After watching his sister sleepwalk through a breakfast during which she ate about three bites, Sam decided a distraction was in order. He invited Beth to join him on a couple of errands before he stopped by his brother’s and Maggie’s. He had promised them he would come over and throw ideas around for the building plans. They were constructing a riding camp for handicapped children. It was Maggie’s dream, and Ben Senior had insisted on bankrolling the project and had given it to Maggie and Ben as a wedding present. Sam had already drawn the designs and blueprints, but they wanted to tweak things a bit before the local crew got started.
After much begging and cajoling, Rose convinced her brother to take an early morning ride. They saddled their parents’ horses, which were seldom ridden except by the help, who kept them exercised. Rose loved Whimsy, her mother’s pinto, and talked soothingly to her as they headed out of the corral. Lang was on Dandy, his father’s morgan, bought years ago from Morgan’s Run, when the ranch had had an active breeding program. He looked much less comfortable than his sister as they headed for the trail but soon settled into the saddle.
They had decided to take a northwest trail that skirted Morgan’s Run and followed a meandering stream, the very same stream where he and Beth had made love for the first time. As they passed very close to the spot where the path from the big house ended, he peered over, curious to view it in daylight.
“What’cha lookin’ at?” she asked, looking over at him. “Is there an animal down there? Javelina? Jack rabbit?”
“No, thought I saw something, but it was a tumbleweed.”
Rose studied his face. The expression “turned green” came to mind. While he responded in a light, carefree way, his face told a different story. “You okay, Lang? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Great, never better.”
He gave Dandy a kick, and the horse broke into a gallop.
“Whoa, be careful,” she called. “It’s really steep and rocky up ahead.”
When she caught up with him at top of the rise, his face was flushed and he looked himself again. As she studied him, Rose noticed that the clearing in which the horses stood was part of Ben and Maggie’s backyard. She pointed up at the house. “What do you think of our old playhouse now? A far cry from when we used to sit on the porch and play house, huh?”
“‘Adventure,’ sis, not ‘house.’ Wow, it’s incredible. They’ve doubled the size, at least.”
“But doesn’t it fit? Fit the land, I mean? They did a beautiful job.”
“Who designed it?”
“Ben’s brother Sam, with Ben’s input, of course. ’Member Sam? He lives up in Flagstaff now. Works for a small firm, mostly residential.”
“Yeah, vaguely. Those Morgan men look alike.”
As they admired the house and view, they heard the creak of a barn door, and an enormous horse trotted out into an adjacent corral.
“Oh, my God, what’s that?” Lang said, watching the enormous creature lumber toward them.
She laughed. “It’s Tabasco. Maggie keeps him here now, I guess. Ben Senior gave him to her. He’s a draft horse, part Clydesdale. He was one of the wild mustangs, but none of the border patrol wanted to have anything to do with him. He’s gentle as a lamb.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” he said, reining Dandy closer as they skirted the corral fence.
At that moment, a voice called hello, and they turned to spy Ben Morgan Junior leading a pony out of the barn, his daughter astride. “Hey, guys. Good morning. Didn’t think anyone else got up as early as Emma.”
Rose and Lang waved and rode along the fence until they reached father and daughter. “Hey, Emma. What a good rider you are!” Rose called, smiling at the child.
“Hi, Rose. Hi, Lang,” Emma called, waving. “My daddy and mommy are teaching me. This is my own pony, Sunny.”
“He’s a beauty,” Lang said, smiling at her.
“Hey, why don’t you guys come have breakfast with us?” Ben asked. “Maggie’s inside flipping pancakes. She always makes enough for an army.”
“Oh, thanks. We couldn’t,” Rose said.
“Nonsense. Maggie’d love to have you, and I know Emmie and I would, right, Em?”
“Please come!” Emma’s eyes danced with delight.
“Well, Rosie, with an invitation like that, how can we refuse?” Lang said. “But we won’t stay too long, as we have to get back to Party Central.”
“Great, come on in. Tabasco’s fine. He won’t bother your horses. Or, if you’re worried, we can put him in the barn?”
“Might be easier,” Lang said, still not entirely comfortable getting any closer to the elephant horse.
Ben grinned. “He’s a little intimidating at first. Scared the bejesus outta me the first time I saw him. Course, I was a California boy and had been off the ranch for a while.”
As they tied up the horses and headed for the house, following Rose and Emma, Lang asked, “Was is hard moving back? What happened to your business? Do you still run it from here?”
“Thought about it, but then the ranch kind of took over. It was tough ’cause I started it with two of my college roommates, and I really enjoyed working with them. In the end, it was the right decision, though. Too much to do here, and my dad’s health isn’t great.” “Join the club,” Lang said. “Although our dad’s failing health is his own goddamn fault. You’re lucky. Your father’s a great guy and treats your mother like a goddess.”
Ben nodded. “They’re a love couple, for sure. Only hope I can make my marriage as great as theirs has been. I’ve certainly found the right woman. Now I just have to be careful not to screw it up.”
“Screw what up?” Maggie asked, stepping out onto the back porch to greet them.
“My incredible life,” he said, drawing her close for a quick hug and kiss.
Lang watched them, admiring their obvious love for one another. Will that ever happen for me? he thought, remembering Beth’s soft lips and her gentle touch. “Hey, this house is amazing, you guys. Far cry from the old homestead.”
Arm around his wife, Ben grinned from ear to ear. “Well, come on in and we’ll give you a tour. Sam and I worked out the bones, but my two beautiful women have decorated it and made it a home.”
Home, Lang thought, following the others inside. Would he ever find home?