Daughters (45 page)

“It’s ten-fifteen. What are you talking about?”

“How long does it take to…”

Marie’s glare stopped Rachael from finishing the sentence. “So how was it? Where did you go? What did you talk about?”

Marie wasn’t sure who was asking the questions—a daughter who was curious about what dating was all about, a friend who was just eleven years her junior, or her newfound protector. “It was fine. We went to DaVinci’s and talked.”

“About what?”

“Well, this was our first date, so we talked mostly about each other’s backgrounds.”

“So what’s his story?”

“He’s lived his whole life in Leavenworth. He has a twin brother and two parents there.”

“A twin? Cool.”

If she only knew.

“So are you going to see him again?”

She smiled. “Yes, I am. Is that okay with you?”

“Cool. I like the guy.”

“Well, good. I’ll sleep easy tonight.”

“Marie?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m glad you’re seeing someone.”

“Good night, Rachael.”

Ten minutes later, Barry called. “Hi. I was thinking about things, and well, uh…Christmas is this week, and I really don’t want to wait until next year to see you again. What are you doing Christmas Eve?”

“That’s Rachael’s and Olivia’s birthday.”

“I know. That’s why I asked. Do you have anything special planned for them?”

“I was just thinking of cooking their favorite meal and celebrating here at home.”

He told her about a hayride and barbeque hosted by the community center each year on Christmas Eve, a fundraiser for the less fortunate, and asked Marie if they would like to be his guests. Marie thought about it for a few seconds. “It sounds like fun. But since it
is
their birthday, how about if I run it past them first?”

“Fair enough. Let me know.”

“Tomorrow is one of our Scrabble talks, so I’ll ask Rachael then.”

“Scrabble talks?”

“Rachael and I started playing Scrabble a few months ago, and I think it was the third or fourth time we played when she formed the word ‘teacher.’ Then she looked at me in a way I knew she had something on her mind, and I asked her if she wanted to talk about it, and she proceeded to tell me about an incident she had had with one of her teachers. After that, it happened just about every time we played that one of us would form a word that sparked a conversation, so we started calling them our Scrabble talks.”

“Scrabble talks. I like that.”

When Marie told Rachael about the hayride the next day, she received a big smile.

“Are you kidding?” Rachael turned toward Olivia who was sitting at the table coloring. “Olivia! Do you want to go on a hayride?”

Olivia looked at Rachael with a blank stare. “A hayride, Olivia.” Rachael looked at Marie. “I don’t know the word for hayride.” She turned her attention back to Olivia. “Uh.
¿Quieres ir de paseo en un vagón grande?
”

Olivia’s face lit up. “
Sí!
”

“Then it’s yes?” Marie asked.

“Like crazy.”

“I thought we could come back here afterward for cake and ice cream.”

“Cake and ice cream!” Olivia shrieked.

“Barry too?”

“Sure. Barry too”

“Barry too!” Olivia had been with them for barely two months, and already she was Rachael’s shadow. Marie wondered how she would feel when she realized Barry was the one who had shot at her father.

Whoa—slow down, Marie
, she thought.
You are getting way ahead of yourself.

Barry picked them up for the hayride at ten in the morning. Everyone was bundled up with multiple layers of clothing, scarves, hats, and mittens in order to deal with temperatures in the teens. Poor Olivia could hardly walk, and when she did, her shiny polyester leggings rustled.

Hundreds of people, mostly families, were there when they arrived. Five wagons, each holding twenty or so passengers, were loading up. Marie’s group huddled together in the corner of one of the wagons.

“Nice horsie,” Olivia kept saying as she watched the horse in the wagon behind them. “Rachael’s horsie.”

Barry and Marie sat on top of two hay bales stacked one on top of each other. Rachael and Olivia sat in front of them on another bale. Barry put his arm around Marie and gave her a gentle squeeze, the wind sharp against their faces.

“What do you think?” he asked her.

“It’s fun. Cold, but fun.”

He gestured toward Rachael and Olivia. Marie smiled. “Looks like they’re having fun.”

Rachael turned around. “You two can smooch back there if you want. We won’t look.”

Olivia giggled. Marie shook her head and gave Rachael a nudge in her back. “No comments from the peanut gallery.”

Rachael turned around. “Huh?”

“I have expressions, too, you know.”

The girls loved the hayride, but Marie was glad it lasted only a half hour.

“Did you have fun?” she asked Olivia. Olivia smiled wide and took Marie’s hand. Then she looked up at Barry and took his hand as well. Marie and Barry exchanged glances but didn’t say anything.

Barry brought them their hot drinks and then disappeared toward the back of the room where they were collecting the donations. When he reappeared, he said, “I like the way they do it. Whatever they collect today will buy things throughout next year for those who are in need. Food, clothing, and school supplies for the kids. It’s a good organization.”

Marie thought about how Rachael and Olivia could have been on the receiving end of this type of fundraiser under different circumstances.

“Do you have plans for the girls for this afternoon, or can I surprise them with something?” Barry asked.

She looked at him, puzzled. “Well…we like surprises.”

He took Marie’s arm. “C’mon girls, let’s go to my place.”

Marie had been to Barry’s home several times three years earlier when he’d showed her how to shoot but had never been inside his house. She gave him a soft smile when she saw his dining room table that had been set for four, picnic style. “What if I had said we had other plans?” she asked.

“Then I’d be eating fried chicken and potato salad the rest of the week.”

“So you cook?”

“Ha! Hardly,” he said. Marie helped him take things out of the refrigerator and put them on the table. “We have this great delicatessen, Rosie’s. Best fried chicken in town.”

Along with the fried chicken were potato salad, buttermilk biscuits, pickles, and olives. “I thought it would be fun to have a summer picnic in the middle of winter. Goes with the hayride.”

“Cool,” said Rachael.

“Yeah, cool,” Olivia piped up.

Marie shook her head and rolled her eyes. “You’re rubbing off on her,” she said to Rachael.

“I know. Isn’t that a tickle?”

Barry’s house, a long narrow ranch, was decorated the way Marie had pictured it—a little rugged but cozy. What she didn’t expect to see were several pieces of original artwork, one of which she recognized as a Durand.

“Are you two girls ready for your birthday present?” Barry asked after they finished eating.

Olivia perked up. “Present?”

“I’m ready,” Rachael said.

“Get dressed then. We’re going outside.”

Marie shot him a glance and scrunched up her face. What did he have in mind?

Barry led them outside to a large barn where four horses were saddled and ready to go. “You’re all set,” a smallish middle-aged man said to Barry. A younger woman, equally as short, came out from one of the stalls and stood beside the man.

Barry faced Marie. “This is B.B. Starr and his daughter, Josie. They live in the guest house and take care of the horses and the property.” He introduced Marie and her family to the Starrs.

“Olivia has never been on a horse before,” Marie said.

“I’ll walk beside her while she rides on Annie here,” Josie said, and put her arm around the smallest horse’s neck. “She’s very gentle, I assure you.”

Marie stooped down to Olivia’s level. “Do you want to ride the horsie, Olivia?”

She smiled wide and nodded. Rachael went to the middle-sized horse and mounted it by herself. Barry gestured to a long-necked chestnut mare for Marie, and he took the remaining horse, a large black mare.

“Ready?”

Rachael didn’t have to be told twice. She clicked at her horse and guided him out of the barn. The others followed.

They took a slow ride, giving Olivia time to get used to it. She did surprisingly well. When they had been gone for about thirty minutes, Barry rode ahead, turned his horse around, and stopped high on the rise. He pointed to the north. “See that?”

Marie looked toward where he was pointing at a small herd of animals. “Buffalo?” she asked. “I didn’t know there were buffalo in this part of the country.”

“Several small herds, mostly in honor of Buffalo Bill.” He glanced at Rachael. “Do you know his story? He got his nickname because he was the one who killed buffalos in order to feed Kansas Pacific Railroad workers so they could continue building the railroad. But before that, he was a decorated soldier in the Civil War. You did learn about that in history class, right?”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, of course I did. Fort Sumter, Battle of Bull Run, Stonewall Jackson—all that stuff.”

“What Buffalo Bill was most known for, though, were his wild west shows.”

They headed back toward the barn. Rachael rode on ahead of them. “She’s a good rider,” Barry observed.

“I know. Better than I am.”

“Let’s see just how good you are!” Barry kicked his horse with his heals and thrust into a gallop. Marie followed. They rode fast, side by side, the icy wind on their faces. When Rachael realized they were close behind her, she coaxed her horse into a gallop as well.

When the ride was over, Barry helped Marie off her horse. As her feet touched the ground, with his face just inches from hers, a fluttering sensation rose up in her chest. He winked at her, making her blush.

By the time Olivia and Josie reached the barn, the other horses had been de-saddled and were being rubbed down. Marie went over to Olivia, lifted her off the horse, and placed her on the ground. “How did you like it?”

Olivia took a few steps with her feet wide apart. She looked up at Marie with a scared face.

“Those are just your horsie legs. Take a few steps and you’ll get your land legs back.”

“We call it saddle butt where I come from,” Barry said.

“Barry!” said Marie.

Rachael let out a guffaw. “Way to go.”

“And I cleaned it up for you,” Barry said with a smile. He put his arm around Marie’s shoulders. “More hot chocolate?”

The two girls walked ahead of them toward the house. “This was nice. Thank you for helping to make their birthdays special.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Would you like to join us later for cake and ice cream?”

“Say, yes!” Rachael shouted without turning around.

Marie shook her head. He squeezed her arm. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Rachael was up at the crack of dawn Christmas morning. She tiptoed into Marie’s bedroom and cleared her throat several times before Marie opened her eyes. “Olivia is pretty excited and wants to come out and open presents.”

Marie had stayed up late the night before getting the presents she had hidden in the attic under the tree. She sat up in bed, stretched, and yawned. “So where is she?”