I turned to talk to Brandon, but found him in conversation with Lily, so I just shrugged and went to check on the mare and foal one more time before going back up to the house. “What’s going on?” It was Worth.
“Hello,” I said stiffly. “We just had a bit of excitement this morning with a mare having problems. Liane was here, and you wouldn’t believe the way she interacted with the mare — calmed her right down.”
“Not what I was referring to. Yes, I passed Liane as she was leaving. I got the impression that she felt three was a crowd.” He was frowning, and his tone wasn’t the least bit friendly.
I looked over his shoulder at Brandon and Lily. “Yes, three’s a crowd is a good description.”
Worth just stood there, looking at me. “Well, then I’ll leave you to it,” he said finally and left. I stood there trying to figure out what just happened. Why was he acting so strangely?
“Brandon, I think you’re being taken care of quite well, so I’ll say goodbye. I have some things to do up at the house.”
He nodded absently and gave a short wave of his hand. I winked at Lily as I passed by them. Worth was still at the house when I went inside. He came out of the kitchen carrying a sandwich and a glass of milk. Walking over to the patio, he stood before the door, eating his sandwich. His back was to me.
“Worth, is there something wrong? You’re behaving strangely.”
“Strangely? Is that what you call it?” He kept his back to me as he snorted.
“What on earth are you talking about?” I was completely baffled by his cold treatment. I knew we had a huge fundamental problem to work on, but for the most part, we were able to be cordial to one another, especially when there were others about.
He finished the last bite and downed his glass of milk. “Ahh,” he breathed as though finishing a glass of bourbon. His movements were exaggerated, his posture rigid. Something was wrong.
“Enjoy yourself, Auggie,” he said, setting his glass haphazardly on a nearby end table and giving me a sarcastic grin as he passed by on his way out the door.
“Worth?” I called after him.
He ignored me and slammed the door. The engine of his car roared to life, and I heard tires spinning in the gravel of the road’s shoulder.
I made myself a cup of tea and sat down to take stock. I was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed by the dynamics of all the relationships around me. Dad was quickly aging, and I knew he couldn’t live alone forever — particularly in that huge condo. I would have to discuss that with Worth. Then there was Worth, himself. We’d had that falling out, but I was past it. I had long ago learned that there was no way I would ever convince him to change. I would just have to factor in his shortcomings and love him for who he was. He was being cold, however, and spending more and more time at the office. Or so he said.
His hours had become erratic, and he appeared home at odd hours, almost as if he was trying to catch me off guard. We needed to resolve whatever was going on in his head and to have a talk about Marga. I had her under control at the moment, but she was bright and would figure a way to outwit me. At the very least, Worth and I had to be on the same page when it came to giving her permission and being consistent in her discipline.
Then there was Mark. God bless him, he was the best of all of us. In a family where misbehavior drew the most attention, however, it was important to keep him feeling appreciated.
Hawk. I sighed as I thought his name, as I found myself doing so often. I had no idea where that was going to go. I hoped that time would heal and that he would come by the house more and more often. That way we could get used to one another.
That gave me an idea. I called to Letty, and when she came in, I asked her to make a special picnic with fried chicken, baked macaroni and cheese, biscuits, and an apple pie. “Pack it into a basket along with some of your ginger cookies, would you?”
“How many people?” she wanted to know.
“I don’t know. Just make enough for a half dozen,” I answered, and she muttered a bit under her breath. For Letty, that wasn’t a bad thing. It meant you had her attention.
I busied myself in my office while Letty cooked. I’d recently installed a new computer and still had some bugs to work out. I made phone calls, including one to the owner of the new foal. They lived out of state and mentioned they’d be in town in a few weeks and would stop by. I wondered why some of these people even bothered to own horses. It was all about status — a reason to hang out with equine people. Many of them had never even ridden a horse before. I tried not to be too critical. After all, these were the people my business catered to.
I looked up as I heard the front door close. Soon Mark was standing in my doorway, and I motioned him forward for a hug. “How are things?” I asked, wanting to share a little mother and son time.
“Fine.”
“That didn’t sound too enthusiastic. How’s that truck running?”
“Fine.”
I sighed. What does one talk about with a teenage son? “We had some excitement down in the barn this morning,” I told him and explained what happened. “You should have seen Liane. It was unbelievable. She certainly has a way with animals.”
“Cool.”
I wasn’t getting anywhere. “Would you like to ride over to Hawk’s with me later this afternoon? I’m taking him one of Letty’s famous picnics. Might be a good time to get re-acquainted.”
“No!”
I was struck by the vehemence of his response. “Mark! What on earth?”
He looked abashed but then his bottom lip popped out a bit, and he looked straight into my eyes. “Mom, there’s something not right about him. I know that’s awful to say about your own brother, but he’s just hateful towards me. Like he wants to jump me. I’ve never done anything and hardly even said ten words to him. You think he’s jealous because he was gone so long? Did I take something that should’ve belonged to him?”
Mark was acutely sensitive to other people’s feelings. “I guess I didn’t pick up on it like you did. He did grow up in another time and place, that much is certainly true. I can’t speak for his feelings because I’ve hardly spoken to him since he’s been back, either. That’s why I’m going by with the picnic. I thought it would be kind of an icebreaker, or maybe a peace offering, I don’t know. Sure you don’t want to go? You can protect me,” I teased but the look on his face wasn’t amusement.
“Mom, just let me pass on this, okay? I don’t know what his problem is, but I’d rather avoid him. Okay?”
“For now, but Mark, he is your brother and eventually I’m sure it will all settle down to normal. He’s getting married and will probably have children of his own. That tends to settle people down.”
“It didn’t do that for Dad,” he pointed out with a smirk.