this, how must you feel?”
“No, Robyn, don’t be sorry!” He reaches out and gently turns her to face him. He tilts her face up and uses his thumbs to brush the tears away, but they’re instantly replaced by new ones. “Everybody loves him, I know that. It’s not easy for anybody.” She buries her face in his shoulder, and he brings his arms around her, rocking her a little. “You’ll be okay. We’ll all be okay.” He hopes that if he says it enough, he’ll start to believe it too.
It’s not long before Robyn pulls away, and Dan finds that he misses the warmth of contact after she’s gone. “Sorry,” she mutters. “I’m good now…. Hey, if this is your last night here, I’m gonna make dinner for us, okay? Anything in particular you’d like?”
Dan laughs. “Robyn, who do you think you’re talking to? I know what you cook… I’ve got a choice between tofu stir fry, tofu spaghetti, or that tofu-chickpea-potato thing… which is really good, actually. Have you got the ingredients for that?”
Robyn’s eyes are still red, but she raises her head jauntily. “As a matter of fact, I do.” She takes his hand and pulls him toward the kitchen. “You can chop up the onion—I’ve cried enough for one day.”
They cook and eat and go to bed early, and the next morning Dan wakes up and showers, makes coffee for Robyn, and then heads to the barn before he can change his mind.
He pulls up and opens the door of the truck, and takes a deep breath of the horse-y air. He wonders what it says that the smell of manure makes him feel at home. Most of the horses are already outside, and Dan walks over to the paddock where Monty and some of the other geldings are picking lazily at the short grass. Dan whistles and they all look up… and then go back to their grazing. Apparently they didn’t miss him as much as he missed them. He ducks through the wood-slat fence and walks over to Monty.
Once he gets close, Monty raises his head and looks at Dan with a warm eye, and then takes a few steps forward to meet him. Monty snuffles at Dan’s pockets and then hangs his head over his shoulder so that Dan can lift his hands to scratch both sides of Monty’s neck at once. “Hey, buddy. How’ve you been?” Dan has always talked to horses. Justin said it wasn’t strange to talk to horses, but it was a little strange to ask them questions. But then he’d kissed the back of Dan’s neck and wrapped his arms around Dan’s chest, so it really didn’t seem like a criticism. “Do you want to go for a ride, buddy? Huh? We can’t go today, but tomorrow, I’m back. We’ll go up along the ridge, maybe. Does that sound good? And you can splash in the mud down by the pond too. It’ll be an all-terrain day, my friend!”
Monty snorts a little and backs up enough to be able to rub his forehead gently against Dan’s chest. Dan answers the request by bringing his hands up and rubbing Monty’s face vigorously. The gelding’s coat is clipped short, but he’s still shedding a little, and his face is apparently itchy. Monty leans into it, and angles his head so that Dan hits all the right spots. Finally, Dan slaps Monty’s neck to let him know the massage is over, and then turns back toward the barn.
At some point during Monty’s scratch-fest, Karl and Molly have apparently become aware of Dan’s arrival, and they’re standing by the fence waiting for him. That’s not bad, Dan decides. There are more distractions outside. Still, he’s not exactly looking forward to the conversation.
He walks toward them, squinting into the morning sun. He aims for the fence a panel down from where they’re standing and ducks through, then walks over to stand next to them, all three resting their arms on the top rail and watching the horses.
“Congratulations on the sale.” Dan finally says. “I didn’t hear a number, but Chris seemed to think it was a good price.”
Karl nods and clears his throat. “It was an excellent
“No, Robyn, don’t be sorry!” He reaches out and gently turns her to face him. He tilts her face up and uses his thumbs to brush the tears away, but they’re instantly replaced by new ones. “Everybody loves him, I know that. It’s not easy for anybody.” She buries her face in his shoulder, and he brings his arms around her, rocking her a little. “You’ll be okay. We’ll all be okay.” He hopes that if he says it enough, he’ll start to believe it too.
It’s not long before Robyn pulls away, and Dan finds that he misses the warmth of contact after she’s gone. “Sorry,” she mutters. “I’m good now…. Hey, if this is your last night here, I’m gonna make dinner for us, okay? Anything in particular you’d like?”
Dan laughs. “Robyn, who do you think you’re talking to? I know what you cook… I’ve got a choice between tofu stir fry, tofu spaghetti, or that tofu-chickpea-potato thing… which is really good, actually. Have you got the ingredients for that?”
Robyn’s eyes are still red, but she raises her head jauntily. “As a matter of fact, I do.” She takes his hand and pulls him toward the kitchen. “You can chop up the onion—I’ve cried enough for one day.”
They cook and eat and go to bed early, and the next morning Dan wakes up and showers, makes coffee for Robyn, and then heads to the barn before he can change his mind.
He pulls up and opens the door of the truck, and takes a deep breath of the horse-y air. He wonders what it says that the smell of manure makes him feel at home. Most of the horses are already outside, and Dan walks over to the paddock where Monty and some of the other geldings are picking lazily at the short grass. Dan whistles and they all look up… and then go back to their grazing. Apparently they didn’t miss him as much as he missed them. He ducks through the wood-slat fence and walks over to Monty.
Once he gets close, Monty raises his head and looks at Dan with a warm eye, and then takes a few steps forward to meet him. Monty snuffles at Dan’s pockets and then hangs his head over his shoulder so that Dan can lift his hands to scratch both sides of Monty’s neck at once. “Hey, buddy. How’ve you been?” Dan has always talked to horses. Justin said it wasn’t strange to talk to horses, but it was a little strange to ask them questions. But then he’d kissed the back of Dan’s neck and wrapped his arms around Dan’s chest, so it really didn’t seem like a criticism. “Do you want to go for a ride, buddy? Huh? We can’t go today, but tomorrow, I’m back. We’ll go up along the ridge, maybe. Does that sound good? And you can splash in the mud down by the pond too. It’ll be an all-terrain day, my friend!”
Monty snorts a little and backs up enough to be able to rub his forehead gently against Dan’s chest. Dan answers the request by bringing his hands up and rubbing Monty’s face vigorously. The gelding’s coat is clipped short, but he’s still shedding a little, and his face is apparently itchy. Monty leans into it, and angles his head so that Dan hits all the right spots. Finally, Dan slaps Monty’s neck to let him know the massage is over, and then turns back toward the barn.
At some point during Monty’s scratch-fest, Karl and Molly have apparently become aware of Dan’s arrival, and they’re standing by the fence waiting for him. That’s not bad, Dan decides. There are more distractions outside. Still, he’s not exactly looking forward to the conversation.
He walks toward them, squinting into the morning sun. He aims for the fence a panel down from where they’re standing and ducks through, then walks over to stand next to them, all three resting their arms on the top rail and watching the horses.
“Congratulations on the sale.” Dan finally says. “I didn’t hear a number, but Chris seemed to think it was a good price.”
Karl nods and clears his throat. “It was an excellent
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