Page 29 of Unbroken

“It smells amazing, Mom, but how many people are you cooking for?”

She had a spoon in her hand, blowing at the hot broth before tasting it. “Well, there’s the three of us, plus George and Maureen next door have been feeling poorly, and I plan to freeze a lot of it, so I won’t have to make it again for a while. Did you get the almond crackers or the regular saltines?”

“Both. Some of Dad’s helpers were in Hastings while I was shopping and they looked like they had the same thing Patrick does. I guess now I know where he got it.” Patrick spent very little time with his grandfather, but if my old man was sick, he definitely could have passed it on. Samuel Carter was a devoted believer in shaking anyoneand everyone’s hands, often quoting Proverbs: The rich and the poor shake hands as equals, or something like that. I’d gone looking for it at one point, but could never find the actual quote. Suffice to say, whenever anyone in his church became ill with a cold or the flu, Samuel Carter was sure to get it too since he still insisted on shaking their hands.

I let Patrick sleep and I used my phone to look at some of the drone footage that Zoe had gotten back when she was building up the ranch’s website. This particular footage showed the mountain trails that danced between Lost Valley’s property line and the Colorado State Park. We’d been toying with the idea of creating add-on packages for the regular trail rides. Mostly dreaming about ways to bring in more customers. Josh had already been approached by the local troop leaders about setting up some badge days where the kids could earn the Horsemanship Merit Badge for the Boy Scouts and the Equestrian Activity Badge for the Girl Scouts. I remembered completing the merit badge when I was a Boy Scout and I liked the idea of helping kids complete badges. We’d also had requests for overnight trips, which was why I was looking at the trail routes. I wasn’t entirely sure how I’d manage any overnights while taking care of Patrick, unless I brought him with me. Though come to think of it, he’d probably love the chance to ride horses and camp.

When Patrick roused around two, he was looking a lot better. Also, he was hungry, which was a relief. I couldn’t stand it when he was sick. He always looked so small and miserable and it would break my heart that I didn’t have some sort of an easy button I could tap to help him feel better faster. But now, he looked like he was on the mend, and all he needed was a big bowl of grandma’s special soup. After we finished, I helped my mom clean up and she packaged up a portion of the soup for us to bring with us.

As I drove us home, I was hit with the very real reminder that when—not if—I found another job and we moved, I would no longer be ableto rely on my mother for help with Patrick. While she would be available by phone and video chat, if Patrick got sick and had to stay home from school or if I got held up at work, she wouldn’t be there to help. As much as I prided myself on being a single parent and raising a great kid, I’ve never been truly on my own before. A part of me wondered if I could do it or would I end up returning to this damn town in defeat with yet another reason for everyone to look at me like I was a failure.

NINETEEN

FIONA

“Idon’t want to cancel. I don’t care if there’s rain in the forecast,” the sturdy gray-haired man said, stomping his foot in the dirt for emphasis. The nearby horses made worried noises. “I waited thirty years for this Colorado trip, and I’m not about to miss any part of it!”

I shot a triumphant look at Eli as he scrolled through the weather app on his phone.

“Well, Mr. Loman—” Eli started.

“Call me David,” he interrupted.

“David,” Eli continued, “I’m concerned about your safety. You and your friends are all first-time riders and getting caught out in inclement weather could be very risky.”

“Eli, there’s only a twenty percent chance of rain,” I said, trying not to sound annoyed in front of the guests. “A storm is definitely going to hit somewhere, but everyone’s predicting for it to end up west of us.”

I could feel my blood pressure rising as Eli hemmed and hawed about the weather while the group shot hopeful looks at the horses. Josh hadmentioned that we were on track to have our best month ever and canceling the trail ride with the group of energetic seniors would make us miss the milestone. This was Eli playing it safe and being hyper-cautious as always, and I needed to convince him otherwise.

Eli looked at the group of six riders, and I could see him assessing the fitness of each one. It was a group of three couples, all newly retired and ready to party. Sure, they were all beginners, but they seemed spry and enthusiastic. They’d be fine.

“I don’t know.” He sighed, looking at his phone again.

“Listen,” David said. “We all signed that twenty-page release form, so if anything happens to us old codgers, you won’t be held responsible.”

“Yeah,honey,” I said in a saccharine tone. “They really want to go.”

“Butsweetheart,” Eli responded, staring into my eyes in a way that made it clear the argument was pissing him off, “the law might not care, but I do.”

“Ooh.” David’s wife, Paula, laughed, clapping her hands. “Lover’s spat! This is going to be fun.”

“Let’s vote,” David said, and the other members of his group moved closer.

I pegged him as a former manager, used to getting what he wanted.

“Excellent idea,” I said. “All in favor of going for the ride, raise your hands.”

Every member of the group raised their hands, and I put mine up slowly, barely holding back a shit-eating grin.

I could see Eli biting the inside of his cheek, something he always used to do when he was trying to stay even-keeled.

“Fine.” He sighed. “Y’all win. We’ll go. But we’re turning back at the first raindrop!”

A cheer rose up from the group and they all moved to their assigned horses, ready for their pre-ride lesson.

“Thanks, honey,” I said, gently kicking Eli in the rear as he walked away.

“Humph,” he growled at me over his shoulder. “I hope you don’t make me regret this.” He clapped his hands twice. “All right, let’s mount up.”

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