Haley’s eyes widened. “Outside?”
“Boys do it all the time. It’s fun.” He moved in front of a tree, suddenly realizing it didn’t work the same with girls. He’d have to get creative if they were going to keep everything dry. Josh shifted her in front of him and placed her tennis shoes against the bark. Then he widened his stance to keep his boots out of the way. “I’ll close my eyes, and then you pull everything way down to your shoes and let it rip.”
Haley giggled. “Okay.”
She wiggled around, and then the telltale splatter hitting the dirt at his feet signaled success.
She said, “Now we have to wipe and wash our hands.”
Dammit. Being a guy was so much easier. He held Haley tight with one arm while his free hand groped around in the backpack. Please let Meg have included something to clean up with. He finally found a pack of baby wipes and handed one to Haley, hoping she could do that part on her own.
“All done.”
Thank God. He put her down and dealt with extracting more wipes from the container. When Haley appeared beside him again all dressed, she reached for a juice box. He caught her hands and used a wipe to clean them. Then he reluctantly handed her the juice. Inevitably she was going to have to use the bathroom again. He hoped they could make it all the way to the ranch so they wouldn’t have to find another tree.
He handed her a bag filled with the orange fish-shaped crackers she’d asked for, and then carried her to the truck with a newfound respect for the well-equipped backpack. He’d had missions less complicated than taking a little girl to the bathroom. He should have let Meg finish whatever she was going to tell him about that.
Back on the road again, he glanced at Haley looking at her books and stuffing crackers into her mouth. An unfamiliar warmth surged through him as he watched her.
He’d feared he wouldn’t know how to be a good parent because of his background, but he hadn’t been prepared for how quickly a kid could take complete control over his heart. Seeing her joy at the simplest things and watching her learn was amazing. He didn’t know he could love anyone other than Meg so much.
He still had a lot to learn about how to care for her, but luckily Haley often told him if he was doing something wrong. So far, so good. Meg had nothing to worry about. He could do this.
After he pulled up beside the barn at the ranch, Josh grabbed his cell and turned to Haley in the backseat. “Wave hello to Mommy.”
He snapped a picture of a smiling Haley, her hands, face, and shirt smeared with orange crumbs and her shorts twisted funny from their pit stop.
Josh sent the picture to Meg with the caption We’re here. She gets her table manners from you. Hopefully Haley wouldn’t mention their outdoor bathroom adventure to Meg.
Not a minute passed before Meg replied. Wipes in the backpack, funny guy. Use them!
Will do. Stop worrying.
Can’t.
Try harder. Love you.
There was a long pause before she typed back. I’m still working on that. Thx for remembering to text me. Have fun.
He shook his head and then put his phone away. Did the “still working on that” part refer to the worry for Haley, or about saying she loved him back? Probably both. He hoped.
After a quick wipe down, he grabbed Haley from the backseat and plopped her onto the ground. “Let’s go see Charlie.”
They circled around the barn because he worried about the dust and Haley’s asthma too, and walked to the back pasture. Eric and Mr. J were inside the fence working on Charlie’s hoof. Other horses were milling about. Mr. J lifted a hand in greeting, but Eric didn’t seem to notice they were there. Probably had his earbuds in again.
When Haley saw the puppies and their mother, she let out a yelp. With their stubby little tails wagging, they all ran full tilt toward her.
Giggling and trying to pet all four dogs at once, Haley sat down and let them crawl all over her. Pure joy lit her face as she rolled around with them.
Yeah, she needed a puppy. The trick might be getting her to pick just one.
With Haley content, he hopped the fence to see about Charlie.
“Hey, guys.” When he got closer, Eric finally turned around. The kid had a shiner under his left eye, a busted lip, and cuts and bruises all along his arms.
Eric nodded, then quickly looked away.
Hot anger, mixed with memories of his own humiliation at the hands of bullies, made Josh tilt his head, silently asking to speak with Mr. J alone.
His former mentor said, “Eric, why don’t you finish up here while I talk to Josh for a minute?”
Eric nodded and got back to work.
Once inside the barn, Josh asked, “When did that happen?”
Mr. J’s jaw twitched in annoyance. “Last night. And the night before last. He’s miserable here and not making friends. I’ve looked into other options, but no one can take him until August. I called his grandmother this morning to see how she’s doing. She’s in the hospital again so she can’t take his guardianship back.”