Secrets in the Lowcountry--The River (34 page)

Hannah nodded.

“
Stand at the
far
end of the hitching post, while
I
untie the lead line
.”

Han
nah edged quietly to her spot. Her attention never left the horse
as she maneuvered in a half-circle around the hitching post
.

Taylor
waited until Hannah arrived at the designated spot before untying
the
lead
line and slid
ing
close to
the
left side of Pedro’s neck
.
She placed her hand
under and
around the chin strap
. While she worked she spoke
softly to the Quarter horse.
“Hannah, the reason I’m chatting quietly to Pedro is so he knows where I am at all times. My voice allows him to hone in on my location. Your job is to
wait right
where you are
until we come abreast of you. When we do, move right beside me. Okay?
If you wish, you can say a few words to him.
”

“What shall I say?”

“Anything. Tell him your name, tell him you’re here to walk with him, tell him he’s beautiful.”

She nodded
,
her eyes big and bright.
“He is kind-of-beautiful with his milk-chocolate hair. The white on his nose and chest is cute.”

“That’s perfect. As we approach, move by my side and keep telling him he’s wonderful.”

She giggled then placed her hand over her mouth.

“Laughter doesn’t scare them unless the sound is very loud.”

At first, Hannah stayed five feet away from Taylor
, while she spoke to Pedro
.
As
they
ambled
around the grassy area that fronted the barn, Taylor talked about the horse, the barn, and riding. Slowly, the girl slid closer.

A short time later, Taylor said, “That’s enough for today. I’m going to put him in his stall.
Normally, we would wash him off and re-do his leg wrap
before he’s put away
, but
he’s not warm, so we can put him in his
cubicle. Later today, someone will wash him off and replace the dressing.
”
She glanced at Hannah. “Would you like to see where Pedro sleeps?”

“Yes,” a timid voice
replied
.

They headed
back toward the barn. Taylor stopped in front of a stall that had a name tag on the wall facing the pasture. “Here we are.
Each horse has his or her name posted outside.
Usually, we close the door after we either take the horse out or put him away. Since this is your first day, I decided to leave the door open, so Pedro could walk in.
If you stand outside, you can see what I do
next
.
”

Hannah nodded and edged back to the post which supported the roof covering the walkway.

Taylor eased off the line, placed it on a hook, rubbed Pedro’
s ears, reached into a bag and gave him a handful of oats. “He’s passionate about his food. Sometimes, we put horses on diets, especially when the grass is growing and
very
tender.”

Hannah scooted nearer the door
but remained on the walkway
.

Taylor remained still observing. Eventually, she walked out, shut the door, and turned toward the girl. “Shall we find your mother?”

As they strolled to the bench that Ms. Lee occupied, Taylor asked, “What did you think?”

“They’re not as scary as I thought.”

“Good.” Taylor tapped the girl on her shoulder. “Want to come again?”

“Yes.” Her face showed
pleasure instead of fear.

“Ms. Lee, your daughter did well.”

“When will she ride?” the woman retorted.

Inwardly, Taylor sighed. “All in good time. Hannah will learn about horses and become comfortable by taking small steps. I’m sure she didn’t climb on the balance beam on her first day.”

“No, but if your mother hadn’t hit her, she’d be striding across one today!”

Ignoring the mother, Taylor said, “Hannah, why don’t you come by on Friday afternoon
about four
?”

“Can we walk Pedro again?”

“Yes. Maybe you’ll hold his line.”

The teenager
’s
face lit up.

“I’ll see you here.” Taylor waved good-bye.

Ms. Lee’s attitude would try a saint’s patience let alone a normal human’s. Hannah definitely had potential. Taylor nodded her head and grinned inwardly.
Not a bad day!

*~*

Hannah arrived on Friday without her mother instead a
medium-
tall, slight
ly built
man with Asian features accompanied her.
His well-worn jeans, faded red tee-shirt, and sneakers suggested a man comfortable with himself.
Taylor left her office and met them halfway. “Hello, I’m Taylor Harris.” She stressed out her hand.

The man smiled. “I’m Oscar Lee. Since her last visit, my daughter can talk of nothing but Pedro and what she did here.” Giving Hannah’s shoulders a hug, he went on, “I’m a pharmacist, actually I travel to other drug stores most of the time, but I decided to take the afternoon off and join my girl.” He stopped and stared directly at Taylor. “I hope you don’t mind my coming as opposed to my wife.”

Inwardly, Taylor sighed with relief. Anyone would be better than Ella Mae Lee. “We’
re delighted to have you.”

“Can I show
Papa
,
Pedro? I explain
ed
all the rules about horses, so my father won’t scare them.” Her excitement showed in every word and on her face.

“Of course, you
can
,
and how wonderful that you explained all the rules.”

“I hope my attire is alright.” He glanced at his outfit before lifting his face and smiling at Taylor.

“Perfect!”

“Can we start?” Hannah asked.

“Absolutely.” A sense of rightness and lightness filled Taylor.
She’s on her way.
 

By the end of the session, all three people smiled. Before leaving Mr. Lee said, “Taylor, I believe my
girl has found a new love.”

Fearing he might start pushing for his daughter to ride, Taylor said, “Until her foot heals, I don’t want her to ride. Having two feet, in two stirrups helps a person control the horse. Hannah should learn the correct way, not jury-rigged.
”
Wi
th her grace, she has potential.
Taylor did not state this aloud for fear of creating an impossible goal. “Pedro’s gentle and appears to enjoy Hannah’s company, so for time being, let’s allow the two of them to develop this friendship.”

Mr. Lee nodded his head. “I totally agree. Anything worth doing requires learning and learning the proper way.” Peeking at his daughter, he beamed with pleasure. “Hannah, what do you think?”

“
Oh, Papa, I like that idea.” She grabbed her father’s arm.

The look he gave her expressed his love for the girl. Focusing on Taylor, he asked, “May we come next week?”

“Four is usually a good time for us and most days will work.”

He pulled out his phone, scrolled down and
frowned.
“I must change a meeting before setting a time.”
He appeared to apologize for not being able to find an exact time.

“
We’ll make it work.
The barn doesn’t close until dusk, and I’m here until six or so
.”

Hannah and her father bid Taylor good-bye and headed for their car. She added her adieus.
What a nice man. Whatever does he see in Ms. Lee?

*~*

The next several
w
eeks passed
w
ith no ne
w
s about Rod.
She refused to replay the scene in the pool, keeping her distance from a one-on-one with Jeff. Her rationale being nothing could change what had happened. Neither could anyone benefit from what occurred.
Fortunately, the barn and the horses filled Taylor’s days completely.
One of the boarders, a Tennessee
W
alker
developed
colic
.
She and
Jean
w
orked most of one night and a good portion of the follo
w
ing day to save him.

P
edro
’s condition continued to improve as did Hannah confidence around him. The verdict on his
leg remained in question
. However, Taylor sensed the love the young woman showered on the horse increased his potential to heal
.
Although Hannah
hadn’t ridden, she’d begun washing the Quarter horse, feeding him and mucking out his stall. She’d told Taylor she was waiting for Pedro to mend so she could take her first ride on him.
Hannah’s petite size might make riding him possible.
Taylor doubled her prayers for the old boy and even called Father Mike to add his. He’d chuckled before agreeing.

Mr
. Lee change
d
his schedule to accommodate their daughter. Taylor
enjoyed watching the pair. While her father didn’t help her with the chores, he usually walked with Pedro and Hannah.

While watching Hannah and Pedro interact, Mr. Lee said to Taylor, “Once her foot recovers and she completes
her driving requirement
,
she
wouldn’t need
me
to chauffer her.
I’ll miss coming out and seeing her.”

“Mr. Lee, you are always welcome.”

He looked at Taylor.
“I like being
on the side-lines and watching my daughter as she grows and learns a new skill. Unfortunately, I seldom had an opportunity to see her gymnastic performances.
She and her mother shared that dream.
”

Guilt filled Taylor. “Mr. Lee …”

He stared
at her. “Taylor, I’m not blaming anyone. Gymnastic is a wonderful sport, but there’s a limited period of time for young girls to participate. Riding, she can do forever.” He smiled, warmly.

A sense of relief filled her. “Thank you, Mr. Lee. I really appreciate your kind words.”

“Look at my daughter.”
He pointed.

The two focused their attention on Hannah. She and Pedro appea
red as
one. Although neither Taylor nor Mr. Lee could hear what the teen said, Pedro showed his pleasure by nodding his head and keeping his ears attuned to her.

“I’ll come as often as I can and as often as Hannah will let me.”
He
chuckled and Taylor joined in.

When he no longer came, Taylor would miss the kind man who brought such joy to his daughter.  Taylor also added a short pray that if Mr. Lee couldn’t come that
Ella Mae
wouldn’t.

Horseback
Heroes
program progressed
w
ithout any problems.
The pleasure Taylor received from
w
atching children
and adults
w
ith severe physical problems sitting straight in the saddle
,
something they couldn’t do in their o
w
n
w
heelchairs
,
brought her joy
.
The
smiles
filling
the faces of each participant er
ased much of the ache inside
her.

Jeff often stopped over.
He became her rock.
He never mentioned the kiss and she never forgot the kiss.

On Saturday, a month after the boating accident, Sheriff
Leroy Trotz
called and asked for an appointment
w
ith Taylor and her dad
at eleven
.
H
e mentioned that Jeff
w
ould be joining them
. Taylor thought having him at the meeting
odd, but said nothing
and agreed
. On her way to the barn, she stopped by her dad’s office and told him the plan.

“Why’s Jeff coming? Not that I object
.
”

“Sheriff didn’t say
. He
asked if eleven worked for us.
I’m off to the barn but will be back in time.”