Free Seeds of Summer by Deborah Vogts Page A

mother?”
    â€œWhich one?” Willard seemed to travel back in time. “Natalie’s mama didn’t have a selfish bone in her body. She was a pretty girl—like Natalie. When Natalie entered grade school, her mama died. Adrian was mighty tore up after that. The man was always quiet, but after her death there were days when he wouldn’t speak to no one.”
    â€œThat must have been hard on Natalie.” Jared rested his arms on his knees and clasped his hands together, hoping the man would go on.
    â€œIt wasn’t long before Adrian married again—whether from loneliness or to give Natalie a mama, I couldn’t say. She was a real doozy, and that marriage only lasted long enough to bring Chelsey and Dillon into the world. Guess you could say Natalie raised those kids, with a little help from friends and family.”
    Jared’s chest clenched at the thought. “Did they attend church?”
    Willard rubbed his gray whiskers, considering. “Natalie used to go with her mama before she died. After that, not so much, though my wife took the kids on occasion.”
    â€œWhat about you? Are you a religious man?”
    The man grinned as though he’d been caught. “I’ve been known to enter the doors of a church, but mostly my sanctuary is under the shade of a great big oak tree.”
    Deciding not to press further, Jared went to the kitchen window and stared out at the glowing yard lights, the night insects haloed around the bright globes. “Think we should go help her?”
    â€œI think if she wanted our help, she would have asked for it.”

TWELVE
    N ATALIE SEARCHED THE DIMLY LIT BARN FOR T OM, WONDERING WHERE he’d slipped off to and why he hadn’t returned. She took a deep breath and inhaled the fresh night air, thankful for its calming effect. Peace and quiet. No words, no uncertainty, just wood, dirt, and the sweet smell of hay and horses.
    The frogs croaked from a nearby pond, reminding her of the many times her dad had taken them frog hunting. Had she really neglected her family like her sister said?
    The repulsive thought had flitted through her mind more than once since her father’s death, but she’d been afraid to linger on it too long for fear of the truth.
    Yes, she’d stayed away, but not because she didn’t love them. Not because she didn’t care, but because she yearned to start a new life for herself. Natalie had needed to move on with her dreams, especially now that her rodeo queen days were over. Prove that she could make it on her own—without the ties to her family, without being responsible for anyone but herself.
    She shrugged the traitorous feelings away. What was so wrong with not wanting to be responsible for a change?
    Her horse nickered from the open stall where he’d been feeding.He probably fancied more grain. Natalie grinned, familiar with how his mind operated. She strode over to Jackson and removed his saddle and blanket, welcoming the familiar scent that floated to her nose. She pressed her forehead to his warm skin, willing the sensation to override the war inside.
    Closing her eyes, Natalie allowed her mind to drift to the night six months ago in Vegas when her dad had clapped her on the back and told her to stop dreaming. “It’s time to get back to the real world.” His words echoed in her mind.
    Well, Dad, my life certainly doesn’t have room for dreams now, does it?
    Though his lecture had been cold, his eyes shone with warmth, and perhaps even a flicker of sorrow. In that remembrance, Natalie realized something that hadn’t occurred to her before, and her eyes filled with tears.
    That night—that awful night—when she’d been too distraught to appreciate it, had been the last time she’d hugged her father—the last time she’d ever be able to hug him again.
    The tightness in Natalie’s chest swelled until it felt like it might explode