“Wynnie and I have been close forever, and we always hoped you girls would share the same kind of close-knit friendships, where you can tell each other anything.”
Billie had never really had that kind of best friend until now, with Dare. When they were kids, they had shared everything, but as teenagers, they’d kept their crushes, and most details of their relationships with others, to themselves. That was probably normal, but she felt like she could tell him anything now, and even if she didn’t always do it, she knew she could. As much as she loved Bobbie, Sasha, and Birdie and wanted them to know how happy she was to finally be with Dare, she didn’t have the urge to tell them everything, the way other girlfriends did. She wondered what that said about her. Maybe it didn’t say anything negative about her. Maybe it said something wonderful about her and Dare.
“We’ll always be close,” Bobbie said emphatically.
Birdie and Sasha agreed.
But Billie was busy mulling over something else. “Mom, if you and Wynnie tell each other everything, then, Wynnie, why didn’t you tell my mom I was riding again?”
“That wasn’t my news to share,” she said kindly.
Bobbie touched Billie’s arm. “I’m so happy you’re riding again.”
“Me too.” Everyone was looking at her like she was holding puppies or something. She squirmed in her seat. “Can we stop talking about me? Aren’t we supposed to be planning or looking at schedules or something?”
“Aaand she’s back,” Bobbie teased.
They discussed schedules, itineraries, flyers, and brochures and went over the activities that would be held at the Ride Clean kickoff—paintball, tractor rides, horseback and pony rides, a bouncy house, and several others. Wynnie went over the social media and other marketing efforts Maya was handling, and Birdie and Bobbie had great suggestions to add to it.
An hour and a half later, as they were wrapping up their discussion, Wynnie said, “I almost forgot, Cowboy is going to be offering pony rides at Festival on the Green this year, and Dare got clearance from Kenny’s parents to see if he wants to help.”
“That’s wonderful,” Billie’s mother said. “It will be good for his confidence and will show him how good it feels to help others.”
“Exactly,” Wynnie said.
“He’s been great with the horses,” Sasha said. “I think he’ll do well if he wants to do it.”
“If Cowboy needs another volunteer, I’d love to help,” Bobbie said.
“I think he’d appreciate all the help he can get,” Wynnie said.
“If you’re looking for more ideas to boost Kenny’s confidence, I have one,” Billie said.
“What is it?” Wynnie asked.
“He’s doing really well on the bike, and he’s passionate about the sport. Dare and I gave him a few motocross magazines, and he read them cover to cover,” Billie said.
“Sounds like a few other kids we knew,” her mother said.
“He reminds me of us, too,” Billie said. “Except we had each other, and from what I can gather from our talks, he doesn’t have any friends around here other than the people on the ranch. He really looks up to Dare and Cowboy. He talks about them a lot. Anyway, I was thinking that he’s doing so well, maybe at the Ride Clean kickoff, he could do a short exhibition ride. I remember how proud I was when I did my first exhibition. He’d have a few months before the event to practice, so he should be more than ready.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” Wynnie said. “But there are a lot of pieces that would have to fall into place to make it happen. He’s been here a little more than a month, and Dare is getting ready to schedule a meeting with his parents. He thinks he’s almost ready to go home, in which case I’m not sure what will happen with his riding.”
“You mean he might just stop?” Billie asked.
“We hope not, but it’s a possibility. That will be up to his parents to decide,” Wynnie said.
A kernel of panic burned in Billie’s chest. “That would be a mistake. Kids like him need an outlet, and he’s already connected to the sport.”
“I have to agree with Billie,” Bobbie said. “We see that with kids at school a lot. If they have a sport or activity they love and their parents can’t afford it or can’t get them to practices, and they have to drop the sport, the kids rebel.”
“I know, honey,” Wynnie said. “One of the hardest parts about working on the ranch is letting our clients go out into the world to use the skills we’ve taught them.” Wynnie looked at Sasha, who was nodding in agreement. “If Kenny’s learned strong enough communication skills, maybe he can convince his parents to let him continue to ride. I think it would be a good idea for you to bring your concerns, and the idea about the exhibition, up with Dare. He’s the one who will be speaking with Kenny’s parents.”
“If Kenny goes home and his parents agree to let him continue, would you allow him to ride on Dare’s track with me?” Billie asked.
Wynnie nodded. “Of course. We always welcome our clients back.”
“Okay, then I’ll talk to him.”
Billie’s mind raced throughout the rest of their meeting, but when they were done, her thoughts circled back to what she’d come there prepared to talk to her mother and Wynnie about, and while she was doing that, she might as well tell them the truth about the day Eddie died.
She hung back while the other girls hugged everyone like it was the last time they’d see them for a year. Birdie rushed out, talking a mile a minute on her phone, and Sasha and Bobbie started walking out together, but they stopped by the door, turning to her.
“Billie, want to walk out with us?” Bobbie asked.
“No thanks. I’m not ready yet.”
“Okay, I guess I won’t see you at home again,” she teased on their way out, giggling as she walked down the hall.
Alone with her mother and Wynnie, Billie’s nerves prickled. “Mom, Wynnie, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure, honey,” her mother said.
“We should probably sit down.” I can do this…
“If you’re pregnant, just spill it,” her mother said.
“Mom. I’m not pregnant. Geez.”
“Darn it,” she and Wynnie said at once, and giggled like schoolgirls.
Billie half laughed, half scoffed. “You two have issues.”
“We just miss babies, that’s all,” her mother said.
“If you thought I was a handful, can you imagine what a kid with mine and Dare’s genes would be like? We’ll need a dog crate for sure.”
They laughed.
“What do you want to talk about, sweetheart?” her mother asked.
She took a deep breath. “A couple of things. I’ve learned a lot over the last several weeks, thanks to Dare. I think he’s the only person who could have ever gotten through to me. He helped me see so many things more clearly about myself, him, Eddie, and the three of us together. He taught me about what forgiveness really means, and to be honest, you guys taught us a lot, but he showed me what relationships should be like. I always thought I needed to hold my ground alone, like the queen of the mountain, but I’ve recently realized that I never did that. I could hold my own in races, but that was because I had him and everyone else cheering me on, supporting me, and building me up.”