20
She thought for a moment, a little surprised at the change in topic. Leaning back slightly as Lady picked her way down the trail, Carli rested her hand on the back of the saddle and spoke honestly, as she rarely did anything else.
“Shaun, being the youngest, was the one most affected by Darla leaving,” she began.
“You refer to your mother by her first name?” Ethan asked, watching as Samson’s ears appeared to be lower than his shoulders with the steepness of the trail.
“She lost the title of ‘mother’ the day she left. Whenever she felt compelled to return for a visit, we all called her Darla.”
She laid the right rein against Lady’s neck, and the horse took the left fork in the trail, which led to a different part of the Preserve.
“Shaun wanted to be a police officer from the time h
