Straight From the Hip(60)

“It’s Labor Day already?” she asked, then shook her head. “Never mind. What kind of kids? What if they don’t like me? What if I mess up?”“Did you count the number of I’s in that sentence, young lady?” Aaron asked. “Who should this conversation be about?”

“The kids. I know, the kids. What was I thinking?”

But she wasn’t thinking. She found herself oddly nervous at the thought of dealing with kids who had issues.

“What kind of issues?” she asked. “Like physical handicaps?”

“Not usually. We don’t have any special facilities for wheelchairs or kids on crutches. Mostly we get kids who have been through something really tough.” He sounded uncharacteristically subdued.

“Like?”

“Like we’re not supposed to know. We get a general outline of the issues so we don’t schedule fireworks for a child who’s lived through a gunfight, but nothing specific. Two of the kids have been here before, though, so I know their story. Their mom shot their dad and then killed herself. They were in the room when it happened. The old man had been beating them for years, but still.”

Izzy pushed away her plate as her stomach got queasy. Where was Nick? Hearing this would be slightly easier if he was around.

“What are we supposed to do for them?” she asked.

“Let them get away from their regular lives. They ride horses, walk the rope bridge. They get to play and run without anyone pointing.”

“I could point, I just wouldn’t know the right direction,” Izzy murmured. “What if I mess up?”

“You won’t. You’re a nice person.” He sounded way too cheerful as he spoke.

“What does that mean? What aren’t you telling me?”

Aaron sighed. “We’re getting a difficult case. Her name is Heidi. She’s twelve. Two years ago, her uncle raped her and then set her on fire, trying to kill her so she wouldn’t tell on him.”

Izzy’s dinner did a slow, uncomfortable turn in her belly. “I read about that in the paper. The uncle was arrested then killed in prison.”

“Sometimes the criminal justice system works,” Aaron told her. “Anyway, Heidi has been through a dozen or so reconstructive surgeries. She’s sarcastic, unfriendly and hates the world. Nick and I thought you’d be great with her.”

“What?”

“We’re not saying you’re like that, but you have some attitude on you. I think you’re young enough for her to relate to without being too young.”

Izzy held up both hands. “I don’t think this is going to work. Shouldn’t we have a professional dealing with her?”

“She has plenty of those. We’re talking a long weekend, girlfriend. You can suck it up for that long. At the end of the day, she’s still burned and you get to be pretty. So manage.”

“Ouch,” Izzy murmured. “That hurt.”

“I’m sorry. Heidi needs help. You need to try. I’m just saying.”

“Okay.” She felt stupid and small, but understood his point.

“You’ll like it,” he said, his voice softening. “Trust me. These kids can break your heart, but in a good way.”

“So why not have them here for more than a long weekend at a time?”

Aaron was quiet for so long, she wondered if he’d left the room.

“I don’t know,” he said at last. “I’ve tried to talk to Nick about it, but he won’t listen. He says it would be too complicated. We’d need a full-time staff of health care professionals.”

“Is it a money thing?”

“Have you seen Nick’s bank account balance?”

“No.”

“Oh, right. It’s not a money thing.”

“Then what?” she asked before she could stop herself. She knew the reason. It was fear. Fear that he would do more damage than good. Fear that he could destroy even more. Because he hadn’t forgiven himself. He probably never would.

“You’ll have to ask him yourself,” Aaron told her.

“Sure,” she said, knowing she didn’t have to.





IZZY PACED NERVOUSLY outside the barn. She and Rita had discussed the best choices for horses for the kids. The two who had been on the ranch before had some experience, but as far as Izzy could tell, Heidi had never been on a horse. Izzy felt that Flower was the right mount. An even-tempered mare with a maternal streak, Flower was patient and gentle with the most skittish of riders, but she had plenty of speed for a good, long ride.

“They’re here,” Rita said, seconds before Izzy heard the SUV approaching.“You’re good,” Izzy murmured and wiped her hands on her jeans. Everything would be fine, she told herself. This wasn’t a big deal. Kids loved horses. Her fears that she would say or do something so wrong as to damage Heidi was an inflation of her importance in the girl’s life. Which sounded good but didn’t take away the knot in her stomach.