Mommy, May I? by A. K. Alexander

came up—shows her that you care.”
    Helena crossed her arms in front of her, feeling her face grow hot. “Of course I care. I’m her mother.”
    “I know, I know. I didn’t mean anything by it, only that it was a good move on your part, especially since you two are starting to bond.”
    “Did she tell you that?” Helena watched him gently place the saddle on the horse’s back. He’d always been wonderful with animals.
    Patrick tightened the cinch on the saddle, “Good girl.” He patted the mare. “Duchess is a great old gal, she won’t give you any trouble out there.”
    The knot in Helena’s stomach tightened. “Did Frankie say she was feeling closer to me?” When Helena began stroking Duchess’s face, she dropped her head so Helena could scratch between her ears.
    “Something like that.” Patrick paused and turned to face her. “She loves you, but she doesn’t know how to show it. You have to lead the way. Look, she called you, didn’t she? She didn’t come to me first thing when Leeza called.” He put a hand on Helena’s shoulder. “All I’m saying is that, in your way, let her know that you’re here for her.”
    Her way? What did he mean by that? But before she had a chance to ask, Frankie approached them with the cowboy boots in her hand. “I don’t wear these anymore. I usually only ride English now.” She set the boots down, then pulled her long hair back into a ponytail.
    “Thanks.” Helena struggled to get the boots on. They were tight, but she wasn’t about to complain. Patrick winked at her, and she smiled back. Oh yeah, he still had that charm and, gray around the sides or not, Helena couldn’t deny he was by far one of the most attractive men out there. However, good looks couldn’t replace years of pain.
    A few minutes later, they were ready to go. Patrick yelled after them, “Now don’t be too long, say an hour. I’ve got some steaks to grill.”
    “What else is new?” Frankie mumbled.
    Helena rode alongside her. She could tell her butt would be sore later on. Her horse wasn’t named Duchess for her soft gaits. “Your dad still cooking only the basics?”
    “Every night. He’s a meat and potatoes kind of guy.”
    “There’s another side to your dad, you know.”
    “Like what?” Frankie sounded indignant.
    “He loves opera.”
    “Oh, I know. He plays that screechy stuff every night.”
    “He’s also a big reader, especially the classics.”
    “I know that, too. He reads them all the time. Boring.”
    Helena wanted to turn this pissing contest around, make Frankie laugh some more. This wasn’t supposed to be about one-upping each other. She wanted to build the trust between them. “Then let me ask you this: did you know that he loves escargot?”
    “Snails?”
    Helena nodded.
    “Ooh, sick !”
    They both burst out laughing. The tension dissipated as they rode along the green hills that looked as if they’d been painted from a scene out of The Sound of Music , set against the small beach community. A cool breeze blew up from the turquoise sea below them, while the late afternoon sun beat warmly on their faces, making them feel sleepy but good. Frankie talked about school and which teachers were weird and obnoxious and which ones were cool and how much she enjoyed her drama class. She told her mom about the friends she’d made, and how excited she was about the foals that were about to be born back at the ranch, and the one that already had arrived. They avoided topics that might cause friction, including Leeza.
    Helena shared her plans regarding Shea House and what its purpose would be. “You see, the idea is to help these women get an education and get them out into the workplace so that they can begin to provide for themselves and their children. Like my friend Rachel. She’s working on her G.E.D. right now, and once she’s finished she’d like to go into some type of teaching. Shea House will help her to do that, while providing a home and