Chapter Six – Levi
Levi
I walked into my parents’ house and set my keys down in the bowl I’d made for my mother when I was in second grade. It sat on an antique table in the foyer of our house. I loved that my mother had kept that bowl in the same spot all these years. It was simple things like that I’d missed most.
The sound of Rhett laughing was like music to my ears.
He hadn’t had much to laugh about the last few months.
The thing I hated the most was the nightmares.
He’d wake up crying out for his sister. I had to be thankful that Caroline wasn’t fighting me on bringing Rhett back to River Falls.
It had been a source of contention for most of our relationship.
I’d stupidly thought that after a few years, she’d want to move back home. I was very wrong on that.
Being here was healing for Rhett, that much was evident to me. Even in just a few short days, I could see a difference.
The sound of more laughter pulled me from my thoughts. I walked into the kitchen, only to find my son covered in flour.
“What’s going on here?” I asked as my eyes scanned the island that was filled with cookies.
“We’re baking, Daddy!” Rhett stated before he shoved a cookie into his mouth.
“I see that. Are we expecting an army of soldiers for dinner, and we needed a dessert?”
My mother laughed. “We’re going to take them to River Haven tomorrow. It was Rhett’s idea to make the cookies to bring to the kids.”
My heart swelled with pride and love that my son would think of something so kind. It wasn’t a surprise; he was always trying to do kind things or say something nice to someone.
“How did we end up with an orphanage in River Falls?” I asked my mother as I reached for a cookie.
She glanced up at me. “They never taught you in school?”
I shook my head. “Not that I can remember.”
A look of confusion appeared on her still beautiful face.
There were a few more wrinkles than the last time we were here in town, but my mother said they were simply laugh lines, a sign that you were living a happy life.
“You kids used to make ornaments for the trees for the Wilde Christmas event, and they never told you why?”
“I mean, yeah, they told us about the party for the orphanage, but how did it come about?”
She glanced briefly at Rhett, then back to me. “The origin isn’t really a happy story.”
“I can handle it, Grammy,” Rhett said.
Smiling at him, she went back to cutting out cookies from the dough.
“Well, a long time ago, religious organizations used to remove Indigenous children from their homes and put them in institutions, to help them learn how to live in our culture. They would go to boarding schools. There was one right here in River Falls. Eventually, over time, it ended up being an orphanage for children who didn’t have parents. ”
“Why did they do that?” Rhett asked. “Take in-did-genrous kids from their mommies and daddies?”
“I wish I could explain it to you, Rhett,” my mother said. She glanced at me again. “Maybe this was a subject best waited on for a few years.”
I nodded.
“Do they still take them?” Rhett asked. “The kids?”
My hand reached for his head, and I gave his hair a quick ruffle. “No, buddy. They don’t.”
He nodded. “That’s good.”
The last thing I wanted was for Rhett to think he had to worry about being taken.
My mother gave me an apologetic smile and mouthed, “I’m sorry.”
I returned the smile and changed the subject. “So, I went to see Uncle Caden today.”
Rhett’s eyes lit up. “You did?”
Rhett adored Caden, as had Brooke. He came to visit us often in Denver, which I was thankful for. Besides my parents, he was the only connection I had to River Falls.
“He has a horse that’s about to have her first foal.”
Rhett gasped. “Can I see it being born?”
“Maybe, if she doesn’t have it in the middle of the night.”
Bouncing on his toes, Rhett faced my mother. “Did you hear that, Grammy! I might be able to see a horse born.”
The sound of my father walking into the kitchen caused us all to turn.
“What’s this about a horse giving birth?” Dad asked before he walked up and kissed my mother on the cheek. “How are you, darling?”
She smiled as she replied, “I’m doing wonderful. How was your day?”
“Good. Long, but good.”
He grinned at Rhett next and kissed him on the cheek, as well. “You’ve got some flour on you, bud.”
Rhett laughed. “Granddad! I’m baking…of course I have flour on me!”
He held up his hands in mock apology, then turned to me. “Whose horse is in labor?”
“No one yet, but one of the horses over at the Wildes’ place is pregnant with her first. It’ll be any day now. Caden asked me to come over and take a look at her.”
His brows rose. “Caden, huh? I bet that didn’t sit well with Emeline. Those horses are her babies.”
I chuckled. “She wasn’t thrilled her brother went around her, but apparently this horse is Caden’s favorite.”
Dad grinned, then asked, “Was she close?”
“Yeah, I’d say in the next few days. Rhett wants to see it happen.”
My father pointed to his grandson. “A boy after my own heart.”
Rhett beamed. “I’m going to be a veterinarian one day and work with you and Daddy.”
Dad tossed his head back and laughed. “I’m afraid by the time you get out of school, I’ll be too old to still be working. I’ll be sittin’ back on a beach somewhere, drinking something cold and stiff.”
“Stiff?” Rhett asked.
“We’re going to let that one go,” my mother said, giving Dad a look. “He’s already had one conversation that was a bit too mature for his age this afternoon.”
Rhett just looked at me, confused, and I winked.
“What’s for dinner?” Dad asked as he eyed all the cookies.
“I’ve got a roast in the Crock-Pot. I’m surprised you didn’t smell it.”
Dad chuckled. “The only thing this nose smells is sugar and vanilla.”
“Let me get this last batch in the oven, then we can eat. The roast is ready.”
I walked over to Rhett. “Why don’t you head on upstairs and wash up for dinner.”
“But I’ve got to help Grammy clean up our mess,” Rhett argued as he motioned to the flour all over the kitchen island.
My mother beamed with pride at my son. “You go on and do what your daddy says, he’ll clean for you this time.”
Rhett gave me a look that clearly said he was glad it was me, not him, doing the cleaning.
I helped him get the apron off and lifted him down from the chair he’d been standing on. “Wash your hands good, Rhett,” I called out as he hightailed it out of the kitchen. Turning to the sink, I grabbed the dishcloth.
“Take off your cowboy hat,” Mom said as she motioned with her head.
“Yes, ma’am,” I replied, doing as she asked.
After I hung my hat up on the rack by the back door, I got to work cleaning the island while Mom slipped the last batch of cookies into the oven.
“I’ve got some bread over there we can heat up, Oliver, if you want to do that.”
Dad took the bread out of the bag and set it on a small cookie sheet before placing it in the Breville oven I’d bought for them last Christmas.
“That little oven has come in handy more than once,” she said with a wink in my direction.
“I’m glad you like it.”
The three of us worked in comfortable silence. Once I’d cleaned the island and helped my mother put away all the ingredients she’d used for the cookies, I grabbed four bowls for the roast, along with silverware.
“Are we eating in here or the dining room?”
“Let’s go to the dining room. I’ve been in this kitchen nearly all day. I’m afraid Rhett won’t ever want to help me bake or cook again, but he was a good sport about it.”
Shaking my head, I replied, “He’s loving the time he’s spending with you, Mom. Thank you for that.”
“It’s not a hardship on my part, I can tell you that right now. He’s such a kind and well-mannered young man, Levi. You’re doing great with him.”
“I had good teachers.”
Mom grinned. “Flattery will get you everywhere, son.”
Rhett came bounding into the kitchen, all cleaned up. “Can I help?”
“Why don’t you help me set the table.” I motioned for him to head to the dining room. As I placed the bowls down, Rhett followed me with the silverware. “Did you have fun today with Grammy?”
He looked at me and smiled. “Yep! We sure made a lot of cookies today. I tried not to eat a whole lots, but it was hard.”
I chuckled. “I bet it was. Rhett, I was talking to Emeline, who’s Caden’s sister. She takes care of all the horses on the ranch.”
“Have I met her before?”
With a shake of my head, I answered, “No, you haven’t met her yet.
She’s a good friend of mine, just like Caden.
Anyway, she also runs a summer camp on the ranch.
Would you be interested in going? They do all kinds of things, like horseback riding, hiking, archery, learning how to make things, and the campers even get to help around the ranch, so they can see what being a rancher is like. ”
He stopped and looked at me. “Like an overnight camp?”
Nodding, I replied, “Yes, it would be an overnight camp. But I thought it might be a good way to meet some of the kids you’ll be going to school with. You’d be grouped in the cabins by age.”
He narrowed his little blue eyes and asked, “Will girls be there?”
“I believe so, but not in your cabin. Is that a problem?”
I watched as the wheels turned in his head. “Nah, but will they be on their own side of the camp?”
Laughing, I said, “I’m not sure. We can ask Emeline more questions if you want.
She said I could bring you to the ranch, and she’d give you a tour of the campgrounds.
She gave one to me today. And I’ll be at the camp as well, volunteering the week you’ll be there.
Actually, I think I roped myself into volunteering for each session. ”
“What’s this about volunteering each session, where?” my mother asked as she walked into the dining room, followed by my father. They set the food down on the table and my stomach growled. Man, had I missed my mother’s cooking.
“When I was at the Wildes’ earlier this morning, Vivianne somehow managed to get me to agree to volunteer at the camp this summer.”
My mother laughed. “Doing what?”
“Talking about being a vet. I was going to discuss it with you first, Dad. I know you’re eager for me to start at the clinic.”
My father wasn’t wasting any time piling his bowl up with roast. “I haven’t added any additional appointments, so I don’t see a problem with you helping out.
Just give me the dates you’ll be there. I figured we would start you out part time, anyway.
And once you feel comfortable, move you to full time.
When you’re feeling good about things, I’ll cut back my hours.
I think you volunteering at the camp is a good thing, though,” he said, glancing over at me.
“I wish I’d made it a higher priority to participate in more community activities.
If I can offer one piece of advice, take the time to volunteer when you can. ”
“First of all, you did volunteer, Dad.”
“When you were younger, yes. However, as time passed, and especially after you were gone, I focused increasingly on my work. River Falls may be small, but there are a plethora of animals to treat.”
I nodded. “Second, I think your timeline sounds like a great plan.”
“With the growth of the town, though, you might want to think about hiring a part-time vet once you get dug in.”
“I can do it!” Rhett stated.
I winked at him. “I’ll hold a spot for you until you graduate, buddy.”
My parents laughed.
“I’m sure Caden was happy to see you and know you’re home for good,” Mom said, handing me the roast.
After fixing Rhett a bowl, I worked on my own. “He was. It’ll be nice, being able to just drop by to see him.”
“How’s he doing? Vivianne told me he’s never been the same after Rachel left him. He’s more…” Her words trailed off.
“Moody?” my father added with a gruff sound.
I sighed. “Yeah, she really raked him over the coals.”
“What does that mean?” Rhett asked.
“It means she didn’t treat him very well,” Mom replied.
“Every time he came to visit after the breakup, he wasn’t in the best of moods, but he put on a good show for the kids. He seemed almost like his normal self when I saw him at the ranch today.”
“Well, that’s good. He needs to get back on the horse and get out there,” my father said.
Rhett looked at me. “How come he isn’t riding his horse? Doesn’t he need it to work on the ranch?”
I grinned. “It’s just a saying, Rhett.” To my father, I added, “I think he’s okay. They were together for a long time, and it’s hard to walk away from someone whom you’ve given so much of your life to.”
My mother’s eyes turned sad as she looked at me.
Before she could say anything, I smirked. “I ran into Janet Miller today.”
Her eyes turned from sad to bewildered. “At the ranch?”
“I can do you one better. Outside Anna’s—after I finished having lunch with Emeline.”
Dad groaned, while my mother shook her head.
“The Daily Dirt will have you featured this week,” Mom said, giving me a look.
“Emeline said the same thing. She also told me that Janet, or her daughter Grace, seems to write a lot about the Wildes. Is that still happening?”
With a roll of her eyes, my mother nodded. “It is. I don’t know what that family has against the Wildes, but they certainly seem to enjoy stirring up drama for them. Don’t be surprised if you’re connected to Emeline now.”
“I just got back into town. I’m not even divorced yet.”
“Do you like Emeline?”
The three of us turned and looked at Rhett. He didn’t seem upset, but I knew my son. He could hold his emotions in like a champ, until the dam finally broke.
“Of course I do, as a friend.”
He nodded and moved his fork around his bowl. “I wouldn’t be mad if you liked her like a girlfriend. I want you happy, Daddy.”
My breath caught in my throat, and I couldn’t form words to speak. Thank goodness my mother came to my rescue.
Reaching for my son’s hand, Mom smiled. “That is so sweet of you, Rhett. I’m sure when the time comes, your daddy will find someone who’ll love both of you to the moon and back.”
Rhett smiled. “And maybe I’ll be able to have another little sister. Or a brother.”
Just when I thought I could speak again, he drops that little bombshell.
My mother looked at me and softly replied, “Baby steps, Rhett. Baby steps.”