The Stable Boy Read Free Page A

leaking. Instead of calling a roofer, he tried to fix it himself. It had rained the night before. He slipped on a portion of the roof that was slick. He fell off the roof head first, crushing the vertebrae in his neck. I saw it happen. One of the farmhands called the ambulance immediately. I could not bare the thought of going over to him. He was gone. They said he died on impact.”
    “I am so sorry,” he said, as I heard the chair scrape across the linoleum floor. I felt his hand on my back. “Come here.”
    I turned around. He wrapped his arms around me. I buried my head in his shoulder and let the tears fall freely. I needed to have that cry. I had not cried in front of anyone before. I just kept it to myself until I was alone at night. It was a release of the emotions I had been pushing back since John’s passing. I had to remain strong and keep the farm running. For some reason, Joshua made me feel like I no longer needed to keep my feelings hidden. He reminded me so much of John. The coffee kettle whistled. I pulled away from him.
    “I’ m so sorry you had to see me like that,” I said. “I normally wait until I am alone to cry like that.”
    “There is no need to apologize to me,” he said. “I should be apologizing for asking you about your husband.”
    “No, you shouldn’t. I would have eventually told you,” I said, taking a deep breath. I poured the coffee and plated the pie. “I need to tell you something.”
    “Okay,” he said, grabbing the ice cream scoop and placing a scoop on each piece of pie.
    “Do you take cream or milk, or sugar?”
    “No, I like mine straight up.
    “Just like, John,” I said with a smile.
    “Was that your husband’s name?”
    “Yes, it was,” I said, taking another deep breath. “Before you asked me about my husband, I was contemplating asking you not to come back.”
    “Did I do something wrong?”
    “No, it is just the memory of my husband was stirred up when you walked my horse back. You have the same walk and confidence.”
    “I will try to walk differently tomorrow, if you let me comeback,” he said with a big grin.
    I laughed. “You don’t have to walk differently. You are more than welcomed to come back tomorrow.”
    “Great,” he said.
    “Do you want to take some of this chicken or pie home with you?”
    “No thanks, but I wouldn’ t mind eating it again for lunch tomorrow.”
    “Sounds like a plan.”
    We finished our pie and coffee.
    “Let me help you with the dishes.”
    “Thanks, but my husband was nice enough to install a dishwasher. He said I worked too hard cooking the meal. I did not need to work just as hard to clean up after it.”
    “I agree,” he said. “He sounds like he was a good man.”
    “He was a very good man,” I said.
    “Well, on that note, I am going to head back to the Everett farm.”
    “Okay, I will see you in the morning, Joshua.”
    “I will see you first thing. Please call me Josh.”
    “Okay, I will. Have a good night,” I said as I walked him to the door. He stopped at the door and turned around.
    “I believe my truck is still at the Everett farm.”
    “Oh my God,” I said with a chuckle. “I think you are right. Let me give you a ride to get it.” I grabbed the keys to my truck off the carved wooden key holder by the door. John had carved it our first year of marriage. I was always forgetting where I put my keys. He said I could never lose them this way. It was a pair of angel wings with gold metal hooks at the bottom. He told me he made angel wings to go with my angel eyes. He always called me “angel eyes,” from the time we began dating.
    I looked up to see Josh staring at me.
    “Are you okay?” he asked.
    “Yeah, sorry, just memories.”
    He smiled. “It is good to have memories. It keeps the person alive in our hearts.”
    “Yes, it does,” I said with a smile of my own. He opened the driver’s side door for me. “Thank you.”
    “You’re welcome.” He went around to the