Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
“Are you guys ready?” Gilbert asked as his kids hurried with their last-minute preparations.
“I’m ready,” Larissa said, the overachiever of the group.
Even Lucas, with his silent stares and his mature actions, couldn’t compare.
And Robert didn’t even come close. “I’m still looking for my boots!” Robert called.
“The last time I saw them, they were on the back porch,” his mother said from the kitchen where she was working on lunch. The kids would be hungry when they came back from their last ever horse therapy session.
Larissa, especially, was sad and gloomy, as much as she could be.
Gilbert had decided to take them himself. He was wrapping up loose ends at his business and had almost transitioned out of the office and completely to remote working. He would still pop in from time to time, but he could do it when the kids were at school.
“All right, I’m going to stay and keep an eye on the kids. I might as well watch them at least once and see what I’ve been missing all this time,” he said. And he wanted to see the property that was going to be his on Tuesday of next week when he signed the papers.
He couldn’t deny that he was excited. He was ready to make a fresh start, to have his children around him, and to become a family again. He thought the kids were ready for that too, although they were going to miss living with Grandma, which had been almost like a year-long vacation for them.
He supposed all of them would have some adjustments to make, including his mother. It was sad to lose the grandchildren she had grown to enjoy making noise around her house.
Of course, Isadora was still there with her three children, but they were much younger, and in Gilbert’s opinion, younger children weren’t as fun as his own children’s age.
In fact, so far, this was his favorite age.
They were old enough to be fun but not so old that they were constantly challenging his authority or trying to do things that he didn’t approve of.
They still looked up to him and respected him, and honestly, they didn’t give him much trouble at all.
He was grateful for that. Maybe the counseling had something to do with it, and he owed someone a huge thank you. Although, again, he kind of thought the fact that he offered her more than her asking price was a pretty big thank you.
He pulled into the farm, thinking that next week this time it would be his driveway and feeling a little thrill of excitement go through him.
The woman with the long blonde hair, Summer, was in the paddock, finishing up with an adult who was grooming a horse that was tied to the railing.
His mother had told him that the grooming of the horses was just as therapeutic as riding them had been.
He knew that was true with Larissa. She loved making the horses look pretty.
And he had to admit that Summer had gorgeous horses.
Both of the horses she had in the parade were absolutely stunning, and he could tell that Larissa was proud to be riding.
Although, as Gilbert watched, he found it was hard for him to take his eyes off the woman, and he didn’t pay as much attention to the horse. He didn’t understand why that was.
Maybe because she had her long blonde hair down, and it flowed in silky waves just like the mane of the horse. Or maybe it was because of the way she sat her horse, confident and sure, so much smaller than the animal under her, but totally in control.
Or maybe it was her smile, despite the fact that he knew that she was facing sorrow and hardship. He admired bravery and self-control, and Summer showed both.
Whatever it was, he felt his eyes drawn to her again, when he would rather have been looking over the property that would soon be his.
“She’s brushing Cricket!” Larissa said. “That’s the horse I usually ride.”
“I wonder where Bunny is? That’s my horse,” Robert said.
“She’s probably in the barn. She said not too many people ride her.” Lucas spoke up from the passenger seat. His eyes were glowing, and he looked more alive than he had the entire week at school.
Maybe this horse therapy thing really was beneficial.
Of course, he knew it was. He’d seen the results with his own eyes, and even if he hadn’t, his mother and sisters gushed over it. Even Jones and Judd, his brothers-in-law, spoke up in defense of how good it was for the kids.
He parked at the front of the stable, noting the flowers that grew there and remembering the plants that had been in the kitchen. Apparently, Summer enjoyed growing things. He appreciated the burst of color, even though it was almost the middle of November.
Usually they had a frost at this elevation long before now, but after a cool, dry summer, they’d been having a prolonged warm spell this fall.
“We’re buying your farm!” Larissa said as she jumped out of the car and started going to Summer who had come out to greet them.
To Summer’s credit, she smiled, and even looked happy for Larissa, as she nodded and said, “I know. Next week, this will be yours.”
Her eyes flitted to Gilbert’s, and Gilbert felt a guilty flush staining his cheeks.
He didn’t mean for it to. He had no idea why he would feel guilty.
He hadn’t done anything wrong. He’d done this woman a favor.
Her farm had been purchased for more than she was asking for it, and she should be thanking him.
He didn’t know why he was so defensive. She hadn’t said a word and just looked happy for Larissa.
“Are you going to leave the horses here? Are they going to be our horses now?” Robert asked as he ran over to Summer, throwing his arms around her waist.
Summer didn’t hesitate but hugged him back. He supposed that was a difference between counseling children and counseling adults. A counselor could never hug a client, but sometimes human beings just needed that reassuring touch, that comfort that only the touch and arms of another human could give.
With children, it was a little different. Especially with a woman counseling them. Affection flowed freely between the three of his children and Summer.
“I don’t think so. I’m looking to sell them, and I think I have at least three of them sold. So, no to that.”
“Which three?” Lucas asked, his brows furrowing, as though the idea bothered him.
Gilbert had closed his door and stood a little bit away, allowing the children to interact freely without him interfering.
He had meant to come, stand back and watch, not get involved.
He was curious to see exactly what all Summer did when she worked with the kids, since everyone talked about her and praised her so highly.
“Thatcher is one,” she said gently, and Gilbert remembered Lucas saying that Thatcher was the horse he often road.
His face fell.
“He’s going to a really good home. It’s not another therapy stable, but it’s a riding stable, where he’ll get to go on trail rides with other kids and their families. I’m sure he’s going to love it there.”
“But I’m gonna miss him,” Lucas said, and he sounded a little bit belligerent. Like he was trying to be tough and hide the fact that the news had shocked and saddened him. Maybe he was even thinking about crying.
Gilbert hadn’t considered making an offer on the horses while he had been there looking at the farm. He should have considered it, and he wished he would have known she was going to sell them.
“What about Cricket? Are you selling her?”
“Yes, Cricket is an awesome horse, and it was easy for me to find a buyer for her. She’s going to the farm of a friend of mine.
We’ve been good friends for a long time, and she also has a stable full of horses, and she gives riding lessons.
So Cricket and Bunny are both going there.
Their students are going to love getting to take lessons on such beautiful horses. ”
“That stinks,” Larissa said. “How far away is it?”
“It’s about three hours from here.”
“Three hours? We’ll never see them again.” Then she turned to Gilbert. “Daddy? Can we go visit Cricket and Bunny?”
“And Thatcher,” Lucas said.
“I don’t see why not. Maybe next summer when we have plenty of time where we can take a day to drive.”
The kids talked a bit more, and then Summer sent them in to start brushing their mounts.
“Thanks for bringing them,” she said, looking up, her body partially turning like she was getting ready to walk away.
“I was going to stay and watch if that’s okay.”
“Sure. That’s fine. You can walk through the stable, or you can just hang out there on the railing. You’ll be able to see everything from there once we get the horses out and start riding.”
“All right. I wish I would have known or thought to ask what you are going to do with the horses. I probably couldn’t afford to buy all of them, but the kids seem pretty attached to them.”
“They do. And I actually sold them for much less than what they’re worth in order for them to be able to go to good homes. I… I appreciate your offer being more than the asking price, and it enabled me to be a little bit more choosy about the home for my horses.” She paused. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure. I understand that you’ve been giving my children counseling sessions without charging for them. I felt like it was the least I could do.”
“Your children are special. I felt especially bad for them because they had the double whammy of losing their mom and having you go and spend time with the business to keep it from going under.” She paused and then added softly, “I hope that doesn’t sound like I was prying.
It’s just comments that your sisters and mother have made while they’ve been here. ”
“No problem. That’s common knowledge, and I wouldn’t have thought that you were prying. I understand from them that you care a lot about the children, and I see a big difference in them. My family credits a lot of that to you.”
She gave a small smile, and nodded her head, but didn’t agree or disagree.
“They’ve done excellent. I’ve been very pleased with their progress.
They all had great attitudes, although the first few months this year, January and February, were a little bit tough.
Not only because we couldn’t always get out in the ring and ride, but because I know they were dealing with a lot, losing their mom and making all those adjustments. ”
“Yeah. It was a tough year for all of us, but the future looks bright, and I definitely fell in love with your property. It’s beautiful.”
“Yeah. I’ve been blessed, and I’m grateful that it’ll have children on it again. And children I love. I don’t say this very often, but of all of my clients, they’re my favorites.”
Maybe that explained why she had given them therapy for free.
Or maybe she was just generous with all of her clients that way.
If so, it was no wonder that she lost her farm.
He hated to think like that, since generosity shouldn’t be punished by the loss of one’s livelihood, but on the other hand, a person couldn’t have a business and not charge, or they would go out of business rather quickly, as he was pretty sure Summer could testify to.
“Do you have a place to stay?” he asked, and he wasn’t sure why the question came out of his mouth.
“Yeah. I got a room with a friend in Mistletoe Meadows. So I won’t be far away.”
“But if you’re getting rid of all of your horses, you won’t be giving therapy lessons anymore.
” He knew that. After all, they’d made a big deal about this being the last day for his kids for therapy.
So, most likely everyone she had been giving lessons to were having their last days for the last two weeks or so.
“No. I’m going to have to do something else.
Whether it’s going to be opening up a regular therapy practice or something along those lines, I don’t know.
I’ve always loved working with horses, and I’ve never lived anywhere but the farm, so it’s going to be a little bit of an adjustment for me, but you made it through this year and your big adjustment, so I’m sure I’m going to make it through the next year and my adjustments as well. ”
She put on a brave smile, and then she lifted a hand. “I need to go in with the kids. You’re welcome to hang around wherever you want. And if you’re up to it, we can get a horse out and you can have a horse of your own to work with. Although, we might not have you riding today.”
“I’ve never ridden before, so I’ll probably take a little bit of extra instruction before I’m able to get up on the back of a horse, so I think I’ll just watch from the side for today.” He almost said maybe next time he’d try riding, but then he remembered that there wasn’t going to be a next time.
She smiled, and he thought he saw sadness in her eyes, but her smile was genuine, and she seemed friendly and not bitter or angry at all.
Like she’d accepted the fact that God had taken something away from her, and she was just waiting for Him to show her what He was going to give her as a replacement.
Interesting, since Gilbert had never thought about God replacing his wife.
In fact, he hadn’t thought about getting married again at all.
He had to admit finding out that his wife had cheated, and then going through the cancer, the treatments, the bad news after bad news, and seeing his children heartbroken as they lost their mother, had left a mark on him.
He hadn’t been heartbroken as much as he’d been…devastated because of his kids, and concerned about his business, and alone as a single dad, rather unsure of what to do, since he’d never parented without his wife, obviously.
Regardless, he got through it, and she would too.