Page 18 of Save A Horse
“Yes, sir.”
I was happy about the distraction. Somehow, Walt was always right on time, and I appreciated it. We drove to the field, Hank sitting in the back and wagging his tail. I rubbed his head, him clearly enjoying himself.
I walked over to the bed of the truck where Walt wastossing bales of hay onto the ground. Hank was running, barking excitedly at the sight of the cows in the distance. The thudding of the hay hitting the ground was oddly soothing. For the first time since I’ve been here, I was thankful that there was so much work to be done.
“Come on, Daisy! Grab a bale!” I did as Walt instructed, making sure to drop the bales where he wanted me to. It felt good to be out here and away from everything. It was good to be away from Colt right now.
I reached for another bale, feeling its roughness. I let out a grunt with the weight of the bale pressed against my chest as I walked it to the fence where some of the cows were now coming closer. I tossed the hay down, letting the animals come even closer to the food. For a moment, I forgot about everything.
“Look at them go!” I turned to Walt, seeing a slight smile on his face.
I wondered how many times he has smiled since Ivy passed. After losing my mom, I could only imagine what it would feel like losing your absolute best friend. That must have been so hard on Walt. I knew it was hard on my dad, especially with how sudden it was. I couldn’t help but smile, though, loving the fact that I could see Walt like this. Maybe he needed this as much as I did.
“Thanks for this.” I glanced at Walt. “I needed a break.”
“Hey now. This is still work.” He slightly smiled at me, and I gave him one back. In that moment, I felt a little lighter, and I saw Walt in a different light.
We stood by the fence for a while longer, watching the cows munch on the hay, enjoying every bite. I smiled as I watched them, their movements bringing me a bit of calmness. I thought of how I used to do this with my dad. I always enjoyed those times, and sometimes, I wish I could have them back.
“I used to do this with my dad.”
“I remember." He paused for a moment. "He’s a good man.”
“Yeah. He is.”
“It’s not hard to be a little jealous, is it?”
“Hm?”
“They get to take it easy and just enjoy life.”
“Yeah, they do.”
“That must be nice.”
“Walt, can I ask you something?” He turned to look at me. “Do you ever think about retiring?”
“Does your dad ever think about it?”
“I wouldn’t know what he thinks about.” I hadn't had a good, heart to heart conversation with my dad in a long time.
“You haven’t spoken to him in a while.” It was a statement rather than a question. “He is proud of you, you know. He just wants you to be happy.” I was unsure what to say to him. “But to answer your question, I do think about it sometimes. Honestly, though, I would still want to stay here...maybe live in the cabin at the far end of the ranch. I’d still do work around here, but…I think Colt could handle the responsibility of taking on this place.” I nodded, still unsure what to say to him. “Do you think so?”
“I don’t know if I’m the best person to ask about this.”
“You two were friends growing up. I know you didn’t come around as often after…you know…but almost sixteen years of a friendship like the two of you had has to count for something. You don’t spend that much time with someone and not learn things.”
“He’d take this on. This is where he’s meant to be.”
“Well, we should head back to the house before it gets any later. I don’t know about you, but I’m about to starve out. What do you say we go to the house and grab a sandwich? You have tokeep up your appetite for everything else we have to accomplish today.”
“Good thinking.”
We got back in the truck, Hank taking his place in the back seat. He was so well-trained. We didn’t talk on the way back, so it gave me time to think about what Walt said. ‘Almost sixteen years of friendship like the two of you had has to count for something. You don’t spend that much time with someone and not learn things.’ I knew Colt. Even after this time, I was sure I still knew him. You don’t just get up one day and change everything about yourself.
Being back here, I have slowly seen that same boy I wanted to spend every minute with come out and open up to me again. It was like our friendship was a flower needing water, and it was starting to bloom again. But what was I going to say to Colt? I honestly had no idea. Maybe all I needed to do was give him time to explain. I still couldn’t believe Walt asked him to promise him something like that, and I couldn’t believe that Colt had agreed. I wasn’t sure how I’d react to any sort of explanation from Colt, but if he offered one, I would at least listen.
Forgiveness would be hard, no matter what his reasoning might be.
