Chapter 311: Meadow
*Why couldn’t she just love us more than the drugs? - Rye*
As soon as Carly received the call from Chance, she headed straight to the horse barn. She saddled the two horses and led them out to the front area. Walking the two over to the small green grass paddock, she climbed up on the panel fence and straddled the fence. Pulling her phone out she read the string of texts from a very angre Celt. She had known him long enough that she could tell his mood by the way he wrote.
His wording was precise. Sentences were technical. If he were standing before a jury, he would be impeccable. He hid his anger behind the law. Used the law as a shield. Carly doubted that Roman Centurians could build a shield wall as well as what Celt had so precisely constructed.
Looking up, she watched as the car pulled up the long dive and parked in the parking lot. As they walked towards her, she hopped off the fence and led the horses over to meet them halfway. Carly handed over the reins to Buttercup and Chester. Then she pulled Chance off to the side.
“Let her set the pace. Celt sent me a few messages.” Carly advised quietly. “If she needs to ride like the hounds of fell are after her, let her. When she needs me, text.”
“I will.” Chance promised as he swung up into the saddle.
They rode silently through the back trail for quite a while. When they reached the meadow, Rye dismounted.
Chance joined her after sending Carly a message telling her where they were. As he pulled his wife to him, he saw OMW pop up on his screen.
He held Rye close as she cried. There was the sound of galloping hooves in the distance, growing closer.
“Why? Why were the drugs more important than us?”
“Addiction is hard, Duchess.” He murmured against her hair.
“You quit.”
“I did.” He agreed. “But I had help. I had you pointing out what an ass I was. I had my mom reminding me that I was a good man. I had Carly helping me deal with the guilt that I lived with.”
“Why couldn’t she do it for us? Why weren’t we enough?” Rye whispered.
“She had other demons.” He said gently as Carly pulled her horse to a stop at the tree line.
Glancing up, Chance saw Carly rounding up the other two horses and tying them to a post at the edge of the meadow. Once she had them secured, she dismounted herself and stood off to the side giving them privacy.
Rye pushed out of his embrace. “Why was I not enough for her?” she yelled. “Why did she do so much to us? Why did she hate us?”
“I don’t know.” Chance said, letting her pace away from him. “You’re enough for me. You’re enough for Michael. You just have to be enough for you.”
“How? How can I be enough?” Rye yelled. Her tears were gone, and anger rolled off her. “How can you even love someone like me?”
Carly stood up from where she sat by the horses. With a simple hand motion to Chance, she approached the very upset woman who continued to yell.
“Why!? Why am I so fucking unlovable?”
“Rye.” Carly said calmly. “I know that you’re upset, and you have that right. But do not ruin your relationship with your husband because of your anger at your mother.”
“Fuck you!” Rye yelled turning on her. “What the hell do you know?”
Carly motioned for Chance to step back. This was what Carly had been waiting for. All the sessions that they discussed Rye’s childhood were clinical. She shared her memories. Spoke about how she dealt with it. Occasionally, she would even say how it made her feel.
But she never let go of that tight rein she held on her emotions.
That stoic façade that she had learned to survive behind was now ripped away. All her anger and hurt flowed out. Rye screamed and yelled. She picked up rocks and threw them as hard and as far as she could.
Then she fell to her knees sobbing. Chance didn’t even look at Carly before rushing to his wife.
“Duchess.” He pleaded softly as he dropped to his own knees in front of her.
Rye leaned into him and grabbed his shirt. He pulled her to him and wrapped her up in strong arms.
“I love you, Duchess. Don’t ever question that. No matter what kind of an ass I am, I love you. You are perfect for me. I see how great you are. Donna Leigh could not see this. I can.”
She nodded against his chest.
“I want to go home.” She whispered.
He looked up at Carly who nodded. “Rye, will you come talk with me tomorrow?”
“Yes.” She said softly.
“I want you to go home, have a glass of wine, take a bubble bath and relax.” Carly ordered gently. “Let Chance spoil you tonight. Can you do that for me?”
Rye nodded against Chance’s chest.
“Good. Remember, what you’re feeling, it’s allowed. Your feelings are yours, no one else’s. But you can hurt other people with your own anger right now.”
“What if I hurt Michael?” Rye asked fearfully.
“Mom keeps asking to keep him overnight. I think tonight is a perfect night for that.” Chance suggested and Carly nodded in agreement.
“Okay.” Rye agreed as he helped her to stand up. He walked her over to Chester and mounted him before pulling her up also.
Satisfied with the progress that her patient made on her own, Carly mounted her horse and watched the couple. They both sat on the large stallion with Rye sitting in front of Chance, his arms encircled her to hold the reins. Carly grabbed the reins to Buttercup and guided the mare back to the barn.
Two of the ranches’ teens waited for the horses and Carly told Chance to take Rye home. He smiled his thanks as he guided her to the car. He called his mom and told her they were headed home.
Tomorrow Carly would have Rye do the full regiment. Saddle the horse. Ride. Brush and wash Buttercup. And then they would talk. There was something about taking care of a horse that was relaxing. Therapeutic.
As she unsaddled her own gelding, Scrat, she wondered how Rye would like cows. And specifically, a docile Hereford bull.
