Gage

Gage “Daddy, daddy, daddy!!!! It's time to wake up!” Marley's cheerful voice was way too loud for it only being 6:30 in the morning. I looked at my alarm clock on my nightstand just to verify that I wasn't losing my mind. Nope, definitely still asinine early. I felt the weight of my 7 year old daughter bounce on the bed and I rolled over. My hand instinctively reaches out for the side of the bed that I know will be empty. Despite knowing I reach anyways and a sinking feeling hits my stomach when my hand feels nothing but cold sheets and an empty bed. It's been 4 years and I still can't help but miss her. I do my best to shield Marley from my thoughts and blink away the tears that I know are forming. I scrub my hand down my face and take a deep steadying breath. “DADDY!” she squeals and as she's about to jump on me I catch her and spin us so she's pinned to the bed. I take advantage of her fit of laughter and tickle her sides. Her horse pajamas soft and fuzzy cover her petite frame. She still has her blonde curls that look so similar to my hair but her eyes. Her brown eyes look so much like her mom's. When she was an infant I never thought she would have had brown eyes with how vibrant and blue they were, but now I'm thankful for them. The honey pot colored orbs are bright with happiness staring back at me and I would do anything to keep them that way. “Alright munchkin. How about some pancakes?” She nods vigorously and scrambles off of the bed. “Only if I get to flip them!” she says and runs out of the room. I sit up in bed and rub my hands on the legs of my sweat pants trying to ease the ache in my heart. I pick up the frame on my nightstand and stare at the picture inside. I kiss my finger and press it to her before sighing. It hasn't gotten easier. Not one bit. But the new house has helped. Not seeing the memories we built together has eased the grief. Hell, I packed up and moved us 5 hours away just to start fresh. My mom was not too happy about the move, but she knew it was what we needed. It was what I needed. Axel even convinced them to get a piece of land out here and they are working on building their own house. Not wanting to be away from her grandchild was an easy deciding factor. I needed to stop thinking about it before I got flashbacks. Before I got sucked down into the rabbit hole of thinking about that night. I looked at my utility belt hanging in the open closet and my vest right beside it. I heard pots and pans clanging in the house and a shriek followed by giggles. I knew she was only going to be making a mess by the time I got in there and I was okay with it. If there's anything that these past four years have taught me it's to not sweat the small stuff. My thoughts were confirmed when I walked into the kitchen and saw Marley covered nearly head to toe in bisquick mix and it looked like a winter wonderland in the kitchen with pancake mix. “Now, don't you think it would have been a good idea to get any of it in the bowl to mix instead of wearing it?” She stuck her tongue out at me and I ruffled her hair before getting to work on breakfast and cleaning up the tornado that is my child. “Daddy, do you think you can braid my hair today?” she asked as she finished brushing her hair out. She had on her cute little cowgirl boots and a pair of jeans with a plaid shirt. Today was riding day up at the Lewis farm. I wasn't sure how things were going to go today considering everything that happened. It was a call I hated responding to. It brings back memories of my demons. The whole Lewis family minus their older daughter was killed in a drunk driving accident this past weekend. They offered horse riding lessons for all ages but also had a program for community service. Marley always loved going to ride the horses, play with the sheep and alpacas, and ‘mooing’ at the cows they had. There was even a donkey and even though he was a Jackass to me, no pun intended, he was a giant puppy dog to the kids. Today thought, would be Marley's first lesson without the Lewis family there. Anderson, the family's ranch hand, assured us that things would run as normal that there was a plan in place, but it still made me nervous. Mrs lewis took a liking to Marley from day one. Helped her with her homework, braided her hair for her lessons since I have no clue what I'm doing. She would spend extra time with her baking cookies and reading. Marley would sometimes ride the bus after school there and spend time there when I was on shift until I got off. Now I don't know what's going to happen. I know the family's eldest daughter was supposed to be coming back, but I doubt she'll stay. The Lewis’s never talked bad about her but they did say she up and left and cut all contact with them. What kind of daughter does that? Just abandons their family and then comes back when they die to take over everything? It's f****d up and not right and I already don't like her. My fists clench just thinking about it before I'm brought out of my thoughts. “Pretty please.” she says, poking her lip out but I can see the sadness holding just beneath the surface for her. I never wanted this for my child. I never wanted her to know the feeling of loss and now she's felt it twice by people that she loved and were taken too soon. First her mom, and now the Lewis’s “Yes pumpkin, I'll do my best, but I can't promise that It will be pretty.” I warned and she smiled and nodded. I got to work on braiding her curly locks and when I was finished she smiled grateful but we both knew that it was awful. Lopsided and uneven. I put her ball cap on her head to hide some of the disarray and we walked out the door to my truck. The one thing I loved about Silverton Colorado was not being in the city. Not a lot of crime, not a lot of traffic, and not a lot of bullshit. The air was warm and there was a slight breeze. I lifted Marley into the backseat of my truck and buckled her into her booster seat and we made our way to the farm. Windows down, music blasting, and giggles flying everywhere. It was a good day so far. I made my way up the dirt drive, my tires stirring up a cloud of dust behind us. Horses grazed in the fields along the path and the smell of the farm permeated the air. Marley was practically bouncing in her seat with excitement the way she always has. She's loved animals from day one and I guess I only have my mom to blame. She was always bringing home random animals from work that needed extra care and Marley took to it right away. I parked and Anderson met us at the barn. “Who am I riding today, Big A?” Marley asked with a skip to her step. The old man ruffled her hair the way a grandfather would his kin. “How about you ride snickers today?” he asked and Marley nodded with a big smile. We walked into the barn and I saw a short woman with long black hair tacking up the horse my daughter was supposed to ride. From the back I couldn't tell who she was but I had a gut feeling this was the daughter that was going to be taking over. The person who abandoned her family and it took them dying to come back. The horse seemed calm and at ease. It was a plump quarter horse that she had ridden before. He had gray fur with a black mane and tail. The woman after she finished tacking him up unwrapped a snickers candy bar and fed it to the horse. “Awh, I wanted to give him his candy bar” Marley whined and the woman turned around. I paused for a second taking in her soft but striking features. She had bright green eyes, tanned skin from working out in the sun, freckles dusted her nose and cheeks. She had a button nose, subtle cheek bones and plump lips that I wouldn't mind playing with. Jesus christ where did that come from? She was wearing jeans that fit just right, boots and a black tank top but somehow it was stirring things inside me. Nope. Not going to go there. People like her clearly don't care about others or they wouldn't have done what she did. I saw the hurt on her mom's face every holiday she missed, everytime she didn't call. She doesn't have a clue what that did to her family. “I'm sorry, I have another one in my pocket I was saving for after today's lesson. Would you like to be the one to give it to him then?” she asked. Her voice was soft, like the rest of her. It had a melodic tune to it that sounded like a siren's song. “Yes。” my child whispered, unsure of the woman she's never met. Anderson introduced us. “This is Gage Tyree and his daughter Marley. Marley, Gage, this is Wren. She is going to be taking over the farm and helping with lessons。” “I'm sorry she's taking over lessons? Why her? Can you take care of it today?” I asked my voice raised and flustered. I didn't want this woman in charge of my child's safety on a 1000 pound animal. “I assure you, Wren is more than qualified.” he stated with a smirk and I shook my head. “Excuse me if I don't trust a woman I've never met and only comes back to town after her family dies to take over a farm with my child's safety. Who's to say she's going to stay here or even be in this for the right reasons. I don't know her qualifications, I don't know if she knows a damn thing about horses. This is my child we are talking about and her safety is my number one priority.” Wren stepped back like I had physically slapped her, but she shook her head and steeled her emotions hiding anything she was feeling from me. “I assure you I am here to stay mister Tyree. As for my qualifications, the tack room has all of my awards and trophies and one of the people who taught me everything I know is standing right next to you. I may not have been in the state but make no mistake. You don't know me. You don't know why I've done the things I've done. If after today you are not satisfied with Marley's lessons or safety I will find another teacher for her to have here at the stables. But how can I prove that I am capable if you don't give me a chance and throw a tantrum like a child?” I narrowed my eyes at her and Anderson just chuckled and walked away. “I will be supervising today but I assure you, wren is one of the best.” he threw over his shoulder. Marley, not phased by my outburst, just trotted up to the woman and Snickers. She pet his mane and I watched as Wren started their lesson. I was in big trouble.