Chapter 15 #2
“Gina, not that it’s any of your business, but yes with her. Now can you please excuse us? We’re trying to have fun with our son,” I said as politely as I could and turned my back to her ending our conversation.
I heard her huff as her and the friend she was with stalked off somewhere, hopefully on the other side of the ranch far away from me.
“Sorry about that,” I said to Carolina. I didn’t explain anything, I didn’t see the need, especially since that was an adult conversation not suitable for Luke’s ears.
“You have nothing to apologize for,” she replied, not looking at me, her tone neutral, and I couldn’t gauge if she meant it or not.
“But,” I started, and she turned to face me.
“It’s fine, Leo. If you want, we can talk about it later. If not, that’s fine too. It’s not my business. Let’s just show Luke a good time today,” she said without looking me fully in the eye, before she turned back around.
The tractor pulled up where the line of people waited. I took Luke off my shoulders and put him down beside me, taking his hand in my own.
“Make sure you hold my hand, okay,” I told him as he jumped up and down. Carolina let out a sigh of relief, and her shoulders relaxed a bit.
“Okay, Dad,” Luke replied.
Once everyone was off the ride, we waited our turn before we climbed up and sat down on the hay bail.
Luke sat in my lap, and I wrapped my arms around his stomach to get a good grip on him.
I knew that Michael, the ranch hand who drove the tractor, would drive us around safely, but it made me feel better to have a tight grip on Luke just in case.
Carolina sat beside me, her bare thigh resting against the side of my leg. The touch of her skin set mine ablaze, and I tensed at the spark that ignited deep within my belly at the feeling of her skin against mine.
“You ready?” I said to Luke as I peered around his shoulder and tickled his stomach.
“Oh yeah. This is gonna be so much fun,” Luke said as he looked to the front just as the tractor started to move.
Carolina's body was tense as she stared off to the woods that were in front of us. Every so often, the tractor would hit a bump, and her body would brush against mine. Each time it happened, I looked over at her and her chest stopped rising for a bit before she started breathing again.
We rounded the bend to head back to the field, and Luke groaned, not wanting the ride to end. I loved how much he loved the land that I grew up on. I couldn’t wait to take him on trail rides with him sitting right in front of me as we rode Bullseye around the property.
“Don’t be upset, bud. We can ride the tractor anytime. Don’t forget we’re goin’ to the bounce house next,” I said to cheer him up.
“That’s right. I almost forgot,” he said as he went to stand, but I pulled him back to me to keep him from possibly falling over the edge.
Just as he settled into me, the tractor came to a stop where it’d picked us up. Carolina stood and waited for the person beside us to walk and go down the grate of the back of the trailer. I picked Luke up and put him back on my shoulders, and we followed Carolina to get off the trailer.
“Bounce,” Luke screamed as he pointed in that direction.
I put him down after we got to the one he wanted to go on, and I pulled off the tickets as we waited in line.
Carolina looked nervous, and she gripped the silver chain dangling around her neck.
The end of the necklace disappeared into her shirt.
I thought she’d pull it out and grip the end, but she didn’t, which led me to believe there was possibly something at the end of the necklace she didn’t want anyone to see.
Luke took his shoes off as we got to the front of the line and handed them over to Carolina. She removed her hold on the necklace and held each of his shoes in one hand.
“Be good, buddy,” she said with a shaky voice.
“I will, Mom,” Luke said as he ran over to the bounce house and climbed inside.
“He’s goin’ to be fine,” I assured her. She nodded without ever taking her eyes off Luke. She watched every move he made. Her body was completely tense without him by her side.
“Did somethin’ happen as to why you’re so nervous?” I asked, scared to know the answer, but needing to because if something happened to him before coming here I needed to know.
“What do you mean?” she asked, her body coiled tighter as she wrapped her arms around her middle. She did that years ago too when she tried to hide something.
“You can’t take your eyes off him. Like your scared someone is goin’ to take him,” I explained.
I held my breath until she gave her answer.
“Nothing happened. It’s just a fear of mine,” she responded, and I wanted her to elaborate, but with how nervous she seemed I didn’t want to push the issue.
I hadn’t known I was a parent for long, but her fear seemed rational. But I knew this ranch was safe. No one would harm him here.
“Did you see the back flip I did, Dad?” Luke yelled as he ran over to us.
“I did, buddy. Great job,” I told him as I ruffled his hair.
“You want to go over to the barn and see Bullseye?” I suggested. I wanted them to have a good day here, and Carolina had seemed frightened since they’d arrived.
“We don’t have to leave,” she whispered as she turned toward me.
“It’s okay, Mom. Let’s go see Bullseye. Can I feed him a carrot?” Luke asked as he jumped up and down, as excitement exuded off him.
“Let’s head that way then. But, buddy, don’t run too far in front of us, okay?
There could be snakes you don’t see,” I warned as we set off in the direction of the main property.
Carolina may have said it was okay to stay, but the way her shoulders relaxed as we walked away from the crowd, I knew I’d been right to suggest leaving.
“What other animals do you have at the ranch?” Luke asked as he ran slightly ahead of us.
“We have miniature cows, chickens, a few ducks, and horses,” I told him proudly.
“Can I come here with you one day so we can see them all?” Luke stopped and turned around to ask. His little face looked up at me, and his eyes held so much hope as he waited for me to answer.
“Absolutely,” I said as I walked up to him and picked him up and spun him around. His laughter echoed in the air as I spun him one last time and put him back down, his steps faltered for a bit from dizziness, and I held onto his shoulders until he was okay to walk on his own.
I looked over at Carolina who smiled, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes. I wanted to ask why, but I didn’t feel like I had a right to know the reason.
We made it over to the white picket fence, and Luke got down on his knees and crawled underneath. Carolina and I climbed over and followed behind him.
The barn came into view, and Luke ran toward it. When he got to the door, he tried to pull it open, but his little arms weren’t strong enough and he let out a huff of frustration before he turned around and put his arms across his chest.
“It’s okay. You’ll be able to open it in no time,” I told him as I walked up and pulled the door open, just enough for us to enter. Luke walked inside, and I waited for Carolina to walk in before I followed, making sure to close the door behind us.
Luke skipped over to Bullseye’s stall, and the horse popped his head over the railing to greet us.
“Hey there, big fella,” I said as I ran my hand down the side of his head.
“Can I feed him a carrot?” Luke asked as he stood in front of the stall.
“You sure can,” I said as I walked over to where we kept the washed fresh produce we gave as an occasional treat.
I walked back over to the stall and Bullseye let out a sigh as he nodded in excitement. He loved carrots and apples, both of which I had in my hand that had been washed and cut up to avoid choking.
“Do you remember how I told you to hold it?” I asked as I handed over a few pieces of carrot and apple to Luke.
“I hold out my hand like this so he doesn’t nip me,” Luke said as he held out the food. Bullseye leaned over to try and take it, but Luke’s hand was just out of reach.
“That’s right,” I said as I lifted him so he could feed the horse.
Bullseye graciously took the food from Luke’s hand, causing him to chuckle.
“His hair tickles,” he said with a laugh, and I swear hearing his happiness healed part of my soul.
I looked back at Carolina, who smiled brightly, a smile that met her eyes this time as she watched Luke.
“You wanna feed him this last bite and go someplace special with me?” Luke turned to face me, and his widened smile was all the answer I needed.
He held out his hand and giggled as Bullseye ate the pieces of carrot and apples from his palm.
“Night, boy,” I told my horse with a rub of my hand over his nose.
“Where are we going, Dad?” Luke asked as I closed the barn door.
“You’ll see,” I said as we walked away from the barn.
I looked over to Carolina, who seemed completely relaxed as she walked beside Luke, who was between us.
His little hand grabbed onto mine, my heart close to bursting at the happiness I felt.
I looked down at him just as he linked his other hand into his mother’s.
The moment not lost on me that the future I’d envisioned all those years ago now played out right beside me, only Carolina wasn’t mine.
Luke let out a giggle and broke me out of my thoughts.
“What’s so funny?” I asked him as he giggled again.