Second Chance Ranch

by Leann Harris

  He turned to her and nailed her with his blazing gaze. “What do you want me to say? Yeah, I didn’t tell you the truth when you asked if I was tired. I’m less of a man now than I was when I blew you off when Beth came home during college.”

  It was a reaction, but not the one she hoped for. “What I see is a man who’s trying to come back. What I see is a man who helped a young boy overcome his fear and enjoy his ride on a horse.”

  He turned away from her, staring down at the head of his cane.

  “Zach, the man I met in college was full of himself and knew his strengths. One of those strengths was a faith in God and a determination to do the right thing.” She pulled a pamphlet out of her purse and put it on the coffee table. “This is from NARHA.”

  He gave her a puzzled frown.

  “North American Riding for the Handicapped Association. It talks about equine therapy and its benefits. What you expected from your body was unreasonable.”

  His head came up and he looked at the pamphlet.

  “When I fought for the guys who were wounded on the battlefield, I wanted to save them all. The ones who survived were blessings. You have a duty to those who didn’t make it. You lost a foot, but I don’t think you lost your soul. The Zach McClure I knew is still inside you. You just have a challenge you’ve never faced before.”

  She stood. “Andy’s session is tomorrow morning at ten. He’s told all his friends about you, and I’ve had two more mothers of Down’s children call me, wanting to start with equine therapy.” She started for the door. Pausing with her hand on the knob, she turned to him. “I will never leave a fallen comrade.” With those final words she walked out the door.

  I will never leave a fallen comrade. The words of the U.S. Military’s Honor Ethos echoed in Zach’s brain. How many times had he gone back to get a fellow wounded soldier. With the guys who were gravely wounded, their survival depended on their individual will to live.

  He’d made it. The roadside bomb that wounded him had killed two members of his team. He didn’t remember much after the bomb, except his good buddy calling for him to hold on and telling him that they’d get him help.

  They kept him sedated until he woke up in Walter Reed Army Hospital.

  He picked up his Bible and turned to Exodus. The story that always amazed him was Joshua’s. This was a man who led Israel after Moses’s death in their fight to conquer the Promised Land.

  Zach turned over to the book of Joshua and read the first three chapters, where Joshua faced his first major obstacle—the Jordan River. Not just a normal river but a river ten times its usual size. That crossing was a major miracle.

  He faced his own Jordan River.

  God gave Joshua a plan, and if Zach didn’t miss his guess, God just gave him a plan. And it started with showing up to help Andy.

  Chapter Four

  Zach took a deep breath and glanced at his brother, who sat behind the steering wheel of his truck. Zach chaffed at having to be driven, but he didn’t want his truck fitted with hand controls. He wanted to be able to build up the strength in his leg to be able to drive his own truck.

  “You sure you don’t want me to stay?” Ethan asked.

  Ethan had quickly covered up his surprise this morning when Zach called, asking for a ride.

  “I’m sure.”

  Ethan studied him. “I’ll stop by after I finish the business at the bank.”

  Zach put on his straw hat. It was already warm beyond normal for an early spring morning. “I’m okay, Ethan.” He clamped his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Thanks.”

  Ethan nodded.

  Zach opened the truck door and carefully rested his feet on the ground. He used his cane for balance. Hopefully, he could permanently retire it in a few weeks with hard work and exercise.

  He walked down the breezeway to the open rings. The first thing Zach saw was Andy. The boy sat on a bench by the helmets. He stared at the ground. Glancing up, he spotted Zach.

  “You came,” Andy yelled, launching himself off the bench.

  Zach braced himself for Andy’s hug. The boy stopped and looked up at Zach. He reached out and grasped the boy’s hand. Andy snuggled close to Zach’s side.

  “I see your sidewalker is here.”

  Zach’s head snapped up. Sophie stood before him, her blue eyes glistened with moisture, and he read approval and something else there. But before he could analyze it, Andy raced toward Sam.

  “Hi, Sam.” Andy stroked the horse’s shoulder.

  Sam turned her head toward the boy.

  Pride for Andy’s actions filled Zach. The boy overcame his fear. It was something Zach needed to do.

  “Get your helmet, and I’ll take Sam to the mounting ramp,” Sophie instructed.

  Andy dashed off.

  A smile curved Sophie’s mouth. “I’m glad you’re here. Andy was disappointed when he didn’t see you.”

  “What did you tell him?” He waited, curious for the answer.

  “I told him that Sam was glad he was here.”

  “Is that all?” He moved toward her and lightly ran his hand over Sam’s withers.

  She held his gaze. “When he asked about you, I told him that things would be okay. I prayed. I know Andy is happy you’re here and…”

  Zach understood the unspoken part of her sentence. She was glad he was here, too.

  “I got my helmet,” Andy yelled, waving it above his head.

  “We’re coming,” Sophie replied.

  Suddenly Zach knew that his “Jordon” could be divided.

  Andy cheerfully waved one last time at Zach as his mother pulled him down the walkway. “I had fun. I’ll see you next time.”

  Another child called out Sophie’s name as she rounded the corner. “Miss Sophie. I’m here.” The little girl’s braids bounced as she waved.

  “Go put your things in the office.” Each rider had a small cubbyhole on the inside wall of the office for their things. “I need to take Sam back to his stall.” Sophie lightly patted the horse’s withers.

  Zach grasped Sam’s leads. “I’ll take care of Sam.”

  She hesitated. “You sure? I didn’t expect you to work.”

  “I’m sure. I’ve been doing this kind of thing since I could walk.” He paused. “I think before I could walk. I remember my mother talked about taking me out to the barn and something about a pen.” That sounded bad to his ears.

  She laughed.

  “Take care of your other clients. I’ll take care of Sam.”

  Her eyes danced with mirth and the corner of her mouth kicked up. “You’ve got a deal.”

  Satisfaction raced through him. As he watched Sophie walk toward her next client, Zach’s heart lightened. He was where he belonged. Sophie somehow touched his heart in a way he didn’t understand.

  Sam nudged his arm.

  “What? You want a carrot, or are you thinkin’ the same thing I am?” Zach rubbed Sam’s nose. The horse lipped his hand.

  “A carrot is what you want?” Zach walked to the barrel where the treats were kept and pulled out a carrot. Sam took the offered treat. Zach glanced at his cane propped in the corner behind the mounting steps and decided he felt strong enough to leave it there.

  Over the next hour, Zach plunged into the wonderful pattern of caring for a horse. After removing Sam’s tack, he walked the horse down to the shower stall and hosed him off. Even this early in the spring, the day would be a scorcher and Sam deserved a cooling shower.

  Sam also ate up the attention. She was a flirt.

  “I see you found the shower,” Ollie said, walking by.

  “Sam worked hard and I thought she’d like a little refreshing.”

  Ollie pushed the straw hat back on his forehead. “I’m glad to see you here.”

  Ollie’s words surprised him. “I couldn’t disappoint Andy.”

  “You need a sidewalker, count me in.”

  Ollie’s offer touched Zach.

  “Thanks.”

  �
��No thanks necessary. It’s my privilege.” He nodded and walked down the row of stalls.

  Shock and amazement held Zach motionless. Ollie obviously was a man of few words, but each one held power. Ollie believed in him, which humbled Zach.

  Untying Sam’s lead, he said, “C’mon, girl, let’s go.”

  Sophie grabbed an apple out of the mini-fridge and walked out of the ranch office. There’d been no time to eat and this would be her lunch. Things had happened so quickly this morning that it reminded her of the mornings in the field hospital in Iraq when she went on autopilot.

  Finally, things had settled down and no clients were scheduled for the next hour and she could think. She’d panicked when Andy and his mother had shown up and there was no Zach. Her heart soared when Zach walked out of the breezeway.

  Where was he now? She moved down the row of stalls and found him outside, looking at the horses in the corral.

  “I was worried that you might have disappeared.”

  He turned to her and flashed a wide smile. “No, I haven’t left.”

  She noted a hint of satisfaction in his voice. “You were great with Andy.”

  He took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “I couldn’t have disappointed him, but I’ll admit I was nervous when I got here today.”

  He didn’t know how much prayer went into today. “It did go well. Andy didn’t tire as easily as he did last time. You didn’t, either.”

  “You’re right. My leg held up nicely. Of course I took my time with Sam. She didn’t mind if I sat down and caught my breath.” He shook his head. “It was a one-sided talk, but Sam didn’t mind.”

  “So, you ready to ride a little today?”

  He glanced around. “You’ve got time today?”

  “We have an hour, and I have Ollie and another volunteer to be sidewalkers if you’re willing.”

  He nodded. “Let’s do it.”

  “If you want to get Prince Charming, I’ll get his tack and meet you at the mounting steps.”

  Zach walked to Prince Charming’s stall while Sophie grabbed the tack and blanket and walked to the mounting steps.

  Ollie and Ethan stood with Zach. Zach held Prince Charming by his halter.

  “I see we have a new sidewalker,” Sophie greeted as she walked to the group.

  Ollie took the tack, and Sophie threw the blanket over Prince Charming’s back. Quickly they got the horse ready for the ride. This time when Zach mounted the horse, things went smoothly.

  Sophie led Prince Charming into the ring. She stopped and glanced over her shoulder at Zach. “When you’re ready, tell Prince Charming.”

  He nodded. She could see the excitement in Zach’s face.

  Zach patted Prince Charming’s shoulder. “Let’s go.”

  Prince Charming started forward.

  After their first time around the ring, Zach asked, “Why’d you name him Prince Charming?”

  Ollie snorted.

  “What’s that mean?” Ethan asked.

  “’Cause this guy was an unruly beast when we first got him.”

  “So how’d he get the name Prince Charming?” Zach asked.

  Sophie shrugged, but didn’t turn around. “Because he reminded me of the horse in the storybook I read as a girl. I thought there was a wonderful horse under all that bad behavior. I was right. I worked with him and earned his trust. Prince Charming is only used with adult patients.” She glanced over at Ethan. “We all have our bad moments. The place where Margaret got Prince Charming was a ranch in southern Colorado. Something happened. I think the owner was some city dude and didn’t know much about horses.”

  They worked for close to twenty minutes, making rounds of the corral.

  “Let me know when you’re tired.”

  “I think a couple more times around, then we can call a halt to it.”

  Both Ollie and Ethan nodded in approval.

  With a final round of the corral, Sophie guided Prince Charming to the mounting stairs. She held her breath as Zach swung his prosthesis over Prince Charming’s back. His artificial foot rested on the platform.

  She held her breath and Ethan tensed, ready to dart forward and help his brother.

  Zach continued to hold on to the saddle blanket and slipped his good leg out of the stirrup. He paused for a moment, getting his balance. Slowly he released the saddle blanket and stood.

  Tears welled in Sophie’s eyes. Zach took a step back, turned and smiled at her.

  “I listened to my body this time.”

  “That’s good.” She forced the words around the lump in her throat.

  He held on to the railing as he walked down the stairs. Prince Charming nodded his head, as if agreeing with Sophie.

  “I think this guy needs a carrot.”

  Sophie grabbed a carrot and gave it to Zach. Prince Charming took the offered treat.

  Zach’s stomach rumbled. Prince Charming nudged Zach with his nose.

  “I guess I’m hungry, too.”

  Ollie took the leads from Sophie. “I’ll take care of Prince Charming while you folks get something to eat.”

  “If you got time, I’ll take us to the burger stand down the road,” Ethan said.

  Sophie glanced at her watch. “Can you get me back in forty minutes?”

  “I can.”

  When Sophie hesitated, Zach added, “Trust me when I say if Ethan said it, we can do it.”

  Zach words sounded as if they came from experience. She should turn them down, but the success of the morning needed to be celebrated.

  “Let’s go.”

  They squeezed Sophie between Zach and Ethan. Zach rested his cane between his legs. The morning had gone better than anything he could’ve hoped for. Zach wanted to grin, feeling young and more like himself than he had in forever. Thank You, Lord, he thought.

  “So how’d my little brother do this morning?” Ethan asked.

  Sophie turned to Zach. “He did great. He made Andy’s day.”

  The truck rattled down the dirt road. When the front passenger wheel hit a hole, Sophie was thrown against Zach. Before they could do anything, she bounced away.

  Zach’s mind registered that although Sophie worked hard, she was still a feminine woman.

  And he a man.

  He felt the pull of attraction to her. She stole a glance at him. Her cheeks flushed pink.

  Would she be attracted to him as a man? He knew she wanted to help him and he volunteered to be her test case for the army, but did it go beyond that?

  The balance of the eight-minute trip passed in silence. Zach didn’t see the mountains in the distance or the small stream that ran alongside the road. Trees grew on the other side of the bank, but didn’t stop the glare of the sun off the river. As the road curved around the hill, a building came into view. Freddie’s Burgers and Fries was painted on the sign beside the restaurant. Beyond the restaurant was a gas station and mini-mart.

  Ethan pulled the truck into the parking lot of the restaurant. They climbed out of the truck, and walked inside and placed their orders. The crowd had begun to thin and they found a table in the corner of the dining room.

  “I guess the food in here’s good.” Ethan looked around at the cowboys and high school students.

  A teenage boy brought the tray of burgers and onion rings to the table.

  Both Zach and Ethan reached for the onion rings. The taste of batter and onion exploded on Zach’s tongue. “Try the onion rings,” he encouraged Sophie.

  “I think I’m in love,” Ethan said after he swallowed his bite.

  She laughed at the brothers. “Beth said you guys were a challenge.”

  “What?” Ethan grabbed another onion ring.

  “I heard how you two bullied every boy that came near Beth.” She pulled an onion ring from the plastic basket and took a bite.

  Zach shook his head. “Beth had terrible taste in boyfriends.” He shrugged. “We couldn’t leave her defenseless.”

  Sophie snagged an
other onion ring. “That’s not exactly how Beth tells it.”

  Both men laughed.

  “Oh, I don’t doubt that,” Ethan replied. “She probably described us as Attila the Hun and his horde.”

  “That’s not exactly how she described it.”

  As they ate their hamburgers, stories from Beth’s dating flowed around the table. The more they talked, Zach noticed a longing that entered Sophie’s eyes. More than once, she covered up by laughing at something he or Ethan said.

  At the end of the meal, one onion ring remained in the basket. “Why don’t you have that last onion ring, Sophie?”

  She raised her hands. “They’re good, but I’m full. Besides, I don’t want any of the horses to pass out from my breath.”

  They piled back into the truck and drove back to the ranch.

  “How are you feeling now, Zach?” Sophie asked.

  His energy level seemed to be coming back, especially after the meal. “I’m good.”

  She nodded her approval.

  The morning had gone smoothly. What was even better was that Sophie hadn’t made a big deal out of his showing up. She acted as if she expected him to be there and he appreciated her attitude. “When do you think we can do another session?” he asked.

  “I’d give your body a day’s rest. We could try Friday.” Her smile took some of the sting out of the words. “If you push too hard now, before your body’s ready, we’ll lose ground.”

  He didn’t like the reality of it, but he knew Sophie was right. It had taken a couple of days for him to recover from his first session where he overdid things. “Okay.”

  They agreed to a Friday-morning ride before everyone else’s appointment.

  “I think Beth would like to help,” Ethan informed them.

  Zach shrugged.

  The ranch parking lot came into view. Although he wanted to stay the afternoon, he knew that wisdom demanded he go home.

  Ethan drove his truck to the entrance.

  Zach opened the door and got out of the truck. Sophie followed.

  She turned to him and he could see she was ready to argue.