Page 85 of Say the Words
That smile disappeared when my phone rang. My guts sank into my boots, but it wasn’t any client on the line to let me know they were about to come collect their horse.Daddy Sang Bassmeant my mother calling.
I left the barn and headed out toward the round pens before answering.
“Tyler Edwin Hardy!” my mother squawked. “How dare you?”
I sighed and braced one hand against the pen fence. This would be a long one.
“You get knocked senseless by a horse and don’t even have the decency to call your mother to let her know? I had to hear it from Sandra Stevens, that gossip, fishing for details. She sent me a message about it, asking if you needed anything.” Mom finally took a breath. “She said it happened weeks ago. What’s the matter with you?”
“How’s your vacation?”
“Don’t you start with that,” she said, some of the fire easing from her voice. “Don’t try to distract me. Tell me everything.”
“I got kicked. I have a couple of cracked ribs. The world continues to spin.”
Shetsked. “Why didn’t you call us?”
“There wasn’t anything to do about it.”
“We still might like to know. Honestly, son.”
“Ask him if he needs any money,” my father called.
“Do you need any—”
“I’ve got it all under control.” I would rather cut off any talk of money before Dad could get started. “How’s the cruise?”
“The cruise is a sight, honey. The windmills are magnificent, and the gardens…oh. Wasn’t the National Museum glorious?” Dad grumbled agreement in the background. “Has Bret been by to help you out?”
“He hasn’t been by, no.”
I hadn’t called him, but that was just a technicality. No way Bret would have dropped anything to come help me out around the ranch. Bret didn’t know a thing about horses and had no interest to learn. Like in everything else, June had been right about us—my brother and I weren’t much alike.
“I’ll call him. I’m sure he’ll move some things around for you.”
“Don’t do that. I’m doing just fine.”
“Hmm. What does the doctor say?”
“That bones take time to heal.”
“We could cut our trip short,” she offered.
But I heard the hesitation in her voice. And why not? Who wants to run home early from their European vacation? I wouldn’t have them change their plans, anyway.
“No, Mom, I don’t need you to do that. You finish your trip. I’ll still be right here when you get back next week.”
“I still think you should have called us.”
“I didn’t want you to worry.” Worry, flip out, scold me for carelessness. All of the above.
“I’m your mother, that’s what I do.”
This was true, to a dizzying extreme. Hence, the lack of a phone call.
“Ask him if he has health insurance,” Dad said.
“Do you—”
