Volta sighed. “I’m not dating Scott. He’s agreed to continue to help Emma prepare for the horse show until he finishes his stint in Alaska or her regular instructor returns, whichever is sooner. Either way, he’ll only be in Alaska for another week or two, so let it go already.”
Stacy opened her mouth and then closed it again. After a moment, she shrugged. “I got mint chocolate chip ice cream. Want some?”
“No, thanks. I’m tired.” Tired of Stacy judging her. Tired of defending herself for things she’d never done. And tired of feeling guilty for not loving Wade enough. “I’m going to bed.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“NOW, LET’S SEE a figure eight at a lope.” Scott stepped back against the fence and watched Emma complete the maneuver. “Excellent form, but Butternut was a step late changing her lead. This time try to shift your leg positions a little earlier, okay?”
“Okay.” Emma tried again. Scott was impressed with her ability to concentrate on the task at hand. He doubted many eight-year-olds were capable of this sort of focus. This time, the horse changed leads just as she crossed the middle line. Emma reined up next to Scott. “How’s that?”
“That was perfect. Let’s do it again.”
He watched her work, his smile growing broader as she practiced, getting better and better. Her natural posture and form were quite good, and she had a light hand on the reins. Butternut was a fine choice for her, easygoing but eager to move.
Finally, he called a halt. “Great job. Give me a minute to saddle a horse for me, and we’ll go on a trail ride.”
Emma’s face lit up, but she hesitated. “Shouldn’t we keep practicing for the show?”
Scott shook his head. “You’ve practiced enough for today. The whole point of the class is to demonstrate you have the skills to ride in the open and control your horse. And the way to get good at that is to do it.”
“Okay.” She nudged her horse forward to follow him to the barn.
When Scott had called Dr. Thomas to clarify something for his report, Bart had offered to let Scott borrow his horse. Actually, it was his daughter’s horse, but she was away at college, and happy to let him ride. The horse turned out to be an old palomino gelding named Nugget, a placid fellow who was happy for the attention Scott offered. Scott had the saddle blanket on and was reaching for the saddle when Volta showed up.
“Sorry if I’m late. I got held up in the checkout line behind someone with seventy-six coupons, most of which were expired. Are you done with the lesson?”
“It’s not time to go yet,” Emma told her. “We were just going on a trail ride.”
Scott looked at his watch. “I reserved two hours for Emma today. Sorry, I thought I’d told you.”
“Oh.” Volta tilted her head to the right, the way she always did when she was thinking through a decision.
“Don’t make me go now,” Emma begged. “Butternut really, really, wants to go on the trails.”
“Butternut does, huh?” Volta chuckled. “Okay. Well, I have frozen stuff I need to get put away, so I’ll go home, unpack the groceries and be back in an hour. It might take a few minutes longer, depending on traffic. Can you stay with Emma if I’m a little late?” she asked Scott.
“I can bring Emma home,” Scott suggested. “I go right by your neighborhood on my way to the hotel anyway.”
“She needs a booster seat.”
“I could transfer it to my car and return it when I drop Emma off.”
“Is that okay with you?” Volta asked Emma.
“Yes!”
Scott passed Volta his key fob. “Here. Why don’t you transfer the seat while I get Nugget here saddled, and we’ll ride by the parking lot to collect my keys on the way to the trailhead. Okay?”
“That would be a huge help. Thanks.” She leaned over to pat Emma on the leg. “Be careful and listen to Dr. Scott, okay?”
“I will.”
Volta smiled. “See you in a while, then.”
Scott enjoyed the trail ride. He reminded Emma about posture or positioning a time or two, but mostly he relished the opportunity to be with her. Volta was raising an amazing little girl.
Multiple trails twisted through the woods on the Anchorage hillside. At the suggestion of the stable manager, Scott had chosen the most open trails that had had a chance to dry out from the winter’s snowpack, but they still had to cross through mud a few times.
He made sure they got back to the stables early to leave extra grooming time to remove the mud from the horses’ legs and hooves. Emma was eager to learn all aspects of horse care. Once they had the horses stabled, they walked to the parking lot. Scott was checking to make sure Emma’s car seat was secure when his phone rang. Work.
“Excuse me, Emma, I need to take this. I won’t be long.”
“Okay.”
He closed the door and answered. “Scott Willingham.”
“Hi, Scott. It’s Hans.”
“Hi,” Scott greeted his boss. “Early in the morning for you, isn’t it?”
“I’m at a conference in India, so not as early as you’d think. We’ve had some visa problems, so as usual, we’re rearranging schedules for next month. Where are you on that study?”
“I’ve got all the interviews done, but I still need to write it up and deliver the recommendations.”
“How is it looking?”
“Good. I think they can make significant improvements with the resources they can offer.”
“How much longer will you need to be there?”
Scott considered. If he worked flat out, he could have the report written in two days or so. Probably another day or two to get the board together and report. But he wasn’t inclined to put in sixteen-hour days. He’d promised Emma lessons, and he’d like to spend a little time outside, enjoying Alaska. “A week or so?”
Hans sighed. “I was afraid you’d say that. Okay. We’ll work it out. Thanks, Scott.”
“Sure. I’ll let you know if something changes.”
“Right. Goodbye.”
Scott returned to the car. “Sorry. That was my supervisor.”
Emma nodded wisely. “You have to answer when it’s work, ’cause it could be an emergency. Mommy’s supervisor is named Bernie. I met him at the company picnic, and he made me a dog out of balloons.”
“Really?” Scott would never have guessed the head of Puffin Medical Transport made balloon animals.
“He made a hat for one girl. And he tried to make an elephant, but it looked more like a rhinoceros because the trunk stuck up like a horn.”
“I can see that would be a hard one.”
They talked all the way home. Emma asked all sorts of questions about horses, and what animals he’d seen when he traveled, and his views on sugar. “My grandma Jordan doesn’t believe in sugar, but my grammy Morgan takes me to the candy store at the mall and lets me pick out a quarter pound of whatever I want.”
“What do you get at the candy store?”
“Sometimes chocolate and marshmallow penguins. And sometimes peanut butter fudge. But most of the time, I get chocolate-covered macadamia nuts.”
“Good choices.” He and Volta had been both especially fond of chocolate caramel macadamias when they’d lived in Hawaii.
“Mommy says life without brownies would be a tragedy.”
He laughed. “Sounds like your mommy hasn’t changed much.”
“What do you mean?”
Scott realized his mistake. “Just that I noticed she likes chocolate.”
“She always has M&Ms in her purse. She calls them her emergency rations.”
Scott pulled into Volta’s driveway and parked. A garden flat of assorted plants sat on the porch, next to a watering can.
“Oh, good,” Emma said. “Mommy’s planting the garden.” She unbuckled herself, slipped out of
the car and skipped around the side of the house. “Mommy, I’m home.”
Scott followed Emma along the flagstone path running along the house beside a cluster of bright yellow daffodils. In the bed beside the path, spring shoots were making their way out of the ground, including several fiddleheads that would later uncurl into graceful ferns.
When they got to the backyard, they found Volta kneeling in a bed of dirt beside a wooden frame, holding a dibble in her hand. A trowel and a seed packet lay on the ground in front of her. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Smudges of dark soil streaked across the pale blue of her shirt and one ran diagonally along her cheek. Nevertheless, she was gorgeous.
Volta smiled at him and became even more beautiful. “Hi. Thanks for giving Emma the riding lesson, and for bringing her home.”
“I enjoyed it. We had a great ride today, didn’t we, Emma?”
Emma nodded. “Butternut likes trail rides. And she likes it when I brush her legs with the soft brush to get all the mud off.”
“What are you planting?” Scott asked.
“Snap peas.”
“We put strings on the frame and the peas climb up real high,” Emma said. “Can I plant some?”
“Sure. You make a hole to the second mark, like this, and then pull out the dibble and drop in a pea. Then make another hole this far apart. Can you do that?” She handed the dibble to Emma.
“Yes.” Emma went to work. Volta stood and walked over to Scott. “Let me get that car seat from you. Emma, I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” Emma’s attention was on the seeds.
They walked along the path to the front yard. “What are all the plants on the porch?” Scott asked.
“Pansies, lobelia, alyssum and fuchsias. Once I finish planting the vegetables, I’ll put together some hanging baskets and container gardens.”
“Sounds nice.” Scott opened the back door and lifted out the booster seat. “Do you want to open the garage door and I’ll put it in your car?”
Volta shook her head. “Stacy borrowed my car to go out with her friends.” She took the seat from him and set it on the porch.
“Stacy’s still here?” Didn’t they say fish and houseguests stink after three days?
“Yep.” Volta didn’t sound happy about it. In fact, if he wasn’t mistaken, there was a story there. But it didn’t look like Volta was going to share it. She was probably eager to get back to her gardening.
“I’d better be going,” he said. “Get some dinner and start organizing my notes.”
“I have a casserole in the oven.”
Scott looked up, surprised. Volta looked a little surprised herself. “Is that an invitation?”
She smiled. “Why not? It’s Emma’s favorite meal. Nothing fancy. Macaroni and cheese. Carrot sticks. Fruit salad for dessert.”
“Sounds like a feast to me. I’m in.”
She looked at her watch. “It will be done in ten minutes. I suppose I’d better pick up the garden tools in the meantime.”
He used his thumb to brush away the streak of dirt on her cheek. “Go wash up. I’ll pick up your tools and bring Emma inside.”
“I... Okay. Come through the back door. There’s a basket for garden tools in the mudroom.”
Scott returned to the backyard, where Emma was still industriously poking holes. “Almost done?”
“Two more.” Emma made two more holes, dropped in dried peas and patted the soil over them. “Now we need to water them.”
“I’ll get the watering can from the front porch,” Scott offered. “Your mom says the macaroni and cheese is almost ready, so we need to hurry and clean up.”
“Mac and cheese? Yum!”
Scott fetched the watering can, filled it at the spigot near the back door and carried it to the garden. At Emma’s direction, he sprinkled water along the newly planted row. Simple as it was, there was something satisfying about the task, about the idea of starting a seed growing. He could see why Volta liked to garden.
He and Emma collected the empty seed packet and the garden tools. Emma showed him a basket, where he set the dibble and trowel. The aroma of warm cheese wafted into the mudroom. They both washed in the mudroom sink before going into the kitchen, where Volta was setting another spot at the table.
“Good timing. Dinner’s ready.”
“Smells good.” Scott sat down at the table with them. It was a simple meal, but delicious. While they ate, he and Emma filled Volta in on all the sights they’d seen on the trail ride.
“There were some tracks that might have been a wolf,” Emma told her.
“Or a big dog,” Scott pointed out.
“Or a wolf dog. Or a werewolf,” Emma suggested.
Scott laughed. “A werewolf?”
“I saw it on a cartoon. But it wasn’t real. Somebody put stuff on their big dog to make it look like a wolf and scare people away.”
“Ah, sounds like cartoons are still borrowing from the classics,” Scott said. “That happened to Sherlock Holmes more than a hundred years ago.”
“Who’s Sherlock Holmes?”
“You don’t know about Sherlock Holmes?” Scott smiled at Emma. “Then you have a treat in store someday.”
“He’s a famous detective in books,” Volta explained, “who lived a really long time ago.”
“Did he have a horse?” Emma asked.
Volta grinned and shook her head. “I was never too crazy about those stories. The author doesn’t play fair with the clues.”
“But Sir Author Conan Doyle changed the whole genre of fictional detectives. There weren’t any rules when he wrote it.”
Emma was looking back and forth between them. “And he wrote about werewolves?”
“Not exactly werewolves. Just a big scary dog. And only in that one story.”
Once dinner was over and Scott had helped load the dishwasher, he’d run out of excuses to stay any longer. “Thank you for sharing your dinner. I suppose I’d better go back to the hotel and get my notes organized so that tomorrow morning, I can jump into writing the report.”
“I’ll walk you out. Emma, you need to find your spelling list. We’ll go over the words before your bath.”
“Okay. Bye, Dr. Scott. See you Saturday.”
“Good night, Emma.”
Volta followed Scott outside. “Saturday?”
“If it’s okay with you. Butternut was booked tomorrow afternoon, but I reserved a spot Saturday morning at ten. Sorry, I meant to ask you first, but Emma was there when I made the reservation.”
“Saturday is fine with us, but don’t you need to be working?”
“I talked to my supervisor today and told him I needed at least a week, maybe more.”
“A week.” Volta made it sound like his last bit of freedom before an upcoming prison sentence. He couldn’t disagree. “Are you sure you have time for this lesson Saturday?”
“I’m sure.”
“Well, don’t promise Emma any more lessons after that unless you’re positive you’ll be here.”
“I won’t make promises I can’t keep. I understand what it’s like to be a kid and have the adults in your life cancel.”
“Okay,” she said, but her expression was skeptical. Volta knew all about his relationship with his father, or rather the lack of one. It hurt a little to know she didn’t trust him not to disappoint Emma. “Good night, Scott.”
“Good night.” He spotted the stable’s newsletter lying on the porch where Emma had dropped it. He retrieved it and turned to give it to Volta. But she was already gone.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“NICE JOB!” VOLTA high-fived the girl who had just gotten three of five beanbags through the targets. She stamped her card with a smiley face, collected the beanbags and welcomed the next kid in line.
Today was fie
ld day at Emma’s school, one of Volta’s favorite volunteer activities. The kids looked forward to it for weeks, partly because of the games, and partly because it meant there were only two more days of school. It always started right after lunch.
Volta had almost been late because, as she was gathering up her bag, Stacy wandered into the kitchen, still in her pajamas. “Got any coffee?”
“Sorry, I washed the pot. You’ll have to make more. Late night?”
“Yeah, went to a midnight movie with some friends. Haven’t done that in years.” She filled the pot with water.
Volta reached into the bowl where she kept her car keys. Empty. “Have you seen my keys?”
“Oh, I think I left them in my pocket. Just a sec while I start the coffee and I’ll get them.”
“I need to go now. Go get them and I’ll make coffee.” Volta had measured coffee into the pot and poured the water through before Stacy returned with the keys.
“Here. Say, yesterday when I came by to change clothes, I thought I saw that doctor driving out of the neighborhood.”
“He brought Emma home after her lesson.” Volta wanted to leave it there, but if Emma mentioned dinner, Stacy would think she was hiding something. “And to thank him for the lessons, I invited him to dinner.”
“To thank him. Right.” Stacy looked away, but not before Volta saw her eye roll.
Volta didn’t have time to set her straight. “I’m late.” She grabbed her bag and pushed through the door to the garage. Naturally, Stacy had left the gas tank almost empty, but Emma’s school wasn’t far away.
The kids had been vibrating with excitement when Volta arrived just in time to receive her assignment. Now, two hours later, they’d had a chance to run off some of their energy and were a little more mellow. The sky was beginning to cloud up, but the weather report said the rain should hold off until evening, thankfully, because the kids would have been sorely disappointed if they couldn’t finish the day outside.
Volta handed her next contestant a beanbag. “Stand right here behind the line. Let’s see what you can do.”
A girl she remembered from earlier in the day dashed over. “Can I do the beanbags again?” she asked. “They’re my favorite.”
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