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“You’ll want to ride Tony. He’s tall, and so are you,” Becky said, and Clara was happy that she seemed to be unaware of the change of tension in the air.
There was just something about being with Alex. There always had been, but it was more intense now. Whether it was because they were in Strawberry Sands, or whether it was because of the changes in his life. Or maybe, it was her thinking about quitting that had made him realize that...there could be more.
Whatever it was, it made her want to be with him as much as she could. It had been hard enough to stay away all day.
The idea of quitting now didn’t sit right.
“Does he listen?” Alex asked easily. “I’m not much of a horse rider, and I don’t think I’m going to want to ride a horse that’s gonna run away with me.”
“Oh, Mr. Davis and Miss Kim don’t have any horses like that. They’re all really nice. A couple of them are a little spookier than others, but I think you could ride any of them and be happy.”
“All right, Tony it is. Who are you going to ride?” he asked as they started down the hill, Alex on one side of Becky and Clara on the other.
“Silver is my favorite. She’s pretty. Plus, she’s nice. She walks up to me in the pasture every time I go out. And when I’m cleaning her stall, she just wants to stand there and watch me. It’s like she likes me.”
Clara could hear that longing in her voice. The longing that everyone had for someone to like them just for them.
Maybe Alex heard it too because he said, “I think Silver has really good taste. Because I’ve heard that you take excellent care of the horses. In fact, Davis just told me today that he was so happy that he had someone that he could trust to take care of them while his daughter was in the NICU. I know he appreciates what you do.”
Clara smiled because she could almost feel Becky growing beside her, just basking in the praise.
She wasn’t sure whether there would ever be enough praise to make Becky feel like she was worth something, only God could do that, but there was just a need in every person to know that at least one other person in the world thought they were worth something.
Of course, she loved that Alex was willing to be the person who would make someone else feel worthy.
They chatted as they walked down the hill and to the stables. Clara had already talked to Davis and Kim, and when they heard that Becky was going to be with them, they said everything was fine. She got the feeling that Davis and Kim wanted to do more for Becky, but they could only do what Becky would allow.
They’d already offered their home, and Becky hadn’t wanted that.
Still, they trusted her with the horses, and Clara made sure that Becky knew that when Davis and Kim had heard that she was going to be with them, they hadn’t felt the need to come out.
They hadn’t charged them either. It was almost like they were offering to take their daughter for a ride.
Clara had grown up on a farm, and she’d ridden horses some, but she was a little rusty because it had been a while. Still, they managed to get them tacked up, and they led them to the edge of the barn.
“Looks like we’re right on time. The sun is going down, and the lake is calm.” She loved how the wind seemed to settle at dawn and dusk, even for just a little bit. As she looked out on the lake, it looked like smooth glass, like she could touch it and it would be solid.
“A beautiful night for a ride,” Alex said from behind her, and his comment warmed her heart. There was something in the tone of his voice that made her think that maybe he was saying a little bit more.
“There’s the dog that hangs around,” Becky said, peering off into the dusky light.
“It’s the Great Pyrenees that runs around Strawberry Sands.”
He padded closer, and his big furry body came into view.
“He’s pretty,” Clara said, bending down to pet him. “I heard he hangs around Kim and Davis’s place a good bit.”
“They feed him here.”
“That explains it,” Clara said. “But I thought he was hanging around more up near the schoolhouse. In fact, I was surprised we haven’t seen him.”
“I actually did see him today,” Alex said, sounding thoughtful. “He... He just hung out with me for a little bit. He didn’t seem to need attention or even want it. He just wanted to be with me.”
“He’s really chill,” Becky said, walking forward, putting both of her hands in his hair.
Clara and Alex exchanged glances. Clara couldn’t say for sure what Alex was thinking, but she was thinking that Becky needed something to love. Like a dog.
Although, the dog didn’t hang out here exclusively. And he didn’t follow Becky around. He seemed to be free to roam.
