Everyone Deserves a Second Chance Read Online Free

sudden laugh and wiped the tears from her son's
eyes. "Its okay Garrett. See, momma's all right."
    "I thought daddy was hurting you," the little boy cried
and hugged her tightly around the neck. "I don't want daddy to
hurt you."
    "Don't worry honey. Daddy won't hurt me – or you –
ever again. I promise."
    Silently Marcus slipped out of the room. Back upstairs he rummaged
through a pile of his dirty jeans and picked out one of the
cleanest in the bunch. Pulling them on over his boxers he repeated
the same search for a shirt. He could still hear the two of them in
her room as he went downstairs to make coffee.
    He could still feel the adrenaline rushing though his body as he
pulled his muddy boots on and waited for the coffee to finish
brewing. The pot wasn't even half done when he poured himself a cup
and then was out the front door.

The horses looked up at him with groggy eyes as he appeared and
made his way to the feed room. "I know I'm early guys, but I
doubt you'll mind much." After feeding each of the six horses
Marcus finished his coffee before he let the horses out to pasture
for the morning. They'd remain out until early afternoon when it
was too chilly for them to comfortably stay outside. Then he'd pull
them out one at a time as he worked around the ranch.
    The patter of small feet came to his ears as he threw hay down from
the loft. Looking down he saw little Garrett peering up at him.
"Watch out." Marcus called before he pushed another bale
overboard. Climbing down the loft ladder he found the little boy
sitting on one of the overturned bales.
    "Momma said I'm supposed to stay with you while she goes to
the store."
    Marcus smiled at the red-eyed boy and picked up one of the hay
bales he'd tossed down. "You wanna help?"
    "Yeah!" The boy jumped up and grabbed hold of the hay
Marcus was carrying. "Where do we put it?" He asked
curiously.
    "Right over here by the wall." Marcus watched in
amusement as the boy held on to the hay bale as he carried it over
to the wall.
    "I'll get the next one!" Garrett called, dropping hold of
the hay and going for another bale in the isle. "Hmm, its
kinda heavy," he called as he strained to lift the weight but
couldn't.
    "Let me give you a hand." Marcus smiled as he picked up
the hay and carried it again to the wall with the boy's help.
    "This is fun!" Garrett said as he raced to get another
hay bale.
    When all the hay was stacked along the wall Garrett wiped his hands
on his jeans and looked up at Marcus with expectant eyes. "Now
what do we do next?"
    "Now," Marcus replied moving to get a wheelbarrow and
shovel, "I get to clean out the stalls." He handed the
boy a shovel that nearly toppled him over. "Let me show you."
    Marcus pulled the wheelbarrow before the first stall and showed
Garrett how to pick up the poop and put it inside.
    "It stinks!" Garrett said wrinkling up his nose.
    "Well your poop stinks too." Marcus said with a laugh and
ruffled the boy's hair.
    He giggled. "I guess so."
    Once the stalls were done for the morning Marcus showed Garrett how
to put a flake of hay in each stall and refill the water bucket for
each horse.
    "Now what do we do?" Garrett asked.
    "Now we get to clean tack."
    "What's tack?"
    "It's the horse's saddle and bridle."
    "Oh."
    Garrett skipped along behind Marcus's longer strides into the tack
room where Marcus showed him how to pour solution into a cloth and
then wipe off the saddle.
    "You do a lot of work!" Garrett said as he yawned and
wiped at his eyes with the back of a hand.
    "Why don't you go lay down over there on the couch?"
Marcus pointed to the old leather couch on other end of the tack
room. Of course it was one of the ones Lindsey had hated and wanted
him to get rid of that he'd never found the heart to. And so it had
ended up in here. "You know, just to rest for a while."
    The little boy nodded and scrambled up onto one big cushion. Within
moments he lie fast asleep. Marcus chuckled and continued to finish
cleaning the saddles and