Bliss smiles at me. “I warned her that it would probably involve me yelling at some goats.”
I laugh at that. “The billy goat still out?”
“At least this time he went up the hill, rather than toward the county road.”
Mom chimes in, “I offered to drive her in the side-by-side. I haven’t had to chase a rogue animal in quite a while.”
“Dad will be mad.”
Mom waves a hand through the air. “Oh please, just because I’m slower than I used to be, doesn’t mean I can’t still be useful.”
Some days, when her arthritis flares up, my mother is immobile. It’s why my dad worries about her so much when she does have days that she’s feeling good. He would want me toturn down her help…but she’s an adult and gets to make her own decisions.
“Is that okay with you, Bliss?” Mom asks her.
Bliss shrugs. “Sure! The side-by-side sounds great.”
Mom moves with a speed I haven’t seen in a couple of years and jumps into the driver’s seat. “Let’s go catch that goat.”
I glance down at Bliss and say quietly, “You’re going to want to hang on. Mom drives like she’s auditioning for NASCAR.”
Bliss’s eyes go wide, and she follows me to the passenger side. I sit down in the front seat, and Bliss stops abruptly. “I’ll jump in the back.”
There are only two seats on this rig and a small bed in the back. I reach out and grasp her hand. “You sit here. I’ll sit in the back.”
“Good grief, you two,” Mom cuts in. “I’m not going to be offended if she sits on your lap. You’re married, for crying out loud.”
Bliss can’t hide the blush on her face and starts to protest.
“Come here, honey.” I pat my thigh and grin at her.
She narrows her eyes at me, and they seem to threaten all sorts of retribution, but she climbs into the side-by-side and perches awkwardly on my knees.
Mom steps on the gas, and the side-by-side shoots forward.
Bliss slams back against me, her head whacking against my chin. I’m not sure which one of us is in more pain. I frantically grab for her to keep her from toppling out of the vehicle while Mom turns the corner at warp speed. I’ve got one hand clutching her hip, and another arm banded across her chest.
She’s clutching my arm for dear life.
Mom accelerates up the hill, and I pull Bliss further onto my lap. She turns to look up at me, the terror evident in her face. “Is she trying to kill us?” she asks quietly.
Fighting a laugh, I bury my face in her shoulder, but I can’t seem to stop myself. My whole body shakes as I laugh.
Mom finally slows down. “Look! There it is!” She points to the side of the gravel road about fifty yards away. A goat is standing at the brush line, nibbling on some low-hanging branches. Mom jerks the wheel, driving the side-by-side off the road and down the bumpy slope, straight toward the goat.
“Look out!” Bliss yells just before Mom shouts, “Hold on!”
She spins the wheel, turning left sharply.
I’d been so focused on keeping Bliss safe in the vehicle that I forgot to hang on to something. We both go tumbling out, falling to the ground next to the goat.
The ground is unforgiving, but neither of us hit our heads. The goat bleats and turns to run. I reach out a hand and catch a back leg. Bliss has the same idea because she’s stretched out on her stomach, reaching for the other back leg that she latches onto.
She turns to look at me with an incredulous look. “Your mom just flung us onto the ground.”
“I should have given you a little warning. It’s why I didn’t want you to sit in the back.”
Bliss laughs. “A lot of good it did us!”
