The Bequest
Chapter 40—Amanda

"You'll turn off the water? Because it's supposed to rain. We don't want to use up our allotment if we don't need it, and without Jeff or Kevin here, I'm worried things will slip through the cracks." Abby's going to get wrinkles if she doesn't calm down.

"I said I'd close it off, Mom. I don't need them to handle the water. I did all this even when they were here, remember?"

"And you fed the horses?" Abby asks.

"I did," Izzy says. "And I scooped the stalls before putting them out."

"Before you ask, I refilled the chicken food and water," Whitney says.

Gabe extends two energetic thumbs up. "And I fed the goats and gave them water."

We're the loafs, I suppose. We've done nothing but make cookies and brownies, watch movies, play games, and wander around watching the animals. And I did go up and visit Ms. Saddler-twice. She loves brownies, like loves loves them. I've never had someone squeal quite that much.

"I unloaded the dishwasher," Maren says.

Everyone turns her way. That's probably the first chore she's done since we arrived. "Nice work."

"I'll load it today, too. I think maybe from now on, I should do the dishes."

See? Abby thought I needed to talk to her, but I knew that when Whitney got hurt, she'd realize she had gone too far. Maren's always been like that. She self adjusts. If I'd sat down and tried to tell her what to do, she'd just have gotten mad and things would have been worse all around.

"I can make dinner," Emery says. "Izzy showed me how to make that thing from last week."

"Chicken crescent rolls," Izzy says. "Yeah, she helped me make them. Mom, do we have the stuff?"

"I think so." Abby opens the fridge and then bobs her head. "I've got to run-meeting in twenty minutes-but I'll be back later to help with—"

"Mom," Ethan says, "we know. It's fine."

"It's alright for me to be stressed," she says. "You can't even call me with problems unless you run to the hill first."

"I'm here," I say. "If there's a problem, yo, I'll fix it."

Abby stares at me blankly.

"From that song," I say. "Check out the mike, while the DJ performs it."

"Um, that is not how it goes," Ethan says. "It's actually-"

"I have to go." Abby looks at me. "Thank you."

I haven't done anything yet, but it's nice to be recognized. I have been the one adult who has been home this whole time. Her kids hardly ever need anything, but that's not the point.

"Are you going to be at the 'office'?"

Abby cringes. "Ideally I would be I like the open air." She's still pretending that she's not avoiding Steve. "But with the rain..."

So she'll be at Steve's, I presume. He must be working or she'd be freaking out way more.

"Internet comes in Friday," I say.

A round of cheers from the kids reminds me that we've all been counting down the days. Although, one part of me is a little sad. My job is a constant ding and ding and ding, usually, but for once, I've been pretty free. I've read books-trying to catch up to Maren on the series my friend recommended so we can talk about it. It's better than I expected. I've played games with the kids. I've made so many cookies that we've taken to freezing them so they're ready whenever anyone has a craving. The lack of easy takeout or delivery options has made that a necessity.

"Maybe we should go to Green River today," I say.

As if my words prompted the storm, thunder peals and lightning crackles. And the rain starts to pour.

Ethan groans, but he heads outside. Can't leave the meter running-this whole ranch thing is an even bigger headache than I'd guessed it would be. On our second game of Clue, Emery finally screws up the nerve to ask me what she's been angling toward since yesterday.

"So, Mom. I've given this a lot of thought." I can tell she has. "And I really do think you should let me take horseback riding lessons."

I frown. "I thought the lessons were over. They did the cattle drive."

"We have to go up into the hills two or three times a week to check the calves," Izzy says. "And we'll have to take more salt."

"And they have to make sure they're in the right place," Gabe says. "Kevin says they roam sometimes."

"How fun," I say. "But I think you're too young-"

"I'm twelve, and Izzy's twelve." She folds her arms.

Which just makes me think about those tiny, bony arms, broken and bent after a wild horse bucks her off. "Izzy has been riding for years."

"Whitney's ten." She presses her lips together. "And she's going to go as soon as she gets her cast off."

"Maybe before," Whitney helpfully adds. "Mr. Steve says that once it's had a week or two to heal, the bones will be set and with the cast to protect me, it's probably fine." "You know," Maren says. "That guy gets money going and coming."

"How so?" I ask.

"Well, he gets paid to teach people to ride, and when the horse throws them off and they break their leg, they have to pay him to fix it."

I laugh.

"That's not how I broke my bone," Whitney says. "It had nothing to do with a horse." She glares at Maren, who falls entirely silent. More thunder booms outside.

"So, how about it?" I've successfully put her off a few times, now, but it feels like this time, Emery's not going to let it go.

"Mr. Steve's a great teacher," Whitney says. "For real."

"I'm not sure he'd have the room-"

"Mom's not taking lessons anymore," Izzy says. "I asked if he could teach Emery and he said that was up to you." We're only going to be here another two weeks. What could a few lessons hurt? "Fine. Not more than twice a week." "That's all we get now, anyway," Whitney says. "Woohoo!" The girls all hop up and dance around. "Watch out," Maren says. "Don't look at my cards."

If you're loving the book, nel5s.com is where the adventure continues. Join us for the complete experience-all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you! "Oh please," Izzy says. "Like I need to cheat to beat you."

But Maren actually wins the second round. She's been quieter and more reserved since Whitney's injury, and she needed the win. I can tell.

After lunch, the rain finally slacks off. That's when I begin to wonder where Ethan went. It shouldn't take him too long to close off the main water release. How long has he been gone?

As if my thoughts magicked him into being, he bursts through the door, sopping wet. "A tree fell down." He wheezes. "And it knocked the fence over. The horses are all loose. I tried to catch them, but I only got Snoopy and Captain. The others bolted in a big bunch. I put those two in the barn."

"Oh no," I say. "What do we do?"

He shakes his head. "I'm not sure."

"How far could they get?" I ask. "It's not like there's only one fence on the property."

"It was the back pasture," he says. "It backs to the Forestry land."

Izzy starts to cry.

"It's fine. It's going to be fine." I text Abby, but it doesn't go through. I try four more times.

"I don't have any service either."

"Maybe I should go to Steve's." I tap my lip.

"Yes," Ethan says. "He'll know just what to do."

"I bet he's working," I say. "Or your mom wouldn't..." The kids stare at me blankly. I don't want to explain what I'm saying, so I change tracks. "If he's gone, your mom will still have some ideas."

"She's got that deposition, though," Ethan says. "That's the appointment. We're not supposed to interrupt her unless-"

"But Maggie could be dying!" Izzy really is frantic.

"I'll go right now," I say. "If she can't come, well, we'll think of something else."