Rebekah swung a bale from the stack. The dim lights of the barn and clean smell of the cedar shavings soothed her exhaustion. She cut the wire and carried a bundle of hay between her gloved hands and tossed it into Sky’s stall. Golden straw landed on Mark’s black sweatshirt.
“Mark, wake up.” She stood on the bottom rail. “Your mom is on her way.”
He bolted to his feet, flinging his arm against Sky’s rump. The horse sidestepped away from the wild-eyed boy. Rebekah didn’t envy Elise one bit when it came to raising this kid.
He sank to his knees, and Sky sniffed his head.
“Do you like my barn?” Rebekah stepped down and crossed her arms.
Mark shrugged his shoulders.
“Do you mind the smell of horse manure?” She wiped her boot on the rail.
“You’re weird.”
“I know.” Rebekah smiled. Her grandfather had asked her the same question all those years ago, but he hadn’t use the word manure.
Mark shrugged. “It smells okay. I don’t know. It doesn’t really smell.”
“Reid thinks it stinks.”
“So does Michael.”
“Pepper thinks it smells good.”
Mark nodded.
“My grandpa said that you can tell a horseperson by how they answer that question.”
“Can I go back to sleep?” Mark slumped in the hay.
“As long as you wake up when your mom gets here. She’s taking you home.”
“I don’t want to go home.” Mark put his head in his hands.
“I know.” Rebekah leaned over the rail. “But your mom is worried sick. She’s been out looking for you all night. So have the police.”
Mark shrugged.
“Didn’t you know she would be scared to death?”
Moon shapes sagged under Mark’s watery brown eyes.
“Where’s your bike?”
“Behind the barn.” He flipped his hair over his eyes.
Rebekah leaned against the rail. “Would you like to ride one of the horses sometime?”
Mark groaned. “My mom’s going to kill me.”
“She hasn’t killed you yet, so she probably won’t today.”
Mark leaned back against a bale of hay and pulled his hood over his head.
Rebekah poured oats into the mare’s trough. “What would you do, girl?” she whispered. “What would you do if Sky were such a handful?” Rebekah had seen so many well-meaning parents rush and take charge of their kids when what they really needed to do was listen. You had to have a relationship with the kid; that was the most important thing.
The mare snorted.
“Is that right, girl?” Rebekah rubbed between the horse’s ears. “Do you think that controlling a kid is like controlling a horse?” You had to gain the horse’s trust; that was most important.
A car door slammed. Then another.
“Mark? Rebekah?” Elise pushed open the door. John stood behind her.
Mark hid his head in his arms.
Rebekah stepped out into the middle of the barn, surprised to see John. “Hi! Hey, John.”
John stood in the middle of the barn with his arms crossed. “Mark—,” he began.
Elise interrupted by putting a hand on John’s arm. “Rebekah,” she said quietly, still holding John’s arm, “where’s Mark’s bike?”
“Out behind the barn.”
Elise turned to John. “Could you go get it?”
John looked a little longer at Mark and then headed toward the back door of the barn. Rebekah had to admit she was impressed by Elise’s quiet strength.
“Come on, Mark.” Elise leaned against the railing. Sky turned and brushed his nose against Elise’s arm.
“I don’t want to go home.”
Rebekah swallowed hard.
“Grandpa’s going to kill me.” Mark put his head in his hands.
“Well, not this morning anyway. He promised to wait until after you get some more sleep.” Elise’s elbows must have been digging into the top rail of the stall, but she didn’t move away from her son.
Mark stood and rubbed Sky’s neck. “Did you call Dad?”
Elise nodded.
“Is Michael okay?” Mark stood and walked toward his mother.
Elise nodded a third time. She reached out and stroked Mark’s hair. Amazingly, he didn’t pull away.
“I didn’t mean to hit him.”
“How could you not have meant to hit him?” Elise asked quietly. “You punched him in the mouth.”
“How’s your hand?” Rebekah butted in.
Elise looked at her with steady eyes. Rebekah stepped back. Clearly Elise had things under control. Should she leave? Go help John with the bike?
Mark shrugged, pressing the gauze against his sweatshirt, his eyes focused past his mother and on Rebekah. “You know how Michael and Reid are always bugging me about not passing. I get so nervous during a game. All I can think to do is run.”
Rebekah nodded. It was his way of saying he was sorry—to both of them.
“Come on, Mark.” Elise opened the stall gate. “Let’s go home.”
Rebekah sat at her computer with their bank account open. She had finished the chores and let the horses into the pasture.
Patrick’s slippers slapped against the dining room floor and into the kitchen. “Good morning.” He tied his burgundy robe as he headed toward the coffee maker. “What are you working on?”
“Bills.” Rebekah yawned.
Patrick shook his head. “Did Elise find Mark?”
“He was hiding. He’s okay.”
“Where was he?”
“In our barn.”
Patrick stood with the pot of water in midair. “Why was he in our barn?”
“He felt safe there, and he likes the smell.”
Patrick shook his head. “Right.”
Rebekah logged out of the account. She would work on bills when she wasn’t so tired. “Remember, I’m taking Pepper to her 4:30 doctor’s appointment today. And then the transplant class is tomorrow.” Rebekah yawned again.
“I have a late meeting today.” Patrick measured out the coffee.
“I’ll ask Elise if Reid can go to their house after practice.”
“Do you think he’s safe there? With Mark?”
“Patrick, don’t be ridiculous.” Rebekah pushed back her desk chair.
“That kid’s a loose cannon.” Patrick flipped the switch on the coffee maker.
“I think he’s just having a hard time, with Ted leaving and everything. Besides, Sky likes him.” She stood. “Patrick, show the kid some grace.” She stretched as she pushed her computer chair closer to the desk with her knee. “By the way, we both need to go to the transplant class.”
“I’ll take tomorrow off.”
“Mom!” Pepper pounded down the stairs.
Rebekah hurried toward the dining room. “What is it?”
“There are raccoons in the tree outside my window! Make them leave.” Pepper’s shiny hair flew around her face.
“Good grief.” Patrick stood in the kitchen doorway.
Rebekah headed up the stairs.
“What’s with her?” Reid stood against the hallway wall. “I thought we were having an earthquake.”
Rebekah banged on Pepper’s window. Three raccoons, a mother and two smaller ones, ran along the branch of the big leaf maple.
“Mom, look!” Pepper screamed as she pointed down the road, through the yellow and orange leaves of the tree. Sky was trotting up the road. A logging truck was barreling down the hill toward him.