~ Clay

“My very own pony?”

Rose’s face lights up like a bulb on a Christmas tree, her eyes wide with saucers as they stare at the pony in front of her.

A real pony, one I’ve had bought just for her.

“Why don’t you go and pet her? She’s a girl just like you.”

Rose rushes over to the animal, hugging and petting it.

“Wow,” Andrea says, standing beside me. “A real pony, huh?”

“It’s her reward for having done so well during our trip to Seattle,” I explain.

She raises her hands. “No explanations needed. She is your daughter, after all. You can spoil her all you want.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Aren’t you supposed to be against spoiling?”

“It depends. I think the situation varies for each parent and child. For example, some parents spoil their kids so they feel less guilty about not spending enough time with them or so that they won’t feel so obliged to spend time with them and that’s bad. Some parents are slaves to their children, giving everything they want just to please them, just so they won’t be disappointed. That’s bad, too. But some parents give their children things to convey their love, to genuinely see them happy and to share in that happiness. I think that’s not so bad.”

“You think?”

“And besides, Rose has been deprived of so much. I wouldn’t mind if you did everything you could to make her happy so long as she still grows up to be strong and kind.”

I give her a salute. “I’ll keep that in mind, Doctor.”

Andrea chuckles. “A real pony,” she says again. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you,” I tell her. “But you can’t have all the great ideas.”

I look at Rose.

“So, what do you think of her, Rose?” I shout.

“She’s perfect,” Rose shouts back.

“Of course, she is,” I say, more to myself and Andrea than to her. “She’s expensive, after all.”

Andrea nods. “I’m sure she is.”

“What are you going to name her?” I ask Rose.

“Um…” Rose scratches her head. “Andrea?”

Andrea looks at her in disbelief. “You want to name your pony after me?”

“Nah.” Rose shakes her head. “Maybe Jessie? So it sounds like Jessica.”

I nod. “I like Jessie. What do you think, Andrea?”

“Better than naming the pony after me,” she agrees. “Jessie sounds wonderful, darling.”

“Good.” Rose hugs her pony. “Hear that, Jessie? From now on, you’ll be Jessie.”

“If she hasn’t fallen in love with you already, I’m sure she would have after this,” Andrea says.

I look at her. Oh, what I would give to make her fall in love with me.

“How will she ride it, though?” Andrea asks. “She’s still scared of open spaces, right?”

“She can start here.” I look around the large barn. “And then I can have a riding area built outside and then little by little, I can take her further and further from the barn. How does that sound?”

“I think that’s great.” Andrea gives me a thumbs-up sign. “I think that’s a good way to help her get over her fear of open spaces.”

“I think her fear of crowds is harder to overcome,” I say, putting my hands in my pockets. “I don’t blame her. Sometimes, crowds scare me, too.”

“Yeah, right. You’re probably used to having people crowd around you.”

“Women, you mean?”

“You’re the one who said that. Not me.”

My bad. I wanted to see if she was still jealous but it seems she isn’t anymore. I wonder why.

“Do you know how hard it is to look for you among all these acres of land?”

At the familiar voice, I turn my head towards the entrance, grinning.

“Nice to see you again, too, Gavin. Didn’t Harriet tell you we were here at the barn?”

“She did.” Gavin approaches me. “She just didn’t say which barn.”

I chuckle. “Gavin, meet Andrea. Andrea, this is Gavin, my lawyer.”

Andrea nods. “We met at the funeral.”

“Ah, but those were such sad circumstances,” Gavin says. “And under those circumstances, I couldn’t say that you’re every bit as beautiful as Clay said you were.”

“I did not say anything,” I tell Gavin then quickly glance at Andrea. “Not that you’re not beautiful.”

“I’m afraid I don’t really trust lawyers,” Andrea says.

“Why not?” Gavin’s eyebrows furrow.

“Because they only say things that will win people over to their side,” she says.

Gavin frowns. “I don’t think that’s true.”

“And they talk too much,” Andrea adds before going over to Rose.

I laugh, patting Gavin on the shoulder. “Well, my friend, it looks like you’ve finally been silenced.”

“She’s a tough opponent, that one.” Gavin wipes the sweat off his brow.

“She is that,” I agree. “Best not to be on her bad side.”

“Then you’re doomed.”

I frown. “Thanks for the boost of confidence. And by the way, you just switched sides.”

“Of course. I always pick the winning side.”

“You’re my lawyer,” I remind him.

“Then win.”

I sigh. I guess some things never change. Then again, I’ve only been away for about three weeks.

“So, have you found anything new about Karen Wilkes?”

“I have,” Gavin confesses proudly. “She’s from Winterset, Iowa. Have you seen the movie Bridges of Madison County?”

I shake my head.

“That’s where it was filmed. Anyway, she grew up on a farm there.”

“A farm?”

“She lived an ordinary life – went to high school, couldn’t go to college so she went to Des Moines to look for work. Things probably didn’t turn out good and maybe she ended up in the wrong places with the wrong people and she became addicted to heroin. There’s no record of her ever having been in rehab so she couldn’t have been addicted to heroin that long.”

“So, she and John met in Des Moines?” I ask Gavin.

Gavin shrugs. “I don’t know where she and John met but according to a former roommate, she loved horses, too. Well, she was raised on a farm, after all.”

“I see.”

So, John bought this farm for her?

“That’s all I have,” Gavin says. “Who knows why John fell in love with her? He never told me.”

He rests his arm on my shoulder. “Now, tell me, how’s Rose?”

“Good as you can see for yourself,” I answer.

“She definitely seems like the child she was when John was around, maybe even happier.”

“Maybe that’s because of the pony. I can’t believe John hasn’t bought her one.”

“He was considering buying her one,” Gavin says. “But I think he was waiting until she was a bit older.”

“I think she’s old enough to ride a pony.”

She’s already on it, seemingly very happy holding the reins.

“If you say so. You’re going to be her father, after all.”

I look at him. “So, the papers have been processed?”

“All we need is the hearing.”

“I see.”

“I don’t see any problems,” Gavin says. “She seems to adore you.”

As if on cue, Rose waves at me from atop her pony and I wave back.

“She’s a good kid,” I tell Gavin.

“Yeah. Well, she’s John’s kid.”

“We talked about John, you know,” I inform him. “She asked about him. She doesn’t want to forget him. She’s slowly coming to terms with his death.”

Gavin nods. “That’s good. It seems like you’ve really made a lot of progress during that trip.”

“And you’re sounding like the whole trip was your idea again.”

“Well, it was a brilliant idea,” Gavin admits, placing his arm around me. “So, tell me, did you and Andrea make any progress as well?”

I frown. “That was not part of the plan.”

“Ah.” Gavin shakes his head. “As I thought, she’s a tough one to beat.”

“I’m not trying to beat her,” I remind him. “I’m trying to win her over.”

“Same thing.” He squeezes my shoulder. “Have you tried seducing her?”

“No,” I tell him, removing his hand from my shoulder. “And we are not having this conversation.”

“Fine.”

He starts walking away.

“Where are you going?” I ask him.

Gavin glances at me. “If you won’t have a conversation with me, maybe I’ll have a conversation with her.”