“Whoa. No. I offered Hector a job here on the farm, but when I saw him with Diego, I knew it was where he belonged. I belong on the land, Amber. I used to work with horses in my younger days.” Colt pointed to the shelves. “You’ve seen the pictures.”
I sighed. “Yes, I have. And I know you’re right. Hector has loved bikes since he was a little boy. I do know this.” I drank a little more.
Colt crossed the room in big strides. “This goes back to trust. I would never put Hector in danger intentionally.”
“Forgive me. It’s going to take me a little time to adjust, is all. I believe you, Colt.”
Twenty-Five
Colt
Once my mind was made up, it was made up. I stood in the middle of the paddock next to the house. In ankle-length grass, I squatted down to feel the soil underneath. Hard California dirt. I had a ride-on mower, so I could cut it low in no time. The trick was how I was going to turn it into an arena. I needed local government permits to run a stable. That would be easy enough. My mind was sifting through what the next steps were.
“What do you think, son?” My father was standing beside me in a rare appearance. He’d become a couch potato over the years.
“It’s going to be a lot of work, that’s what I think. But I have this feeling in my bones that it will work.”
“Son, I think it’s a brilliant idea. That trail right there runs all the way to the mountain, and there are a couple of waterfalls back there, too. Unchartered territory. I’m proud of you. It takes a lot to get me out of the house these days, but this is a challenge I like. I’m going to map out these fence posts. Have you got the requirements yet?”
“No, not yet. Tomorrow. Okay, let’s get to it then.”
My father was a man of action, and still in decent shape in his late sixties.
I walked down to the production part of the warehouse and dusted off the riding mower. I fed her with some gas and rode back up to the paddock next to the house.
“Get it as low as you can. You might need to do two runs over it,” my father said.
“That’s what I thought, too.”
I put on the earmuffs that were attached to the ride-on, started her up, and mowed circularly. It brought a smile to my face to have Dad here, working side by side. It felt like the old days when I was a kid and we had a few horses. As I looked at my dad measuring out the fences, it brought back memories.
“Now, son, this is the first time on the horse. You don’t need to break them like they tell you. You just need to develop a relationship with them,” he had told me.
That was a great day. It was my first day on a horse named Duncan. Duncan was a special horse. He was white with brown splotches all over him. Everybody loved Duncan, and he was the horse I won many events with.
I remembered crying in the barn when Duncan got old and passed away. He had been with me for twenty years of my life. I rode him every day. My father found me in there, curled up with my knees to my chest.
“It’s okay, Colt. Sometimes people or things are taken from you because you don’t need them anymore. Duncan’s spirit is still here. Never forget that. I bet you, right now, he’s stealing apples out of somebody else’s hand up there in horse heaven.”
“You think, Dad?” I wiped the salty tears from my face.
“I know, son.”
Now here my father was, whistling and dancing as he put down markers for the fence. He was a man of the land, and I’d gladly followed in his footsteps. Every now and then, I thought of Charlie. We made good progress for the day, and my chest swelled with pride at the accomplishment.
“Bella coming with us tonight? We have a standing date to play cards.”
“You’re teaching my baby girl to be a card shark?” I squeezed my father’s shoulder.
“Nope.” His old eyes twinkled with a spark as we walked back to the house. “I’m teaching her how to read people and pay attention to her surroundings. It’s a valuable lesson.” My father waggled his finger.
“Yes, it is, Pop. I think Mom is picking her up from school today.”
“Good. She beat me a little too quickly last time.”
“Sounds about right for Bella. She’s a smart cookie.”
“That she is, my boy.”
