Chapter 6 #2
Reluctantly, Seth left his post. He dropped down beside Scarlet. “Seth, do you want to see your mother?”
“Yeah. I guess. I miss her, Scarlet.”
“Then you have to talk to your dad about that.”
“Can I go back to the barn now?”
“Let me call him.” She’d taken out her phone when the front door opened. Joe stood in the doorway. With Evangelina by his side.
This time Seth stayed where he was. Even though he said he wanted to see her, that she recoiled from him would of course make the boy hesitate.
Joe left her side and knelt in front of Seth. “Honey, your mother wants to talk to you. Will you talk to her?”
He shrugged.
“Is that a yes?”
“Uh-huh.”
Evangelina glided to the couch and sat on the other side of Seth. “Leave us alone, please.” All traces of vulnerability vanished.
“Scarlet and I will wait in the kitchen.” To Seth, he added, “We’ll be right out there if you need us, son.”
* * *
Seated at the kitchen table, Joe took Scarlet’s hands. “I had to let him talk to her.” His face was lined with worry and his dark eyes concerned.
“Yes, you did.” She cocked her head. “What do you think she wants?”
“She said she wants a relationship with Seth. Which is crazy. As I told you, she left the boy’s care to me since he was born.”
“For seven years?”
“Yes. I guess I should have gone to court and ended her parental rights when she took off.”
“Hindsight’s 50-50.”
“I suppose.”
He glanced back at the living room. “I wonder what they’re talking about.”
“Probably about him visiting her.”
“I can’t even imagine it.” His voice was gravelly. “I couldn’t trust her with him.”
Scarlet’s heart went out to him. Now that she had time to think, she knew she couldn’t be part of taking the boy’s mother away. “Joe, do you want to give her a second chance? I can bow out of all this.”
“What? How can you even ask me that?”
“Because I love you. And I love Seth. I want what’s best for the two of you.”
“The answer’s no, Scarlet.”
“Don’t you want your family back?”
“No. You, me and Seth will make a new family.”
Scarlet was relieved. She trusted Joe, she did, but Seth had a right to see his own mother. “I think it’s best that I leave for now. I’ll go out the back door and get Stanley.”
“He’s tied up outside the stall. When we left, he’d bent his head over the gate and Cinnamon went right to him.”
“Call me later.”
“I will. When she leaves.”
Scarlet kissed him briefly on the lips.
* * *
Evangelina finally left, saying she’d be back and wasn’t giving up.
Joe decided not to question Seth about her private time with him; instead, he wanted to do something fun for the boy—and letting him ride Cinnamon fit the bill.
So he called Scarlet and asked her to come over to the barn to help get Seth on the pony. She arrived smiling.
“All right, Seth. You ready?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am.” He wore his little cowboy boots and hat. He looked adorable and at her direction, led Cinnamon around the red block of steps that came with the tack. It stood about two feet high.
Scarlet moved closer. “Now step up to the top…put your right hand on the saddle…take the reins in the other. Now push down on your right hand while pushing off with your right foot…you’re doing great, Seth…
now swing your left foot over her back bracing yourself with your forearms. Grasp the reins and sit up. ”
When he straightened, he said, “I’m on the pony, Dad, look.”
Joe stood back with a camera in his hand, recording Seth’s first mount. She’d bet his eyes were wet at his son’s happiness.
“Yeah, kid.” His voice was hoarse. “You got it. Make sure you hold on tight.”
“Don’t worry,” she called out to him. “I’m going to lead them both slowly forward.” He was glad she walked close enough to Seth to catch him if he fell.
Cinnamon’s coat glistened in the sun. “Now pick up the reins and squeeze your thighs together making this sound.” She clicked her mouth as she held a spare rope around the pony.
Cinnamon moved forward. “We’ll go in a circle. Don’t kick her torso because she’ll go too fast. My lead is enough.”
Scarlet walked slowly forward. They made a small circle, then went around once more…twice more…three times, increasing the speed several times until she and the horse were at a trot. The motion blew her hair back. Finally, they were nearing the start again. “Now, pull the reins back and say Whoa.”
“Whoa, girl. Whoa.” They stopped right at the block of red steps.
“First, Seth, let go of the reins…I’ll hold you while you put your left foot down to the step…that’s it…then swing your right foot off her like you got on her.” Soon Seth was standing on the steps. He threw out his arms. “I did it all, Dad!.”
“Yes, you did, son,” he said coming toward them. He’d been smiling at them the whole time and bent down to hug the boy.
Joe turned to her. “We’re not done though, right?”
“Nope. Every time you ride, you have to take her back to her barn and brush her coat.”
The three of them walked the horse to her stall.
Again, Scarlet gave instructions. “Take the curry brush and spray the grooming liquid on it…brush the horse gently, from the middle of the back downward…now do the other side. Last brush the mane and tail in a gentle downward motion.”
It took a while, but Seth completed the task.
Scarlet briefly looked at Cinnamon’s left front foot. “I think we can wait to clean the hoofs till tomorrow.”
“All right,” Joe said. “I’m cooking hot dogs for lunch as a treat.”
“Yum,” Scarlet said.
“Yummy.” From Seth.
They all walked back to the house. Joe forgot about Evangelina and the fact that he and Scarlet were supposed to stay away from each other.
* * *
The next day, after Seth would have left for school, Scarlet drove up to Joe’s farmhouse. He opened the front door. “Hey, I didn’t expect to see you this morning.”
“I wanted to check on you.” She gave him a peck on the cheek. He smelled like very male shampoo and soap.
His brow furrowed. “We aren’t staying away from each other very well.”
“I know, but this is important to me.”
“Come on into my office. I was paying bills.”
“Not a pleasant task.”
“I welcome the distraction.” He sat down behind the desk again and Scarlet took a chair across from him. “Can I get you something?”
“No, I’m on my way to work. I didn’t sleep much last night.”
His brow furrowed. “If you’re going to tell me you’re backing away from us, my answer’s still the same.”
“I’m not. But I don’t know much about your history with Evangelina. I need to hear it now.”
“Sure. We both grew up in the Southern Tier and were high school sweethearts. We went to different colleges but stayed together. We were talking about marriage when I went to Vet School. We tied the knot after my second year. Right away she wasn’t happy.
She went to work to help pay for my schooling, but she hated her job. ”
“What did she do?”
“Teaching first grade.”
How can you not like little kids? But she held her tongue.
“She quit halfway through the school year and I got a second job. I was ready to talk to her about splitting up when she told me she was pregnant.”
“Wow.”
He leaned back in the chair and sighed heavily.
“That year was miserable. I was working so much and she hated being pregnant. In case you couldn’t tell, looking good is important to her.
After she had Seth, she seemed content for a while.
She really loved him. But I think she hated being a mother, if that makes sense. ”
“Yes, I guess it can.”
“Anyway, I hired a nanny.”
“Ack.”
“My thoughts, too. But she insisted. The cost of living wasn’t high in Corning so we could afford it. At one point, I managed to only work four days a week and put a lot on my credit cards. I rescheduled the nanny so I could take care of Seth myself, which I loved.”
“Midnight feedings? Dirty diapers?”
“The whole shebang. Anyway, we got along like this for six years because she had her freedom. She became very social and went out with friends a lot. Then a rich businessman, Gayle Marchand came to Corning Glass to do some consulting and she met him at a party. Even though I was there, she flirted shamelessly with him. And when he left town, she went with him.”
“She was an asshole to give you up.”
He chuckled. “My ego needs to hear that.”
A sexy grin. “Then I’ll tell you every day.”
“Thanks. Needless to say, I was a mess trying to do everything. One night I was called to an emergency delivery of a foal. Everything went wrong and the foal died. I felt so bad I quit being a vet before I could lose my license and took Seth to live with his grandparents, the only relatives I have. They were warm with Seth, not so much me. Again, I worked two jobs and saved my money and as soon as I could afford to, I came to Rockford and bought the farm.”
“You’ve had a hard life.”
“I thought things were getting better when I came here, but then Evangelina shows up.”
“One thing I don’t understand is if she hated being a mother, why did she come back to see him.”
Joe shrugged his shoulders. “People change, I guess. But even if she has, I still don’t trust her.”
“With good reason. In any case, thanks for telling me all about your life.” She stood and circled around the desk, pulled him up and kissed him hard. “Things are better for you, Joe Larson. How about if I come back here on my lunch hour?”
“You want me to cook for you?” he teased.
“Yes. After.”