Lois Richer - Rocky Mountain Daddy

As usual, her hair covered the left side of her face to fall over the scar and tuck under her jaw. For a minute he wondered about that scar and how it had gotten there. Then her glossy dark hair recaptured his attention. On the other side of her face it entwined behind her ear revealing silver-hooped earrings, a perfect complement to the two thin silver chains around her slim neck. Her rust-brown boots looked like they’d be comfortable in whatever terrain they happened upon.

“Do you want milk to drink?” she asked Eli.

“Pop.” Eli didn’t seem to be requesting.

Olivia glanced at Gabe. He nodded at the server and waited until Olivia ordered coffee, then requested a cup for himself.

“And a large plate of fries, please,” he added.

“You’re hungry already?” Olivia’s eyes stretched wide. She checked the slim silver watch on her wrist. “Lunch was only an hour ago.”

“Didn’t get any lunch. One of the riders decided he didn’t want his lesson to end.” Gabe smirked. “But Betsey didn’t like it when the kid dug his heels into her side and wouldn’t get off. She decided his ride was over.”

“What happened?” Eli blinked as if he’d surprised himself with the question.

“Betsey, uh, let him down.” Gabe winked at Eli.

“She bucked him off?” Eli’s eyes grew huge.

Gabe was about to launch into a full-fledged tale of the event when Olivia cleared her throat. He glanced at her. She shook her head, just once.

“The trail riding horses at the Double M don’t buck off their riders. Do they?” she asked Gabe pointedly.

“Uh, no. They’re way better trained than that.” Gabe smiled at the boy. “Betsey just moved against the rails and rubbed so he had to let go and slide off. But he pretended he was hurt so we had to get him checked out. That was my lunch hour.”

“Oh.” Eli frowned as he considered that.

“Would you like to learn to ride, Eli?” Olivia smiled as their server brought their drinks and a huge plate of golden fries.

“Uh-uh. Horses are huge .” Eli helped himself to a fry after Gabe nudged the plate toward him. “How old were you?” he asked his father.

“When I first rode a horse?” It was the first time his son had addressed him directly. Gabe tried to conceal his pleasure and treat the question matter-of-factly. “I was raised on a ranch, Eli. My dad told me he first put me on a horse when I was two. But I don’t remember that,” he added lest the boy feel intimated.

This fatherhood thing was treacherous. A guy had to be so careful not to say the wrong thing. What should he say next? While he thought it over, Gabe squirted ketchup on the edge of the plate and dipped his fries into it, hoping his stomach would stop that embarrassing growling. He hid his smile when Eli copied his actions by dipping into the ketchup, too.

“Not everyone rides the full-size horses, Eli. There are miniature horses at the Double M, just your size,” Gabe explained. “Francie and Franklyn like to ride them.”

Eli thought that over as he ate more fries.

“What kind of things would you like in the house you live in, Eli?” Olivia’s question startled Gabe, but then he figured it was probably one he should have asked himself. Maybe the kid had preferences.

“Windows.” Eli popped another fry into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “So I can see to draw.”

“You like to draw.” Olivia nodded. “I see. What else would you like?”

“Grass. Mine.” Eli fell silent for a moment. The sad look he gave Olivia tore at Gabe’s heart. “Not just a park.”

“It’s not the same, is it? I lived in an apartment in Ottawa and I loved the park, but having your own yard is way better. Did your aunt have a yard?” she asked nonchalantly.

Not nonchalantly enough, Gabe figured, watching Eli’s face close like a clamshell.

“No.” Eli said nothing else.

And here I’ve lived my life surrounded by grass. I could have... Inside Gabe the nugget of bitterness toward Eve hardened.

“Too bad.” Olivia sipped her coffee. “What other things would you like, Eli?”

“Nobody beside us?” Eli peeked sideways at her, as if he doubted this could be accomplished.

“You mean no neighbors?” When he nodded, she added, “You don’t like neighbors?”

“Yelling.”

Was it fear that made the kid’s eyes so huge? Gabe wondered.

“I don’t like yelling, either. What about a pet? A cat maybe?” Olivia ignored Gabe’s vigorously shaking head.

What was the woman doing? A house, a kid and pets? Gabe cleared his throat, but she ignored him.

“No cat,” Eli said firmly.

“Okay. A dog? A horse?” she added, even though Gabe shook his head.

“A canary. I like canaries.” Eli licked the ketchup off his fingers, then dug in his pocket. “Like this.” His small fingers spread out a sheet of paper on the table to reveal a carefully drawn canary with even the tiny claws sketched out.

“Eli, this is beautiful.” Olivia leaned nearer to study the delicate strokes. “Did you used to have a canary?”

“Aunt Kathy did. It died.” The words sounded ominous.

“It’s a very good drawing,” Gabe said quietly. “So you like to draw birds?”

“Uh-huh.” Suddenly Eli came alive. “In the house?” he said in a rushed tone.

The house, not my house or our house, Gabe noted. “Yes?”

“Could I get one of those seats in front of a window to sit and look out? An’ maybe a tree?” he added wistfully. “Then when birds come an’ sit in the tree, I could draw ’em. I really like drawing birds.”

“We’ll put that on the list.” Gabe pulled out a small notebook he kept tucked in his shirt pocket. He opened it to a fresh page and dutifully noted window seat, canary and tree . “They’re such small things to want,” he said softly to Olivia, who was watching him.

“And such important things,” she agreed with a funny smile that half mocked, half shared. Then she said briskly, “That was great coffee. Ready to start looking again, Eli?”

“’Kay.” He drank the rest of his soda, ate one more ketchup-laden fry, wiped his fingers carefully on a napkin and then slid out of the booth.

After a rest stop they were back in the truck. Gabe felt a little better about this search now that Eli finally seemed interested, but everything they saw was too small or too dirty or out of his price range.

“I’m sorry,” Olivia said as she watched Eli climb back into the truck. “I guess Chokecherry Hollow is such a small town that there aren’t many rentals. I should have realized that. Just for curiosity sake, let’s drive past the Realtor’s office and see what’s in the For Sale window.”

“Sure.” Gabe had already checked the advertisements in the huge picture windows last night, but he pulled up to the curb anyway.

“Maybe we’ll see something here that will suit,” Olivia murmured.

Gabe doubted that. Most all the ads were for massive spreads with fancy homes and lots of cattle, starting well above seven figures. Way beyond his means. But he would look with her because he knew Olivia well enough now to know she’d insist they leave no stone unturned in their search. Since Eli had fallen asleep, Olivia eased free of him, stepped out of the truck and quietly closed her door. Gabe did the same. They met in front of the windows.

“I had no clue ranch land sold for this much,” Olivia gasped after scanning the display, obviously taken aback by the prices.

“They’re big spreads. I wouldn’t be able to work at the Double M and manage so much land or cattle,” Gabe told her.

“You don’t want to raise your own herd?” She looked at him with those big silver-gray eyes, as if trying to fathom why he would settle for less than his own animals.