Stables Spurs Suits (Beaker Brothers Ranch #3)

1. ATLAS

Chapter one

ATLAS

WELCOME TO THE RANCH OF MOOS, MEN, AND MISFITS

“A nudist retreat is exactly what we need,” I tell Dean for what feels like the millionth time as we sit down to eat.

He rolls his eyes, the deep-set lines creasing his forehead.

His lips pick up on one side, though in a sort of half smile that gives me hope that my idea isn’t so far-fetched after all.

He’s lightened up since he and the local vet, Preston, got together.

Preston moved in with his daughter, and suddenly the hardest guy I ever met was baking pies and singing while he worked. Love is weird.

“Nobody wants to see a ranch full of naked people milking cows and riding horses,” he replies.

Preston walks in behind him and leans forward, placing a kiss on his cheek.

“Are you sure about that?” he asks, taking his seat beside him. “I can’t say I found watching you working shirtless to be all that bad.”

“He’s not talking shirtless; he wants to be naked. No clothes. Zero. Do you really want to see these guys all naked?” he asks, and Preston sweeps his gaze around the table, a cheeky smirk on his lips. Dean nudges his side. “Never mind, don’t answer that. I think I like it better not knowing.”

Preston lays his hand over the red-and-white checkered tablecloth Sally-May has set out tonight.

“I’m just teasing. You guys wouldn’t have to be naked, not unless you wanted to be. The guests would be the ones taking part, and Atlas, of course.”

“Exactly, see, even the doc knows it’s a good idea,” I say.

“My answer is still no.”

“You always say no to all my ideas,” I whine, and I’m not oblivious to how childish I sound right now.

“I said yes to the new stables Connor’s bankrolled, didn’t I? Speaking of which, how are they coming?”

“They’ll be ready in about a week, just in time for the new additions,” I reply, my mood instantly lifting when I talk about the horses.

I’ve got about fifteen I look after now, which is a lot for a ranch that’s supposed to be a dairy farm.

But last winter, a small wild herd was really struggling, so we took them in, and they’ve settled in so much that they don’t want to leave.

Don’t ask me how I know that. I just do.

“You’re taking on more horses?” Preston asks, and Dean nods.

“Just another six. They’re former working horses, ready for the sweet life of retirement here on Beaker Bros,” I tell him.

“You’ll have more horses than cows if this one gets his way,” Preston says.

“That’s the plan,” I reply, and Dean shakes his head and waves his fork my way.

“No it’s not. You can fill the new stables, but then that’s it.”

“Connor wouldn’t mind helping to build another one when it’s full,” I say, just as he walks in with his partner, Hayden, followed closely behind by the other half of the Beaker brothers, Nial, and the young farmhand, Skye.

“Sure, I can help,” Connor says before taking his seat. “What am I agreeing to?”

“You should probably know that before you agree, don’t you think?” Nial laughs, but Connor just shrugs.

“What good is all this money if I can’t help the people I love?” he asks.

“You’ve helped enough,” Dean replies.

“There ain’t no such thing as enough when it comes to family. Seriously, what do you need? I can get Matthew onto it tomorrow.”

“How is Matthew settling into town?” Dean asks, and now it’s my turn to roll my eyes.

Connor’s new assistant has no place out here on the ranch, yet he shows up every day like he’s on some important mission in his tailored suit pants and buttoned-up shirt. He belongs in the city and should just go back there.

“I bought the old tailor’s beside Doc Green’s for him to set himself up in. The apartment above it has been vacant since Mr. Lawrence passed away a few years back. Outfitting the tailors into office space will take a bit of work, but he seems up to it.”

I scoff without thinking, and all eyes turn to me as I grab my water, pretending it was just a tickle in my throat. Thankfully, Sally-May and her husband Perry walk in from the kitchen carrying trays of meat and vegetables, and the sweet-scented steam rising from the food makes my stomach growl.

With everyone seated around the large old table, it’s hard to picture what it used to be like when there was just Dean, Nial, their gramps, Perry, and me. Gramps handed the place over to the guys years ago and moved to an apartment near the other Beaker brother, Alan, in Savannah.

The ranch was small back then. My trailer used to be closer to the stables too, but with the guys turning this place into a tourist spot with tiny cabins hosting guests every week, I moved it to the furthest point from everything else on Beaker Brothers, which suits me just fine.

Out there, I can be totally free, and yes, by that I mean naked.

There’s no better feeling at the end of a day than stripping out of the confines of thick fabric and tight denim to feel the breeze skim the surface of your bare skin.

The horses don’t mind if they wander over and I’m buck naked, sippin’ my morning coffee.

I prefer horses to people anyway. That’s how I ended up here.

A horse named Queenie was wandering down the middle of the road on her own, trotting along like she was in a parade of one, and the two tractors and old truck trailing behind were forced to plod along in her wake.

I was coming down the opposite way and pulled over, and when I climbed out of the cab of my old blue pickup, she came right on over and just stopped in front of me, like she was waiting for an introduction.

Then I spotted Nial jogging up the dirt road, waving his arm in the air.

“Don’t let her run away,” he yelled, but I knew she wasn’t going anywhere; she’d found what she was looking for.

She found me.

She refused to budge, no matter how hard Nial pulled on the reins, so I offered to help, and she took a step beside me without a second’s pause. Then Nial drove my pickup slowly beside us as we headed back to Beaker Brothers.

I was only planning on passing through Bellerelle, but this place, the ranch, and these guys, they became like a family to me.

And as uncomfortable as it was for a really long time to sit right at this table with the noise of even the few of them chatting about the day’s work and the plans for the week ahead, it’s louder now and I’m still here.

“Nial, are you all good for the morning milking experience?” Dean asks as we tuck into the delicious baked dinner Sally-May has prepared.

“Yep, his royal highness will help get the first of the girls set up, and Connor’s going to bring the guests down before he sets up for the first cuddle session.

” By royal highness, he actually means Denver, the eldest son from the family next door.

He’s been helping out on the ranch off and on since Dean broke his leg a while back.

Has been building up a nice herd of goats he’s been milking to make cheese, soaps, and other stuff too.

I like the kid, even if he does talk too much.

“Good, good,” he replies. “Atlas, we’ve had more guests asking about riding lessons. Do you think you can fit them in?”

I rub the back of my neck. “I guess, but it’ll just be around this place. The last time I took guests out on the road, a few of the horses spooked.”

“You could take them around the fence line,” Skye says, but I shake my head.

“There are too many gates; I’d have to keep stopping to open and close them. If you want people to be riding, then they need a proper place to do it.”

“I’m open to suggestions,” Dean says, and Skye raises his hand like he’s in school.

“What if we used some of the woods? You guys still own that land too, right?”

“The Fletcher sheep have been doing a good job keeping the grass levels down along the back acres. We could probably figure out a way to create a winding path through the trees without encroaching too much into the space they use,” Nial reasons.

“I don’t really have time to be looking for a suitable riding path with the new horses coming on board,” I tell them.

“Matthew can help you,” Connor says, and I instantly regret saying anything.

“I’m sure he has… better things to do than help with the horses,” I reply.

“Nope, the auction is all set up for next month, so until then, he’s totally free. Besides, it might be good for him to spend some more time on the ranch, and god knows Dean has been trying to get you to accept help for years now.”

“Skye helps,” I say, and his face instantly lights up.

“Yes, you can give him my jobs, mucking out the stalls and cleaning all the gear and stuff.”

“How is giving him your jobs going to free up my time to find a riding path?” I ask, and Skye frowns.

“It doesn’t. But I could do other stuff that you do, like brushing and bathing, and oh oh oh, you can teach me how to shoe them.”

Dean grabs another piece of chicken from the tray in front of him.

“With more horses to shoe, it would probably be good to have more than one of us doin’ it,” he says, and I sigh.

The wild horses we took in won’t be shod at all.

Most of them let me check their hooves and file them to keep on top of them, but they’re never out on the road or anywhere that would require shoes.

Our horses and the new ones we’re getting have always had them, though, and given it takes about ninety minutes to reshoe each one every six to eight weeks, it would be good to have a hand.

“I guess that could work.”

“Yes. Will I get to use the forge?”

“Not right away. You’ll have a lot to learn before you go near that thing,” I say, but he’s over the moon excited and practically bouncing in his seat as Sally-May clears the plates and brings out tonight’s dessert.

Sweet apple pie. Sally-May makes the best pies, and this one is no exception.

I take my piece back with me to my trailer, and the second the plate is set down on the small outdoor table, I strip out of my shoes, then unbuckle my stallion-horse belt buckle and strip out of my pants and shirt.

The moonlight bathes my skin, and as I breathe in the cool night air, it’s like all the tension in my body drifts away.

“This is the life.”