By Chance: Day 13

Word Count: 78,041

Summary of Events:

Steele went to another physiotherapy appointment, where his physiotherapist was displeased to hear he'd gotten on a horse again, and didn't believe his attestations that his knee wasn't really hurting all that much, and so ordered an x-ray for the following day. In the meantime, Steele returned to be a bit of help to Dilys with the last group of kids for the day, including Peyton, who was rather agitated by his presence, even in spite of Dilys' efforts to smooth things over…

Excerpt of the Day:

“Dilys,” Steele whispered.

Turning, she walked over to him.

“Do you know what she’s talking about?” Dilys asked quietly.

“Not really,” Steele replied. “But I think I should talk with her for a moment.”

Dilys looked uncertain, but nodded. “Okay.”

Steele went over to Peyton, hesitating for a moment before he put his hand on her shoulder.

“Peyton,” he said as sternly as he dared. “We need to talk please.”

Peyton turned and glared at him, which he’d anticipated, meeting her gaze and not moving his jaw — not that he had it as set as he usually had it when irritated.

They stared for a long moment before she finally threw her curry comb aside and moved away from the others — but still within sight of them — with clear distaste.

Steele relaxed his stance. “I don’t want to be an enemy Peyton.”

She opened her mouth to make a retort.

“I want you to know something important,” Steele said.

She closed her mouth.

“I was a HopeWell student once too,” Steele said. “I was in your shoes once.”

Peyton raised her eyebrows, drawing her whole face into a strongly disbelieving expression.

“And more than just that I learned how to ride a horse here for the first time, which eventually led to my talent for roping being discovered, and my present career in rodeo,” Steele said. “I know what you’re feeling.”

“No you don’t,” Peyton hissed.

“The Clares were some of the first people ever to care about me Peyton,” Steele replied. “I would’ve been a very different person if they wouldn’t have come into my life and showed me that I was cared about, which was something that I’d not really gotten from anyone before, including my dad.”
Peyton’s gaze changed, she looked startled, as if his comment had struck a chord, which he’d both hoped and anticipated it would.

“Considering I was a son who could follow in his footsteps, I don’t really understand why he didn’t care about me, but it was evident in the way he acted that I had little value in his eyes,” Steele added. “Seeing he was my father, he should’ve cared about me more than most people, so, with him not caring about me, I doubted anybody did, but the Clares did, and that made all the difference.”

Quietly, looking almost completely disarmed, Peyton nodded.

“Do you think we can at least be civil now?” Steele asked.

Peyton nodded again.

“Good,” Steele said quietly. “You can go back to Elsa now.”

Once again Peyton nodded before turning somewhat slowly and walking back to Elsa looking to be in something of a daze. Steele was glad he still had his crutches, as he felt like he wouldn’t be standing if he didn’t.

He stood where he was for a long moment before he felt like the trembling had subsided enough for him to crutch over to the chair and sit down. A small part of him was railing at him for having dared to disclose even so vague of details as he’d disclosed to Peyton, while the rest of him didn’t really know what to do about it.