Winter's Role, page 19
Tommy looked up at Stephanie, an excited sparkle in his eyes. “Can I, Momma Steph?”
Stephanie looked to Jessie briefly, who nodded. “Sure, Tommy. Just do what Grandpa says, okay?”
“All right!” he said in answer, clasping the old man’s hand and following him to the barn.
“Well, now that that’s settled, let’s head on into the house for some girl talk,” Marion said, wrapping one arm around Stephanie and the other around Julie. “Jessica, you’re bringing the bags in?”
It took her a second to realize her grandmother was talking to her, because she’d called her ‘Jessica,’ but she finally caught on. “Yeah, Grandma. I’ll get them,” she said, opening up the back of the SUV and grabbing their bags. Heading into the house, she went on upstairs to the spare bedrooms, dropping the bags off. When she came back downstairs, her grandmother had already talked Stephanie into helping with lunch, and the three women were currently sitting around the kitchen table getting things ready.
She stepped into the kitchen and glided up to Stephanie. “Hey, if you all don’t need me, I’m going out to the barn with Grandpa and Tommy. You wanna come?”
Stephanie shook her head. “Not right now, Sweetheart. I’ll meet you when we’re done here.”
Jessie bent down and kissed her, her hand lingering on the smooth cheek. “We’ll be down at the riding ring,” she said softly. As she left out the back door, she called, “Don’t let these two interrogate you too much!”
“I won’t.”
Marion turned and swatted at her as she left out the door. “Go on, you! We’re just gonna have some girl talk!”
Jessie laughed and dodged her hand, heading for the barn. When she arrived, her grandfather was giving Tommy a tour of the barn, introducing him to the horses. She leaned against the barn door and watched, as the boy followed her grandfather around, taking everything in. Tommy had grown up in the city, and had never been around horses before. As she watched, he seemed to be soaking up everything her grandfather was telling him.
They had finished their tour and were waiting for Josh, the stable boy, to saddle Molly, a twenty year old mare for Tommy. She overheard her grandfather ask him what he knew about horses. When he realized that Tommy knew nothing about them, he took the boy and sat him on a bale of straw. Then he sat down next to him and talked quietly about how to treat them…explaining the right and wrong things to do around horses, etc.
Jessie smiled to herself, listening to her grandfather with Tommy. The old man had given her the same lecture when she was a little younger than Tommy was now. As he finished his lesson, Josh finished saddling the mare and led her out to the riding ring. Her grandfather followed them out with Tommy by his side. She trailed behind, following them to the ring, watching as they led the mare in. Once there, Josh and her grandfather spent a few minutes letting Tommy and Molly get to know each other. When Michael was satisfied, Josh lifted Tommy into the saddle. Jessie had come over to join them by then, and checked the cinch to make sure it was tight. “Okay Tommy, just hold on to the saddle horn, here,” Jessie said, standing next to him and making sure he was comfortable.
Tommy nodded. “I will, Jessie.” He was a little nervous, but followed instructions well, and Jessie was impressed when he didn’t seem afraid as Josh began leading them around the ring.
Her grandfather caught Jessie’s arm and led her back to the outside of the ring, where they could watch without getting in the way. As they leaned against the fence, he looked over at her. “He’s a good boy, Jess.”
“He is,” she agreed.
“You never told us she had a son. Why not?” He asked, never accusing, more curious than anything. It didn’t bother him that Jessie hadn’t mentioned the boy before this. Knowing Jessie as well as he did, it wasn’t surprising.
“I just found out a couple of months ago myself. Actually, I’m surprised Mom didn’t tell you. She was pretty put out about it when I told her,” Jessie said in answer.
Michael thought about that for a minute. Finally, he said, “I know how your mother is. I raised her, after all. She can be a little over-critical, but she loves you. I’m sure she just doesn’t want to see you hurt. So…you wanna tell me about Tommy now?”
Jessie shrugged. “There’s not much to tell, really…” she launched into the story, telling her grandfather everything about Linda, Kate and Tommy, including the Letter of Guardianship. When she was finished, she fell silent, waiting for the old man’s reaction.
A reaction never really came, though. Instead, her grandfather asked, “How did you react when you found out?”
“I held her while she cried and told her I loved her. When we talked about Tommy, I told her I’d always treat him like he was mine. I love them both, Grandpa. I’d never let anything happen to them if I could help it,” Jessie said, her voice growing quiet and introspective.
Before her grandfather could say anything else, Stephanie slid up next to Jessie. “Hey, Sweetheart,” she said, kissing Jessie on the cheek and wrapping an arm around her waist.
A smile broke over her face at Stephanie’s touch. “Hey! Mom and Grandma finally let you escape?”
“Yeah, they sent me down here to get everyone for lunch.” She glanced toward the ring and saw Tommy on the horse. “Jess, is he…?”
Jessie squeezed her hand where it was resting on the fence next to her own. “He’s fine. Josh is a great trainer, and Grandpa’s been a breeder and trainer since he was born. He taught all of us to ride when we were kids.”
Trusting Jessie’s judgment, she relaxed into her side and watched Tommy ride for a few minutes more before Michael finally waved Josh over. “Bring ’em in, Josh. It’s time for lunch. We’ll keep Molly saddled and we’ll all go for a ride after we eat.”
When Tommy dismounted, he walked out of the ring like he’d been taught. As soon as he was out of the gate, he ran to Stephanie and Jessie. “Did you see, Momma Steph? I was riding!” he said excitedly.
Stephanie hugged him. “I saw, Tommy. You did real well!” Stephanie said, letting him go.
He turned to Jessie. “Did you see, Jessie?”
“I did,” Jessie said, reaching down and squeezing his shoulder. “You were ridin’ like a real cowboy out there, Bud.”
Jessie’s grandfather shook his head. “Come on everybody. I don’t fancy havin’ Marion yellin’ at me for being late for lunch.” He wrapped an arm around Stephanie’s shoulder and caught Tommy’s hand, talking to both of them as they headed back toward the house.
Jessie followed along behind, happy to see how well her grandfather had taken to both of them. She’d never brought anyone to meet her grandparents before, and she was thrilled to see how accepting they were of both, Stephanie and Tommy.
Half an hour later, having eaten a lunch of sandwiches and fresh salad, Tommy was ready to go riding. Michael took him back down to the barn to get ready and Jessie and Stephanie followed behind. They walked hand in hand, as they headed to the barn, talking quietly as they went.
“I really like it here, Jess. It’s beautiful,” Stephanie said, breathing in the fresh air of the mid-Ohio countryside.
“It is nice,” Jessie agreed. “I’ve always liked coming out here. I used to go out on all day rides and let the air clear my head…back when Mom and Dad were in the middle of their divorce.” Her voice turned wistful. “I didn’t do it much after Bobby, though.”
Sensing Jessie’s mood change, Stephanie asked, “Why not? It might have helped to get away from town for a while.”
“You think I might not have become so…caught up in drugs and messed up?” Jessie looked at her, waiting for an answer.
Stephanie shrugged. “I don’t know. You seem pretty close to your grandfather. Maybe talking to him might have helped?”
Jessie sighed and stopped walking, turning to look her in the eye. “I think I was just ashamed of the way I was acting. I was already so deep into drugs and alcohol…” she shook her head. “I wasn’t raised to be a drug addict or a whore, Steph. I didn’t want them to be disappointed in me.”
Stephanie reached out and caressed her cheek. “Oh, Jess…They love you. I don’t think that would have happened. And, while we’re on the subject…I’ve never thought of you as a whore.”
“Steph…”
“Don’t. Don’t ever put yourself down. I’m not exactly an innocent you know,” Stephanie said, putting a finger to her lips to shush her. “I’ve done some things I’m not exactly proud of, too.”
Jessie smiled. “We don’t ever need to visit that, Baby. I don’t need to know about your past. What matters to me is here and now…and our future. Right now though, there is something that I need to tell you.” She looked at Stephanie seriously. “I should have told you before we ever…”
“Jess?” Stephanie wondered what could possibly make her hesitate. Jessie had already told her so much about her past. She couldn’t imagine anything that would cause the other woman to worry.
Jessie shook her head. “It’s nothing to worry about. I just wanted you to know…I umm…Well, I get tested every year and I’ve always come up negative.”
It took a minute, before Stephanie realized what she was talking about. “Teste…Oh!” she said, blinking. “That’s it? Jess…I never worried about that.”
“Still, I wanted you to know,” Jessie said. “It’s important that you know I’d never hurt you.”
“Jess, I have never worried, or even thought about that. I trust you enough to know that you’d never put me in danger,” Stephanie said, smiling at her and shaking her head. “I’m glad you told me, though.”
Jessie reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re right about that. I wouldn’t…put you in danger. I would have told you that night in your hotel room, if I was positive. I wouldn’t have wanted you to think I was turning you down because I wasn’t interested. Because I most definitely wanted you.” She smiled and kissed her.
“Hey! Are you two comin’ or what?” Jessie’s grandfather called as he and Tommy rode up to them.
“We’re coming, Grandpa. Go on ahead and we’ll catch up,” Jessie answered. “And don’t think he’s funny,” Jessie said to Tommy teasingly, pointing to her grandfather. The boy was sitting on Molly next to the old man and laughing.
“Okay, Jessie,” Tommy said, trying to suppress his giggles but failing miserably.
“Come on, Tommy. Let’s get goin’,” Michael said, heading in the direction of the woods.
“We’re right behind you,” Jessie said to their retreating backs. “Come on, we’d better get moving, or he’ll be back here looking for us,” she said, turning back to Stephanie.
Ten minutes later saw them catching up with the older man and Tommy. Josh had already saddled the horses, and they were standing ready to go when they got to the barn. As they rode the wooded trail, Jessie felt herself relaxing and her strange mood of earlier was gone. For as long as she could remember, the combination of the woods and the fresh air always had that effect on her. She smiled over at Steph, reaching out and taking her hand. They rode like that for a while, until Michael stopped them at a bend in the creek.
“Dismount and come on down here, girls.” He helped Tommy down from his horse and they sat down on the bank of the creek, using a downed log as a bench. Pulling off his boots and socks, the old man stuck his feet in the cold water. Tommy did the same, and he proceeded to tell the boy stories about growing up on the farm. Then, he started telling stories about Jessie and her brother when they were kids.
“Don’t embarrass me too much, Grandpa. He needs to have a little respect for me when we leave here,” Jessie said, dangling her own feet in the ice cold water.
“Don’t you worry none, Jess. I’ll save all the embarrassing stuff for Stephanie, later,” Michael said, teasing her.
“Great,” Jessie said sarcastically, groaning and rolling her eyes.
Everyone laughed at her then, and they spent the rest of the afternoon lazing by the creek and riding around the property. They arrived back at the barn in time for dinner, washing up quickly and joining Marion and Julie in the dining room. For dessert, Marion had made a fresh pumpkin pie and after dinner they all headed into the living room to eat dessert and watch TV.
By the time 8:30 rolled around, Tommy was getting tired. Marion showed him to the bathroom, where Stephanie insisted he take a quick shower and get ready for bed. After tucking him in for the night, Stephanie came back downstairs.
“Tommy go to sleep all right?” Jessie asked as Stephanie sat back down next to her on the couch.
“Yeah, he was out within minutes,” she replied, leaning against her shoulder and holding her hand.
“He had a big day.”
“Well,” Jessie’s grandfather said, standing up. “I don’t know about all of you, but I’m headin’ to bed myself. I’ll see you all in the morning.”
“Night, Grandpa,” Jessie said, watching the old man walk down the hall to the bedroom.
“I think I’ll turn in, too,” her grandmother said, standing up as well. “Jessica, would you clean up the dishes, Dear?”
“Sure, Grandma, I’ll see you in the morning,” she agreed easily. They watched a few more minutes of TV before Julie got up and excused herself, too. It had been a busy few days for all of them, and Jessie and Stephanie were both beginning to wear down as well.
“Steph, why don’t you go on up, and I’ll be there in a few minutes?” Jessie suggested.
Stephanie shook her head. “I’ll help you clean up the dishes first.”
“No, go on. It’ll only take me a few minutes. It’s only a few plates and forks.” Jessie kissed her on the forehead.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m absolutely positive,” Jessie said, pulling her off the couch. “Go on, I’ll be there in a few.”
Fifteen minutes later, she stepped into the bedroom. Stephanie had already showered and crawled into bed by the time she got there. “Whew!” she said, shutting the door behind her.
“Rough day?” Stephanie asked, watching her get ready for bed.
“Mmm, I haven’t ridden for a while,” she said, rubbing her rear end. Grabbing her toothbrush she headed for the bathroom. “I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll be waiting,” Stephanie said, her words a promise of warm arms and soft kisses to come.
They woke up early the next morning rested but hungry. When they arrived downstairs, Marion was already in the kitchen, preparing to make breakfast. “Here, Jessica,” she said when the two younger women walked into the kitchen. “Grab a spatula and get working on frying up these eggs.”
“Sure, Grandma,” Jessie said, jumping over to the stove and handily scrambling the eggs in the huge skillet. She smiled when her grandmother put Stephanie to work making enough toast for a small army.
Over breakfast, they talked about their plans for Christmas. After all, her grandmother said, it was right around the corner. Jessie explained in detail what they were planning for the holidays.
Her grandparents seemed pleased to hear that she was actually going to New York to meet Stephanie’s family. Julie, however, didn’t have much to say, which was unusual for her. Jessie didn’t think much about it though, as her mother rarely seemed interested in her affairs.
Once breakfast was over, Jessie offered to clean up the kitchen and Stephanie pitched in. It didn’t take them long before they had the place sparkling, and they headed out to the barn to re-join everyone else. When they got there, Tommy and Julie were both in the ring. Julie had saddled up Molly for him again, and was now teaching him to give the horse leg signals for different gaits.
He noticed Stephanie and Jessie when they leaned on the fence and waved at them, then turned his attention back to Jessie’s mother, whom he’d taken to calling ‘Grandma Julie’ at her insistence. Stephanie smiled, watching them working together. She had been worried at first, about Julie’s reaction to Tommy, afraid that she wouldn’t accept him. But Jessie had reassured her that Julie would be just fine with him, and she had been correct. Julie seemed to genuinely enjoy spending time with him.
“Go on in there and have Josh saddle one up for you,” Marion said, watching the younger woman watching Tommy.
“It’d be okay?” Stephanie asked hesitantly.
“Of course, Dear. Go on, now,” she said, pushing Stephanie gently toward the barn.
“You want to come, Jess?”
Jessie shook her head. “Nah, not today. My butt hasn’t recovered from yesterday.” Stephanie laughed and went on into the barn. Jessie watched her go and sighed when she turned back to watch what was happening in the ring.
“You’re happy, aren’t you?” her grandmother asked. She watched Jessie with a sly smile in her eye.
“I’m ecstatic, Grandma,” Jessie answered, unable to contain the smile she felt every time she thought of Stephanie.
“You’re content,” her grandmother added in return. “It’s been a long time, Jess. We’ve been worried about you.”
Jessie looked at both of them. “You didn’t have to worry about me. I’ve been okay.”
“You weren’t okay, Jessie. You’re mother told us you had a hard time after Bobby left you the way he did,” her grandfather said, looking at her seriously. “I don’t think he ever treated you right.” Jessie had never officially introduced them to Bobby, but they had met him once at a festival the band had played at. They hadn’t exactly cared for him and the way he treated their only granddaughter.
“Mom told you about that?” she asked in disbelief. She’d been under the impression that her mother basically ignored what was happening in her life. She’d had no idea that Julie knew she’d had problems after Bobby left. Nor did she know the details of their relationship before Jessie sent him packing.
“She is your mother, Jessica. She loves you, too,” her grandmother said. “I realize you were unaware of her concern, but she called and talked to me about you quite often.”
Jessie groaned. “Great…so you know how screwed up I’ve been?”
