Page 26 of Scrape the Barrel
I could cry after everything that happened today. The knot in my throat formed and my eyes burned. No parent wanted to tell their child that their beloved pet was gone, but I couldn’t see Pudding anywhere.
I turned to Avery, crossing the few feet to her and pulling her into my arms. “Mama, what’s wrong?”
I sniffled, trying my best to hold back my tears. I had to be strong for her, because once I told her, she’d be a mess and I had to be there to pick her up.
“Let’s go inside." I gabbed her hand and walked alongside her up the path to the door.
After I closed the door behind us, I knelt down to her level, my knees aching from the impact outside. There was no time for that now—no room for my feelings when I’d be holding hers in just a second.
“Do you remember how I asked you to come inside calmly after Pudding almost escaped that one time?” I asked. I really didn’t know how to tell her. No one trained you to be a parent. You just figured it out as you went, and that made it even more scary.
Avery nodded, her brown hair falling in her face a bit. “I remember.”
“I think the way we came inside today scared Pudding and she ran out the door.” I braced myself, wishing there was an easier way to say that.
“She ran out the door?”
I ran my hands up and down her arms as I nodded. “That’s what I was looking for, but I couldn’t find her.”
Avery’s bottom lip swelled a bit as her eyes turned to glass. “Pudding’s gone?”
I sniffled, my heart breaking at the crack in her voice. I pulled her to me, wrapping my arms around her as she broke on a sob. “We’re going to find her, okay? I promise. I’ll keep looking for her.”
“But what if she doesn’t come back?” she cried into my shirt, soaking the fabric.
Was I supposed to tell her she would? I couldn’t make promises to her that I couldn’t keep.
“We’ll find her,” I said, doing my best to keep the waver out of my voice.
We had to find her, for Avery’s sake and mine. I hated seeing her upset. If only I had been faster and shut the door, this all could have been avoided.
If we didn’t find her cat, it’d break me as much as it was breaking her right now.
11
Callan
Christopher, one of my students, hopped off the lesson horse while his mother and little sister stood from their bench and made their way to the gate of the arena to meet us.
“Do you think one day I can try cutting?” Christopher asked as we walked side by side through the sand, the horse following behind him.
I reached over to pat the top of his helmet. “Maybe once your balance is a little better.”
Some kids just simply liked to ride, but others wanted to try various things like cutting, roping, and barrel racing. I was no rodeo teacher, and while I knew how to do those types of things, I wasn’t a specialist in any of them. I helped take care of the rescues, the cattle, and taught my clients how to ride. My routine was simple, at least to me, and I liked it that way.
“How long do you think?” he questioned.
Unlatching the gate, I swung it wide for him and the horse to walk through. “I’ll let you know once I’m confident.”
“How was your lesson, sweetie?” Christopher’s mom asked as he walked past her.
“Good like it is every week, Mom,” he replied dryly with an eye roll, heading for the barn.
I closed the gate behind me as Christopher’s little sister, Annie, made hearts with the tip of her finger in the dirt by her mom’s feet.
I gave his mother a closed-lip smile and turned to follow Christopher when she laid a hand on my arm, stopping me. “How’s he doing?”
I could reply the same way as Christopher, I supposed. But I was too polite for that. “He’s doing great.”
