Page 44 of Save A Horse
“Going back to the ranch or seeing your dad?”
“Um…”
“Both? I haven’t seen the ranch in seven years.” Seven years I had left this place and never looked back, and now here I was about to step foot on the same soil where my mom had died. That was hard to swallow.
“You didn’t see it when you came in for my mom’s funeral?”
I remembered that. It was a sad day, and it reminded me of being at my own mom’s funeral. My dad asked me to come by the ranch to eat and stay the night, so I didn’t have to make a trip right back to the city, but I didn’t take him up on that offer. I could tell he really wanted me to stay and that it would mean a lot to him if I did, but I wasn’t ready.
“No. We ate after, and that was it. He offered for me to stay the night there, so I didn’t have to drive back to the city, but I turned him down.”
“Oh. If you don’t want to go…I mean, if it will be too hard for you…If you’re not ready yet, you can fake getting sick, and I’ll take you back, and you can go to bed and rest instead. I can handle helping your dad.”
Colt’s offer was generous. He was a kind person. He always had been. But I couldn’t do that to him or my dad. I needed to bury my fears and go do the job Walt told me to do. I needed to face my dad.
“I’ll be okay. I need to do this.” I nodded, and Colt placed his right hand on my inner thigh. I loved the way his hands felt against me. I looked down at his hand, smiling slightly, and placed my hand on his. I knew Colt had my back.
“Daisy, you don’t have to hide it from me.” I smiled. “Are you sure you’re okay?” I nodded, and we got out of the truck.
It hadn’t yet registered with me that not only would I have to confront my dad after that last encounter we had and keep my relationship with Colt a secret, but I would also be back at the family ranch after seven years.
I hadn’t seen the place since the day I left.
I felt panicky inside, rubbing my hands on my jeans to wipe away some of the sweat from them. I was shaking a little, trying my best to hide my feelings from Colt, who was sitting in the driver’s seat beside me.
“Colt?” My dad spotted him as soon as he got out of the truck. I was coming up slowly behind.
“Hey, John. How’s it going?”
“Could be better. I just need a little help with the cattle.” That’s when my dad saw me.
“Hey, dad.”
“Hey. Walt sent you both over to help?”
“Yes. He did.” I replied, feeling my palms sweat.
“What’s he got going on today?”
“He’s fixing a piece of fence. He wanted to stay and work on that.” My dad nodded at my words.
“Yep. That’s Walt, alright. That fence is like a baby to him. He’s always taking care of it.”
“You’ve got that right.” I was glad Colt had stepped up to talk for a moment. I wiped my hands down my jeans, trying to wipe away some of the moisture from them.
“Well, let’s get to it then.” We followed behind him. Colt looked at me and mouthed the words,you okay?I nodded. We made our way over to the cattle in the corral. “I put the sick ones in here. They need some meds, but without anyone here, it’s hard for me to hold them still and give them the shot of Cattle Master.”
“Well, we’re to help. Tell us what you need.” Colt continued the conversation with my dad, and I was thankful for him.
“Can you try to hold them still while I inject them?” Colt nodded, and I wondered if my dad was only talking to him or meas well.
“Daisy, when I get them injected, can you help move them? That way, they don’t get in the way or get injected twice?”
“Yes.” I hated being short with him, but this wasn’t the right time for me to talk to him about what had been weighing on me.
One by one, my dad and Colt gave the cattle the medicine while I wrangled them into the chute. Giving the cattle shots was a task that required both care and precision, and watching my dad expertly handle the syringes brought me back to my childhood. His hands were steady and confident, as I always remember so vividly. It reminded me of all the times I would spend right alongside him, helping him with any task so that I could learn all the ropes of ranch life. I knew we didn’t have a big ranch like Walt's, but although our ranch was smaller, it was always peaceful and quaint, and not once did I mind that.
Every now and then, my dad would glance over at me, and I could see a little sparkle in his eyes. I wasn’t sure what that meant. I wondered if me being here made him happy or if he knew we needed to have a conversation, too, and he is dreading it as much as I am?
