Frog

Chapter 3 #3

“I do believe that husband of hers should be beat,” I stated under my breath, because my remarks were a given, but I didn’t want Vanessa to hear. At the same moment, I saw Victoria grab one of the dogs’ ears and pull. “Sweetheart!”

She looked over at me.

“Darlin’, don’t pull on his ears or put your face right up to his, all right?”

“Okay, Weber!”

“Excuse me, sir,” I said, still holding Vanessa’s hand as I crossed the yard to where her sister was. Reaching her, I knelt on one knee so we were closer to the same height. “I’m not scoldin’ you, you understand.”

She nodded. “No, I know. You just don’t want Rusty to bite me.”

“And you gotta be gentle with him, yeah? You wouldn’t like it none if someone tugged on your ear, so show him the same kindness.”

“I’m sorry,” she said softly, looking like she might cry.

“It’s all right, but now give him a pat and tell him.”

She gently petted him, apologized, then hugged him. The dog received the affection, looking at me like he was ready for that to be over. I couldn’t help chuckling over the way his eyes went back and forth.

“Is he okay now?” she asked after a moment.

“I think he’s just fine.”

She studied my face, then huffed out a breath. “Weber, Tristan said I can’t be a fireman. Is that true?”

“No, of course that ain’t true. You can be whatever you please.”

“That’s what I told him.”

“Weber,” Vanessa interrupted, “will you tell Grandpa to let me ride the horsey?”

Since the man himself was suddenly right there, I told her to ask for herself.

She looked scared.

He squinted down at her.

“Grandpa.” She bit her bottom lip. “Can I ride the black-and-white horse?”

“Well, I promised the boys they could ride with me first.”

“But there’s two horses. Can’t Weber ride one?”

He looked at me. “Can you ride?”

“Yessir. What’ve you got, Appaloosas?”

“Yes.” He smiled at me.

“Well, if you don’t mind, I’d love to ride.”

He nodded. “Let’s get all the kids rounded up.”

When I stood, Vanessa was hanging on to my neck, and Victoria decided she was going to hold my hand, and Pip the other, as I walked over to the tree where Tristan and Micah were. Tristan wanted to ride, but Micah shook his head.

“You ain’t stuck up there, are ya?” I stared up at him.

He shook his head again.

“You sure you don’t wanna come?”

He nodded.

“All right, then.”

We sent Tristan back to the house to call his mother to the backyard to watch over Micah.

After a few minutes, the back deck filled with people. Mr. Benning called over to his wife that he was taking the kids riding and would be back.

“And who’s that with you?” a beautiful woman asked, obviously Victoria and Vanessa’s mother—same black hair, but with pale-blue eyes. I had not seen her earlier in the living room.

“This is Weber, Cyrus’s friend.”

“Nice to meet you, Weber. I’m Rachel.”

Oh, perfect Rachel, the sister-in-law. I looked at Lyn, and she smirked. It was nice we had us an inside joke already.

“My girls get attached kind of fast,” Rachel called over.

“Which is real nice, ma’am.”

Her smile was big and bright before I turned away, her youngest with a death grip around my neck, her oldest with her hand in mine.

As we walked, Mr. Benning told me about his home, the fifteen acres the house sat on, the stables, how close it was to running trails and riding trails, and how much he loved the farmers’ market on Sunday. He was making conversation, and I appreciated it.

The horses were gorgeous, the stables nicer than some of the hotels I’d slept in, and Mr. Benning enjoyed watching me saddle the mare I was going to ride.

The four kids listened as I talked, and after a quick game of rock-paper-scissors, I had Tristan and Victoria with me and Mr. Benning the two youngest. We rode toward the house, and everyone waved as we passed by.

“Grandpa,” Tristan called over to him. “Who’s that man standing by Uncle Cyrus?”

He cleared his throat. “That’s a friend of your uncle Brett’s that he invited up for the weekend.”

I had definitely not seen him in the living room earlier.

“Oh.” Tristan turned to me. “Uncle Brett and Aunt Rachel—that’s Van and Vicky’s mom and dad—they invite their friends sometimes to meet Uncle Cyrus.”

“I see.” I smiled at him, a man of the world at eight.

“They didn’t know you were coming along with Cy, Weber,” Mr. Benning said, which was really decent of him.

“’Course not,” I said huskily.

“What is it you do, Weber?”

“I’m a ranch hand,” I told him, since that would be the next thing I would be.

“I see.”

I wondered what the blind date did but guessed it was better than jobless drifter, which was why I’d thrown out employment I didn’t have yet when I answered Cy’s father.

“Weber, how come the horse can’t go fast?” Tristan asked from where he was in front with Victoria behind him.

“Because I don’t wanna lose y’all.”

“Oh.” He seemed disappointed.

When we got back, I showed the kids what we had to do for the horse at the end of a ride, and they watched raptly. As we walked into the backyard, I saw everyone standing under the tree where Micah still was. Brett was getting ready to scale the tree after his nephew.

“Are you coming down?” I called up to him once I was directly underneath.

He nodded.

“When?”

“He’s scared,” Lyn told me.

“We’ve been trying to coax him down, get him to let go,” Cy said, putting his hand on my back, “but he just won’t.”

I grunted and noticed that Micah was starting to tremble.

“Cold, ain’t it?”

Another nod.

“Well, if you’re comin’, hurry up,” I grouched at him, holding up my arms. “Just let go. You know I’ll catch ya.”

He rolled sideways and fell from the thick branch twelve feet or so above me, and I caught him easily and set him on his feet. Kneeling down in front of him, I saw him bite his bottom lip.

“You’re sad you didn’t go ridin’ now, ain’t ya.”

He nodded.

“Next time tell me the truth if you’re stuck. You got no call to be lyin’ to me.”

He lunged at me, arms tight around my neck, and I lifted him up, holding him to my chest as I walked around the others toward the house.

“Who is he, exactly?” either Rachel or Cy’s mother asked.

“I already told you—he’s with me,” Cy replied.

“Weber!” the girls shrieked, chasing after me, with Pip and Tristan bringing up the rear.

In the house, I quickly washed my hands and then ordered all the kids to do the same.

They bumped and nudged each other at the sink, which had a stool that two of them could stand on at a time, until I told them to knock it off and be nice.

Once that was done, we all took seats at the table.

I made sure Micah was next to me. When Cyrus’s mother walked in, I asked if we could have permission to get something to drink from the fridge.

“Of course.” She smiled, her big hazel eyes glinting as she crossed the room to offer me her hand. “I’m Cy’s mother. Please call me Angie.”

I squeezed her hand. “Then call me Web, and it’s a pleasure, ma’am.”

“For me as well.” She studied my face. “That was wonderful outside.”

What was?

My bewilderment must’ve shown on my face because she said, “You have no idea what I’m… Oh boy.”

I waited for her to stop talking to herself.

“My grandchildren are all in love with you, as well as my dogs.”

“I do well with kids and animals.” I chuckled. “They don’t care ’bout the same things adults do.”

“No, they don’t,” she said with a huff of breath. “The things adults care about can be quite stupid at times. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Angie,” she corrected me gently.

“Angie,” I repeated.

“Now sit down. What would you like to drink?”

I ended up with iced tea, and afterward I was dragged to the living room, where Tristan pushed a controller into my hand and I was supposed to drive.

“You gotta hit the boxes ’cause there’s stuff in ’em.”

What?

“Weber, you hafta use both hands to steer and make the car go,” Victoria instructed me.

“Why are you driving into the wall?” Vanessa wanted to know.

Pip flopped down into my lap and tried to explain it to me again. At four, he knew what he was doing better than I did.

Tristan was cackling, Micah was giggling beside him, and Victoria, who was logical and thoughtful, figured she would show me how to work my car, demonstrating with her controller.

Tristan kept making suggestions, interrupting her tutorial as I started to laugh.

I gave up, told them all that Pip was driving for me, and told Vanessa, who was draped over my back, that she was strangling me.

Once I stretched out, she lay down beside me.

“Hey, you guys, why don’t you let Weber come talk to the grown-ups?” Lyn told them.

But I excused myself instead and retreated to the bathroom because watching Cyrus talk to the setup guy was bothering me more than I thought it would. It was why I had not been able to give Mario Kart my full attention—I kept glancing over at him.

It was one thing to hook up and fuck each other’s brains out, but another to be at his parents’ house and pretend I could compete in any way.

I splashed cold water on my face and stood staring at myself in the mirror, wondering why the man had ever even looked at me in the first place.

My eyes were plain faded denim blue; my hair that looked ginger when it was long was now a darker red cut short, with eyebrows, lashes, sideburns, and stubble all the same rusty color.

I had a square jaw, a nose that had been broken many times, and thin lips.

Why did the man want me? Sticking around was a mistake, but an even bigger one was coming along for the weekend.

Heading for the door, I heard voices in the hallway.

“Jesus, Ross, I’m sorry.”

“Forget it,” Ross replied. “You had no idea your brother was into guys like that.”

“Shit.”

Ross laughed. “It’s fine. We’ll try again when the cowboy leaves.”

“Really? You’d give this another shot?”

“Are you kidding? I know you don’t get it, but unlike you, your brother is really hot, and on top of that, he’s a neurosurgeon.”