disappointment at the prospect of new rules to follow, but they stood still and waited to hear Mason out.
“First rule. No going into the pastures or climbing on the fences without your mom or me with you. Horses are big, they may not see you, and they can step on you and hurt you really badly. Second rule, no feeding the horses anything unless I give it to you. They like carrots and apples, but other things can make them sick. Third rule, you always stay within eyesight of me and your mom. There’s lot of things here where you can get into trouble or get hurt. Any questions?”
Both boys shook their heads.
“Okay, then let’s have fun. The game starts in half an hour. Who wants to pet a horse?”
Both boys raised their hands and jumped up and down yelling, “Me! Me! Me!”
Mason took Sierra’s hand, walked a couple steps pulling her along with him, before he let her loose and caught each of her boys around the belly and picked them up under each of his arms. They shouted in surprise and laughed as Mason bounced them up and down as he walked toward the stables.
Sierra stopped in her tracks and watched them. Her delighted boys. And Mason. Strong. Intriguing. Engaging. Fun. And kind.
He’d known David. They’d been friends once upon a time. Mason knew the boys missed their dad. Here he was, trying to give them a good day and a memory to keep after all the ones they’d hopefully forget.
“Hey, you coming with us?” Mason stood facing her, one wiggling boy under each arm like they didn’t weigh him down one bit.
She walked to catch up. “Sorry. I got lost in thought.”
Mason set the boys on their feet and took their hands. “I’ve got a real pretty mare you’ll want to meet. And I’m sure Tom is around here somewhere.”
She’d forgotten about Tom the cat. “He’s got to be pretty old by now. He was old when I last saw him.”
“This is Tom the third.”
“Excuse me?”
“We named every adopted cat Tom.”
“Why?”
Mason grinned like one of her little boys. “You know, Tom and Jerry.”
She smiled back at him. “Old school.”
“What’s Tom and Jerry?” Oliver looked up at Mason, confused. Not surprising. The boys watched cartoons, but they were mostly newer ones.
Mason stared down at Oliver, hands on his hips. “Your education is seriously lacking. If you get bored with the football game, I’ll queue up the cartoon on my tablet for you.”
Oliver beamed Mason a smile. “O-tay.”
They all headed into the stables. Horses greeted their entrance into the darker interior with sweet whinnies that made the boys gasp with surprise.
“They talk, Mama.” Oliver’s eyes were filled with wonder.
“They’re happy to see you, buddy.” Mason picked up Oliver and held him close to the beautiful buckskin’s head. “Give him a pet down the nose.”
Oliver ran his hand down the horse’s tan nose, then reached up higher and felt his black mane. “He’s soft.”
The horse moved his big head closer to Oliver, who giggled. “He likes me, Mama.”
Danny stepped close and reached up to pet the horse. He was a bit too short to get a good feel.
“Come down this way,” Mason directed and led them three stalls down. He set Oliver on his feet, then swung the stall gate open wide. A beautiful bay mare stepped forward, dark brown coat gleaming. She nudged her nose into Mason’s hand, looking for a treat. “Sorry, sweetheart, I don’t have anything for you right now, but I’ll bring you something later.”
“Apples?” Danny asked, remembering what Mason told them earlier.
“She loves green apples.”
“What’s her name?” Oliver touched her high shoulder.
“Star.”
“Because of the white patch on her head.” Danny pointed up at it, unable to reach her head.
“That’s right. She’s a sweet girl. Who wants to go for a ride?”
Both boys raised their hands and bounced up and down on their toes.
“Step back with your mom while I get her out.” Mason unhooked the rope across the stable door, took a lead rope from the wall next to the stall, hooked it on Star’s bridle, and walked her out of the stall.
He turned to the boys. “Okay. Rules for riding. No yelling or screaming. You’ll spook her. She’s very sensitive. No kicking. You’ll sit on top of her and I’ll lead her around the pasture. If you want to stop or get down, you let me know and I’ll lift you off her, but no jumping down. You could hurt yourself or fall under