HER SECRET 11

‘I could shovel out stalls, but my mom won’t let me.’

‘She watches over you pretty close, huh?’

Will nodded. ‘All the time. I know she needs me to take care of her, because my dad died.’

Matt whistled. ‘That’s a pile of responsibility.’

‘She never wants to have fun any more. She used to take me places.’

‘She’s got a lot of work now, a lot on her mind.’

‘You mean things will be like this forever?’

‘I reckon not. She’s probably got to get over missing your dad too.’

‘Will I stop missing him?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Will you show me how to make the horse jump?’

‘Not today.’

‘If you show me how to take care of the horses, Mom won’t have to worry so much.’

‘She worries a lot, does she?’

‘Uh-huh. Are you sure you were named after St Matthew?’

‘No. I don’t think I was really named after anybody. Why?’

‘Matthew means a gift from God.’

Matt chuckled. ‘I’ll be hanged. Where’d you learn that, Sunday school?’

‘No, I was looking up Matthew on my computer encyclopaedia.’

‘Damn.’

‘Excuse me?’

‘Nothing. Yo