Diane Greenwood Muir - Bellingwood 06 - A Season of Change

by Diane Greenwood Muir

  “Well, I’m sorry. I’ve never wanted babies and I forget that there are people who really do love having them around.”

  “Will you love my babies?” Joss asked.

  “I’ll love your babies. I promise. Just don’t make me change diapers unless you’re really desperate, okay?”

  “Got it. No diapers. Are you okay with puking and spitup and other gross things?”

  “As long as I can wash it off, we’re good. I promise.”

  Joss crossed the room and hugged Polly. “What are you going to do about Henry?”

  “I have no idea.” Polly pushed the drawer shut and went out to the living room. “I’ve pushed him away so hard about asking me to marry him and the other night we had a huge fight. I nearly broke up with him.”

  Joss put her hand on Polly’s arm to stop her. “Are you trying to see how far you can push before he’ll go away? Because he’s not going away, Polly.”

  “Is that what I’m doing? Damn.” She thought about it. “That’s what I’m doing, isn’t it. The last time someone stuck around, it was because he was psycho and obsessed with me. That scared me to death. But before that, no man stayed with me longer than a few months. We always just moved on.”

  “Henry isn’t going to move on. What will it take for you to believe that?”

  “I don’t know. He proves it to me over and over and I’m still stuck in the same place.”

  “That’s not true either, you goofball. You and he have made a lot of progress in your relationship. You aren’t the same couple that you were when we met you last year.”

  “Okay,” Polly sighed. “I’ll have to trust you on that. I just feel like I’m being silly about this whole thing. Every other girl in the world has no problem dropping into bed with a guy and then moving in with him. People must think I’m crazy.”

  She opened the front door and called Obiwan to follow. He came bounding out of the apartment and stopped at the top of the steps, waiting for her to join him.

  “Who cares what other people think, Polly?” Joss asked.

  Polly chuckled. “You didn’t disagree with me about people thinking I’m crazy.”

  “Oh, I didn’t, did I! It’s no one else’s business but yours.”

  “Are people talking about us?”

  Joss laughed, “Not that I’ve heard.”

  Polly looked at her intently and Joss put her hands up. “No really, I’ve heard nothing.”

  “Okay. Whatever. Henry keeps telling me that we can do whatever we want in our own relationship - that it’s no one else’s business.”

  They went down the stairs to the main foyer and Joss said, “He’s right, you know.”

  “If we lived in Boston, no one would pay any attention to us. That’s one of the problems with living in a small town. Everybody thinks that everything is their business. Sometimes that just drives me batty.”

  “But when you need them, they’re right there to take care of you.”

  “I’m pretty sure the good far outweighs the bad. I’m just being grouchy. Come on. I need to ask Jeff a question before we head to the barn.” She led Joss into the office and peeked in Jeff’s door.

  “Are you busy?” she asked him.

  “No, what’s up?”

  “What do you think about a room in the addition for Sarah Heater? Have you come up with anything?”

  “All taken care of. We’ll put her in the back room on the main level. Have you talked to her? When is it going to happen?”

  “Not yet,” Polly said. “But now that you’re ready, I’m on it.”

  “Let Eliseo know if you need anything else.”

  “Thanks, Jeff. I couldn’t do this without you here.”

  “I know that and I’ll constantly remind you of how important I am.” He grinned and waved as they left.

  “I want to work here,” Joss said as they went out the side door and headed for the barn.

  “The kids would be lost without you at the library,” Polly hooked her arm through Joss’s. “But there is always something going on here. It’s never boring.”

  “So what’s happening with the horses today?”

  “Honestly, I’m not sure. I got all caught up last week with Lori Victor and her son who has Down syndrome. It occurred to me that a lot of kids respond to these big animals and I wanted to give him something special, especially after his dad just died.”

  “That makes sense,” Joss said, waiting for Polly to open the gate. “You certainly have a lot of animals around here.”

  The sun had finally come out and the two donkeys were waiting for Polly to come through the pen.

  “Hi guys,” she said. “You have to let us get to the barn first. Joss needs to put boots on her feet.” Tom nosed Polly’s jacket pocket, looking for a treat. “You’re going to have to wait for that, too. I don’t have anything in there yet.” She grinned at Joss. “Eliseo keeps carrots in a refrigerator back in the feed room. The boys love getting treats when new people show up.”

  The donkeys followed them into the barn and Huck left them behind and headed for the feed room. They heard Eliseo laughing and he came out into the main alley.

  “Huck told me you were here and reminded me that he and Tom were lost little donkeys who never have any fun. No one is ever around to play with them.” He bent over and rubbed Huck’s head and whispered something in the donkey’s ear. Huck skittered back down the alley to Polly and Joss.

  “What did you tell him?”

  “I told him to go get treats. He’s waiting!”

  “Are my extra boots back there? Joss needs something if she’s going to be out in the pasture with us.”

  “They’re in the cabinet. Otherwise the donkeys would eat them. Come on back, Joss. We’ll get you set up.”

  “Give her the treats today,” Polly called. “It’s her turn to have fun.” When nothing appeared in Polly’s hands, Tom and Huck wandered back to the feed room and soon she heard giggles as Joss tried to deal with both curious donkeys at once.

  “That will help her make friends, won’t it, Demi?” Polly reached up and rubbed the nose of her horse. “Are you ready to be an ambassador today?” She and Eliseo had already decided that since he was the calmest of the four, it would be best to introduce Seth and his mother to him. Demi shook his head and then returned for some more attention.

  Joss was still chuckling when she came back out of the feed room. “These boys are great!” she said. “I had no idea donkeys were so friendly.”

  Polly’s phone buzzed with a text from Lori Victor.

  We’re here. Where should we go?

  I’ll be right out. If you’re still in your car, drive down the lane to the barn.

  “Lori and Seth are here,” she said to Joss. “I’m going to go out and find them.”

  Joss sat down on one of the benches with both donkeys sniffing around her. “I think I’ll be fine right here.”

  Polly went outside and waited while Lori drove a nice BMW down the lane. She hoped the woman had dressed for being in the barn. She waited while they parked and walked out to meet them. Lori opened up the back seat and lifted Seth out. He was adorable in jeans, a little western styled shirt and a small cowboy hat.

  “Hi!” Polly called out. “Seth looks awesome. Is he ready to meet my horses?”

  “We don’t have much time, but after he heard you invite us over, I couldn’t very well disappoint him.”

  Polly was taken aback by the comment, but decided to make the best of the afternoon and give the woman the benefit of the doubt. Her husband had been gone for less than two weeks and raising a small boy had to be a challenge.

  “Then if we don’t have much time, we should make the best of it. Are you ready to see some horses today, Seth?” Polly asked.

  Lori carried him in through the gate and didn’t let go of him when they got into the barn. All four horses put their heads out of their stalls and the donkeys quickly left Joss to check out the new people in their territory.
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  “You have a lot of animals in here,” Lori said. “I had no idea the horses were this big.”

  Polly grinned, “Their size is pretty intimidating, but they’re as gentle as can be.”

  Eliseo walked into the alley of the barn and Polly said, “This is Eliseo Aquila. He works with them every day and will be glad to introduce Seth to Demi.”

  Name plates had been made for each of the stalls and Lori turned to see which was which. They stopped in front of Demi’s stall. The horse waited patiently while Seth reached out and put his little hand on Demi’s forehead.

  “Would you like me to hold him?” Eliseo asked. “I’d be glad to take him for a ride around the pasture if you think he’d enjoy it.”

  Lori bristled and then relaxed. “I told Polly that we don’t have much time. I promised Seth that he could see the horses, but I don’t want him on the back of one of them.”

  “I understand,” Eliseo said. “But they are well trained and gentle with everyone.”

  “No thank you,” she replied.

  “How about the donkeys? Tom and Huck love children and if Seth would like to sit on the bench over here beside Mrs. Mikkels, I’m pretty sure they’d let him pet them.”

  Lori released a breath and put Seth on the ground. He toddled to one of the donkeys, who sniffed at his hand and then looked up at Eliseo.

  “He’s looking for a treat. These boys are never tired of carrots. Can Seth come over here with me, Mrs. Victor?”

  “Fine,” she replied. “I don’t want him out of my sight, though.”

  Eliseo bent down and took Seth’s hand, leading him to the bench where Joss was sitting. She scooted over and patted the seat beside her and Seth climbed up and sat down. Eliseo reached into his pocket and handed Joss a plastic bag filled with carrot chunks.

  “They’re getting spoiled today,” he said.

  “I’m sorry I put you in a bad situation,” Polly said. “I didn’t mean to set you up for something you didn’t want to do.”

  “It’s fine,” Lori responded. “I just have a lot of things going on.”

  “I’m sure you are very busy trying to manage all of the details around Bruce’s death as well as take care of a little boy. I don’t envy you that.”

  The woman nodded, keeping an eagle eye on her son. Obiwan had come in from playing outside and after checking out Joss and Seth, wandered over to lie down beside Polly.

  “You really do have a lot of animals, don’t you?”

  “That’s why I thought Seth might like it here. We also have a couple of cats in the barn and I have two more up in my apartment.” Polly looked around. “I don’t know where Hansel and Gretel are. They must be asleep up in the hay mow.”

  Demi nudged Polly with his head. “Hey!” she laughed. “Aren’t you getting enough attention?” She stroked him. Gretel perched precariously on his water tub, bending in for a drink. “Oh, there’s one of the cats,” she said, getting Lori’s attention.

  Lori nodded again, pulled her phone out and swiped it open. “I’m sorry, but we need to leave. I have another appointment.”

  “I’m glad you could come over, then. If you ever want to bring him back, just give us a call. We’d love to have him stop by.”

  “Come on Sethie,” Lori said. “We need to get going or mommy will be late.”

  He smiled up at Joss and reached his hand out one more time to stroke Huck’s neck. “Ride?” he asked.

  “No, Sethie. We have to go.”

  His face wilted into a pout. Polly was sure there would be tears, but Eliseo lifted him up and carried him to his mother, who hadn’t moved once she’d planted her feet. She took her son and spun on her heels, leaving the barn. Polly raced to catch up, if for no other reason than to open the gates and make sure they were shut behind her.

  Lori Victor cleared the gates and packed her son in the car, then turned back to Polly. “Thank you for your time,” she said and got into her car and drove away.

  Polly walked back to the barn and when she got inside, said, “Well, that was the weirdest thing I’ve ever experienced. She didn’t want to be here at all.”

  “Sometimes large animals frighten people,” Eliseo said.

  “I don’t think that’s it. She just plain didn’t want to be here. She practically accused me of setting her up in front of her son, making it impossible for her to refuse him.”

  “He seemed like a happy little boy,” Joss said.

  “I hope that he stays happy,” Polly grumbled. “She’s got a lot ahead of her.”

  “I tell you what. When my children are old enough, I’m bringing them over so Eliseo can teach them how to be around these animals.” Joss looked up at him, “You’re amazing!”

  “Kids and animals all need the same thing. Boundaries and love. As long as those things are present in their lives, the rest is easy to figure out,” he smiled.

  “Thank you, Eliseo,” Polly said. “I’m sorry this didn’t turn out quite the way we expected.”

  “It’s just fine. I have plenty to keep me busy.” He walked away and then turned around and looked at the donkeys, clicked his teeth and both looked up and followed him.

  “Wow,” Joss said. “He’s kind of amazing.”

  “I know. Can you believe that he works for me?”

  “Pretty cool.” Joss looked down at her feet. “I expected to get a lot dirtier than I am. But, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Let me go put these back where I found them.” She went into the other room and Polly turned back to Demi.

  “It sure would be nice if people were as straightforward as you all are,” she said and reached down to pet Obiwan. “And you, too. I like having animals in my life. You all remind me to keep on loving, no matter what.”

  Joss came back out. “What are you and Henry doing tonight?”

  Polly chuckled. “Well, it’s Friday night, which means that Sylvie is going to be here late, so the boys will be at the apartment until she’s done and I’m also taking Rebecca down to see her mom and then she’ll be with me, too.”

  “Oh,” Josh breathed. “I don’t know how you do all of this.”

  “I just keep going until I drop. Most days aren’t that bad, but sometimes I get in a little over my head.”

  “So when are you going to sit down with Henry?”

  “I have no idea. I promised him we would talk this weekend, but Saturday nights are bad with the kids in my apartment again and then Sunday night I’ll still have Rebecca. We’re going to have to figure this out, but I don’t know when.”

  Joss looked at the time. “I need to get going or I’d try to help you. Andy is at the library this afternoon, but Fridays are really busy.”

  Polly veered toward the front of Sycamore House rather than going inside. “Let’s walk around to my truck and I’ll take you back uptown. Thanks for coming over. I needed to talk to someone.”

  “I’m glad I got to spend some time down here. I need to come over more often. Your animals are pretty wonderful.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Early Saturday morning Polly felt Rebecca shaking her arm.

  “Polly, you have to wake up. The horses are out! Polly!”

  “What?” Polly sat straight up. “Say that again?”

  “The horses are out. I heard something and looked out the front window and one of them is in the garden and the donkeys are in the parking lot.”

  Polly swiped her phone open and shoved it at Rebecca. “Call Eliseo. He’s in my contacts. He’ll be awake,” and she jumped over to pull jeans and a sweatshirt on. She slipped into a pair of sneakers, bouncing while she pulled them over her heel.

  “He’s coming, who else?” Rebecca said.

  “What time is it?”

  “It’s ten to five.” The little girl was breathing fast, trying to take it all in. “Can I help you? I can put my shoes on.”

  “No, that’s fine. You stay here.” Polly took her phone back and looked at Rebecca, whose eyes were panicked. “Wait. You can help
with the donkeys. Go ahead and put your jeans on and come downstairs when you’re dressed.” She reached down and hugged the little girl. “Thank you! You did great!”

  Polly ran down the steps and then out the front door, swiping all of the doors open with her phone. Nan was standing in the garden area, munching on something and Huck and Tom were circling Daisy in the parking lot, almost as if they were trying to herd her away from the driveway. Polly looked around desperately for Nat and Demi. Where were they?

  She didn’t have anything with her to throw over Daisy’s head, but didn’t want to leave her to go to the barn. What in the hell had happened? She took a deep breath and told herself to calm down and then walked slowly over to Daisy. Nan was preoccupied, so she wasn’t going anywhere, but the donkeys were worried about this one.

  “Good morning, Daisy,” Polly said as she got closer to the animals. “How are you doing? Is it a little surprising to be on this side of the fence?”

  Eliseo’s car sped past on the highway and into the drive beside the barn. Polly took a deep breath and reached out to touch Daisy’s neck. “Tom and Huck want you to go back to the barn. Can we do that?”

  In moments, Eliseo was coming up to meet her. He had several leads in his hands and was walking quietly and deliberately so as not to spook the animals.

  “Where are the boys?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. Tom and Huck were worried about Daisy. I suppose they might be out back. Do you want me to go look?”

  “Take Tom with you,” Eliseo snapped a halter over Tom’s head and handed the lead to Polly. “He’ll help if there’s a problem.” Before she turned away, Eliseo snapped a halter over Daisy’s head and one over Huck’s. He handed her another halter and lead.

  Rebecca ran out of the front door. “Can I help?” she asked.

  Eliseo smiled at her. “If you could take Huck, we’ll get him back to the barn. Remember how I showed you?”

  Rebecca took the lead from Eliseo and stood beside Huck’s head. “I remember. What are you going to do about that one?”