The next afternoon, Jo informed Hazel that she could begin her new chore of
taking care of the horses after school was out. Already excited, Hazel ran
to the barn after her classes and burst in as Nick was cleaning Mrs. Jo's
saddle.
"Hey, Nick! I'm ready! So, what do you want me to do first -- brush the horses, feed them? I'm ready!" Nick looked up, startled at the girl's outburst. He thought a little bit before answering:
"Well, I'll have Dan show you what to do when he gets here. He probably has more experience taking care of these horses than I do," Nick said, winking.
As Hazel agreed, Dan walked in, and looked a little startled by the girl's appearance as well.
"Hey, Hazel. I guess Mrs. Jo said that you could work out here with me," Dan said, looking over at Nick who looked pleased with himself. "Wanna get started?"
"Yes, I'm ready! What do you want to have me do?" asked Hazel willingly.
As Dan and Hazel walk out the door with Dan explaining to Hazel how to brush a horse properly, Jo came in and surveyed the scene. She looked at Nick who was watching them with a smile on his face. "Nick," Jo said, breaking him out of his reverie. "What are you smiling about?"
"Oh, I was just thinking," Nick replied, blushing a little. "Dan and Hazel look like they'd make great friends. They both love the horses."
"Well then," sighed Jo, sitting down on a hay bale, "maybe he can get her to talk a little. No one so far has gotten any of her life story out of her. It's frustrating, especially since I don't know what to do with her." "What do you mean?" asked Nick, looking over at her, puzzled.
"I don't know whether to treat her like a daughter or like another student. It's very different, you know. With Bess, she already had parents that loved her, so all I had to do was give her friends to play with and a good example of my own. With Nan, it is totally different. I am like a mother in her eyes, because she has no mother. I don't know which way to treat Hazel."
Nick looked over at Jo, as she sat there watching Dan and Hazel together. He was suddenly struck by how much she worried about the children of the school, and never had much time to think about herself.
"Jo, I think you worry too much," Nick said abruptly, standing up. "You need to take some time off. Think about something else for a few minutes, at least."
He walked over to her and took her arm. "Remember before, when we both said we felt something between us?" Ignoring the resistance he saw in her eyes, he went on. "I want to feel that between us. Jo, I've never felt this way about a woman before. I want to feel it."
Jo looked up at him, seeing the love in his eyes. All of a sudden she thought of her husband Fritz. Nick was right about one thing. She had not thought about herself and only worried about the children; however, it was because of his passing that she buried herself in their problems. She was suddenly afraid. Afraid of getting into something with Nick too soon after Fritzs death. Afraid that she would lose the children through Nick, and even her sisters love for her. Pulling away from his grasp, she walked out of the barn and into the bright sunshine, while Nick was left behind, wondering what he had said to make her leave. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey, Nick! I'm ready! So, what do you want me to do first -- brush the horses, feed them? I'm ready!" Nick looked up, startled at the girl's outburst. He thought a little bit before answering:
"Well, I'll have Dan show you what to do when he gets here. He probably has more experience taking care of these horses than I do," Nick said, winking.
As Hazel agreed, Dan walked in, and looked a little startled by the girl's appearance as well.
"Hey, Hazel. I guess Mrs. Jo said that you could work out here with me," Dan said, looking over at Nick who looked pleased with himself. "Wanna get started?"
"Yes, I'm ready! What do you want to have me do?" asked Hazel willingly.
As Dan and Hazel walk out the door with Dan explaining to Hazel how to brush a horse properly, Jo came in and surveyed the scene. She looked at Nick who was watching them with a smile on his face. "Nick," Jo said, breaking him out of his reverie. "What are you smiling about?"
"Oh, I was just thinking," Nick replied, blushing a little. "Dan and Hazel look like they'd make great friends. They both love the horses."
"Well then," sighed Jo, sitting down on a hay bale, "maybe he can get her to talk a little. No one so far has gotten any of her life story out of her. It's frustrating, especially since I don't know what to do with her." "What do you mean?" asked Nick, looking over at her, puzzled.
"I don't know whether to treat her like a daughter or like another student. It's very different, you know. With Bess, she already had parents that loved her, so all I had to do was give her friends to play with and a good example of my own. With Nan, it is totally different. I am like a mother in her eyes, because she has no mother. I don't know which way to treat Hazel."
Nick looked over at Jo, as she sat there watching Dan and Hazel together. He was suddenly struck by how much she worried about the children of the school, and never had much time to think about herself.
"Jo, I think you worry too much," Nick said abruptly, standing up. "You need to take some time off. Think about something else for a few minutes, at least."
He walked over to her and took her arm. "Remember before, when we both said we felt something between us?" Ignoring the resistance he saw in her eyes, he went on. "I want to feel that between us. Jo, I've never felt this way about a woman before. I want to feel it."
Jo looked up at him, seeing the love in his eyes. All of a sudden she thought of her husband Fritz. Nick was right about one thing. She had not thought about herself and only worried about the children; however, it was because of his passing that she buried herself in their problems. She was suddenly afraid. Afraid of getting into something with Nick too soon after Fritzs death. Afraid that she would lose the children through Nick, and even her sisters love for her. Pulling away from his grasp, she walked out of the barn and into the bright sunshine, while Nick was left behind, wondering what he had said to make her leave. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~