Page 26 of Frog

I turned, and there was a man there a little taller than Cy’s six one but not as tall as my own six three. “Sir,” I greeted him, knowing of course who he was. There could be no mistake that this was the patriarch of the Benning clan. He was a bigger, more muscular version of the man I had never been able to get out of my head since the first day I had met him.

He came forward, hand extended, smiling at me. “Owen Benning.”

“Weber Yates,” I said, taking his hand and shaking it.

“It’s awfully nice of you to be the only one out here watching my grandchildren.”

I smiled at him as he released my hand, and Vanessa came up beside me and put her little one into mine.

“Looks like you have a friend already.”

Vanessa passed me a muddy, slobber covered tennis ball a second before one of the dogs came loping back. As I threw the ball hard, she squealed with delight.

“And who did you come with, Weber?”

I looked back at him. “With Cyrus and Carolyn, sir.”

“How is she?”

He meant his daughter, since her husband had just taken off on her and all. “I think she’s dealing with it for her boys,” I said as I watched seven-year-old Victoria grab one of the other dog’s ears and pull. “Sweetheart!”

The little girl looked over at me.

“Darlin’, don’t pull on his ears or put your face right up to his, all right?”

“Yes, Weber!” she called back.

“Excuse me, sir,” I said, still holding Vanessa’s hand as I crossed the yard to where her sister was.

Reaching her, I knelt down on one knee so she and I were closer to the same height. “I’m not scoldin’ you, you understand.”

She nodded. “No, I know. You just don’t want Rusty to bite me.”

“That’s right.” I smiled at her as she studied my face.

“Weber, Tristan said I can’t be a fireman. Is that true?”

“No, of course that’s not true. You can be whatever you please.”

“That’s what I told him.”

“Weber,” Vanessa interrupted. “Will you tell grandpa to let me ride the horsey?”

Since the man himself was suddenly right there I told her to ask for herself.

She looked scared.

He squinted down at her.

“Grandpa.” She bit her bottom lip. “Can I ride the black and white horse?”

“Well, I promised the boys that they could ride with me first.”

“But there’s two horses. Can’t Weber ride one?”

He looked at me. “Can you ride?”

“Yessir. What’ve you got, appaloosas?”