“How’s she doin’?”
“Which one?”
He gave her exasperated look. “As if my life isn’t hard enough, Mama. Come on.”
Dottie shook her head. “Liv is concerned about her. Renie’s workin’ at The Goat for the season.”
Willow started babbling through the monitor. She rarely ever cried when she first woke up, she babbled. He’d go in to get her, and she’d be standing up in her crib, watching the door, waiting for him. As soon as he walked in she’d babble even more, and reach out for him to pick her up.
“There’s my pretty girl.” He kissed her forehead, and held her close. “Grandma’s here. Let’s go see Grandma.”
Willow kicked her legs and continued her unintelligible stream of conversation. He couldn’t wait until he understood everything she had to tell him. She was a chatterbox, just like Renie used to be. He’d watch her out in the pasture, talking to Pooh a mile a minute. God, he missed her.
He held Willow closer, and she opened her mouth on his cheek. A Willow kiss. He loved them.
She’d gotten used to riding every day at Black Mountain Ranch, and now that she was back in Crested Butte, Renie missed her horse. If she asked, her mom would go get Pooh and bring her to Crested Butte, but she couldn’t ask her to.
Renie walked upstairs and heard her mother talking on the phone.
“I’m open to any suggestions you might have,” she heard her say. Renie waited while her mother listened to the person on the other end of the call.
“If you come up with anything, call me. How’s that sweet baby Willow?”
More silence.
“I’m due for a trip over, I can’t wait to see her. I bet she’s gotten so big since the last time I was there.”
Her mom had been to see Willow? That was news, and not the good kind. How could she betray her like this? Renie stomped back downstairs and slammed the bedroom door behind her. Maybe it was time for her to leave again. If her own mother was sneaking around, going to see Billy’s baby, Renie didn’t want to be around her.
A little while later, her mom came downstairs to tell Renie that she and Ben were going into town for dinner.
“Ben is playing a show in Denver next week, and I’m going with him,” she added.
Renie wanted to tell her that she knew where she was really going, and why, but bit her tongue. If she brought up Willow, her mom would want to talk about Billy, too.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said, Mama.”
“What did I say, Billy? You mean about Pooh?”
“Yeah, and I think you’re right. I’m sure Renie misses her horse like crazy. She’s too damn stubborn, always has been,” he mumbled.
“This goes way beyond stubborn, Billy.”
Billy looked out at the meadow, where he’d spent most of his life watching Renie Fairchild ride her horse. He’d give anything to see that sight again. He wiped a tear away. He knew his mom saw it, but he was beyond caring whether anyone knew he cried. He cried a lot about his broken life.
“What about Willow?”
“What about her?”
“Will you take her with you?”
“Do you think I should?”
“Let me think on it.”
Billy knew it might be a day or two before she got back to him. She liked to think things through. She wasn’t impulsive like him and his dad.
Two days later she walked into his kitchen. Willow was in her high chair, and Billy was trying to get her to eat scrambled eggs, which she wanted no part of.