"It's up to his momma, though," I told Faith.
My daughter looked across the table at Ash. "Because people are bullying you, right?"
"Uh..." Ash looked to Cy, clearly begging for help.
"They don't know they're bullying," Cy explained. "They think they're doing the right thing because there aren't a lot of people like us. None of us, Faith. Violet's famous, Ash and I are a couple, and your father isn't scared of us. That's all new, and to a lot of people, new is scary."
"Oh." But she looked like her little heart was breaking. "I just wanted my friend to come ride."
"We'll do everything we can," I promised her, "but, Faith? You know that Zeke's trouble, right?"
A devious little smile claimed her lips. "So's Violet. It's what the whole town says."
I stammered, trying to think of a comeback to that. Beside me, Violet shoved a hand over her lips, but it didn't hold in the giggle. Cy had to clear his throat, and only Ash looked like he wasn't about to lose it. Instead, he looked at my kid with a very proud smile.
"She is. Most of us are in one way or another, and that's part of what people say. But this boy, Zeke, is it?"
"Yeah," Faith admitted.
"Why is he trouble?" Ash asked.
Faith's legs started swinging. I couldn't see them, but I watched her body rock with the movement. "Uh... He talks back in school, and he's started a couple fights about things."
"Why?" Cy asked.
"Because people say he's a loser, and he's not!" she insisted. "They say I'm a tramp like my mom."
Violet's hand immediately grabbed my leg, preventing me from replying. Then she asked, "So he's been standing up for himself, huh? Or do you think that maybe his bullies are taunting him, and he's the one paying the price for it? You know, like we talked about?"
"Some of both," Faith admitted. "But he stood up for me, too. He told me that what happened with Brody sucks, and no one should laugh about it, so he punched Ken in the mouth, but Ken didn't tell, so he didn't get in trouble."
Ok, I liked this kid. There was just one problem with that. "You know you can't get in trouble at school, right?" I asked.
She pushed out a very teen-sounding huff. "I know, Dad. That's why he punched Ken, because I was gonna."
"I really need to show you how to throw a punch," Ash muttered.
"After the custody hearing," I told him. "Please?"
"Right after," Ash promised. "But you gotta keep it together long enough to get that dog, right, Faith?"
Faith flashed him a smile. "I can do it. And it's easier at school with a friend."
"That's my girl," I told her.
Which was why I was willing to give this boy a chance. Never mind that it was a boy, not some safe, sweet little girl. Granted, considering that I'd been messing around with a few guys lately, I probably needed to rethink that. Then there were the two men sitting across from me who'd kept Violet safe. I refused to think about the fact that she'd eventually ended up in both of their beds.
Faith was thirteen, and I was not ready for her to like boys - or girls! She was supposed to worry about puppies and ponies for a little longer. My little girl got stupid over unicorns and glitter. She was a child, but little girls didn't stay little, and while it felt like yesterday when I'd been changing her diapers, she kept getting older on me.
Still, when I sent her off to school the next morning, I reminded her to get Zeke's number and his mom's number so we could set something up. She promised, and then my little girl all but skipped her way down the drive to the gate so she could wait for the bus. Yeah, I stood there at the window for a little too long, watching her.
That was why I heard the vibration from the phone again. Looking back, I was just in time to catch Cy silence the thing and shove it in a pocket as he headed to the coffee pot. I got the impression that he didn't even know I was here yet. He also wasn't quite awake. It wasn't easy, but I kept my mouth shut.
Instead, I pulled open the door - maybe a little harder than I intended - and made my way to the barn. I was halfway there when the bus stopped to get my girl. Pausing, I watched as she climbed inside it, and then the monstrous yellow beast moved on, so I did the same, but my mind was stuck on that damned call.
Was he actually talking to the guy? Was Cy thinking about giving him a second chance? And what did that mean for all of us?
My mind spun while I fed the horses. Giving them a chance to eat, I sat down and opened my phone to hunt for a square baler. I flipped through ad after ad, but I honestly wasn't paying attention. By the time I got through turning the herd out in the pasture for the day, I had finally moved on. Naturally, that was when Cy stepped out of the house.
