Read Online June Bug by Chris Fabry - Free Book Online

cautious. This the first time you picked up a couple of strays?”
    “It is. Except for Walter, of course. And he’s a keeper.”
    I had bugged Dad about a dog for a long time, and he said it wasn’t fair to bring an animal into a life like ours. Now, petting Walter and seeing him close his eyes in pleasure at my touch made me want to have a dog all the more.
    “She can’t go over to a friend’s house to play,” Sheila said. “I see her walking the aisles of the store, just staring at other girls. I’m not trying to be hard on you—you’ve done the best you can—but there are some things a father can’t give. Some things only a mother can.”
    I listened close, thinking Dad was going to run out of there, but he didn’t.
    Then Sheila spoke again. “She’s shown an interest in the horse farm next door. Is it okay if I talk with the owner about letting her ride?”
    Walter put his head up.
    “I don’t think we’re going to be here long enough to do much riding.”
    “It might take a few days for that part, though. And on the weekends I help Mr. Taylor clean his barn. If she helped, I suppose he’d let her ride as a fair trade. It teaches responsibility, that an animal comes with hard work—”
    “I can see why you’re in retail. You’re good at sales.”
    Sheila chuckled. “I really think it would be good for her.”
    “Let me think about it.”
    Another pause. Then my dad said, “I was noticing a few loose shingles on the roof. You get a lot of wind out here, don’t you?”
    “Blows like a hurricane in the winter and spring.”
    “I’d like to repair those for you if you’d let me. I can’t pay you for the hookup and for parking in your driveway . . .”
    “There’ll be none of that. I invited you here as a friend. I’m not hearing any talk about payment. That’s like a slap in the face.”
    “All right, but let me work on the roof. And if that Mr. Taylor would let me help in the barn, I’d do that too.”
    “So she can ride?”
    “Yeah, I guess it’ll be okay. Just don’t let her get too attached to those horses. She’s probably already named them.”
    Walter put his head down, and his leg moved in a phantom scratch. I guess I hit the spot with him, and Dad’s words made me feel the same way.
    “You a handyman?”
    “I can fix a thing or two.”
    “Writers do that sort of thing?”
    “Writers do what they have to.”
    Walter’s ears went up and he loped off through the yard. I wanted to follow him, but the conversation was too interesting. There was a long pause, and I figured Sheila was getting ready to back the question truck up and unload.
    “What happened to her mama?” Sheila said. “Did she pass away? If it’s something you don’t want to talk about, I understand.”
    “It’s complicated. Let’s just say I was put in a position I didn’t expect. You know, being a father and all wasn’t what I had planned.”
    “But it’s grown on you.”
    “Yeah, I guess it has.”
    “So her mother isn’t dead.”
    “Not that I know of.”
    “You haven’t spoken with her? Does she know where her daughter is?”
    “Look, I appreciate what you’re doing. I don’t know where we’d be if you hadn’t extended your kindness.”
    A chair moved back.
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
    “No, you have a right to know what you want to know.”
    “Sit down, please. I ask too many questions.”
    The chair creaked with his weight again. “Why don’t we talk about you?”
    “What do you want to know?”
    “Something easy. Like why you’re out here all alone.”
    “I like it here. It’s peaceful. It’s paid for. It’s not far from work. It’s the best of both worlds. Out in the country but close to civilization.”
    “It is nice, but that doesn’t explain why you’re alone. I know your husband died, but that was a while ago, right?”
    “True. And I knew it was going to happen. It was a matter of time and whether he was going to give control to God or