Everyone Deserves a Second Chance (3 page)

Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at Marcus. "I didn't
know where else to go. If I'd gone to a friend he'd have found me
and dragged me back home. I didn't tell anyone where I was going,
not even my mother. I'm sure he was furious when he came home last
week and saw that we were gone."

"Who else knows about me besides your mother?"

"No one."

"Then you should be safe here."

"I promise I won't stay long. I'll start looking for a job and
a place tomorrow—"

Marcus sighed and stood. "This house is as much yours as it is
mine. You're welcome to stay as long as you need to." He held
out a hand and pulled Lindsey to her feet. "I'm going to bed,
and so should you."

She nodded and followed him upstairs. She checked in on Garrett
before she returned to her room and changed into a pair of pajamas.
As soon as she put her head on her pillow, she was fast asleep.

The horses looked up at him with groggy eyes as he appeared and
made his way to the feed room. "I know I'm early guys, but I
doubt you'll mind much." After feeding each of the six horses
Marcus finished his coffee before he let the horses out to pasture
for the morning. They'd remain out until early afternoon when it
was too chilly for them to comfortably stay outside. Then he'd pull
them out one at a time as he worked around the ranch.

The patter of small feet came to his ears as he threw hay down from
the loft. Looking down he saw little Garrett peering up at him.
"Watch out." Marcus called before he pushed another bale
overboard. Climbing down the loft ladder he found the little boy
sitting on one of the overturned bales.

"Momma said I'm supposed to stay with you while she goes to
the store."

Marcus smiled at the red-eyed boy and picked up one of the hay
bales he'd tossed down. "You wanna help?"

"Yeah!" The boy jumped up and grabbed hold of the hay
Marcus was carrying. "Where do we put it?" He asked
curiously.

"Right over here by the wall." Marcus watched in
amusement as the boy held on to the hay bale as he carried it over
to the wall.

"I'll get the next one!" Garrett called, dropping hold of
the hay and going for another bale in the isle. "Hmm, its
kinda heavy," he called as he strained to lift the weight but
couldn't.

"Let me give you a hand." Marcus smiled as he picked up
the hay and carried it again to the wall with the boy's help.

"This is fun!" Garrett said as he raced to get another
hay bale.

When all the hay was stacked along the wall Garrett wiped his hands
on his jeans and looked up at Marcus with expectant eyes. "Now
what do we do next?"

"Now," Marcus replied moving to get a wheelbarrow and
shovel, "I get to clean out the stalls." He handed the
boy a shovel that nearly toppled him over. "Let me show you."

Marcus pulled the wheelbarrow before the first stall and showed
Garrett how to pick up the poop and put it inside.

"It stinks!" Garrett said wrinkling up his nose.

"Well your poop stinks too." Marcus said with a laugh and
ruffled the boy's hair.

He giggled. "I guess so."

Once the stalls were done for the morning Marcus showed Garrett how
to put a flake of hay in each stall and refill the water bucket for
each horse.

"Now what do we do?" Garrett asked.

"Now we get to clean tack."

"What's tack?"

"It's the horse's saddle and bridle."

"Oh."

Garrett skipped along behind Marcus's longer strides into the tack
room where Marcus showed him how to pour solution into a cloth and
then wipe off the saddle.

"You do a lot of work!" Garrett said as he yawned and
wiped at his eyes with the back of a hand.

"Why don't you go lay down over there on the couch?"
Marcus pointed to the old leather couch on other end of the tack
room. Of course it was one of the ones Lindsey had hated and wanted
him to get rid of that he'd never found the heart to. And so it had
ended up in here. "You know, just to rest for a while."

The little boy nodded and scrambled up onto one big cushion. Within
moments he lie fast asleep. Marcus chuckled and continued to finish
cleaning the saddles and bridles he'd used the day before.

"I knew he'd fall asleep for you." Lindsey said startling
Marcus who hadn't heard her approach. "He never gets up this
early."

She watched the little boy as he lie sleeping and a sad expression
crossed her face, one that he'd seen before. Slowly she sat down on
the couch beside the boy and smoothed his hair back with her hand.

"We were so young, the two of us." She gave him a sad
smile as he stood up to trade one saddle for another. "Maybe
if we'd tried harder—"

"You left me. Remember?" Marcus attacked the saddle with
a harsh rubbing of the cloth along the dirty areas. "I was
trying."

Lindsey sighed and stood, scooping the little boy into her arms.
"I'm going to go make breakfast. I'll come get you when it's
ready." She waited a second for a reply but when she didn't
receive one she left as silently as she'd come.

Back inside Garrett awoke to the smell of breakfast being placed on
the kitchen table. He stretched his little arms and legs before he
jumped off the living room couch and took a seat at the kitchen
table.

"Yum," he whispered as he picked up his toast and took a
bite.

"Garrett Norman, you put that down right now!"

"But I'm hungry!"

"No excuses. Go run out to the stables and tell Marcus that
breakfast is ready. Once he comes in then you can eat."

Garrett grumbled as he left the kitchen and ran for the stables.
"Marcus!" he called inside the stables as he patted one
of the horses on the nose through a pasture fence. "Marcus,
are you in there?" When there was no reply Garrett turned to
run back for the house only he collided right into a little girl.

"Ouch! That hurt!" The little girl snapped at him as she
ran a hand over her sore forehead.

"Well you ran into me." Garrett said rubbing his forehead
as well.

"Is Uncle Marcus in there?" The little girl asked peering
past his shoulder and trying to make out the shadows in the barn.

"He didn't answer when I called for him."

"Ooh, then I know where he is. Come on!" The little girl
grabbed Garrett's hand and tugged him along. Because he was
curious, and because he was only six years old, Garrett followed.

Together the two ducked under one of the pasture fences and raced
along side by side. It was the girl who was the first to spot the
horse and the figure stooped over the wire fence.

"There he is!" She called to Garrett as she sprinted past
him. "Uncle Marcuse!" She called running up to him and
throwing herself arms his neck.

"Oh my goodness!" Marcus laughed, pulling the girl into a
bear hug. "You're getting way, way too big for that." He
pattered her nose with kisses until he caught sight of Garrett and
winked at him.

"Where's your mom Lauren?" The little girl held on to
Marcus as he stood and shifted her to his hip.

"She's at the house. She brought you breakfast! Blueberry
muffins just like you like them. They're still hot from the oven
even."

"You guys got back early then. When did you get home?"

"No, we still got back last night. Mom got up extra early to
make you muffins. She said you'd be sad if you didn't get them."

Marcus chuckled as he sat the girl on the saddle of his horse.

"Did you two meet each other yet?" Marcus's eyes wandered
from one child to the other.

"Nope. We were too busy looking for you." Lauren said
gathering the horse's reins and then leaning down to pet it on the
shoulder.

"Lauren, this is Garrett. Garrett, this is Lauren."

Garrett gave a shy smile as he edged closer.

"How about I give you two a ride back to the house huh? Then
we'll see about those blueberry muffins."

"Oh, hello."

Lindsey spun at the sound of a woman's voice. She was a large
woman, not obese, but big boned. Her hair was as thick and curly as
Lindsey's own hair, but a pretty reddish color. A few faint
freckles speckled her cheeks, and only enhanced the color of her
large green eyes and long dark lashes. Although she was thick
waisted, she was quite curvaceous and in no way unattractive.

"Hi," Lindsey responded uncertainly.

"If I'd have known Marcus had company I wouldn't have just
barged right in." The woman smiled and set a basket down on
the kitchen counter. Finally she turned and held out a hand.

"I'm Brenda."

Lindsey took her hand. "Lindsey. Pleased to meet you."

Brenda's eyes went wide. "Lindsey? Lindsey Patrick, the one
who left him?"

"I see he's told everyone in the county." Lindsey said
with an irritated grumble. Slowly she took a seat at the kitchen
table.

"A man as good as he is, he deserves better then what you did
to him." Brenda leaned her bulk against the counter and looked
at Lindsey disapprovingly.

"Look, I doubt you even really know what happened. Gossip in a
small town tends to get blown out of proportion as it travels.
Don't judge me before—"

"I thought I heard your voice!" Marcus said coming into
the house with Garrett and an older girl in tow. He smiled at
Brenda and placed a kiss on her lips before reaching for the basket
on the counter. "Yum, blueberry muffins, my favorite."

"Uncle Marcus says I can ride Rusty next year!" The
little girl jumped up and down, her pigtails flying around her
head. Her hair was the same amazing red of her mother's and her
eyes were just as green.

"Uncle Marcus may reconsider when mom says no." Brenda
smiled at Marcus as he took another bite of a muffin to hide his
grin. The little girl stopped jumping up and down and got a sad
look on her face.

"But—"

"We'll have to wait until next year comes, now won't we?"
Her mother replied with a grin.

The little girl sighed and hung her head in a pout. She crossed her
small arms across her chest and stomped out of the kitchen to fling
herself onto the couch in the living room.

"Lauren, stop that."

The little girl jumped up giggling and ran to Garrett. "Tag,
you're it!" she called before racing out the front door.

Garrett waited only a second before he followed after her yelling,
"No fair! You had a head start!"