Chapter 2
Angel closed her cell phone confused by the call from Rylee. What could Miles have put in an envelope for her? She had no clue. She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at her house, it had not been cleaned in a few weeks, papers scattered her table, a piles of laundry sat in the family room, and boxes were stacked in the spare bedroom. "Oye girl, what has become of this place?" she said to herself. "You better get cleaning because Ry anad Steph are coming." She tried to encourage hersef just like Miles use to do when she wanted to give up. It just wasn't the same because he use to come up behind her and wrap his arms around her and tell her she was beautiful even if everything else was a mess, but she knew he wanted things clean and that always seemed to give her the extra push to get things done.
Angel walked to the family room and put a cd in the stereo system, it was one fo the rodeo mixes that her and Miles put together when they would drive to the rodeos or played while they were warming up. The first song that came on was Reckless by Aaron Watson. It made Angel smile because when this song came on the stereo got cranked up - it didn't matter who was in control of it, the volume always wen tsky high. This sparked Angel to get cleaning because she knew she had company coming in several hours.
The next song that came on was Ghost Riders in The Sky by the legendary Johnny Cash. Miles put this one on for Angel when she would do her showeing of the horses in the arena. Angel loved this song, it made her daydream about what it would have been like to be a cowgirl back in the days when the streets where dust and the cowboys came riding down the street with a herd of cattle. She grabbed the vacuum and started cleaning as she imagined that the dirt in her house was from the dusty road. Angel was lost in her own world until her cell phone rang. It was Stephanie.
"Hey girl" Angel said in a surprised tone. "How are you doing?"
"I'm doing alright, what about you?" Questioned STephanie as she noticed Angel's semi-upbeat mood.
"I could be better, but right now, I was just daydreaming about my Wild West adventure."
"You are a crazy cowgirl Angel" teased Stephanie. "By the way girl, Rylee and I are on our way, we should be there in about 7 more hours."
"Awesomeness, I can't wait to see you again!" Angel closed her cell phone and heard the music change. The song changed to one that Miles put on without her knowing because she couldn't remember this song ever playing. Cowgirl's Don't Cry by Brooks and Dunn. Hmm, she thought to herself, why would he put this on here? Angel kept putting laundry away and straightening up the family room and realized that the words to the song were so true, she couldn't cry now, she had to get back up on her hourse and keep riding strong just like she had always done. The last bit of the song Miles had recorded his voice singing the last time through the chorus "Cowgirl don't cry, ride baby ride, lessons in life show us in time, to soon God will let you know why, if you fall get right back on, the good Lord calls everybody home, Cowgirl don't cry." At this point tears were streaming down her cheeks, she realized that Miles was gone but he wanted her to be the strong cowgirl that she was, the strong cowgirl that he had fallen in love with almost 2 years ago.
Angel fell asleep for several hours, she woke up to her cell phone ringing. It was Rylee. What could he want right nonw? Then she remembered he was coming up here!
"Hello?!"
"Angel calm down, I just wanted to tell ya we are pulling onto your street we are going to be at your place in just a few moments."
Angel walked over to the window while Rylee was talking and she saw the tan Chevy pickup driving down the road. "I see ya right now" Angel said with a smile in her voice.
Stephanie hopped out of the truck and ran and hugged Angel as Angel ran out of the house to see them. Rylee just smiled as he watched the girls embrace just like they were sisters from the beginning of time. "Angel can I put theses in the spare bedroom?"
"Yes Ry, it is all set for you and Steph" answered Angel still overcome that Stephanie and Rylee were here.
The girls followed Rylee into the house. Rylee put their things in the bedroom and came back out with the envelope. "Angel, this is for you."
Angel carefully took the envelope from Rylee and studied the beautiful handwriting that said her name on the front and she knew it could only be Miles' handwriting. She carefully opened the envelope and took the pieces of paper that were neatly folded inside.
My Dear Angel,
I wanted to give you this letter in person but it seems as though that is nont the case. Things are hard for you, I know, trust me. You are such a strong person, I know that you will be able to take on any and every challenge set before you which is why I am writing this letter to you. If I am no longer around to take care of the ranch and the horses, I am giving George, Misty's colt, to you. I know you will give him all the tender loving care he could ever need and more. I am also giving you Destiny, Maygen's filly.
At this point I'm sure you are at a loss of what to say and doubting that you could ever accept this gift. Darlin' please care for these horses, I wanted to give them to you myself once we got engaged, but if you are reading this we never made it that far for one reason or another.
Those horses havae been loved by both you and me since the day they were born, and I will come back to you each time you work with them and spend time with them.
Caring for animals is costly which is why I have covered all of the costs for feed, vet bills, and tack that you will ever need to use with George and Destiny. Enclosed is a valid certificate that you need to keep with the horses whereever you go so that you will be able to use it if the vet comes or replenish feed or head to Tractor Supply Co. for anything else you might need. Everything is alal set for you. Also enclosed are the registration papers for each horse all you need to do is sign them next to my signature and everything will be official.
Thank you baby girl. Know that I will always be with you. I will always be watching over you. I love you.
Love,
Miles J. Keith
The letter had been written on Miles' favorite horse stationary that he only use for important occasions. Angel froze as she held the letter in her hand. She thought to herself 'I can't take these horses, it isn't right, it will just make everything harder on me.' Rylee must have either read her facial expression or new something was up "Angel, what is it? What does the letter say?" Angel handed him the letter asa she pulled a chair out from along side the table so she could sit down. She covered her face with her hands while she waited for Rylee to finish reading the letter.
"Angel" was all Rylee could say because any other words that could possibly be said left his head. He walked over and the letter on the table and stood behind her as he placed his hands on her shoulders the same protective way he had seen his brother do when Angel was upset.
Tears welled up in Angel's eyes as she began to sob into her hands. Reading Miles' handwriting was like he was talking to her and that was more than she could handle. She cried for several minutes. Rylee did all he could to comfort her, but it didn't seem to work. He knew that she could tell the difference between his hands and his brother's hands even if they were on her shoulders.
Stephanie pulled a chair close to Angel, as she did this she gave Rylee the 'let me handle this' look. Rylee released his hands and walked around the table and sat down and pushed the letter in front of Stephanie. Stephanie quickly skimmed the words and gasped quietly as she looked across at Rylee. She mouthed the words 'am I reading this right?' Rylee nodded. With that Stephanie put her arms around Angel.
"There, there. Everything is alright" Stephanie calmly said to Angel.
"No it's not" Angel said between the tears that were coming non-stop. "I read that letter and heard Miles' voice clear as if he was sitting right here."
"That's because he is in your heart and he is so close to you" comforted Stephanie. Stephanie brushed the loose hair our of Angel's eyes that had fallen there since she had first opened the letter. "Miles wouldn't want to give those horses to you because he hated them. He gave them to you because he knew thata you needed him even when he was gone, just like those horses need someone to care for them. He is caring for you in a complicated and beautiful way. To be honest, I'm kind of jealous thaat you have both of those horses."
"Why are you jealous? I can't take those horses" said Angel in as firm a voice as she could while her voice was still quivering with tears.
"Yes you can, and you will" Rylee interjected. "Look back in that letter, he was planning on asking you to marry him! Would you have said no to that question?"
Angel looked down at the table when Rylee mentioned the engagement. "No, I wouldn't have said no."
"I know from living with him that he was crazy about you, and he was crazy about those 2 horses. He loved both of them and he knew that you both spent a great deal of time with them when they were born. It would be just like if you had children of your own. He is entrusting your horse-children to you. Think of it that way. He doesn't want anything to happen to them, and he knows thaat you will protect them, just like he did."
Angel looked up and listened to Rylee talk about Miles and talk about a hidden side that Angel never saw because she was up here at her house. She was intrigued. "Tell me more Ry, please."
"He was hysterical to watch every day after you left. He would go out to their pasture right by the barn and tease the horses, play with them, run with them, and he spent hours telling them stories about you." Rylee looked at Angel as he said that. Angel was caught off guard. "You mean to tell me that he told stories to those horses about me?"
"Yes" chuckled Rylee. "I thinkn he thought no one was around but I sneaked out a few differernt times and sat right inside the barn door and listened to him tell stories. The horses would lay down in the grass as he told them stories or lick his face and nicker when they thought something was funny. I had all I could do to not laugh. I don't think he ever knew that I was there. Angel, he loved you so much."
Angel studied her hands and then the paper again. "Was it true about the engagement?"
"Every word" Rylee said in confidence. "I knew he was going to ask you, because he wanted our whole family to be around that weekend he was going to ask you. Just how he was going to ask you, I don't know, he didn't tell me or ask my opinion. The only thing he aske me about was if I thought he was crazy for asking you to marry him."
"What did you tell him Ry?" Angel looked with wonder across the table at Rylee.
"I told him that he was crazy if he didn't ask you. I told him I would check under his hat if he let a beautiful little filly, like you, get away. I knew he was crazy about you. It showed when you weren't ata our house. He would space out at the dinner table or start talking out of the blue about something y'all had talked abaout on the phone earlier. Yet Angel, he was in love with you." Rylee watched Angel to see how she would take everything he said.
Angel sat in silence for a moment as Stephanie had her arms around her. She felt safe as she thought about everything she hadread in the letter and what Rylee had just said. She reached for the pen that was lying on the table, dried her eyes, and pulled the papers for George and Destiny out of the envelope. She read all the legal words even though some of them didn't makes sense to her at the moment. At the bottom of the page just as Miles had said she had to sign next to his name. She looked at his signature and realized that he ahd left room for hers. She took the pen and wrote her name next to his on George's and Destiny's papers.
The ownership of George the colt of Mystical Magic "Misty" is given to the following:
Miles Justin Keith & Angel Mae Watson
The ownership of Destiny the filly of Magenta Flower "Maygen" is given to the following:
Miles Justin Keith & Angel Mae Watson
She laid the papers on the table in front of her and Stephanie anad set the pen down. Holding tears back was about as impossible asa it gets. "There" said Angel to both Stephanie and Rylee. The corners of Rylee's mouth turned upward ever so slightly as he saw Angel sing the papers and agree to Miles' request.
"Angel, I'm proud of you" said Rylee as he got up from the table. "I brought one other thing for you." He walked into the bedroom. A few moments later he came back to the kitchen and place a large object wrapped in tissue paper on the table in front of Angel. She looked up at him in confusion.
"What is this Ry?"
"Just open it" Rylee asked in a soft tone as he lookekd into Angel's eyes trying to read her even though he couldn't read her very well. He thought to himself that his brother must have had that extra sense inside him to understand this amazing woman because he for sure couldn't. All he knew was that her heart was broken into a million pieces right now and it was up to him and Stephanie to help her hold it together.
"Okay..." Angel said slowly as she picked up the object Rylee had set before her. She looked at the silver colored tissue paper and found the seam where it had been taped on the back. Very carefully she slide her fingers under part of the paper at the seam and undid the tape causing the paper to come off the object. The paper slid to the floor as Angel gasped seeing what the object was.
"Rylee, it's..." her voice trailed off. It was the picture from Miles' room from their 1 year anniversary. Angel ran her fingers over the glass of the picture tracing over her, Miles and Misty. Could this be what she thought it was? Sure she remembered the picture being taken and seeing it hang in Miles' room but she didn't have this picture of them. Tears started to form in her eyes as she studied Miles' smiling face as well as her own, and how protectively he had his arms wrapped around her waist while they sat on Misty.
Angel closed her eyes and pulled the picture to her chest as if it was the most valuable item in the world. It was to her. As she leaned back in her chair and against Stephanie's arm, Angel let her mind travel back to that warm August Afternoon. She only remembered getting on Misty and taking a ride that seemed like a second in time and then having the picture taken. Why couldn't she remember any of the details? Did Miles kiss her that afternoon? Did he say "I love you'? He must haave, but she couldn't remember any of it.
Careful to not let her mental thoughts show, about the fact that she couldn't remember that day very clearly, she opened her eyes again. "Rylee. Stephanie. Thank you for bringing this up here to show me. Thank you for bringing the letter as well." Angel tried to keep it together and let tears come again.
Let me know how you like it so far!
~Rachel
