As Gus drove to work, he felt as if his heart had been ripped from his chest. The loss of Lynn weighed on him night and day. He wasn’t sleeping, could barely eat, and was often distracted and irritable at work. Only with the horses or reading to the kids at night did he feel at ease. The rest of the time, he was miserable. This can’t go on, he told himself. You’ve got to make up your mind and do something, but what?
As he drove up to the main barn, he spied the herd, already in the largest corral. They had rescued seventeen mustangs, half of them in deplorable condition. Their grazing land depleted, they had been starving, and now they had to be slowly reintroduced to food. He spent half of every day among the wild, frightened creatures and was slowly beginning to earn their trust. It would be at least a year before any of them would be ready for adoption. As he parked the truck, one of his favorites, Dusty, approached the fence, nickering softly.
“Hey, girl,” he said, “Be right with you.”
As he headed into the barn, his cell phone rang. As he pulled it out, he spied his father-in-law’s name. “Jim?”
“Hi, son. Guess where I am?”
“Somewhere in Arizona heading our way, I hope.”
“Just outside of Flagstaff. Have a couple of stops, but I should be to your area by late afternoon. Got room for an old man for the night?”
“Of course. The kids’ll be thrilled. Do you need directions?”
“I should be fine. Just checked and your Valley Stables shows up on my GPS.”
“Great. Well, if you make it down the drive, turn south or left and follow the drive past the stables, and our house is the only one in that direction.”
They rang off, and Gus smiled. At least Jim will be a distraction from my soap opera life.
When Gus and the kids drove up to the house, he spied Jim Olsen sitting in a porch rocker, legs stretched out on the railing. He waved and stood up, coming to greet them. “Howdy, partners,” he said, opening his arms as Dulcie and Cal ran into them. “Quite a place you’ve got here.”
“Let me put these inside,” Gus said, holding the kids’ backpacks. “Then we can give you the fifty-cent tour while it’s still light.”
They walked to the stables and introduced Jim to all the thoroughbreds, then their stablemates, the wild horses at the far end. “This is quite a project you’ve got goin’ here,” Jim said. “The Maynards have a small rescue program back home, but they never take more than one or two at a time.”
“That’s what they do at Morgan’s Run. They train mustangs for use by the Border Patrol. I’ll take you down there tomorrow.”
“Impressive.”
“Yeah, they’ve got three amazing trainers.”
“None as good as you, I’ll bet.”
Gus grinned. “’Fraid you’d lose that bet. They’ve got a true horse whisperer down there. I’m gonna try and get him to come up and work with our guys once in a while. Guy’s incredible.”
“Papa, Papa, come see Dusty!” Dulcie called as the children reached the far stalls.
“Not too close, sweetie!” Gus called. “Remember, they’re still wild.”
Dulcie nodded as she stopped in front of Dusty’s stall, barring Cal from drawing too close. Gus reached them and scooped up his son. The solid gray pony nickered softly, rubbing against the stall door. Before he could stop her, Dulcie reached up her hand and petted her nose. Gus shook his head. He might be earning the mustang’s trust, but the connection between his daughter and Dusty was already love.
“You’ve got a budding horse whisperer right here,” Jim said, patting Dulcie’s head. The horse snorted and reared slightly as if wondering if Jim was a threat to the child.
“Okay, guys, better let Dusty go to sleep. Let’s get Papa back to the house for some supper.”
Later, after the children were asleep and the next day’s lunches packed, Gus joined his father-in-law on the back porch. “What a view, even in the dark,” Jim said. “And I thought we had stars in Jackson.”
“It’s pretty spectacular. Can I get you anything? Beer? Coffee? Seltzer?”
“Thanks, but I’m perfect.”
Gus took a chair beside him. “It really is great to see you, Jim.”
“The pleasure’s mine. I miss you and the kids. So…how are you doin’, son? You seem kind of glum. When Jeannie told me about your new lady, I figured I’d find you like a pig in shit, or at least happier than a year and a half ago.”
“I’ve screwed up things with Lynn, and I’m dealing with the fallout.”
“Not fixable?”
“Not without breaking my promise to Lissie, and I’m not sure I can do that.”
“She was my sweet girl, but she always had a strong will. Knew what she wanted. She set her sights on you in kindergarten, didn’t she?”
Gus smiled. “Yeah, I suppose she did. We both did. I miss that, you know? Having someone in your life who’s known you that long, and loved you that long too.”
“But it sounds like Lynn loves you and you her. Why would you turn your back on that? Can’t expect everyone you meet and fall in love with to be a childhood friend.”
“No, and she’s a special woman for sure. Different from Lissie, but special in her own way.”
“If those promises you made to my daughter are what’s stopping you, Gus, you need to let go of ’em. I know my Lissie, and I know she’d want you to be happy.”
“Did I tell you Lynn’s pregnant?”
“All the more reason to marry her and be happy, son.”
“But is that fair when I promised?”
“Listen here. Lissie was out of her mind those last few hours. After the baby was safely out, they drugged her up. When we said our goodbyes, she was already half gone. She didn’t know what she was saying, poor baby.”
“She sounded pretty clear to me,” Gus said, even though he knew Jim was right. Lissie’s eyes had been glazed and frightened.
“All I’m saying is that my Lissie, the Lissie I raised, would want you to be happy. If that meant marrying again, having more kids, anything you want, she’d be the first to say go for it. ‘Don’t look back, go forward.’ That was one of her favorite expressions.”
Gus smiled. “Carpe diem was another.”
He grinned. “That’s the spirit! Always knew her high school Latin would come in handy someday.”
The two men talked for a while, then headed in, Jim to Gus’s bed, Gus to the couch. When they said goodbye the next morning, Jim said, “Remember ‘carpe diem’ and be happy, Gus.”
“I’ll think about it. Thanks, Jim.”