Everyone Deserves a Second Chance (2 page)

Fear was already climbing from the pit of her stomach and spreading
throughout the rest of her body.

Marcus chuckled and plopped his hat back on top of his mop of thick
hair. "A slow canter, nothing you should be worried about.
It's not like I own a whole line of racehorses and plopped him on
the fastest one. I run a cattle ranch…."

"If you let him on that horse again today I don't want a
single hair missing from his head when he gets back." Lindsey
said moving to set three plates on the table to hide her growing
anxiety.

"You worry too much. Tonka knows what he's doing. He won't do
anything the boy can't handle." Marcus flipped a chair around
backwards and took a seat at the kitchen table. Giggling Garrett
turned his chair around backwards and did the same, sitting on his
knees to reach the table.

"No sir, that's not how we sit at the table." Lindsey
shook her head and started to pull Garrett from his seat.

"He's doing it momma!" Letting out a sigh, Lindsey
grabbed Marcus's sandwich out of his hands and put it back on his
plate before he could take a bite.

"What was that for?" Marcus cried out in protest.

"Do you know what kind of an example you're setting?"

Marcus shrugged when she motioned to the way he was sitting in his
chair. "Yeah, so? This is my house. Or have you forgotten?"

Lindsey snatched up Marcus's plate and carried it towards the sink.
"And I made this sandwich, or have
you
forgotten? If
you want to eat anything you'll sit in your chair like you're
supposed to and set a good example for my son." Caught in his
own game Marcus rolled his eyes and turned his chair around to sit
in it properly.

"Thank you." Lindsey put Marcus's plate back on the
table.

"Gee kiddo, your Mom doesn't let you do anything fun."
Marcus directed the reTim at Garrett who had reluctantly turned his
chair back around.

"Tell me about it," he said before taking a big bite out
of his sandwich and getting mayonnaise all over his mouth and
cheek.

"I have to fix some fences in the east pasture, so if you need
us that's where we'll be."

Lindsey set the last dish in the sink and turned the water on to
start rinsing them. "I'm serious about watching him Marcus. He
doesn't have any horse experience. If anything should happen to
him…"

There came a heavy silence between the both of them. Garrett looked
quizzically from one to another as he wondered what was going on
between them that he was too young to understand.

Finally Marcus shook his head and stood up. "He'll be fine.
Tonka will teach him everything he needs to know." Marcus
opened the back door for Garrett and he started chattering to him
happily.

Finishing up the dishes Lindsey forced herself to go upstairs and
unpack. If things worked out like she hoped they would she'd be
back on her feet and in a house of her own in no time. After all
her stuff was unpacked and all of Garrett' things put away Lindsey
got herself a glass of cold water and plopped her big butt down on
the living room couch.

Surveying the room she concluded it hadn't changed much since she'd
last decorated it. It was still masculine looking with a sprinkle
of her feminine touch. The furniture was comfortable dark leather,
the sofa and matching chairs a deep brown. The carpets were a light
beige, the walls all a bright white with sheer white curtains, and
the ceiling a dark red. The natural wood of the floor moldings tied
it all together. Hints of color were thrown here and there around
the room, a red pillow, a red lamp, and a beautiful red and beige
throw rug completed the mood of the room. The purpose of the room
was to be attractive, yet durable against the unwanted dirt that
would track inside from a whole day out on the ranch.

Needing something to calm her nerves Lindsey jumped up and started
to pace. Of course she'd have to tell him why she was really here
later tonight. Until then she needed some sort of distraction
before she pulled her hair out of her head. Opening a kitchen
cabinet Lindsey was happy to find a bucket full of cleaning
supplies as well as a mop and broom. This would provide exactly the
type of distraction she needed. She rolled up her sleeves and got
to work.

"This is a saddle." Marcus put the saddle on Tonka's back
and quickly cinched it. The arrival of Lindsey and Garrett had set
him back a few hours on his daily ranch chores. If he were lucky
he'd have them all done before ten tonight.

"I didn't have one of those the last time I was on him."
Marcus adjusted the stirrups to fit the boy. If it weren't for
Lauren he wouldn't even have a saddle small enough for Garrett.

"We'll I'd let you ride that way again but I think your Mom
would have a heart attack." Trading Tonka's halter for a
bridle Marcus patted the friendly gelding on the shoulder before
picking Garrett up and putting him on the horse's back.

"You put your feet in here: these are called stirrups. These
are the reins. You always hold them with both hands like this."
Marcus put Garrett' hand on the reins, adjusting them slightly.

"How do I get him to go?"

"You touch him with the heels of your shoes. He'll follow
beside Bronco and me. All you need to do is work on staying in that
saddle and holding on to those reins, understand?"

Garrett nodded.

"Good." Marcus went to Bronco who stood patiently waiting
for him and mounted, turning the black horse around to face
Garrett.

"Do I ask him to go now?"

Marcus nodded and watched as Garrett strained to touch Tonka's
sides with his heels.

"Buddy, if you can't reach just ask him to walk with your
voice."

Garrett strained to reach again and brushed Tonka with the very tip
of his toes. "Tonka, walk." The gelding gave a deep huff
in both exasperation and mild annoyance but started forward,
placing one foot placidly in front of the other.

"Now give him a pat and tell him he's a good boy."

Garrett leaned forward and rubbed Tonka's neck.

"Watch your reins, you don't wanna to drop 'um." Marcus
brought Bronco, a patient black gelding, up beside Tonka and
matched the older horse's walk. Telling Garrett to sit up and push
his feet further forward Marcus coached Garrett on the basics of
riding. Slowly but surely the boy caught on, riding with more
confidence as they neared the east paddock.

"Can I try going a little faster?" Garrett gave Tonka a
friendly pat on the neck then rubbed the horse behind the ears.

"Sit back a little and push your feet forward some."

Doing as he was instructed Garrett shifted a bit in his saddle.

Clicking his tongue Marcus urged Bronco into a trot. "Ask him
to trot now buddy."

"Tonka trot." The older sorrel gelding threw his head up
and broke into a rough trot.

"Tonka ho!" Marcus pushed Bronco forwards, trying to get
to the boy in time. Garrett was so intent on trying to steer the
horse he didn't even notice he was slipping until he actually hit
the ground. Marcus jumped from his horse and came to the little
boy.

"What happened?" He asked, looking at his muddy pants and
hands. He didn't even seem the least bit shocked after his fall.

"You fell off. Didn't expect that to happen, now did you?"
Marcus helped Garrett up out of the mud and put him back on the
horse. "Keep it at a walk for the rest of the day bud. We'll
work on going faster another time."

Garrett nodded and told Tonka to walk as Marcus started off again
on Bronco.

"What the
hell
happened?" Lindsey ran her eyes
over Garrett, standing covered in mud in the kitchen.

"He had a little fall. No harm done, he just needs a bath."
Marcus let his hat drop to the table. For some reason he couldn't
find the hat hanger that was usually beside the door.

"Fell, he fell! I
knew
I shouldn't have let him go!
What if it happened all over again? I don't want him on that thing
ever again! Do you understand me?"

"Oh lighten up Lindsey. Everyone falls off at some point in
time."

"Just because you don't value the safety of a child's life—"

"Screw you! It was your fault just as much as it was mine!
After all these years you
still
think I'm the only one to
blame?" Marcus glared at the petite woman before him then
grabbed his hat and was back out the front door.

"Momma, I'm scared." Garrett squeaked as he wrapped his
arms around her leg. "He's just like daddy," he whispered
shaking in fright.

Lindsey let out a shaky breath and held back tears. "No baby,
he's nothing like daddy. Marcus would never hurt us." She
rubbed at Garrett's tangled hair and kissed his forehead lightly.
"Let's get you a bath, huh buddy?"

The little boy nodded and took her hand as she led him upstairs to
the bathroom. As usual Garrett was thrilled to be in the bathtub.
Lindsey pulled his boats out of his backpack and let him play with
them as he splashed and squirted water about.

Between his splashing Lindsey found a way to wash his hair and his
back under his protest.

"It's in my eyes!" He cried shutting his eyes tight as
she poured the water down over his head.

Lindsey laughed at his antics as she took a towel and wiped the
water from his face. "Okay bud, you're all done."

"Awww, can I play a little longer?"

Lindsey smiled. "Five more minutes." Of course five
minutes turned into fifteen as Lindsey sat on the toilet in the
bathroom running thoughts through her head. It was Garrett,
standing wet and cold in front of her that finally snapped her back
into the real world.

"Burr, I'm cold now." His teeth chattered as he let her
wrap him in an oversized towel and dry him off. She led him back to
his bedroom and pulled open his backpack to find him clean clothes.

"Okay, I'm gonna go make dinner. Remember, the third floor is
off limits." Lindsey drilled into the little boy as she pulled
on his superman pajamas and saw him settled on the bed surrounded
by the rest of his toys.

"Okay Momma," he said already lost in his imagination as
he picked up two of his action figures and started pounding them
together in mock battle.

Dinner that night was as hard to whip up as lunch. Lindsey found
herself exasperated at the emptiness of the refrigerator – a
pack of beers, some ketchup and mayonnaise, a moldy onion –
and the equally well-stocked pantry. It had to have been sheer luck
that she'd found the canned tuna, under the sink of all places, and
a few pieces of mold free bread. Now she found herself in the same
predicament, what to make?

"Ugh," she said frustrated. At last she found a box of
noodles and some canned tomato juice, enough to make some semblance
of a dinner. "I guess this means I get to go shopping
tomorrow."

When she called Garrett down to dinner the little boy was already
yawning and half asleep. He hadn't even had half of the pasta in
his bowl before he fell asleep on the one elbow he had resting on
the tabletop. Lindsey found herself grinning at the sight before
she stood up on exhausted legs and managed to carry him up to bed.
The little boy smiled slightly as she kissed him goodnight and
tucked him under the covers.

Back downstairs Lindsey cleaned up what she could, but left a bowl
in the microwave for Marcus. Once she couldn't find anything else
to clean in the kitchen she wandered back into the living room and
sat down on the couch, turning on the television to wait.

It was nearly midnight when she heard him come back in. The sound
of his heavy boots on the kitchen floor woke her from her light
doze and bought her head around to watch him.

"Creatures of habit all right," he said as he eyed the
bowl in the microwave. Opening the fridge he took out a beer and
kicked off his muddy boots at the same time.

Lindsey winced as the amount of mud that splattered the kitchen
floor that she'd mopped and scrubbed so diligently. It was then
that she saw him looking at her.

"You never did like me taking my boots off in the kitchen."
He muttered as he came in to take a seat next to her on the couch.

"And now you're getting the couch all dirty," she
frowned, whipping some of the dirt from the knee of his worn jeans.

"Is he mine?"

"No," Lindsey answered softly.

"Good." Marcus replied, leaning back into the couch and
draining his beer.

"I married Kurt after I left." She fidgeted, trying to
find the words to explain.

"You don't have to explain." He said breaking the silence
and tension between them at the same time. "Just tell me why
you're here."

"I—" She stopped, the sadness welling up inside
her. "It started out okay between us. He was a lot like you; I
guess that's what drew me to him. Garrett was three when the
trouble started. Every night he'd come home drunk. When I finally
approached him about it he only yelled and screamed at me, waving
his arms in the air. But it got worse. I told him if he didn't stop
I'd leave him…and he hit me. He threatened to hurt Garrett
if I told anyone, if I did anything. I was too scared to go for
help then. Instead I let him beat me again, and again, and again.

"Garrett turned six three weeks ago. We had a big party and
everything. Kurt was better then he had been lately. He was
actually sober for the party that morning, but he left right after
I cut the cake. When he came back home Garrett was still hyper from
the earlier excitement. He was doing what all little boys do,
running around and playing with his new toys.

There was some cake left over and he'd been begging me for another
piece ever since the party was over. I guess Kurt just had enough.
He told Garrett to sit down and shut up. I was in the bedroom
straightening up when I heard Garrett scream. I ran out and saw him
holding his hand over his bloody nose. Kurt was yelling at him and
coming for him again when I jumped in the way…"