Read Online Summer on Kendall Farm by Shirley Hailstock - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Shirley Hailstock
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think of them ever being anything except father and son. She wondered if Jace was giving Ari the childhood he’d wanted. That this was the real reason he’d returned to the Kendall. She didn’t doubt that the child probably needed to see a specialist. But she thought that could be the secondary reason he was at
this
farm. He wanted Ari to know the love and support of a father that Jace had wanted and never received. He wanted Ari to be on the land where he’d grown up and know that he could always call it home. That this was his heritage and that love and understanding were his.
Kelly shook her head, trying to clear away the confusion she felt at the man and boy and their dependence on one another. Their love was obvious. She couldn’t fault them for their feelings. It was her own feelings that bothered her.
She
owned the Kendall. And she was not giving it up. It wasn’t her duty to solve Jace’s problems. She couldn’t go back in time and fix all the things his father had done or not done to him.
The Kendall was hers. And as she told him, it wasn’t for sale.
* * *
A RI LET GO of Jace’s hand and started running across the grass. His short little legs carried him toward the far fence where Kelly used to sit and watch the horses. Jace didn’t take any notice of her back then. Usually he was riding to try to get the hurt out of his system. All he could remember was her red hair, which even on a dark and cloudy day was still noticeable. Ari seemed to go straight for that area. Jace followed him.
The fence had been replaced and painted a bright white. It would reflect off car lights in the dark and act like a beacon leading to the house.
Jace shook it, checking its sturdiness. Kelly said she’d done a lot of the labor, but he couldn’t imagine her digging fence posts and resetting the miles of fencing that surrounded the farm. The fence, however, was solidly set. He lifted Ari and placed him on the top rung. With his arm around the boy, he looked over the grass toward the eastern slope of the property’s pasture.
Jace had some savings. He could make a down payment on a small house and support Ari, but he needed to be available for engineering jobs that might take him away from the boy, whereas Ari needed stability. And Jace didn’t want to relinquish his stake at the farm, although he’d never really had one. Somehow he was going to have to get Kelly to let him buy it back.
“Do you think we could get a horse, dad?” Ari asked.
“Can you ride?” Jace raised his eyebrows as if he was surprised at the question.
Ari smiled and looked embarrassed. “I bet Kelly knows how to ride. She could teach me. Can I ask her?”
“May I ask her?” Jace corrected.
“May I ask her?” he repeated.
“We don’t have any horses now, Ari, but when we get some, I’ll be sure to teach you to ride.”
“Wow!”
Jace wondered it Ari liked it here or if he missed his home country. The child had never known anything except the small village he’d been born in.
“Ari, are you enjoying it here?”
“Yeah. Did you see my room?”
Jace nodded. “I mean do you miss home?”
“You said this was gonna be our home.” His voice sounded frightened, as if he’d been promised something and someone was about to take it away from him.
“You had a lot of friends there. Here there’s no one. At least, not yet.”
Ari’s eyes filled with tears. “Are we going back?”
Jace put his arms around him and lifted him off the fence. He cradled him close as the child sniffed. “We’re not going back.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.”
Small arms circled Jace’s neck. He didn’t know what it was about the Kendall that had gotten to Ari, but it had happened quickly. The only thing Jace could think of that had gotten to him was a person...not a thing. And that same person was the current owner of the Kendall.
* * *
S ATURDAY NIGHT , S HELDON THOUGHT . He didn’t work weekends since the owners of the boats
this
farm. He wanted Ari to know the love and support of a father that Jace had wanted and never received. He wanted Ari to be on the land where he’d grown up and know that he could always call it home. That this was his heritage and that love and understanding were his.
Kelly shook her head, trying to clear away the confusion she felt at the man and boy and their dependence on one another. Their love was obvious. She couldn’t fault them for their feelings. It was her own feelings that bothered her.
She
owned the Kendall. And she was not giving it up. It wasn’t her duty to solve Jace’s problems. She couldn’t go back in time and fix all the things his father had done or not done to him.
The Kendall was hers. And as she told him, it wasn’t for sale.
* * *
A RI LET GO of Jace’s hand and started running across the grass. His short little legs carried him toward the far fence where Kelly used to sit and watch the horses. Jace didn’t take any notice of her back then. Usually he was riding to try to get the hurt out of his system. All he could remember was her red hair, which even on a dark and cloudy day was still noticeable. Ari seemed to go straight for that area. Jace followed him.
The fence had been replaced and painted a bright white. It would reflect off car lights in the dark and act like a beacon leading to the house.
Jace shook it, checking its sturdiness. Kelly said she’d done a lot of the labor, but he couldn’t imagine her digging fence posts and resetting the miles of fencing that surrounded the farm. The fence, however, was solidly set. He lifted Ari and placed him on the top rung. With his arm around the boy, he looked over the grass toward the eastern slope of the property’s pasture.
Jace had some savings. He could make a down payment on a small house and support Ari, but he needed to be available for engineering jobs that might take him away from the boy, whereas Ari needed stability. And Jace didn’t want to relinquish his stake at the farm, although he’d never really had one. Somehow he was going to have to get Kelly to let him buy it back.
“Do you think we could get a horse, dad?” Ari asked.
“Can you ride?” Jace raised his eyebrows as if he was surprised at the question.
Ari smiled and looked embarrassed. “I bet Kelly knows how to ride. She could teach me. Can I ask her?”
“May I ask her?” Jace corrected.
“May I ask her?” he repeated.
“We don’t have any horses now, Ari, but when we get some, I’ll be sure to teach you to ride.”
“Wow!”
Jace wondered it Ari liked it here or if he missed his home country. The child had never known anything except the small village he’d been born in.
“Ari, are you enjoying it here?”
“Yeah. Did you see my room?”
Jace nodded. “I mean do you miss home?”
“You said this was gonna be our home.” His voice sounded frightened, as if he’d been promised something and someone was about to take it away from him.
“You had a lot of friends there. Here there’s no one. At least, not yet.”
Ari’s eyes filled with tears. “Are we going back?”
Jace put his arms around him and lifted him off the fence. He cradled him close as the child sniffed. “We’re not going back.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.”
Small arms circled Jace’s neck. He didn’t know what it was about the Kendall that had gotten to Ari, but it had happened quickly. The only thing Jace could think of that had gotten to him was a person...not a thing. And that same person was the current owner of the Kendall.
* * *
S ATURDAY NIGHT , S HELDON THOUGHT . He didn’t work weekends since the owners of the boats
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