring one to you instead.”
“Grammy would have loved this,” Beau says softly. “She always wanted to build a window overlooking the paddocks so that the horses could come poke their heads through.”
“She would,” Candice says. “This is exactly the type of thing Gramps would have surprised her with, too.”
It seems I’ve done something right, as being compared to their grandpa, even indirectly, is a huge compliment.
“Ride time!” Lila declares. “Yah!”
She tries to give Bubba a kick, but I catch her sneakered foot in my hand. “We don’t kick Bubba,” I say. “Or any horse, unless you absolutely have to. A light tap is okay.” It’s not like her tiny foot would hurt him, but you can never start teaching them too early.
I start leading Bubba around the kitchen table, and Jenny walks beside us, making sure Lila stays on. She’s far too small to really ride, but it’s still pretty darn cute. And it’ll get her used to being in the saddle.
“Great job, Lila!” Candice calls from the other side of the room. “You’ve got a good seat.”
“A natural!” Beau adds, smiling encouragingly.
Lila waves her hands at them in response, dropping the reins and only staying on because her mother is there to hold her.
“Make sure you hold the reins,” Candice says.
Lila diligently picks her reins up again, and Bubba, to his credit, is very well behaved as we walk around the kitchen in circles. When we finish the last lap, Candice and Beau clap and Lila bounces around in the saddle, clearly happy with all of the attention.
“Uncle Beau, Uncle Beau, help me down!”
Beau obliges, gently lifting her out of the saddle and giving both her and Jenny a soft look as he does. Jenny, though, looks away from him quickly, clearly bothered by his attention.
“When was the first time you rode?” I ask Candice, who has come over to give Bubba some pets.
“Probably when I was four? It was definitely while our parents were still around,” she says, her voice breaking a bit.
“Do you remember it?” I ask.
“Bits and pieces. I remember being happy around horses from the moment I first saw them.” She gives Bubba a scratch on his muzzle and he lips at her hand like a goof ball.
“That’s why Jenny and I decided to do this. We knew you couldn’t last more than a day without horses.”
“It was all Nathan’s idea, by the way,” Jenny pipes up. “I just made the mac and cheese.”
“And I did the riding!” Lila says, running around in a circle.
“Should we eat?” Beau asks.
“Yes! But Bubba has to stay,” Lila says.
“Bubba stays,” Candice confirms. “And so does Nathan.”
She smiles at me, just for a second, but it reaches all the way to her eyes. Seeing her happy, even if just for a moment, lifts a weight off of my chest. It’s going to be okay.We’regoing to be okay. The hurt from Storm’s death won’t wear off for a while, but I’m determined to be by her side to help her through it all.
BARN BULLETIN
