I have been watching Ryan over these past days and I have only become more and more interested in him. He is mysterious, but not because he is the bad-boy type, because he has a dark past. I think the reason he works so much is to keep his mind off whatever he has been running from. I want to help him open up. That, I have decided, will be how I can repay him for saving my life. I will help him move past this. No promises that I won’t get annoyed. I know this is what my way of repaying the debt, though. It is my job to help and teach.
Gran leads Ryan into the lounge room and tells him to take a seat while she pours another ice tea. Ryan has taken the seat that gran pulled up from the dinning table for Steven. Ryan looks uncomfortable but I know he is only sitting there because he doesn’t want to dirty the couch. The couches are floral printed and about a million years old; I’m pretty sure the background was white when they were new not cream.
“So how are you liking working here?” I ask. Deciding to start at the very basics. I don’t want to scare him again.
“I like it.” He says and I try not to show my disappointment. I was hoping that I would get a little more from him. I look down and think of my next question. Open-ended questions are the ones I want to ask. “Mrs Ellwood is working me hard, but I like being kept busy.” I look up at Ryan and smile a little. I try to think fast. A response. Think of something! I scream at myself.
“She is a tough nut.” I agree. “You can call her Elspeth. If it is too much of a mouthful, call her Beth.” I want to tell him to call me Arielle because he hasn’t so much as said my name, but I don’t. If he is getting close to gran and not me, that’s fine, then at least he is getting close to one of us.
“Alright.” He nods once and gran comes back with a tall glass of tea. Ryan thanks her, calling her Beth, and takes the glass gratefully. I let him take a few mouthfuls before I ask another question.
“How are the horses?” I ask. This question is more for me. I actually really miss the horses. Patch is kind of my horse. I got her as a birthday present when I was eleven but Gran always road her, not Arron. I guess gran and I share Patch. I went through a Saddle Club phase and I love the horse called Patch, and you can guess what came of that.
Ryan nods slowly. “They are well.” Is all he says to me.
“I ask because Patch is my horse, I am used to seeing her everyday. Well, every day that I am here. I miss her already.” I smile and take my ice tea from the table and finished the rest of it.
Gran leaves us alone with what I am sure is a huge smile on her face. Ryan seems to be waiting for something though. He watches as gran leaves then waits until he hears her bedroom door close before leaning forward.
There is a hint of a smile on his lips. My heart skips a beat. I’m not sure why, maybe because my technique is working. “I can take you out the see her. She is in the front paddock.” He keeps his voice low and excitement bubbles in my chest. I nod like a mad woman and Ryan rises from the chair. He pushes the wheel chair over to me and pauses. “Do you want to do it yourself?”
“Yes.” I say and only slightly struggle to get myself into the chair. I have gotten a little better at manoeuvring myself into the wheel chair but I’m still not skilled.
Ryan wheels me out of the house silently and down the ramp. I notice that Ryan is a lot stronger. I mean he was pretty strong before because he took down…Kane, but now he is stronger. Probably from all the food gran has been feeding him. Ryan doesn’t complain though, he only thanks her over and over.
The ground is a little uneven but Ryan pushes me slowly so it isn't too bad. I am glad that it hasn't rained in a while otherwise I would be getting bogged and gran would catch us for sure. I'm not sure what her reaction would be but I don't want to find out. It feels so good to be outside, I have wheeled myself out on to the front porch but to be out in the yard again feels so good. Ryan pushes me around the house and down the side. As soon as Patch sees me she starts to do a little excited dance. I laugh and itch to get out of the wheelchair and run over to her, but I employ patients.
