Page 28 of Frog

“Weber, how come the horse can’t go fast?”

“Because I don’t wanna lose y’all,” I told Tristan.

“Oh.” He seemed disappointed.

When we got back, I showed the kids what we had to do for the horse at the end of a ride, and they watched in rapt attention. As we were walking into the backyard, I saw Cyrus, his mother, the date, Rachel, and the man who I knew now was Brett, her husband, all standing under the tree where Micah still was. Brett was getting ready to scale the tree after his nephew.

“Are you coming down?” I called up to him once I was directly underneath.

He nodded.

“When?”

“He’s scared,” Carolyn told me.

“We’ve been trying to coax him down, get him to let go,” Cy said, putting his hand on my back, “but he just won’t.”

I grunted and noticed that Micah was starting to tremble.

“Cold, ain’t it?”

Another nod.

“Well, if you’re comin’, hurry up,” I grouched at him, holding up my arms. “Just let go. You know I’ll catch ya.”

He rolled sideways and fell from the thick branch twelve feet or so above me, and I caught him easily and set him on his feet. Kneeling down in front of him, I saw him bite his bottom lip.

“You’re sad you didn’t go ridin’ now, aren’t ya?”

He nodded.

“Next time tell me the truth if you’re stuck. You got no call to be lyin’ to me.”

He lunged at me, arms tight around my neck, and I lifted him up, holding him tight as I walked around the others and started for the house.

“Who is that, exactly?” Either Rachel or Cy’s mother asked.

“Weber!” the girls shrieked, chasing after me with Pip and Tristan bringing up the rear.

In the house, I put him in a chair at the kitchen table, quickly washed my hands, and then took the seat beside him as the rest of the kids sat around us. The moment Cyrus’s mother walked in, I asked her if we could all have something to drink.

“Of course.” She smiled at me, her big powder blue eyes glinting, crossing the room to offer me her hand and introduce herself. “Please call me Angie.”

I stood up and squeezed her hand. “Then call me Web, and it’s a pleasure, ma’am.”

“For me as well.” She smiled at me, studying my face. “That was wonderful outside.”

What was? “Ma’am?”

She sighed. “And you have no idea what you…. Oh boy.”

I waited for her to stop talking to herself.

“My grandchildren are all in love with you, as well as my dogs.”

“I do well with kids and animals.” I chuckled. “They don’t care ’bout the same things adults do.”

“But they should,” she said in a way that left no room for argument.