Ch 1 The Surprise
As the sun shone through the trees, Tali sat on the front stairs, bored with the afternoon. After the weeks tending to her injured bird, Wally, and setting him free into the wild, there wasn't a lot of excitement going on around her grandparents' house. She'd helped out in the barn with her grandfather, in the kitchen with her grandma, even watch some tv with her dad, which with his random schedule was somewhat of an event for the two of them…but he was on yet another phone call, which more than likely meant he would be heading out the door within the hour….coming back…..who knows when….
Suddenly, her ears perked up like a hawk. A truck and trailer came clanging and banging up the driveway. Inside the trailer…she thought she saw…no way….it couldn't be…..?
The driver turned off the vehicle and headed toward the house. Although she was almost too excited to think straight, her instincts kicked in…With her father's job, she always had to be alert to strangers on the property…Meeting them alone was….not…a good idea….
"DAAAAAAD…GRAANNNNDPAAAA….." She called back inside the house….
Hearing the call from outside, Nelson and Marilou just glanced at each other, both with a wry smile. Jess came out from the back room, looked at both of them…and knew something fishy was going on….
"Ok, what did I miss this time….."
The three were joined by Uncle Clinton as they stepped out the door to meet the stranger.
"I'm here for a Ms. Tali LaCroix…." He said with a smile.
Tali looked up at her father, who gave her a nod. "That would be me.." she said with a note of inquisitive ness….
"Please sign here…" He motioned to the clipboard with his pen, still smiling as though he was in on the whole surprise. Tali took the pad, signed her name with usual flair and handed it back to the driver.
"She's all yours….where should I lead her?" he asked, still looking straight at Tali who returned his gaze with a mildly confused look of her own.
"Walk her over to the front paddock, I'll put her in the barn later…" Nelson answered from behind.
"Yes sir." The driver gave a two fingered salute and an even brighter smile. He turned around and headed back to the trailer.
Tali watched, speechless…as the loveliest….gentlest Pinto Mare was drawn out of the back of the vehicle…
"Looking to catch yourself some flies…" Marilou teased, gently propping up her granddaughter's jaw with her knuckle.
As they all gathered round the paddock, getting to know the new arrival, the truck drove away, and a brightly washed, slightly dented crossover came up to take its place….
"Hi everyone!" a bright eyed red-head called out as she slid out of the vehicle and walked up to join the party.
"AUNT LULU!" Tali shrieked, running toward her with open arms.
"UGH!" Lulu choked as the child ran full force into her. "You are going to knock me flat out one day, Popsicle!"
Tali, undaunted, offered up the brightest smile, and just gave her an even tighter hug.
As the two walked back together, Jess scratched his head in disbelief. "I'm presuming You…..had something to do with this…."
"Who me….Nope….Not a thing…." Lu denied….offering up a poker face the worst gambler would never believe…Jess just stood patiently….The real story had to come out of her some time….and it usually didn't take long….
"Alright alright…it was me….I'd been thinking about getting a horse for a long while….but I've got nowhere to put her up by my place…Then when Clinton sent me this posting about a Mustang colt that had been illegally captured, mistreated, then rescued, but was so domesticated, she couldn't be sent back into the wild….well, the plan was hatched…"
"You want MY daughter…to ride a Mustang?" Jess retorted, his eyebrows shooting up in disbelief.
"Would I pick one off the plains and stick it in the barn….Hells Bells no! You know me better than that...I'm crazy…..not Stupid!"
Marilou quietly stifled a laugh in the background. Lulu had always been a bit of a wildfire. And to watch her and her son in law go at it….Though he towered over her, she never stepped down from him one bit…
"I went to see the horse...WITH Clinton….As you can see, she's docile as can be….They tried to breed her….to no avail…apparently were going to turn her into a practice mare…." You could note the visible chill in her as those words left her lips. "Thankfully she was found before they got to that phase…but she's been through hell…Even so, she's got the most even temperament…As long as you're slow and gentle….she'll do anything you ask…."
"And you think Tali is the perfect candidate for slow and gentle…." Jess responded, waving his hand toward the area of Tali's, expressive, meeting with her aunt…
"When she knows she needs to be…yes…You said it yourself…she was wonderful with Wally…Ok, so technically the horse belongs to me…and she won't be able to ride her without me around…" She slipped a glance toward her niece, who agreed expectantly. "It's not like she'll be going solo on long trail rides….We'll do some training in the paddocks when I can come down….Tali will be responsible for her upkeep when I'm away….Nelson said he'd teach her all she needs to get it done…and Clint….well, he's there to fill in whatever gaps I miss…."
Jess rolled his eyes in disbelief, then motioned for them to take a few steps away from the larger group…
"Listen, I don't have that much of a problem with the horse….But it would be nice if you had talked Me about it first…."
"I tried to….but whenever I'd call up…you were gone….and whenever I'd come by….you're on that thing…" she waved at the electronic device that was near permanently attached to either his hip or his ear. "Jess...I'm not trying to make you look….or feel bad….I know I spoil her too much…especially with Ang gone….but I really don't have anyone else….Not like I'll be having kids anytime soon….and as glamorous as it may sound….bartending doesn't leave much personal availability for real romance…."
"Not to mention running one…" Jess conceded.
"Exactly…I'm not trying to run you over with this….honestly….I just…..She…."
Stammering wasn't something you found this straight-forward, often willful woman, doing…yet there she was, as Jess observed her contemplatively…She was asking a lot….but what she was asking….wasn't really for herself…it rarely was….
"You will be with her at EVERY ride"
"If I'm not, Clint will be….which is probably an even better option…Who knows….maybe I find a gelding and we get You back in the saddle!" She smiled, seeing a potential end to this rainbow…
"Don't push it!" he sneered back with a smirk.
"Oh baby baby….you know I'm spicy enough to be Salt AND Pepa!" She laughed. His smirk couldn't help but grow to a grin…She'd always had that way about her…Something….something he just couldn't put his finger on all these years….it's not like she got to him, really….but somehow….she just got him….
"So she can keep the horse?" Lulu pleaded quietly.
"She can keep the horse…" Jess relented.
"YESSSSSSSSSS!" Lu cried, loud enough to have no chance of mistake from the others…..Tali came running full speed again, this time nearly dislocating her father's hip with her hug. Then she pulled back just long enough to grab hold of her aunt, pulling her in with all her might….
"Group hug time apparently…" She laughed. The grin grew to a full on smile…..
…and then the phone rang…
Days later, Lulu is parked up on one of the fence posts as she watches Tali, with a giant grin on her face, posting up and down on her beautiful pinto…both horse and rider appearing to be thoroughly enjoying themselves…
Nelson comes up behind the child's trainer, smiling brightly at his granddaughter, then speaking in a tone that does not quite match his visible enthusiasm…..
"English saddle….really…." he growls.
"I'm teaching her on both….if she decides she wants to get into competitions, it will be helpful…" Lu explains, once again heartsick in the disapproval from one of the only real parents she had had in decades…
The soft hum of an engine is heard in the distance as Jess's car pulls up on the property.
"Daddy!" Tali waves excitedly.
"Hands on the reigns…What did we talk about!" Lulu shouts back with a smirk.
"Safety first!" Tal shouts back dutifully, with a bit of a grumble.
"That's right!" Lulu responds, turning back as Jess walks up towards them…waiting for him to be within earshot before mentioning her next to do item to the old man.
"We really need to get her a helmet….."
"Helmet….I've been riding for over seventy years without anything on my head more than an occasional ceremonial headdress…"
"That's fine for you….but 5-0 comes on down that road, and sees Tali without one…well , guess I'll let you explain that one…." She keeps her gaze on Tali. Nelson looks to his granddaughter, then Lulu, then Jess, then back to Tali…..
"Fine….helmet…."
"And I was looking online at the cutest little…"
"Don't push it woman!" Nelson grumbled, heading back to the house.
Lulu's eyes finally leave Tali for a second, glancing over to Jess who meets them. He drops his head to hide a laugh…"I presume that meets with your approval…" He raises an eyebrow at her. "Thought so….I would have gotten it earlier, but I figured there'd be a fight from Nelson, AND I wanted to make sure you were involved in the decision….I figured wait for your return and I could kill two birds….If you were much longer, I'd have gotten it anyway…Hiding it from Nelson of course….She's been walking with her mostly…so there's not much danger….just started posting today…."
As she finished, Tali brought the sleek beauty to a calm halt in front of them. Jess applauded
"Looks like you've already become a fine equestrian…." Jess smiled.
"Dad….really…I've just started…"
"Well, your form is already pretty solid. And for being one day posting, you're doing extremely well…." Lulu complimented.
"So can I start her on the gallop now…." She asked excitedly.
"I said extremely well, you still need to get stronger….back at it…."
"But my legs are killing me" the child whined.
"All the more reason…you need to get stronger…." She waved her back into the ring. Tali obeyed with a slight sulk.
"So what did we name her?" Jess raised before his daughter was out of earshot.
"Well, after Wally…"She turned the horse back toward the couple on the outside. "I thought Eve….Grandma liked it….what do you think?"
"I think it's lovely…" Jess said thoughtfully patting the animal on the nose. "Nice to see you again, Eve."
