Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

Chapter 137

Charles knocked on Erika's bedroom door, and he heard some glass drop and break. He quickly opened her bedroom door and saw her picking up broken pieces of a shattered vase. Water coated the floor along with stray petals of flowers.

He came over and ushered her to step back. "Careful, sweetheart," he said slowly, "go get a towel for the water."

"What else can go wrong tonight?" She groaned as she slumped down against the wall, covering her face with her hands.

Charles looked up at her and sighed. He walked over and crouched down next to her. "Erika," he placed a hand on her forehead, and she lifted her head slightly. "Calm down."

"How can I be calm?" She stood abruptly. "I just went off on Momma, her and Aunt Abigail are fighting, my birthday is coming up soon, the house is crowded, our horses were stolen not too long ago, everything is going wrong!" She began pacing near the broken glass.

"Erika Gabrielle." Charles said sternly.

She looked up at her full name being used.

"Back away from the glass before you cut your foot open."

"Might as well," she scoffed, "just another thing to add to the list of things going wrong tonight!"

She was about to take a step over a big shard, but Charles acted quickly, scooping her up in his arms and placing her away from the shattered glass. He looked down at her and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Erika," he began, "I know you're frustrated with everything going on. But your birthday coming up will be a wonderful day. The horses are back and safe. The house is only crowded because your family is here trying to help your Momma and Abigail. By the time your birthday comes along, the two of them will be made up and on good terms again."

"How are you so sure?" She questioned, her voice barely a whisper.

"Because I know your Momma and Abigail." He looked down at her with softened eyes. "They still love each other despite their differences. That isn't going to change because of a little argument."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

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Hosea didn't bother knocking on Nick's door and just walked in. Nick was seated on his double wide bed with his head in his hands. He lifted his head slightly when he heard his bedroom door open and dropped it again after he saw his grandfather.

Hosea took in a deep breath as he took a seat next to Nick. The old man scanned around his grandsons room. The pictures of him and Erika growing up never faltered to make Hosea smile. He noticed a certain one and stood with a struggle to walk over to it.

"I remember this," he said with a chuckle and lifted it off the wall. It was a picture Abigail had gotten of when Nick and Erika were nine and ten. They were playing with the foals with Arthur and Amelia.

Nick lifted his head and smiled slightly at the photograph in a nice wood frame. "I remember it too. That day was the first time Erika fell off a horse."

"Duke of all horses." Hosea laughed.

"At least Pa caught her." Nick shrugged.

"He did," Hosea nodded, "I remember that day like it was yesterday." He hung it back on the wall and walked back over to sit down next to Nick. "How are you feeling?"

Nick shrugged again. "Irritated with all this fighting between my mother and Aunt."

"I am too," he said with a sigh, "but, with the way you were yelling at Abigail, and the way Erika was handling your Ma, I think you two might have put some sense in their heads."