Lauraine Snelling (17 page)

Fear rode on Gil’s shoulders, digging in with strangling fingers.
All I want is to keep him safe
. But he’d seen and read of other parents keeping their children so safe they never had a chance to grow and become independent. That was difficult enough with normal children, let alone one who could not use his legs. Carly was the only one he knew he could ask for advice, and she was so firmly in Eddie’s camp, she might as well pitch her tent and stay there.

So, if Carly approved the horse and agreed to train him, why was he holding back?

Because I’m his father, that’s why. And there are too many ifs.

“I’ll call her when we get home and talk this out with her. But don’t go getting your hopes up. I did not agree to adopt him.” Even he could hear the
yet
that filled the car and caused Eddie’s face to burst into smiles.

The next day after dropping Eddie off for his first day of school, he picked Carly up and they made the trip to Los Lomas.

“Now if there is any doubt in your mind that this is not the horse for Eddie, you’ll tell me honestly, right?”

Carly stared at him, a slight smile revealing more than her eyes hidden behind dark glasses. “I would never put Eddie in danger, Gil. Even if we brought the horse home and trained him and I had the slightest qualm, I’d back off.”

Gil nodded. He’d trusted his son with her for nearly two years, this was taking that trust one step further. “Thank you.” Now if he could just get his stomach to agree with his mind.

“Annie of TRF will be here at eleven so we are only a few minutes early. Since this is not a sanctioned prison visit, we won’t be talking with the inmates today, although an inmate will be handling Breaking Free and the other horse for us to see,” Carly explained.

“But we can talk with Mr. James?”

“Yes, he said he’d meet with us.”

“You know Eddie is praying for this horse to be his.”

“I know.” She flashed him a quick grin. “And look at the house you have. Oh, that reminds me, is the barn finished yet?”

“Pretty much. They are putting up a round pen this afternoon. The wooden border fences are all in place.” When another car drove up, they exited Gil’s truck and greeted Annie as she got out of her car.

“Glad to see you back, Mr. Winters, and Carly, I’m thrilled you want another horse for your ranch. Mr. James says he has the perfect one for you.” As they talked they headed for the round pen where a rider was already working a bloodred bay.

“Is that Breaking Free?” Carly asked.

Annie nodded. “Beautiful, isn’t he?”

The three of them leaned against the fence and watched the team in action.

“She rides well.”

“Yes, Maggie had a history with horses when she was a teen. Normally our horses aren’t trained at this facility, but Mr. Brundage, the warden, is using Maggie and Breaking Free in some publicity for Los Lomas. Since this horse has been in the spotlight, he has had more adoption applications than usual.”

Gil kept his attention on the horse and rider. You’d think they’d worked together for years. All that power collected. Could his son handle such an animal? He knew he couldn’t, but then he wasn’t a rider. Again he could hear the
yet
loud and clear.

“It’s all about trust,” Carly said, breaking into his reverie.

“Yeah, well, I’m having a hard time with that.”

“You could look at other horses.” Annie smiled up at him. “We have a few and will have more soon.”

“Why couldn’t Eddie have fallen in love with a nice, gentle, small horse?”

“Big horse, big heart?” Carly turned to greet Mr. James. “Is there any chance that I can work with Breaking Free?”

“Yes, while the inmates are at lunch.” He faced Gil. “You do know that if a horse doesn’t work out, you can always bring him back?”

Gil nodded. Yeah right, and break a small boy’s heart?

“He’s a great horse,” Carly said on their way home. She’d worked both Breaking Free and the other horse on a lunge line and handled them in the stall since prison rules forbade anyone else from riding.

Gil looked at the adoption papers he’d picked up. “You think I should fill these out?”

“Yes.”

“I’d want him stabled at my house. Could you come there and train him?”

Carly blew out a breath. “I thought he’d be at Rescue Ranch so I could work with him in my spare time.”

“Like you ever have spare time.”

“That’s beside the point.” She worried her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’m going to have to think on this. I just don’t know how I can work in the extra trips. Besides, I’m needed at the ranch, as you know. Today was a special treat for me.”

“I understand.” He glanced over to see her frowning. He knew she was always on the go. “And the other thing, I will need someone to take care of the horse.”

“Both those issues would be solved if you stable him at my place.” She shot him a half smile. “Finding good help is never easy, as you well know.”

“But I would have to live at your place in order to care for the horse, and I don’t want to do that. And I can’t require Maria to do it either. Besides, if Eddie is to have a horse, he needs to be with his horse, doing what he can to care for him.” Until this moment, Gil hadn’t realized he’d already made some decisions.

Maggie loosed Breaking Free in his paddock and shut the gate before leaning on the fence. When he nuzzled her hand, she palmed the candy and watched him munch. Riding him was so much more than just a pleasure—the joy nearly overwhelmed her. She heard someone coming up behind her, but she ignored the presence and rubbed his ears until she sniffed herself back into control.

“He’s goin’ away and you won’t never see him again.” The voice reminded her of a hissing snake.

“Go away, DC.” Maggie nearly choked when the words came from her mouth. She’d just been thinking them, or so she thought. A hard shove to her shoulder corrected that error.

“You wait, Miss Prissy white girlie. You gonna pay for that. Pay real bad, and Kool Kat won’t be there to save you.”

Shuddering inside, Maggie counted to three, then six, then ten. She sucked in a deep breath and turned to face her tormentor. Evil had eyes. Breaking Free tossed his head and jigged in place, his snort warm on the back of Maggie’s neck. “Look, I’m tired of your games.”

“What you gonna do? Fight back? Lose your parole?”

“Why are you out here anyway? You don’t like the horses, nor those of us who do.”

“How do you know what I like?” She leaned closer, fists balled. “You want a taste of what I like the most?” A fist slammed into Maggie’s shoulder. Breaking Free shook his head, his whinny stopping DC from throwing another punch. Maggie staggered. Fight back! The scream in her head cocked her arm, clenched fist and teeth.

DC stared at the horse, who now had his ears pinned to his head. Taking a step back, she muttered, “Just wait till we get back to the yard.”

“DC, in my office. Now!”

The woman spun on a heel and pushed past Kool Kat, who was coming toward them.

Maggie looked over her shoulder. Never had she heard Mr. James speak like that, his voice sharper than any whip snap. Had he seen what went on? Would he put her on report too? That was the rule if two people were fighting. But she’d not been fighting, at least not physically. Her roiling stomach reminded her that throwing a punch wasn’t the only way to fight. Finally, she’d stood up for herself. And Breaking Free had backed her up.

Kool Kat stopped beside her. “Well if that ain’t a kick in the pants.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Might could be the end of DC here at Los Lomas. This time she done been caught.”

That evening Gil filled out the application form, Eddie popping wheelies to let off his excitement.

“Breaking Free is my horse, my horse, my horse.”

His soprano song finally got to his father.

“I’m just submitting the adoption application. Remember, you can’t go getting your hopes up.”

Eddie grinned at his dad and glanced around the room, all but shouting, I prayed for a house and look how God answered me.

Gil rolled his eyes and went back to the paperwork.

“The posts are in for the round pen.” Eddie spun his chair in place, Bonnie’s nails clicking on the tile as, ears flapping, she ran and skidded with him.

“I know.”

“I spread the shavings in Breaking Free’s stall. Maria pushed the wheelbarrow for me.”

Gil nodded. “Listen, son . . .”

“I know, Dad, but I’m just doing what you always say. Act as if . . .”

“I know what I say, thank you, and I’m grateful you’ve been listening.” He picked up the application and glanced at it again. “But . . .”

Eddie sat without moving, staring at his father. Finally he leaned forward. “Don’t worry, Dad, I won’t throw a fit if this doesn’t happen. We’ll look for another horse. You always say never never give up, and I won’t.”

“Oh, Eddie, that’s not what’s worrying me. You can throw ten fits if you want, you don’t have to be all grown up yet.”
After all, you’re only eleven years old
, he added silently.
You’ve had so much sadness and struggle already in your young life, and I don’t want to let more in
. As he got up from his desk and walked over to the fax machine, he ruffled his son’s hair. “Don’t you think it’s time to take Bonnie out for her potty break?”

Bonnie looked up from where she’d moved to the rug in front of the fireplace, out of the way of spinning wheels. Her thumping tail and raised ears showed she understood the suggestion as well as Eddie did.

As Eddie and dog headed for the arched doorway, he threw a comment over his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Dad, everything is going to turn out all right.”

Gil stared after his son. Shouldn’t he be the one saying that?

Two days later Gil and Carly were on their way north again, this time towing a horse trailer to pick up her new schooling horse—and to discuss Breaking Free.

“So, what have you decided about bringing him to Rescue Ranch, if you get to adopt Breaking Free?”

“I want to have him stabled in my barn where Eddie can spend as much time with the horse as possible.”

“I was afraid that would be your decision.”

Gil waited for her to continue. If she said she couldn’t make the time, on to plan B, whatever that was.

Carly blew out a sigh. “I’ll ask around, see if I can find someone to help you.”

“You’ll be an advisor?”

Her nod gave him a brief moment of security.

Annie, Mr. James, and Maggie were waiting for them at the prison stables.

“I just put in a call to Warden Brundage. He would like to talk with you,” Mr. James said after the greeting.

“I see.” Gil settled himself into waiting mode while Carly discussed the horse she was adopting with Annie. He watched Maggie try to stand still. He understood her jitters since his ear itched, his back twitched, and—he rammed his hands into his pockets and leaned against the right fender of his truck. “So, how’s Breaking Free doing?”

Maggie glanced up at him, as if shocked he’d spoken to her. “Ah, fine. I mean good.”

So much for that conversation. The warden’s car coming up the driveway caught all of their attention.
Would someone just tell me if there’s even a possibility that we get the horse or not?

After more greetings, they all strolled to the paddock where Breaking Free grazed as if he’d never heard of a racetrack. Gil drew his hand from his pocket to stop the jingling of the coins.

Warden Brundage turned to Gil with a smile lighting his mocha face. “Mr. Winters . . .”

“Please, call me Gil.”

“All right, Gil. I have a proposition for you, regarding Breaking Free.”

“Yes, sir.” Why did he feel like there was a two minute pause between each word?

“I believe you know that we’ve been using Breaking Free as a symbol of the good this program is doing here at Los Lomas. While your son’s name is not the only one on the applications for this horse, there is great media potential here if we handle it right.” When Gil started to say something, Brundage raised his hand. “Please, hear me out.” At Gil’s nod, he continued, “The horse is ready to be released and his groom and trainer, Maggie Roberts, has served much of her time and is being granted parole. What I propose is that you be allowed to adopt Breaking Free and that Maggie comes along to take care of the horse and continue his training to be a good mount for your son. In other words, to make this work for all of us.” He paused, his dark eyes focused on Gil’s face.

Gil hoped he wasn’t showing the shock he felt. Maggie come along with the horse. An ex-con working with his son.

“So, do I understand that you are saying if we want the horse, we have to take the trainer too?”

“I’d rather not put it in those terms.”

“May I say something here?” Annie took a step forward.

“Of course.” Brundage nodded to her. “I didn’t mean to take over this conversation.”

No, of course not
. Gil tried to corral his rampaging thoughts. A little inner sarcasm helped.

“We at TRF have the final say as to who will adopt this horse. Thanks to Maggie and what we have observed, we would love for Eddie to have Breaking Free. Our goal is always to fit horse and rider and let’s face it, this is an unusual situation. But with more training, we believe this will be a good fit, and if we can boost the reputation of Los Lomas at the same time, we feel this is a win-win situation.”

Are they all crazy? Recommending I take on a convict to coach my son? I’m out of here folks. This is just not acceptable
. But Eddie had his heart set on this horse. He said he could handle it, but . . . “I understand all that, but my concern is for my son.” Gil shook his head. “No, this is just impossible.”

“What is it you’re worried about?” Brundage asked. “Ms. Roberts has served her time and has an exemplary record with us here.”

“I don’t care what her record is among the inmates. I’m concerned about the moral values of someone around my son, my home.”

“I can vouch for the fact that Maggie Roberts is of the highest character. I would trust her with my son and daughter.” Mr. James stared into Gil’s eyes, never wavering.