Page 19 of Hanging Horseshoes

“Hand her over, Sweet Pea. I’ll lay her down.” I hear Trip whisper, then his footsteps echo across the porch. Ophelia and I stay silent while he’s tending to Mable, and within a couple of minutes, he’s back.

“I want to get it all out at once, okay? No interruptions, no questions, no hugs or touching. Not until I’ve gotten it all out. I’m scared that if you both try to comfort me, I won’t be able to get it out.” She looks from me to Trip. We nod in affirmation, and then she starts.

“After Beau left, I was depressed. I spent a whole month crying and in bed when I wasn't working on the farm. I had zero appetite or will at that point. I’m not saying this to make you feel guilty Beau, I’m saying this because you wanted the details and I’m going to give them to you. About a month later, I started throwing up, even though I could barely hold anything down. Momma and Daddy tried forcing me to eat because I just had no will to. It was the only way I survived. Once I started throwing up over and over, day after day, mama decided I needed to be seen by a doctor. Honestly, I didn't care what it was at that point. I just wanted to let go.” She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before continuing.

“The doctor drew blood, and that's when we found out. Honestly, I had no clue I was pregnant or that it was a possibility. We only had sex that one time, and I thought you pulled out.” I got to open my mouth to reassure her I did, but she put her hand up to stop me. “Again, not blaming you. It was the best thing that ever happened to me, my little girl, our little girl. I just didn't know it at the time. Anyway, once my parents found out, it was horrible. They locked me in that basement with nothing but a dirty mattress and bucket to do my business in. I’ll spare you all the details, but I gave birth in that basement, drew pictures in the dirt of that basement for Mable, and was beaten over and over in that basement. All for my sins. Those sins being that I loved a boy and gave life to a beautiful miracle but without a vow in front of a preacher. We spent years there, no window, no running water, nothing until the day we escaped. Only the picture of you and the memories we made to keep us company. I was threatened over and over that once the mess died down, I would be married into someone from the church and when Mable was older, she would be as well. I couldn't let that happen. I found my chance to leave, and I took it.” She finished strong and me and Trip can only sit there and stare at this amazing woman in wonder at all she had been through.

“Fee Fee.” I whisper softly.

“Don't you dare feel guilty, Beau. You didn't know, and you were not the one that did this to us.” She says emphatically. It doesn't erase my feelings, my anger, my hatred toward those people and myself.

“My family,” I nearly choke out, but she’s shaking her head before I can finish.

“As far as I know, they had no clue about me or Mable. They all thought I ran away to find you.” She tells me and I quickly turn away and rub the tears that are forming in my eyes. I hate the life she had to live while I was out. While I was free to do whatever I wanted, she was in the basement with our baby girl.

“Now that you both know, I’m ready to move on.”

“The fuck?” Trip bursts out.

“Not move on from this place, move on from my past.” She smiles sadly at him. He takes a deep breath, relaxing back in his seat. I look him in the eyes before giving him a firm nod, one he returns.

I’m going to give every last detail to Comp about the community and family. I’m going to handle every single detail with the club. We are going to destroy every mother fucking one of those fuckers, but especially Ophelia's parents.

We are going to help her move on from this together. We are going to fill her and Mable's future with so much joy and love, the past will seem like a distant dream.

We are going to do all of it, make all her dreams come true and we are going to do it together.

Chapter Sixteen

Ophelia

After the long and painful chat with Beau and Trip, I decided I needed a nap, probably just as bad as Mable. The conversation and reliving all the pain and misery from past years wore me out a lot more than I thought it would. After walking to the bedroom and making sure Mable was still sleeping soundly, I crawled into bed next to her and passed out.

I didn’t wake up until I heard mummers in the room and saw Trip picking up a smiling Mable from the bed. He notices me awake, but I couldn’t help watching the two of them for a bit longer.

“Hey sleepyhead. This little pumpkin woke up just as I was coming in to get you. Rodeo just got back from the bar. Whenever you two are ready, we can head over to the clubhouse.” He says, smiling. I smile back before sitting up and stretching.

Hurrying to get dressed and get Mable ready, I barely miss her blinding smile. She might still not be talking, but the smile she wears nearly every day tells me everything I need to know. My baby girl loves it here. She feels safe here. I’m right there with her and quickly make my way down the stairs. Trip and Rodeo are already there, talking quietly, when I bounce down the last step.

“How do we look?” I ask the guys as I twirl me and Mable together.

The day after coming back to Trip’s house, the guys took me to a clothes store and let me pick out some outfits. I fell in love with this one vintage store. It was all old fifty style dresses. I had never been able to choose what to wear before. Mostly mama sewed our clothes so we wouldn't have to go into town. Figuring out my own style for a change was fun. Realizing Mable smiled at the dresses and wanted the same ones were even better. Now we have a few matching sets. The ones we wear today are knee length yellow with white lace collars that hang down. There are two big black buttons on each hip that hold a yellow belt in place.

“Stunning,”

“Absolutely Gorgeous.” They each say at the same time.

I can feel the heat hit my cheeks as I blush at their compliments. Beau walks our way, leaning down and kissing my cheek as she takes Mable from my hands and turns toward the door.

“Come on baby girl, you can ride with daddy.” Beau whispers to her as they walk out. I look after him confused, are we riding in separate cars or something? I look at Trip as he holds his hand out for me to take. I don't hesitate or think for a second before taking his hand and letting him lead me outside.

“We figured we’d ride the horses over instead of driving.” He says and I can't help the screech I let out. The guys both turn to me with looks of amusement on their faces, but I don't care. It's been years since I’ve ridden, and I can't wait to get back on the horse.

“The real question being, do you want to ride with me, or do you want to ride on your own?” Trip asks, looking over at me with soft eyes, “Either option is fine. Just whatever you're comfortable with.”

“I want to ride with you.” I tell him automatically. Don't get me wrong, I want to ride my own horse again someday, but for the first time I think it will be safer with someone who knows the land. Plus, I used to love riding with Beau and when I make eye contact with him and see his smirk, I know he’s remembering the same thing. He gives me a nod before handing Mable to Trip.

“Come on, baby girl. We are going to ride Steele over to see the family.” Beau says softly to Mable. Trip lifts her up and the moment she sits in the front of the saddle her eyes shine. She makes a cute screech noise before bouncing up and down. Beau throws his head back and laughs as me and Trip chuckle.

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