Chapter 13
Several days later, Molly had an email from Kitty.
Dear Molly,
Please accept my condolences on the passing of Jo. The barrel racing association circulated the obituary from the Omak newspaper to the membership. The photo of the two of you together is beautiful. I’m so sorry for your loss, but know you have many memories to sustain you.
Thanks for the update on Bart. I’m still planning to come for the Stampede in August, so will look forward to seeing him. I’ve reserved some cabins and an RV site in anticipation that this will be a family event. That’s a work in progress. I’ll keep you posted.
Well, good luck with Shadow and the new pups. We’ll want photos, of course. I’m sure Bart told you that Bear was once my pup, so I feel like Bear and his offspring are members of our family too.
I don’t know what your plans are for replacing Jo.
I assume you’ll let some time pass, but I can’t imagine a barrel racer lasting long without a horse.
If you’d like for me to help look around, let me know what you’re thinking.
I’m in my last year competing professionally, so am still out and about.
I don’t know what to tell you about Bart’s relationship with the family. There is no estrangement. We love Bart and he loves his family. All I can say is the Bart who came home from Afghanistan is not the Bart we sent into the Army. And something definitely snapped after Megan’s accident.
Right now, the family considers you to be the best thing that’s happened to Bart since he returned. The smile on his face in both photos is the Bart we know and love, and haven’t experienced for a long time. So whatever you’re doing, please keep it up, and keep the photos coming.
Again, my condolences for Jo.
Warmly,
Kitty
Molly didn’t know what to make of Kitty’s comments about Bart’s relationship with his family. Molly’s best guess was that after Megan’s tragic accident, Bart hit overload, bailed, and disappeared into the wild. And his family continues to await his return.
The idea of Molly as a savior?
Well, good luck with that.
A week after Jo’s passing, Molly found Silas at the corral on her morning walk around. She still went to the stables first thing every morning but avoided Jo’s vacant stall. This morning, they were looking at horses in the corral.
After the usual exchange of pleasantries, Silas asked, “Can I put you in the rotation?”
The stables owned horses and mules that were rented to outfitter expeditions for backcountry trips, but it also boarded privately-owned horses.
Silas had a sliding rate depending on what services the owner wanted.
The highest rate, $1,000 a month, was for horses the owners wanted exercised daily.
Most boarded horses were put out to pasture by day and got a bucket of grain in their stall at night.
The stable workers kept the stalls clean and the horses well groomed.
But the exercise horses got a one-hour daily workout according to the owner’s wishes.
Silas, Willy, and Buck were experienced horsemen and rotated the exercise assignments.
“Sure. You just trying to humor me?”
“You’re the best horsewoman in the valley. Seems a shame to not take advantage of you. And, it will free up Willy and Buck to get livestock ready for expeditions just as we’re getting into the busy season.”
“You do know, of course, that those are fighting words--saying I’m the best horse woman in the valley.”
Silas chuckled. “Yes, Molly, I know you can outride any man in the valley.”
“That’s better.”
No self-respecting barrel racer would ever acknowledge that a man could ride better.
“Are you thinking late afternoon when I’d normally ride with Jo?”
“That works. I post a schedule on the door in my office. There’s a notebook on my desk with a page of exercise instructions for each horse.”
“How many do you have now?”
“Four that need daily workouts. If we each take one and rotate them, they’ll get the experience of multiple riders. I think you’ll like it. These are some of the best horses in the valley, and they need a work out.”
“Do you need me today?”
“Today would be great if you can help.”
“Okay. See you at four.”
Jo walked away from the stables with a little bounce in her step.
Okay, then. She was going to ride this afternoon.
Really ride. Just like the old days with Jo.
She’d ridden pretty much every day of her life since she was six, and she didn’t have a horse any more.
The last few years riding Jo had been pretty sedentary events.
The exercise horses were athletic animals in their prime, most getting trained for some event or another. Molly looked forward to the rotation.
She chuckled, knowing Silas had a mixed agenda. Yeah, he wanted to lighten the workload for Willie and Buck, but he was also helping her to move on from Jo.
Her office was still full of flowers that had been delivered for Jo, some of which were getting tired.
She went through the bouquets, pulling the old, and refreshing the others.
It was nice being surrounded by flowers.
The aftermath of Jo’s passing had been positive.
Being surrounded by friends at the cabin that afternoon, the day had had a nice feel to it.
Good friends, western music, casual conversation, but, under it all, condolences and support for Molly.
She’d wished Bart could have been there.
And flowers, emails, and cards continued arriving for a week after. She got many notes from former riders on the rodeo circuit who’d seen Jo’s obituary. It felt good to know friends were out there who understood her loss.
Everyone was offering to be a resource for finding a replacement.
Her loyalty to Jo was such that she wasn’t interested right now.
But Silas’ request to exercise horses was perfect.
She could ride every day. If Jo was looking down, that’s exactly what she’d want Molly to be doing.
Anticipating a serious ride at the end of the day felt good.
She thought about Bart every day. No, she thought about Bart pretty much every hour.
She was glad she had a visual image of his cabin and life.
It might not look like that at all. But it was the image that had settled in her mind, and it was now fixed.
It was in a secret location, but it didn’t feel so secret any more.
He’d told her quite a bit about it, just not where it was, yet.
The secret business was more unsettling.
She didn’t like secrets. What did he have going on that he didn’t want to talk about?
He hadn’t said it was an internet business, but he needed the internet to check on it.
Was he selling something? That’s how you made money.
You sold stuff. What could he be selling?
Molly was resolved. She would find out on his next visit. Secrets were no good. If they were going to have a relationship, there’d be no secrets. As for his hideaway, well, she was going to find out about that, too.
She stopped to check on Red and his progress on the outdoor area at the diner.
She’d seen it when she did her morning visit with Evelyn, but Red’s crew had not been on site, and she wanted to talk with him.
Red and two workers were setting forms for a concrete pour scheduled for later that morning.
Concrete pours were exciting. Dirt was instantly converted to clean, fresh, tidy surfaces.
Red was leaning on a shovel when Molly walked up. “How’s it going?”
Red was a little older than Molly, but they’d grown up together because Molly rode with Misty, his younger sister, and because their fathers had been best friends.
The families had barbeques and trail rides.
Molly would hang with Misty, but Red was always around.
They were comfortable with each other. Most importantly, Molly trusted Red.
He was a hard worker, meticulous, and wasn’t going to stop until the project was right.
And he took pride in Summer’s End. Most of the buildings had been built by his father.
“I think you’re really going to like this.
People want to eat outside with a view of the lake and mountains, and views don’t get better than this.
” Red gestured toward the Canadian Rockies.
“The twin fire pits are going to keep people longer into the evening. That means they’re drinking more, having more fun, telling their friends, and returning.
And that means you’re making more money. ”
“I like the way you think.”
“The landscaping is going to be really nice. When you said you wanted a wild, natural outdoor look, I decided to sub a new landscaping firm, two young women just getting started who really like that look. I’ve seen what they’re doing.
We’ll bring in boulders, plant bunches of wild grass, position some driftwood, and make winding paths to the lake.
But it’s the oversized river rock fire pits that people will like.
And we could add some torches. I think it’s going to be what you’re looking for. ”
“Sounds great. I do think people are going to like it out here. I can’t believe we haven’t taken better advantage of this view all these years.”
“You should think about a wood-fired pizza oven with some micro brews. Omak Okanogan is changing. You can still have steak and potatoes. But gourmet burgers, honking big burritos, pizza, and nacho platters are where the action is. Western music, cowgirl servers with hats and western boots; it’s a rodeo party.
Live fires. The lake and mountains. I can just see it out here. ”
Molly could see it too. Her clientele was changing, and her businesses needed to change with the times.
“Maybe you could mention that to Evelyn. Sometimes she has to get used to a new idea, and she’d prefer it didn’t come from me. Oh yeah, talk to Betsy about it too. Evelyn listens to Betsy.”
“Got it. I’ll work it with Betsy.”