Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 110360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 552(@200wpm)___ 441(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 552(@200wpm)___ 441(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
I moved to the next stall where an aptly named chestnut pony nickered and leaned into his door, ready to follow his pal. I scratched the white blaze on his forehead and slid open his lock. He trotted out, whinnying for Salty.
“That’s Snickers. He was my first show pony. I swear he could win a crossbar class with a sack of potatoes on his back. Zoey rides him now. It scares the crap out of Brooke, but that little girl caught the horse bug hard.”
Devon kept a watchful eye on Snickers until he met up with Salty at the round hay bale in the field. “I’m with Brooke on this one. Animals that size are far too unpredictable for my comfort.”
“No more unpredictable than people.”
“True. But I don’t trust many of them either.”
“Touché.” I moved on to the next stall.
While the barn had room for twelve, it had been years since there had been more than a handful of residents. “And this is Beans.” A donkey came running out, braying as he raced to catch up with his crew.
Devon’s brows furrowed. “Jenn rode a donkey?”
I barked a laugh. “As much hell as she gave my parents when she was growing up, it wouldn’t have surprised me if Daddy got her a mule. But no, nobody rides the donkey. He’s a companion animal. We got him a few years back after we almost lost Salty to a scary colic. Horses are pack animals and don’t do well when alone. So, with the two horses getting older, Beans is here just in case one dies.”
“Damn. Farm life is darker than I expected.”
“You have no idea.”
Walking toward the pasture gate, I peeked into their stalls as I passed, each one looking and smelling worse than the last. “Jesus, this place is a wreck. I’d bet ten bucks all of them have thrush by now.”
Devon pursed his lips. “I hate to turn down a crisp Hamilton, but I don’t know what that means.”
“Let’s just say Jenn is great with Dad, but she did not catch the horse bug, so feeding and turnout is the height of her contributions over here. I’ve been paying some guys to come in before Dad wakes up to muck the stalls, but by the look of things, they’ve skipped more days than they’ve worked.” I continued talking as I closed the creaky pasture gate. “I wonder if Daddy ran them off or if Jenn just isn’t staying on top of them?”
“That is one of the things we need to discuss.”
I turned to face him. “The farmhands?”
“Me acting like a farmhand. You said I needed to look the part. But how should I interact with your father? He’s going to be seeing a lot of me. And after yesterday…” he trailed off.
I sighed and returned Salty’s rope to his stall door. Devon followed suit with Snickers’.
Sinking down onto Zoey’s trunk, I peered up at Devon.
I wished like hell that I had an answer for him.
My entire life Lawrence Beck had been a teddy bear. Kind, compassionate, firm yet patient. He believed in hard work and second chances. He was fiercely protective of his girls, but never walked out of the house without a wide smile and pep in his step.
That wasn’t who he was anymore, though.
We got glimpses of that man from time to time, but the light in his eyes had dimmed. His confusion often led to anger and frustration, causing outbursts where he’d often turn on us, becoming mean and hateful. It broke my heart every time.
He was still in there, though, so Jenn and I lived for the moments of clarity. Praying for flashes of our missing father, even as he sat directly in front of us.
My nose stung as I peered up at Devon. “He has good days and bad days. Yesterday… wasn’t great.”
“Yeah,” he said gently. “I know that couldn’t have been easy for you, so maybe you can help me figure out how to avoid that in the future.”
I swallowed hard. “I wish I knew. He doesn’t do well with strangers. In the past, when I’ve hired people to help clean this place up, he either heads outside to work beside them or loses his mind and cusses them out. It’s a coin flip, which is why we try to do everything around here on our own. Looking the part will definitely help, but it’s far from a guarantee.”
“Okay. And he relies on you and your sister pretty much twenty-four seven, right?”
“No, he’s not helpless. I don’t have to monitor his every move or anything like that.” Using the toe of my boot, I brushed away the wood shavings that had escaped the stall. “He still comes out here sometimes to groom the horses or fiddle with things that don’t really need fixing.” My throat tightened. “Though Jenn told me he’s been sleeping more lately, so she runs errands during his naps. The doctors warned us that would happen.” I stared down at the ground, blinking fast as the reality of our limited time with him settled heavy in my chest.