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“Oh, hush up with all that talk. It’s just breakfast.” Pearl’s smile said that she had enjoyed every compliment. “Cody came by earlier and grabbed a couple of biscuits. He said that you’ve got your first customer in the therapy business today.”
“How does that work, son?” Sonny asked.
“I’ve talked to Theron’s mama, Vada, on the phone,” Lucas explained as he poured himself a cup of coffee and then grabbed a blueberry muffin, “and she gave me a little information about the boy. He’s ten years old and has been diagnosed as super intelligent with social issues. Sometimes that goes along with folks who are smarter than their peers. He can take care of himself but change is hard for him. He doesn’t like to talk to anyone but his mother, and he lives in a solitary world.” He sat down across from his mother and took his first sip of coffee.
“And how do you propose to help with that?” Sonny asked.
“Mostly, I’ve worked with Down’s syndrome kids, and those with low self-esteem,” Lucas answered. “So I’ll have to feel things out as we go. I’ll introduce him to Buttercup today, and if things go well, maybe I’ll bring Winnie out to meet him later on down the road, just to show him that he can accept change. If he just wants to watch me brush and talk to the horses this first time, that’s fine. We’ll go at his speed, whether it’s slow or even slower. I don’t expect a lot on the first day.”
“What about other people being there?” Sonny asked.
“Not for a little while, and then only if he shows signs of improvement. It will most likely be a long process,” Lucas answered. “Horses don’t see a kid who is different in any way. They just see a child. Somehow, children with their own challenges understand this, and it helps them to heal and eventually have positive relationships with people, even if it’s just a few folks.”
Pearl nodded. “I can understand that. When you came to our family, it seemed like Champ, the old ranch dog we had at the time, helped you.”
“I loved that dog, and he took a lot of my secrets to the grave with him. From my research.” He took a bite of his muffin and a sip of coffee. “I don’t know what you put into these, Mama, but they are the best in the world.”
“Love, son,” Sonny said. “She puts love in all her cooking. Now tell us more about these children you hope to help.”
“I’ve discovered that a child with problems needs to learn to have a relationship with himself so that he can accept change and figure out how to live in the world,” Lucas answered, and wondered if he was talking about himself as much as about the kids he worked with.
“So your goal for today is simply to meet Theron and let him look at the horses?” Sonny asked.
“That’s right, Dad,” Lucas answered.
“And later, maybe in a few weeks, I can meet him?” Sonny asked.
“I hope so,” Lucas answered. “Once he’s adjusted to having me around, I’d like for you to be the next person he meets.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it,” Sonny said.
“Do you remember Vada from high school?” Pearl asked.
“Of course,” Lucas said. “It’s not like Honey Grove High was that big.” Lucas almost blushed. There was no way he was going to admit that he had had a serious crush on Vada all those years ago and that he still dreamed about her.
“It was such a shame she lost her grandmother last year. We miss her at church. It can’t be easy for Vada, working at home and being closed off from the world so much. I’ll gladly pay for these therapy sessions,” Pearl offered.
“There is no charge,” Lucas said. “If I build up a client list that takes all my time, then maybe then I’ll figure up a price for my services, but right now, I just want to help kids.”
“That’s pretty generous, son,” Sonny said, “and it makes me proud of you.”
Lucas pushed back his chair and took his coffee mug to the dishwasher. “Thanks, Dad, and thank you, Mama, for the offer to pay for the sessions. I hate to eat and run, but Jesse wants me to help herd some cattle from one pasture to another. It’s been a long time since I did that job on a four-wheeler rather than a cutting horse.”
“You brought two horses back home with you,” Sonny reminded him.
“Those are therapy horses.” Lucas chuckled. “They wouldn’t know how to herd cattle. Their job is to make friends with kids and let them learn to ride.”
“Kind of like kids,” Sonny said with a broad smile.
“How’s that?” Lucas asked with a frown.
“You’ve raised those horses to be therapy horses, and that’s what they are. I raised three sons to be ranchers and be danged if they don’t all three go off and be doctors, military, and horse trainers,” Sonny told him. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Buttercup or Winnie would either one be good cutting horses if you gave them a chance.”
“But then we all come back home to be ranchers. What is it that the Good Book says about raising a child up for a few years?” Lucas put on his coat and settled his old, worn hat onto his head.
“It says, ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.’” Pearl said.
“And y’all did a good job of it. Ranchin’ is in our blood, and we just can’t get away from it,” Lucas said with a smile.
