Page 36 of Love, Lies, and Whiskey

She let that go, because there were other things they had to discuss. “We do need to talk about you going to Devil’s Bend.”

“I can’t believe he narked me,” he said incredulously.

“He’s worried about you. Devil’s Bend is dangerous. I can’t believe you took Warrior there.”

“I didn’t take him down the cliff,” he barked.

“That’s good, because he relies on you to keep him safe, and I know you’d never forgive yourself if he got hurt. I’m not going to punish you this time, but if you do it again, you’re going to lose riding privileges, and you can kiss your learner’s permit goodbye.” She pushed to her feet. “Can I trust you not to take off again?”

“Mom,” he said exasperatedly.

She smiled. “It’s nice to hear I’m your mother again.” She leaned down and hugged him. “I love you, Lukey boo.” The endearment she’d called him since he was little almost earned a smile. “I’m going to skip dinner and drown my emotions in ice cream. Would you like to join me?”

“I’m not hungry,” he said sullenly, and pulled out his phone, focusing on it instead of looking at her.

“Okay. If you need me, I’ll be on the porch.” She walked out of his room.

“Mom?”

She turned around. “Yeah?”

He hadn’t moved from the chair, but at least he was looking at her. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

“Thanks, baby. I’m sorry about all of this.”

He looked like he wanted to say something, but he just focused on his phone again and said, “Can you close my door?”

She pulled his door closed behind her, glad they hadn’t ended up yelling at each other. At least that was something. She grabbed a pint of chocolate ripple ice cream from the freezer and a spoon and snagged a hoodie from the hook by the front door on her way outside. She sat on the porch step and put on her hoodie, then looked up at the starry sky, feeling like she’d been through a war, and gave herself a moment to breathe.

It didn’t take long before memories crept in, of sitting on her grandmother’s porch swing, talking out her troubles and listening to her stories. Oh, how she’d loved that swing. When she and Seeley were together, they’d sit on it, kissing and making plans for a future that had seemed so real she would have bet her life on it. There was a porch swing at the farm where she and Lucas had lived in California, too, and she used to sit on it with him, telling him stories, but it was never the same as it was here.

She sat on the porch for a long time, eating ice cream, hating her father, feeling sad for Lucas, and for herself and Seeley, throwing silent prayers out to the universe that they’d get through this without Lucas hating Seeley.

When she finished the ice cream, satisfied that Lucas wasn’t going to escape and seemed okay, at least for now, she headed down to the barn.

She loved up Maxine before making her way to Warrior. He lifted his big head as she approached. Where Maxine was leggy and graceful and had been a champion driving horse before becoming one of her grandmother’s broodmares, Warrior was short and compact, with James Bond confidence and charm and a beauty all his own. He’d been a breeding stallion at the ranch where they’d lived in California but had retired and had been gelded several years ago. He’d always been Lucas’s favorite horse, and Juliette had bought him for Lucas’s ninth birthday. With a good amount of training, Warrior and Lucas had become inseparable. Warrior was always up for an adventure and loved exploring the hills and arroyos of California.

She eyed the dark mahogany bay horse. “Thank you for keeping my boy safe, but if you ever take him to Devil’s Bend again, your apple stash will suffer.” The horse nickered, and she petted his strong jaw. “I know. He’s hard to say no to.”

She gave him some extra love before heading out of the barn and calling Seeley.

He answered on the first ring. “Everything okay? How’d it go?”

His urgency, and the fact that he cared so much, made her smile despite the gravity of the evening. She imagined him sitting in his backyard, his elbows on his knees, brooding. “Well, we’re both still alive. I’d call that a win.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Not really,” she said. “There was no yelling.”

He exhaled loudly. “Good. I was worried I might’ve made things worse by being so honest with him.”

“You didn’t.” She started walking up the hill toward the house. “It would’ve been easier to tie him down and make him adore me, but nobody said parenting would be easy.”

“I’m sorry. Was he pissed that I was the one who found him?”

“He didn’t say. He did ask if my father was really a dick and if I loved Josh, and I was honest with him about both.”

“Sorry about that.”