Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 83379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
“I still ride.” He looked toward the open barn door as if picturing it, and it reminded me of the first time I saw all the brothers ride up on horseback on the ranch. Good God, they were hot and buff, and yeah, I was definitely up in my gay fantasies by that time. “We brought our horses with us because no way we’d want to be without them. But now it’s just for recreation—or transportation, if somethin’ needs a quick fixin’ on the land.”
I thought of Ainsley and her excitement over her horse, Piper. We never had pets growing up, and I suddenly wondered what it might feel like to have that connection to an animal. Did it bring a certain sort of contentment I was missing in my life? I knew some vets who were on waiting lists for therapy dogs for severe PTSD or physical disabilities. I’d bet they were a huge comfort in times of need. Maybe I’d look into a cat or dog when I headed back East. Or a pig. I nearly snorted out loud.
“You ride?” Kerry asked, bending beneath the cow and pulling the machine away.
“Me? No, never.” I smirked. “City boy, remember?”
He glanced back at me. “But most of your adult life was spent in the desert, yeah?” He shook his head. “Sorry if I’m being too nosy. None of my business.”
“No, you’re right.” I took a deep breath, remembering the conditions in a duller way so that I didn’t feel so connected to those emotions. It was easier that way. “There was mostly mountainous terrain, and the air was hot and dry. Felt like my throat was parched most of the time. Except in the winter, when it felt like my balls would freeze and fall off in the middle of the night.”
He laughed. “Oh, it can get cold round here too.”
Suddenly there was a loud snort as Phoebe nudged her nose through the barn entrance with Hamlet hot on her heels.
“There you two are. What’ve you been up to?” He peeked at them accusingly over the top of the enclosure. And the way the two pairs of eyes looked so intently up at him, it was as if they actually understood what he was asking.
I found myself smiling again. I liked Kerry. He seemed kind and generous, and was good company. If I could even say that after only one day.
Kerry spent a couple of minutes pampering the two of them along with one of the goats, who had insinuated himself into the situation. Then he slipped them some treats from the bag before we moved on to the next animal in line, sometimes hooking up two to three cows at once until the chore was finished.
After that he showed me how he dumped some of the milk in buckets to feed the calves, who were in their own enclosure, and damn, it felt…freaking good to do something useful. Something with my hands. I enjoyed myself this morning, and I hoped it was a sign of things to come.
6
Kerry
“Thanks for your help,” I said as we finished milking the last of the girls.
“No problem. I enjoyed myself. Does that sound crazy?”
I cracked a smile. “Not at all. Hope you feel the same by the end of your stay.”
“Guess we’ll see.”
Julian seemed more solemn and cautious than the skinny, happy-go-lucky kid who had visited the ranch as a teen. Suppose losing your father and a couple of deployments would do that to you. He still seemed like a bundle of energy, though, but in a different way. Like he needed to keep moving or he might…what? Fall apart at the seams?
Okay, I was making huge leaps here. I barely knew him, and hoped our arrangement worked out and was mutually beneficial. It didn’t help my practical celibacy that he had cheekbones for miles and muscles in all the right places, but it wasn’t like I hadn’t seen other attractive guys out there. I did work in the ranching industry, after all, where there were plenty of beefy men. Straight, homophobic beefy men. But I didn’t get the same sense from him as I did from others, like he wanted to steer clear because of my sexuality. In fact, I got a certain other vibe from him that I needed to ignore—a sort of curiosity and openness. Maybe he was simply the type of guy who scrutinized stuff a little more closely. That made sense.
“Guess I overslept,” Sienna said, stepping inside the barn. She usually tended to the goats a bit later than I did the cows, especially if she heard Ainsley stirring early. Ainsley didn’t like being alone in the farmhouse, even though she was getting to the age where she could fend for herself with cartoons and cereal until Marta arrived for the day or one of us got her off to the school bus. But since summer had arrived, her anxieties seemed to be getting the best of her again, and she was tied to our hips most mornings until she got her bearings. Some days I wasn’t sure I could wrap my brain around it, but then I’d squeeze a smile out of her, and relief would instantly flood me that at least I could still hold my baby girl in my arms.