Chapter 55 – Punishment Reality
James gave Tommy just over a half an hour before he went back to check on him. When he walked over toward the stalls, he didn't see Tommy right away so he went to check the stalls. They looked okay, at least they had been cleaned, but new bedding hadn't been spread out. He looked around for Tommy but didn't see him. He stopped a hand that walked by and was informed that he hadn't seen Tommy. James decided to check the tack room, hoping that Tommy went back to cleaning tack. When he wasn't in the tack room, James started getting upset. He was about to call security when he caught sight of Tommy in the jockey's lounge.
"What exactly do you think you are doing?" James yelled.
"Getting something to eat." Tommy snapped.
"I didn't say you could have a break." James said. "The stalls aren't done and you are over time. You will only get partial credit. If you take your break right now, you will not get another one until we head to the house for lunch."
"That isn't fair." Tommy whined. "I didn't get breakfast."
"And that was your own fault." James said. "JP tried to wake you, but you wouldn't listen."
Tommy took the bit of food he found and plopped down in a chair. James grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down.
"Ten minutes." James said. "That is all you get. I will be assigning a hand to help you with the tack and he will be informed that you are not to have a break."
Tommy glared at James while he ate. James drank his coffee and talked to a couple of people that wandered into the lounge. After ten minutes, he grabbed what was left in front of Tommy and dumped it in the garbage.
"Let's go. Break over." James said.
Tommy sat there and didn't move. James walked over, grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet.
"I said break over." James said. "If you want lunch and a mattress to sleep on tonight, I suggest that you do as you are told. You are fifteen years old, and I can still turn you over my knee. Maybe I should do that anyway."
"You can't do that." Tommy hissed.
"Try me." James said. "I turned your mother and uncles over my knee plenty of times. Maybe if she had done that, you wouldn't be a spoiled rotten brat. This is my place and if you want to be here, you will work. If you want to have anything other than the clothes on your back at this moment you will work."
James walked Tommy to the tack room to find Brandon already there.
"Good." James said. "Since you are both in trouble. You are both going to be cleaning tack until it is all done. I will be having someone check on you both at random times. Neither of you are to leave this room without express permission from me. Am I clear?"
"Yes, Sir." Brandon said dejectedly.
Tommy just stood there. James walked over to him.
"Don't try me, boy." James said. "I have had enough of your attitude. Your father will be here later this afternoon and I will let him know what you have been up to. I suggest that you get to work, because I know your father is not going to be happy with you."
"Whatever." Tommy said with an eye roll.
Tommy plopped down and reached for a harness. James left and went to talk to Ed to let him know that he was to check on Tommy and Brandon at random, inspecting their work. James also let Ed know that neither was allowed to leave that room until he said. Ed just looked at James, but didn't say anything, he knew better than to challenge his boss when he appeared to be in a mood. On the way back to the office, James stopped by the arena and saw that Jack and Nathan were there jumping. James said a quick prayer that things would get better, but he knew that they were likely to get worse before they got better. After watching Jack jump for a moment, James headed back to the office. As much as he loved to work with the horses, he knew that his daughter was only there for a short time and they had a lot of paperwork that they needed to get through. James was beginning to hate paperwork. The larger that the farm got, the more paperwork that he had to do and the less time that he spent with horses. There was a part of him that wished he could figure out a way to spend more time with the horses and less on paperwork. Then again, he knew that there were things that only he could do, but he still didn't like it.
As much as James didn't want to hire more help, especially in the office, he realized he might need it. Then a thought occurred to him, he wondered if Nathan's friend would be willing to help in the office until they got things better established to go natural. He knew that it would take some time to get everything set up, but the help in the office might just make it worth it. He made a mental note to talk to Nathan about it. James wanted to be able to hand things off to others so that he could do what he loved and that was work with the horses. He knew that he would have to review things, but it was easier than doing all the paperwork himself. As he walked into the office, he looked around and realized just how much he needed help. He loved his daughter and was glad that Jack was wanting to take over part of the business side of things, but he also knew that it was way off. As much as Conrad helped, he spent more time with the horses then James did and that was where he was needed. For once since making the decision, James was extremely glad about the changes that would be coming in the next month.
… … … …
When they got back to the house, Jack and Nathan headed straight for the gym. Elizabeth headed to the library, but decided to stop in the kitchen. She made herself some tea and while she was waiting for the water to get hot, she started getting things ready for lunch. She set out what she could so all she had to do was pull the cold stuff. When she opened the fridge to check, she saw that Gran had put everything together for her. Elizabeth smiled and realized that Gran was trying to make things easier for her even if it meant a couple extra minutes of work for her. When her tea was ready, Elizabeth took it and headed to the library. She set it on the table and looked at the many shelves of books. As she was looking for something to read, something else caught her eye. She pulled it out and realized it was a photo album. She debated for a moment but then thought it would be fun to look through.
Elizabeth sat down, curling into the corner of the couch. She opened the photo album and realized it was of horse competitions. At first she didn't recognize anyone, but knew a couple of the names from Gran talking about the family. As she flipped the pages, she came across a very small Jack. Based on the date, she figured that he was about three or four. He was dressed in riding gear and standing next to a pony. There were also a couple of dogs. Elizabeth couldn't help but smile at how cute that Jack looked. His dimples were deep even back then. As Elizabeth stared at the picture she wondered if their children would have Jack's dimples and green eyes or her blue eyes and fair skin. Elizabeth had to shake her head at that thought. As much as she had dreamed of having a large family, she had never specifically thought about it with a particular man in mind, until she had met Jack. It had always just been a general dream of hers. Elizabeth also realized that in that moment that no man would ever compare to Jack in her heart and she needed to do whatever that she could so she could be the woman that he needed and deserved. She also knew that she still hadn't talked to Jack about what she had felt at church on Sunday.
As she continued to look, she saw Jack and who she realized was Laura in numerous different competitions. At first there were two others, who Elizabeth realized were the other cousins, Timothy and Melissa. After a few years, the pictures were more of Laura and Jack. She noticed that all of the kids brought home a lot of ribbons. She already knew that just based on Laura's room, but to see them each holding several ribbons with a horse was something else. Elizabeth was having fun looking at pictures of Jack growing up. She realized that she hadn't really grabbed any pictures of her growing up. She had grabbed a couple of her older journals and she knew that there were a few pictures tucked in there, but she realized that she wanted more pictures of her from when she was younger. She knew that there was an entire album of her from dance recitals that she wanted. It was only looking at the album of Jack with his cousins that Elizabeth really realized what she had missed.
Elizabeth pulled out her phone and debated for a moment, but then pulled Rosie's contact information up. She quickly typed a message, letting her know that she was fine. Elizabeth then asked her if there would be a way for her to get the photo albums that she wanted and hold on to it until she was able to get it from her. She also explained that she just needed a little more time before she was ready to see or talk to people and to please be patient with her. When she had finished typing the message, Elizabeth paused for a couple of moments before sending the message. By that time, she realized she needed to get the rest of the stuff ready for lunch. She put the album back where it belonged and grabbed her empty tea cup. Just as Elizabeth was getting things set out for lunch, Jack and Nathan came upstairs. They were still in their workout clothes, but Elizabeth didn't mind. She did pause, close her eyes and center herself. They had toweled off and slipped a shirt on, but you could see their toned legs and the muscles in their arms. She also caught a whiff of Jack's scent and she was momentarily lost in her feelings.
"Did you have a nice morning?" Jack asked.
Shaking her head and bringing herself back to the present, Elizabeth looked at Jack.
"Yes." Elizabeth said. "I made a cup of tea and found a wonderful photo album in the library of you and your cousins at horse competitions."
Jack ducked his head to try and hide his blush.
"You were so cute." Elizabeth said. "My favorite is that one where you were about three or four dressed in riding gear standing next to a pony with a couple of dogs."
Jack shook his head.
"Oh." Nathan said with a smirk. "You are going to have to share."
"Absolutely." Elizabeth said.
They were still teasing Jack when Charlotte, James and Tommy walked in.
"What is so funny?" James asked.
"Elizabeth found an album of Jack growing up." Nathan said. "She was telling me about it as we made our sandwiches."
"And of course." Elizabeth said. "We had to tease Jack a little about how cute he looked in riding gear."
"He did look cute in riding gear." Charlotte said. "I always loved seeing him, my nieces and nephews dressed up for competitions."
"Let's gather here and say a prayer." James said. "So the kids can sit and eat."
Everyone gathered around the kitchen island and James led them in prayer. As soon as they were done, Tommy went for the fridge.
"What are you doing?" Charlotte asked.
"Getting a soda." Tommy said.
"No." Charlotte said. "You can have milk or water."
"But they have soda." Tommy said.
"And they are not in trouble." Charlotte said.
Tommy defiantly grabbed a grabbed a Mountain Dew, cracked it open and chugged part of it. He then glared at his mother.
"Fine." Charlotte said. "That just cost you points. Sit down and eat."
Charlotte held out a plain ham and cheese sandwich with a bag of plain chips, carrot and celery sticks with a small amount of ranch.
"I want turkey." Tommy said.
"No." Charlotte said. "You eat what is offered or not at all. I made you a ham and cheese."
Knowing he was hungry, Tommy took the sandwich. He tried to grab a different bag of chips on his way past, only to have his hand swatted by his grandfather.
"You were given your lunch." James said. "I suggest you eat it. We won't wait for you."
James and Charlotte each made their sandwiches and filled their plates. As they sat down, James looked at Jack.
"You looked pretty good this morning." James said.
"Thank you." Jack said. "Although, I think Nathan rode better overall. I had a couple of rails down, but I realized what the problem was."
"You did fine." Nathan said. "You beat me one time around. The rails down were simple mistakes that you corrected. The rail with Aphrodite wasn't really your fault. She was fighting you and you did the best you could. She just clipped it."
"The important thing is you learned." Charlotte said.
"Yes." James said. "I suspect that things with Aphrodite will get better. She hasn't been ridden in full competition much. She has had a few riders for lessons, but other than that and exercise riders, she hadn't been out much."
"Exercise riders?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yes." James said. "Experienced riders who ride the race horses around the track or who ride the jumpers over simple jumps and out for a gallop around the track."
"Okay." Elizabeth said. "I guess I didn't think about it."
"It is okay." James said. "I told you to ask questions if you didn't know something."
"So when do these riders come?" Elizabeth asked.
"Depending on the horses." James said. "But the thoroughbreds that are here that need to get ridden usually are done by this time since they start by six am. The jumpers, it depends on competition and lessons."
"Wow." Elizabeth said. "There is so much more to having horses than I thought."
"Especially performance horses." Nathan said. "Stables where you might have gone riding would usually only have trail horses and they get ridden enough that you wouldn't need other people to specifically ride them."
"He is right." James said.
"So what are your plans for the afternoon?" Charlotte asked.
"We are going to get a little bit more of a workout in." Jack said. "We want to lift a bit. Then we plan on heading back to the arena and riding again before bringing the horses back down to this stable."
"Elizabeth?" Charlotte asked.
"I think I will stay up here." Elizabeth said. "I am tired today."
"Then you rest." James said. "Let us know if you need anything."
"I will." Elizabeth said. "Thank you."
They finished eating, talking a little more about some of the horses. When James and Charlotte were done, they looked at each other nodding.
"Tommy." Charlotte said. "Let's go. Time to get back to work."
Tommy went to open his mouth to protest, but quickly changed his mind when he saw Nathan stand up. Tommy stood up, slammed his chair back against the table and stomped over to the back door and pulled on his boots. He didn't say anything, but huffed a few times as he followed his mother and grandfather out into the drizzly weather.
"We will help you clean up." Jack said.
"You don't need to do that." Elizabeth said. "It isn't much and I can handle it."
"Are you sure?" Jack asked.
"Yes." Elizabeth said. "Go finish your workout. I got this. Then I think I might curl up with a book, maybe take a nap."
"Okay." Jack said.
Jack and Nathan took their dishes to the sink before heading back downstairs. Elizabeth quickly finished cleaning up the kitchen and then headed back to the library. She found a book to read and curled back up in the corner of the couch. She only got about two chapters into Little Women before she fell asleep. That was exactly where Jack found Elizabeth about an hour later when he and Nathan came upstairs. Jack wanted to let Elizabeth know that they were headed to the arena if she needed them. Jack asked Nathan to write a note to leave. Jack took the book that Elizabeth had been reading, marked her spot and set it on the table. He then grabbed a throw blanket and covered her up. Without thinking Jack dropped a kiss on her head before leaving the note that Nathan handed him on the table by Elizabeth's phone.
As they were walking to the back door, Nathan stopped Jack.
"Do I need to be worried about you?" Nathan asked.
"Why?" Jack asked.
Before Nathan said anything, it dawned on Jack what he had done. It had been the second time that he had done it without thinking. He blushed, but looked at Nathan. Jack knew that Nathan had already been concerned about him where Elizabeth had been concerned.
"Before you left the library." Nathan said. "You dropped a kiss on Elizabeth's head and made sure she was tucked in."
Jack stopped and looked at Nathan. Jack closed his eyes and replayed the events in the library. He knew what he had done, but he wanted a moment to think before he said anything to Nathan. It wasn't that he should be embarrassed, but he was and he didn't know why. Actually he knew exactly why he was embarrassed. He loved Elizabeth like he had never loved anyone else and it scared him and excited him at the same time. As much as Jack wanted to make it official, he knew that he needed to give them both time. He knew that Elizabeth still hadn't really dealt with what happened and he knew that needed to happen before they could move forward.
"I guess I didn't realize I did it." Jack said. "Gran and Laura would always fall asleep in the library and I would do that to them. I didn't mean anything by it."
Nathan wasn't convinced, but he was going to let Jack go this time, but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to be keeping an eye on them. The last thing that Nathan wanted was for Jack to pressure Elizabeth or make it feel like she owed him for everything that he had done.
"Okay." Nathan said. "Just be careful."
"I will." Jack said. "Don't say anything. I don't want to embarrass Elizabeth. I will be honest with you. I did it once before without thinking when we were back in the city. I walked behind her on the couch to get something from the kitchen and did the same thing. She was so embarrassed that she couldn't look at me for hours."
"I won't say anything." Nathan said. "I am just asking you to be careful."
"Okay, thanks." Jack said.
They headed back to the stable and checked on Ghost before heading back to the arena in the truck. Jack had texted his grandmother to let her know that Elizabeth was sleeping in the library when they had left.