Jane ate a banana, changed into her riding clothes, and waited outside for Mak. “Why this one?” she said when he showed up with Cinnamon.
“After considering the pros and cons,” he said with a trace of humor, “it came down to color. Since you have chameleon eyes, I didn’t want to chance them turning white.”
He did have a quirky sense of humor. “So you want to see my eyes turn rusty-colored?”
“Look.” He rubbed his hand along the horse’s side. “She’s the color of your hair in the sun. A golden brown.” He gestured. “Shall we?”
She exhaled heavily. “I’m more than ready.”
“Fine. Since your first experience of riding on the beach a few weeks ago left a lot to be desired, I thought we might trot along a stretch of beach that’s about three miles long. How’s that?”
Sitting astride the horse she huffed. “Trot?”
“Yes.” His determined tone left no doubt he meant it. “You and the horse need to get to know each other. Isn’t that what you would tell a child you were teaching to ride?”
This was a test, she surmised. If she didn’t behave, he wouldn’t allow her to teach Leia. And every little girl should learn to ride properly. Her expression must have been one of acquiescence because he pulled on the reins to turn Big Brown, and they trotted off together.
As they rode through town, Jane looked at the restaurant windows. “Rose and Matilda are probably in one of those places having lunch.”
He looked over. “Mother really enjoys Matilda’s company.” He laughed. “But who doesn’t?”
Jane smiled at that. Matilda had a way of making everyone feel comfortable. As they rode out of town, she said what she’d planned to say for the past two days. “I wanted to ask about Leia’s leg. Does that have something to do with her not having learned to ride?”
“Partly,” he said, a furrow appearing between his brows. “Of course, she couldn’t for a long time after the surgery, and she didn’t want to be near a horse. Later, she seemed to have forgotten what happened, but she still has a fear. She wants to ride, begs me, but when I start to put her on a horse, that fear sets in. Then my apprehension surfaces, and horses sense that. She’s determined, in spite of the fear.” He took a deep breath and looked out over Big Brown’s head. “But so was Maylea.”
Jane closed her eyes against what he must be feeling.
“The doctors say the leg is healed but the right one is weaker than the left. As she grows, she will probably experience pain. Exercise should help the leg grow stronger. Horseback riding probably would.”
Jane knew horses picked up on a rider’s emotions. Maybe she could help Leia overcome her fear. Mak’s was a fear of a different kind. Could anyone help him overcome his?
“In Texas, do you train your horses in the ocean?” he asked when they reached the beach.
“The horses I have for my classes have already been trained. I just need to train the child and horse to accept each other and teach the child how to get the horse to know and obey commands or movements.”
“Here,” he said, “a wild mustang or a belligerent horse receives a lot of his training in the ocean.”
She wouldn’t mind getting into the ocean in a bathing outfit, but in her riding clothes? “Is that what we’re going to do?”
“Yes. Let’s trot on down.”
If he hadn’t hesitated before saying that, she might have believed him. She shook her head, and he smiled.
“Okay, Mak. So I asked a stupid question. This might be another one. Why do you train them in the ocean?”
“Not stupid at all. We take them into the ocean because they can’t buck or kick while getting used to a rider and commands. That tames them. And too, it’s not a bad idea for a horse to learn how to swim.”
“Makes sense,” she said. She soon found herself enjoying the Sunday afternoon trot along a white sand beach with a clear blue sky overhead. A deep blue ocean stretched alongside the beach, its waves caressing the shore, reminiscent of the breeze causing the palm leaves to sway. She could understand how the early Hawaiians, who had no written language, would express themselves with swaying bodies and moving hands.
This was a perfect day. Come to think of it, she couldn’t think of a day in Hawaii that hadn’t been perfect. And Uncle Russell said he did not want anyone catering to him but for them to enjoy Hawaii. He was delighted when she told him that Mak was bringing a horse for her.
She hadn’t expected that he would ride with her. But again, she knew he valued his horses. He probably wanted to make sure she was right for Cinnamon instead of the other way around.
After a while, she laughed, and Mak glanced at her. “I just realized,” she said. “I’m not quiet very often. But not talking makes me think the island is speaking to me. There seems to be a voice in the light wind and the sound of water gently caressing the sand. And it smells so good. What is that scent?”
“Jasmine,” he said, and as they reached a rockier portion of the beach, he pointed out various foliage and called them by name. Some long stalks reminded her of the sugar cane fields they’d seen on Friday.
“Leia’s grandparents are the Honeycutts who own the sugar plantation?” she asked.
“No. Her grandparents are Ari and Eeva Tane. They work at the plantation. My wife worked in the office primarily as bookkeeper. Coming from Hawaiian and Tahitian background, she knew the language as well as English. I saw her and thought her very beautiful.” He paused. “Her parents warned her not to like me.”
Mak glanced at her and apparently knew she was about to question that.
“The difference was class,” he said. “They are workers. We are owners. They were afraid my friends would not accept Maylea.”
“But they did, I’m sure,” Jane said.
“If they had not, they would not be my friends.”
She liked his adamant attitude. Of course, she knew about class distinction. No matter how much you valued another person, color or money stood in the way of relationships many times. Dread struck her. “Do you think the Honeycutts might not be so accepting of Pilar when they discover her mother has fallen from her social standing?”
He shook his head. “No. She is American. She will be highly favored by them. And she is a friend of Brother Russell’s relatives. Here,” he said and grinned, “that is high society.”
That being settled, Jane stated the obvious. “But you married Maylea despite the objections.”
She watched his face. It seemed to relax with a memory that did not seem so painful this time. “At a king’s party, she and other young women performed the hula. Her brother is a well-known ukulele player. That was the night I knew I was in love with her. But at first, she was very self-conscious, shy around me. You see, a lot of Hawaiians have been clothed with material and stripped of confidence in their culture and beliefs. The effects of that remains for generations. I wanted to know her beyond the shyness. I knew she was intelligent and educated. There’s the class status, but that doesn’t matter to me. An employer should be shown respect from their workers and vice versa. But one is not more worthy than another.”
He looked over at her. “You apparently treat Pilar like family.”
Jane still found that difficult to explain. “She and her mother worked for us, and there’s a difference in roles. But here, we’re responsible for her and certainly treat her as family. Oh, did you know that the school is talking about teaching the hula?”
He nodded. “It’s language. The Hawaiians are starting to want some of their culture back, and the white man is starting to see it’s not some forbidden, sensuous dance.”
“But that’s what attracted you to your wife.”
“No,” he said. “It wasn’t just the hula. Other beautiful women were performing it, but I did not feel the same about them as I did about. . .Maylea.” He paused. “I don’t speak of her often. When I do, I usually refer to her as ‘my wife.’ ”
“I can understand that a little,” she
said. “After Mama died, Dad didn’t talk to me about her until Matilda noticed and made him do it. Matilda and I could talk about her and cry together.” She shook her head. “But not Dad.”
Mak nodded, and she thought that must be something men had in common.
“Something you said at the stable,” he said, “remained in my mind. You said Panai might need a female friend. I took that rather personally.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“I hope you did.” He paused as if uncertain about what to say. “I could use a woman friend. One I can talk to about. . .Maylea as I just did. I can’t to Mother or Leia. . .to anyone. Everyone thinks I should be over it. But enough about me, Jane. Tell me about your fiancé. Quite rich, I assume,” he said with a smile, “being in oil.”
Twenty
“Oh yes,” Jane said truthfully. “The oil keeps gushing out like there’s no end to it. It’s exciting.”
“Sounds as if you have a substantial future ahead,” Mak said.
“Yes. I’ve been. . .very blessed.” She gave him a quick look. That was nothing to be ashamed of. “My father has worked very hard to make the cattle ranch successful. His father started with almost nothing.”
“What’s your fiancé. . .what’s his name?”
“Austin Price.”
“What’s he like?”
“Slippery when wet. . .with oil.”
He laughed with her.
She looked out ahead, having a warm feeling talking about Austin. “He’s very handsome. Has dark hair, warm gray eyes, tall, nice physique. About perfect in looks. And he’s the nicest, kindest, finest man anywhere. We could talk about anything and everything. And most important, he’s a committed Christian. Very generous with those less fortunate.” She smiled over at Mak. “And a lot of fun.”
“He sounds perfect,” Mak said, and she noticed the lift of his eyebrows as if that were unbelievable. But he asked, “What does he do for fun?” He chuckled. “Other than debate with you.”
She wasn’t sure how to take that. “Oh, we have our card games and board games and charades. He’s just good at conversation and making other people feel good. Never a negative word about anyone or anything. And the best thing, we would race each other on horseback.”
“Who won?”
“Usually me.”
“Did he let you win?”
She scoffed. “You are the most chauvinistic man. No, he didn’t let me win.” She leaned forward in a jockey stance. “I challenge you to a race.”
“That horse doesn’t stand a chance against Big Brown. She can hardly gallop.”
“I thought as much,” she said. “On foot, I could race this horse on foot and win.”
She loved making him laugh. “Let me race you on Panai.”
“Never.”
The way he said that made her think she’d better change the subject, but he did first. “This thing bothers me,” he said. “You were promised to Austin? I don’t understand that.”
“Oh, it was a pact between our parents. Or a hope, I guess would be more accurate. No one would hold us to that. I mean, neither of us ever found anyone who suited us better. Austin and I are different, but we complement each other.”
“Is he your age?”
“Four years older. I’m twenty-three, twenty-four in March.”
“Isn’t that a long engagement?”
She looked out over the ocean, seeing surfers riding the waves far out. “Yes. I think it’s about twenty-three-and-a-half years.”
“Apparently you’re in no hurry, if I’m not being too personal.”
“Don’t worry about being personal. I could lie at any time.” she jested.
He punctuated his concurrence with a nod.
“But I did accept his ring on my eighteenth birthday. My friends were oohing and aahing. I became very excited about a big wedding. Then Aunt Matilda gave me a long talk. What I remember most was that she said it was fine to be excited about a big wedding. But just be sure I was planning a marriage, not simply a wedding.” She glanced at Mak. “She wanted me to be sure I was in love with Austin and not just the idea of being in love and that I was ready to settle down.”
“Sounds like a wise woman,” he said.
“Very. I tried to visualize myself settled down.” She shook her head. “I wasn’t ready. I decided I wanted to be independent, travel like Matilda without asking my daddy or a husband for money and knowing he might refuse. So I began to teach horseback riding and equestrian classes. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a free spirit. I wasn’t ready to be. . .tamed.”
“Perhaps you shouldn’t be. Like a racehorse. They need to be disciplined and trained, but not have their spirit broken.”
“Oh,” she said saucily, “and how do you train a girl like me?”
“That part is up to you, not someone else. One should not force another into some kind of mold but encourage them to recognize their strengths and weaknesses.”
“That’s how Austin feels. It’s why he doesn’t pressure me.”
A hard look came over Mak’s face. “That’s something Maylea didn’t understand. I wanted her to be herself. I loved who she was. But she wanted to be what she thought I would want, although I denied that. That’s why she rode the spirited horse that day, against my advice, trying to prove she was brave enough. I was always busy training my horses and taking care of the ranch, so she decided to teach Leia.” He shook his head. “Of course, the horse sensed her lack of confidence. Leia might have been fearful, too.”
Jane realized she hadn’t said this before. “I’m so sorry.”
He nodded. After a long silence, she asked, “What happened to the horse?”
She wondered if he’d ever reply. After a heavy sigh, he said, “The horse is Panai’s mother. After the funeral and while Leia was still in the hospital, my foreman and paniolos had to hold me down to keep me from killing that animal. I threatened to fire them all, but they wouldn’t let me go. Somebody took the horse away, and later, I found out the king bought her. He’s raced her and won for the past three years. It’s like having the horse laugh in my face.”
Jane didn’t know if she should say anything. They reached the end of the beach, and she turned Cinnamon back around when Mak turned Big Brown.
Bitterness was in his voice when he spoke again. “The horse didn’t care that my wife and unborn baby were killed. That Leia was hurt and lost her mother. That her parents are without their daughter. The world is without a beautiful, kind woman. The horse doesn’t care. That’s why Panai has to win that race. It’s my revenge on the horse.”
Jane asked tentatively, “You think the horse will know?”
He glanced at her. “I will know.”
Jane wanted to reach over and touch his hand, make some physical gesture to show she cared. But he might resent that touch. He did not look receptive to any overture. What could she say, do? She uttered a silent prayer for guidance. But an answer did not form in her heart and mind.
“You’ve probably heard all kinds of explanations of why you shouldn’t feel that way.”
“Oh yes. Every possible reason—life, Satan, choices, one’s time to go, accident, a better life in heaven.” His voice was bitter. “You name it, I’ve heard it. But it doesn’t make the pain go away. So you see, I have nothing of value to offer a woman. I only have. . .needs.”
“Okay,” she said. “Let’s make a deal. I’ll try and fulfill your need for a woman friend.”
He sighed heavily. “I can’t even be a friend in return. I’ve turned into a grouch who I hardly recognize.”
“Yes, you can be a friend. You have already, Mak. You’ve shared your home, your family, your gentle horse.” She challenged him with a glance. “We could continue with you showing me the island.”
Maybe he didn’t want to show her the island. After a long moment, however, he said, “You’ve already made me realize I should talk to my daughter about her mother.”
“Have you told her why
she’s afraid?”
“No, I wouldn’t want Leia to blame her mother for putting her in danger.”
“Mak, I heard that Maylea saved Leia’s life.”
It took a while before he acknowledged that with a nod. “Perhaps you could fill me in on how you would go about teaching Leia to ride. Was it your dad who taught you?”
“Oh, yes. I was riding before I was walking, so I’ve been told. My mom tried to teach me to be a lady.” She wrinkled her nose, and Mak grinned. “My dad wanted a boy, so that may be why he taught me to care for animals and ride like a man. I needed those equestrian lessons to teach me how to ride like a lady.”
He laughed when she said lady as if it were unsavory.
Then he surprised her by saying, “How do you go about teaching that to a child?”
“Easy,” she said. “Sit erect and wear a stylish riding habit.”
At the skeptical look he gave her, she laughed. “That’s the lady part. The first thing I do is lead the children to the stall, have them take a rake, and go apple-picking in the straw.”
“Apple-picking? Why would apples be in the stall? The horses would eat them.”
“That’s the word my daddy used for cleaning out the stall. The horse’s apples would be chucked into a pail.”
He grimaced. “You’d have a child do that?”
She looked him in the face. “Of course. A rider needs to know how to keep his horse’s stall clean, even if they have their own stable boys. That’s the first lesson. If parents aren’t willing to have the child learn complete care of a horse, then I won’t take the child on as a student.”
He looked away, and she figured that was the end of that. “You see, after a child does the dirtiest, smelliest job, then keeping the animal clean is not at all a dirty job, but a pleasure.”
The lift of his eyebrows and a brief nod indicated he agreed.
“Next,” she said, “I have the child learn to feel the horse, get used to him, and allow the horse to get used to the child’s touch and voice.” Remembering that his wife was thrown, she said, “I also teach a child how to fall, to be prepared to hold onto the reins or grab the saddle horn, anticipate that even the most gentle horse can be frightened, perhaps by a snake in the road.”
Aloha Love Page 9
