by Tee Smith
5
Waking up alone the next morning, he sighed in frustration. How long had it been since he had taken a woman home? He couldn’t even remember. Not that he was going to push Bailey into anything she wasn’t ready for. After their little make-out session in the park, he had walked her back to her car, before heading back to the B & B alone. It seemed he spent way too much time alone these days.
Bailey had however agreed to spend the day with him. She had promised to swing by and pick him up around ten. Apparently, she had to help get her mum up and ready for the day before she could leave the house. He admired her dedication. He was not sure what he would do, given the same set of circumstances.
“Hey, Bailey. It’s good to see you, how’s your mom?” Clancy heard Stella calling out as he made his way to the front entrance.
“Hi, Stella. Y’know, she has her good days and bad days. You should pop by some time and say hello. She would love to have a visitor.”
“Yes, I should. I keep meaning to. I’m sure you understand, life just gets so busy,” he heard the older woman sigh.
Clancy rounded the corner in time to see a deflated look flash across Bailey’s pretty face. On seeing him she quickly recovered, replacing her frown with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Yeah, it’s all right. I understand,” she responded. But even he could tell it wasn’t sincere.
Making his way toward her, he reached out and took her hand, placing a kiss on her cheek. He could feel Stella’s gaze boring into him, but shrugged it off, as did Bailey.
“Okay, well, I’ll see you later, Stella,” she called back brightly before shooting him a smirk, letting him see she knew that was stirring the woman up and she didn’t care.
Hand in hand, they made their way out to her car.
“What was that all about?” he asked her dubiously.
“Oh, y’know, small towns. Everyone thinks they have the right to be all up in everyone else’s business. She wants to know how my mom is and what I’m doing with you, yet not once has she ever dropped into the house to see if we need anything. Or even just to say hello. None of them do. They just want to know the gossip so they can run it back to their friends.”
Clancy nodded his head slowly in understanding. He hated to see her getting worked up but could definitely understand her frustration.
“Anyway,” she shook her head, shaking away the anger and replacing it with a smile. “Today is all about you. I am going to take you out and show you the sights of Peace.”
“I like the sound of that,” he said as he smiled. “Who wouldn’t be happy to be spending the day with a beautiful woman?”
When he felt her arm move past his waist, he realised he was actually standing on her side of the car. He wondered if he would get used to the whole driving on the opposite side of the vehicle thing before his time in Peace was over. Luckily, Bailey hadn’t seemed to notice his mistake, as he quickly reached out and opened the car door for her. She thanked him for his chivalry before he made his way around to the passenger side.
Making himself comfortable beside her, he listened intently, as Bailey drove through the town, pointing out various landmarks and explaining the town's history. Many of the stores it seemed were built and still owned by the town’s founders, the Harrington and McBride families. Much like many smaller country towns back home, there always seemed the be the same names popping up when it came to the parks and buildings.
Even though the history lesson was interesting, he was most interested in the narrator. The cute little twang in her voice, kept him captivated. She could be talking about peeling boiled eggs for all he cared, just so long as he got to listen to her voice.
Later in the day, they stopped by Generic Eric’s, and they each ordered themselves a meal, laughing and sharing stories over a mint milkshake, as people filtered in and out of the door.
It was late in the afternoon when she pulled into a driveway of a modest home, on what he now recognised, as the outskirts of town.
“There is someone I want you to meet,” Bailey said quietly, leaning into him.
They had talked about everyone she knew, and he couldn’t help but wonder who she might want him to meet
“Okay,” he responded slowly, feeling a little trepidation.
“It’s my Mama,” she explained. “I have to give you a little pre-warning, though. Her speech is a little slurred, but she still speaks her mind.”
“Ah, Bai…” he began, before she cut him off as if she were reading his mind.
“I know, this thing isn’t so serious. Don’t panic.”
Clancy let go of his breath and relaxed a little. It was amazing how easy everything seemed to be with her. She always seemed to know what he was thinking.
“I hope you don’t mind.” She rung her hands together and looked straight ahead, not making eye-contact. “I should have asked you about it first. I think Mama will get a kick out of meeting a real-life Aussie cowboy. She loves horses, and she used to love rodeos. Before…” she trailed off and didn’t finish.
She hadn’t spoken much about her mother’s condition. But he knew she meant before the tumour that had left her permanently disabled.
His mind turned to his own mother. She had travelled to a few rodeos with him when he was younger. She hadn’t so keen on the bull-riding, always worried her baby might get hurt, but she did love getting away from the station for the weekend, and away from her tyrant of a husband he expected.
“Yeah, my mum too,” he said wistfully, although she couldn’t possibly understand his true meaning.
“Mama used to love riding the mechanical bull,” she laughed.
“Really?” he asked, surprised at her revelation.
“Yeah, of course she hasn’t for many years, but I remember as a little girl, seeing my mom out there. Founder’s Day has always been such a massive event in Peace. We’d both look forward to it every year.”
“I bet you look forward to new cowboys every year,” he added, without thinking. He had meant it as a joke, but it had come out harsh, accusingly.
Bailey stopped dead in her tracks, her face dropped and she looked like she was in pain.
“I can’t believe you would say that.”
He reached for her hand, but she pulled away. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. Bailey, honey.”
She turned away from him, and he stood in place, not sure if he should follow. Not sure if she still wanted to introduce him to her mama. It seemed he might have blown his chances with her.
After walking several feet from him, she stopped and turned back, hand on her hip. “Are you coming or what?” she asked deliberately, only a small hint of malice in her tone.
He jogged to her, grasping her hand in his, as they continued up the small path to her Mom’s front door. He was nervous, meeting the parents was usually something reserved for a long-term relationship or at least the hint of one. Not that he knew much about those.
As they reached the door, she placed her hand on the handle before casting a glance back at him. Now was his chance. Reaching for her other hand, he turned her to face him.
“I am sorry, Bailey,” he told her as he searched her pretty blue eyes for forgiveness. “Honestly…for what I said. It was meant to be a joke. I know you’re not one of those girls. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Her eyes scanned his before falling to his lips.
“Get over yourself, Clancy,” she giggled.
A sigh of relief squeezed from his chest, but he was unsure if he were actually off the hook. Seizing the moment, he leant forward and placed a tender kiss on her soft lips. He could lose himself in her if he wasn’t careful.
“Mama,” Bailey called out as they entered the house. He thought for a brief moment how odd it was that she called her Mama and not mum, or mom. “Mama, it’s me, and I’ve brought a friend with me.” Tossing a look over her shoulder, she said, “she doesn’t cope too well with surprises.”
Oh great, so n
ow he was going to be turning up in this woman’s house, as an unexpected and uninvited guest, there went his nerves again.
“Maybe I should…” he let the rest of his words hang in the air, but he waved his hand in a gesture towards the door.
“No, don’t be silly, she’ll be fine.” Bailey shook her head and ushered him forward, as she moved further into the house.
It was an older style home with tall ceilings, and the walls could do with a lick of paint to freshen them up a little. The drapes hung limply and looked like they had been in position for many years too long. Upon entering the kitchen, he noticed the benchtops looked like they had been updated in the seventies with a now far out-dated shade of orange. The brown floral tiles that adorned the walls were no better, although a perfect match of sorts.
“Mama, this is my friend Clancy. Remember I told you about him? He is from Australia.”
“C…C…C…Lancy,” her mother finally managed out, her face contorting at weird angles as she spoke. Bailey had forewarned him about her speech, but it still took him a beat to process her way of speaking.
“Hi, Mrs. Hopper,” he said extending a hand. The older woman glared at his face before dropping her eyes to his extended hand, her brows drawing into a point.
“Ah, she can’t,” Bailey said nodding to her mother’s hands.
His gaze fell on the one arm that hung limply at her side and the other that appeared to be twisted and deformed. She could have warned him about that. How incredibly awkward. He quickly snapped his own hand back and plunged the offender deep into his jean pocket.
“Au… Au…Aus,” her mother tried again, this time letting out a long frustrated sigh as she stumbled over the word.
“Yes, Mrs. Hopper. I’m from Australia.”
“Carol,” she said firmly. Not stammering at all.
“Sorry?”
“C… call me Car…ol.”
He smiled at her now. “Carol.”
“Well, you two get acquainted. I’ll stick the kettle on,” Bailey announced before skipping out of the room, not giving him a moment's chance to argue.
An awkward silence fell between them, broken only by the loud ticking of the clock on a nearby wall.
“Ah… it’s a nice place you have here, Carol,” he lied, feeling the need to fill the time.
The woman shook her head. “St… st… still can th… th… think. Words, not s… s… so good.”
“I’m sorry,” he said looking down into his lap. What did you talk to someone about in this situation? The weather? Founder’s Day? Every topic he could think of seemed wrong.
“T…t… tell me about Au… Au… Aus.”
“Australia?”
She confirmed with a nod of her head.
“Well, I don’t know what you want to know. Where I come from is miles from anywhere. I live on a station, which I guess is what you guys would call a ranch.
We run cattle primarily. We have horses and a half-dozen dogs and cats. My younger sister was mad about cats; she brought a couple kittens home when she was younger, now the place is about overrun with them.
We have a lot of backpackers come out and stay. Everyone wants to experience the outback until they get out there.” He laughed, then turned to see an errant tear running down her cheek. Had he said the wrong thing? He thought that was what she wanted to know.
“I’m not leaving you, Mama,” Bailey piped up from behind him. He hadn’t realised she was there. She rushed to her mom’s side and crouched down beside her, casting a dark glance back toward him. It seemed he could not get anything right today.
“No… no, that’s not what I meant. Oh, crap, sorry,” he flustered. “I didn’t mean to say…”
“It doesn’t matter now,” Bailey interrupted him. “Here, Mama, I got you a drink.”
He watched on with interest as she helped her mother with a sipper-cup, not unlike what he had seen parents give to their toddlers. His thoughts again turned to his own mother; he couldn’t imagine her in this predicament. There is no way his dad could cope without her.
As Bailey moved the cup away from her mouth, Carol spoke up. “Tex.”
His eyes moved to Bailey’s looking for an answer, confirmation of what she was trying to say.
“You wanna go see Tex, Mama?” she asked, shooting a glance at him before turning back to her mother. “You want to take Clancy to meet Tex?”
A lop-sided smile spread across Carol’s face affirming that was indeed what she meant.
“Who or what is Tex?” he asked intrigued.
“Tex is Mama’s horse. He’s just out the back. She doesn’t get to see him often because we can’t get the chair out there,” her eyes fell to the folded wheelchair that stood idle in the corner. “It’s difficult for me to help her on my own,” Bailey explained.
“Okay, what do you want me to do?” he asked springing to his feet.
Bailey assisted Carol into a standing position.
“I just need you to help support her. We have stairs at the back and she can’t get down them without help. I’ll hold this arm if you could just support her on the other side, that would be a huge help,” she confirmed.
Moving to the woman’s side, he mimicked what Bailey did as they made their way toward the back door. The two small steps at the exit didn’t look like much, but he could see how Carol would have trouble descending them even with Bailey’s aid.
The back garden looked like any other suburban property, although a little overgrown and neglected. When they reached a small gate, Bailey went ahead and unhooked the latch, gesturing for him to bring Carol through. Reaching the other side of the overgrown brush he was surprised to find a stable and a small paddock with a beautiful black gelding waiting patiently in anticipation of his visitors.
“This,” Bailey said moving forward and taking hold of the horse’s harness, “is Tex.”
“Well, hello there, Tex,” he cooed as he held his palm out to the beast, allowing him to smell his scent, to become familiar with him before reaching out to pet its neck.
“Tex is mom’s baby,” she explained. “She used to ride him every day. Didn’t she, Tex?”
His gaze swung back to the older of the two women. Carol smiled longingly at her pet, a smile not dissimilar to her daughter’s. “I try to bring her out here as often as I can, she can’t ride of course, but she likes to come and see him.”
“Have you tried?” he asked her, as an idea was forming in his head.
“Tried what? Letting her ride him? She can’t get up there, Clancy.”
Turning back to Carol he asked, “Do you want to ride Tex, Carol?”
Her sad eyes caught his, pretty blue, just like Bailey’s there could be no denying where she got her stunning good looks. He didn’t mind betting Carol had been just as beautiful as her daughter in her younger days.
“Clancy,” Bailey groaned, “that’s not fair, she can’t.”
Ignoring her, he watched as the woman’s face lit up with excitement.
“Of course she can,” he smiled. “Can you saddle him up?”
“Yeah… but…”
“But nothing, you saddle him up, and I’ll get her up there,” he responded with a wink in the mother’s direction.
Watching as Bailey meandered off to the stables to do as she was told, he helped Carol sit on the park bench that had been placed nearby, before heading to the stables himself. To his delight, he found a raised platform beside the stables. It appeared to be used for food storage, but it would serve another purpose today.
Returning and crouching down beside Carol’s chair, he spoke quietly, but firmly. “Now Carol, I want you to trust me, okay? Bailey is saddling up Tex. I am going to help you up onto him. Are you going to be okay with that?”
“I… I… can’t,” she fretted.
“Hey, none of that, you hear me. Do you trust Tex?” She nodded in agreement. “Then you know he will look after you, right?” Again, she nodded. “Good, I want you to trust me. I’m
not going to let you ride alone, okay?”
This time when the woman looked up at him, her eyes sparkled, and he knew he had struck a chord with her.
“I think this is a stupid hair-brain idea, Clancy. You better not let my mom get hurt,” Bailey blurted as she moved around the corner, leading Tex. The horse snuffled and made his way straight for Carol, nuzzling into her buckled hand.
“Okay, look at me, Carol,” he told her, making sure she maintained eye contact. “I know you don’t know me, but I have lots of experience with horses. I’m not going to let you get hurt. I want you to trust me, okay?
Here’s what I am going to do. I’m going to lift you up onto this platform, then I am going to lift you onto Tex.”
Again, she nodded, and Bailey shook her head in dismay at him. He shrugged. He was positive he could do this for her mom. If it were him in this situation, he hoped someone would do it for him.
In several swift moves, he had Carol atop of Tex, seated in the saddle, her feet firm in the stirrups. He mounted behind her. It was hardly comfortable, but it was not as if they were off on a three-day muster. Wrapping his arms around her, he looped the reins through her fingers, before grasping them in his own hands and spurred Tex forward.
With his chest pressed against Carol’s back he could feel her heartbeat as it thrummed at double time with anxiety, but as they moved off and Tex strolled gently around his paddock, he felt her heart rate return back to normal.
Tex really was a gentle giant, and he seemed to understand he had precious cargo onboard. Bailey sat astride the wooden railing, watching them both, pride written across her face. A quick trot around the paddock seemed enough for Tex and Carol as the animal lovingly returned his owner to the platform where she had mounted him. He loved how intuitive animals were, especially horses with their charges.
After helping her down off the horse, he helped Carol back up the stairs before returning to unsaddle Tex.
“Good boy,” he soothed to the horse as it brayed quietly at him. He was sure the animal had derived as much pleasure from time spent with Carol as she had with him. He missed Shadow and wondered if she thought of him. With the horse safely unsaddled and fed, he went back to the house in search of Bailey.
