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Luke rubbed the back of his neck, torn between feeling so much relief over avoiding the question he couldn’t answer and hesitant to give her the truth about the question she’d asked. “Well… Casey and Danielle’s Dad manages the horses on the ranch. They’ve been riding since they could walk. And Uncle Brent knows the best way to train them and the horses.”
Molly scrunched up her face, her nose wrinkling the most. “But I’ve been riding a long time, too. I should be able to get a horse now.”
He patted her shoulder. “You’re right. You’ve been riding a lot more recently, but there’s one thing you don’t have that they do.”
“A mom.”
“Supervision.” He froze. “Wait, what?”
“Aunt Jackie is out there all the time, showing them what they need to do. And when they fall down, she helps them get back up especially when Uncle Brent isn’t there.”
Luke dropped down in front of his daughter. “It’s not because you don’t have a mom. It’s that I can’t be there to keep an eye on you when I’m running the tractors. There’s a lot of work that goes into what I do—”
“Yeah, it does. If Mom was alive, she could keep an eye on me. She could help me like Aunt Jackie.”
“That’s not necessarily true.” He was floundering and he knew it. Molly was as smart as her mother had been and he never even had a chance from the moment he met Shellie. He reached for both of her hands and held them tightly in his own. “I suppose you make a good point. But let me tell you something. Your mother wanted to be a teacher like Miss Patrick. If she was a teacher, then she wouldn’t be home to help you learn either. You having a horse has nothing to do with who your parents are.” Or rather that one was more noticeably absent.
Molly sighed. “I know.” Her words sounded heavier than a three-ton tractor. “I just really want my own horse.”
“I hate to break it to you, kid, but life isn’t fair.” And it never would be. But perhaps a new horse for Christmas might be just enough to lift her spirits. “Besides,” he nudged her, “you don’t want a horse. They’re way too much work. You have to feed them, and train them, and pick up their—”
“I’ll do all of that, Dad! Even the yucky stuff. I’d take care of her so good—”
He held up a hand and laughed. “Okay, okay. I get it. You really want a horse.”
“I want Snowshoe.”
Just like he’d figured. “Well, Snowshoe belongs to Uncle Brent…”
Her features faltered then almost instantly brightened. “Maybe he’ll give her to me.” She didn’t even wait for a response before she sprinted inside.
Thankfully, Luke didn’t have to worry about whether or not his brother would go against his wishes when it came to raising Molly. They’d have to have a talk before any horses changed hands.
Luke shook his head, a chuckle escaping his lips as he headed toward the door. It was a good thing Molly hadn’t quite figured out how to manipulate her uncle yet, though it was only a matter of time.
* * *
Luke passed Mollythe small bowl of roasted veggies that had been cooking with the beef while they were at church. The kitchen was quiet as most of the family had dug into their food already.
Brent nodded toward Luke. “How’s the harvest coming? Are you going to need any of my men this season? I’m sure I can spare a few.”
“That’d be great. There’s actually a lot more than I expected. And I’ve been toying with another idea lately, but I’m not sure how it’s going to go. I’ll have to figure out the logistics first.
“Molly, how is school going?” Jackie handed her son a roll she’d just buttered but her eyes were on her niece.
“Good,” Molly mumbled with her mouth full of potato.
“What’s your favorite part so far?”
Molly took a big sip of her water then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I really like my teacher. She’s super smart. And she lets me read when I get my work done early.”
Jackie grinned. “That’s wonderful. Who’s your teacher again?”
“Miss Patrick.”
Luke couldn’t be sure, but he could have sworn Jackie’s gaze darted to her husband briefly before returning to Molly. “Really? She’s Aunt Pippa’s friend, right?”
Molly shrugged. “I don’t know.”
