Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Lord have mercy, them Taggarts had themselves a shitload of land. Landon followed Adam’s trailer in his old truck, singing at the top of his lungs with Tim McGraw. Never hurt to have a fellow Louisiana boy on the music channel.
He had no idea how long they’d been driving since they went through the Triple T gate, but it had to be miles. Literally miles. How did they even get their mail?
He was gonna have to take himself a bunch of pictures, send them to Sister to see. She’d laugh about how much land horses took, about how dogs took less. ’Gators just needed swamp.
West Texas was dry, too, grassy. Not like home at all.
Landon liked to see new things, though, and when the barns came into view, his jaw dropped. Look at those monsters.
He hooted, slapping his thigh with his free hand. Look at that! They had red barns like in the movies, tall with pitched roofs and pens out front. The barns had to cost more than his whole set-up. Dieu, just one of them was worth more than his layout.
And the horses. Oh, they stunned his eyes, a whole herd of them, black and palomino, chestnut and paint. The glossy coats shone in the sun, the yearlings running in a streak of color across the nearest pasture.
Landon stopped, stared, his eyes burning. Lord have mercy. He’d never seen anything so beautiful in his whole life. All he could do was to sit there with his teeth in his mouth.
His phone beeped, and he glanced at it. A text from Adam said,
U coming?
He nodded and hopped out of his old pickup, smoothing his shirt and stuff. Adam and his folks was high-dollar. The idea made him a little nervous.
Adam came around from the side of the driveway. “You were plumb froze for a minute. I need to head on down and unload the trailer. Want to come with?”
“Surely do.” He grinned, grabbed his hat. “I was admiring the horses.”
“Well, now you get to go meet them.”
“I’d like that.” He climbed up into Adam’s truck, riding down to the barns, one of Adam’s brothers opening the gates.
He grinned at how much they looked alike.
He could always tell Adam, but the other two were a mystery to him unless they was working.
Chris always wore the yellow shirt then, and Brian the green. Adam wore blue.
“What’re you grinning at?”
“How y’all look alike. I mean, me and Laurel, you can tell we’re kin, but she got boobies.”
Adam burst out laughing. “I bet she does. Yeah, we’re identical and all.”
“I know that folks say me and Sister ain’t real twins, but I don’t believe it a bit.”
“How can you not be real twins?” Adam glanced over, quizzical-like.
“That’s what I say. We’re twins, the both of us.”
“You bet.”
Adam backed that trailer in at one of the barns like an expert.
It was a skill, driving with a hitch. Landon could do it, but he usually rented a horse when he went roping.
He hopped out as soon as Adam stopped, heading back to help.
The mare they’d been hauling was super-glad to be out of the trailer.
He called to her, nuzzling her gently, leading her around with a hand to her halter.
She danced a little, letting him know she’d been cooped up for too long.
“I know, huh? Cher done said we all can have a long ride soon.”
“She’ll need to be walked out and checked over,” Adam said, hauling tack. “You got her?”
“Surely do.” Landon took her into a paddock and started walking her, singing away. She followed him, head bobbing along like she was dancing to his music. She was a pretty thing, all deep chest and flicking ears.
“You know what you’re doing with that girl?”
He blinked over her flank at who must be Brian, because Chris knew him better than that, and that wasn’t Adam. “Yessir.”
“Well, have at ’er then.” Brian smiled, his eye crinkles not quite as deep as Adam’s.
He nodded, held out one hand. “Landon. You’re Brian?”
“I am.” Brian shook hands with him, hand firm and callused.
“Cool. How’s the ankle?”
“Better. Much better.” Brian wore two boots of the cowboy variety, so he must be getting around okay.
“Bien.” He kept the mare moving, walking her out. Landon could almost hear her in his head. She was happy to be home, she was hungry, she wanted to run a little.
He slipped up on her back, one hand in her mane. “Let’s go, honey. Gi-up.”
“What the fuck?” Brian shouted, but he wasn’t listening.
The mare took off, muscles working under him.
She was fast, faster than most of Adam’s horses, compact and perfect in conformation, and her joy was a living thing.
They moved together, flying, and he could hear her laughing with him.
The wind threatened to knock off his gimme cap, they was going so good.
They headed back around to the barn, slowing down, just enjoying the sun.
The mare slowed to a trot, clopping along happily.
“Such a good girl. You feeling like you can settle now?” He figured she would, considering how her thoughts were all about chewing and dozing. Good girl.
He got her over to where three identical cowboys stood at the fence. They all stared at him like he had two heads, but Adam’s eyes had crinkled up like he was fixing to smile.
“She’s all walked out, y’all.”
“Yeah. I noticed.” Adam did chuckle then. “I’ll show you where to put her up.”
“Rock on.” He slid down, boots hitting the dirt.
Adam climbed over the fence and headed down with him, patting the mare’s neck. “She had a good run.”
“She did. That was fun.”
“Good. Brian was impressed with her speed.”
“Yeah? She’s smooth as all get out.” And he liked just running free.
“She is. Good girl.” Adam gave the mare another good scritch before showing Landon where to put her up. Twenty noses poked over stall doors, blowing and sniffing.
“Oh, y’all! Good afternoon! I be Landon, pleased.”
Adam laughed. “They ever talk back? I mean, I talk to them all the time.”
“All the time, but mostly to Sister.”
“Really?” He got a sideways glance. “Brian can hear them once in a while.”
That made him happy, bone-deep, almost as happy as Adam’s butt. “It’s a good hoodoo.”
“I guess so.” Adam glanced over his shoulder, then reeled Landon in for a kiss.
Oh. Oh, hell yes. He opened right up, stepping right into Adam’s space. That was just what he needed to shake off the dust of travel.
Adam’s hands landed on his butt, getting a double handful. Oh, that felt fine. His feet actually left the ground when Adam lifted him, and he wrapped his arms around Adam’s neck. They walked over about three steps, then Adam leaned against a post, bracing them, giving him plenty of stability.
So damned strong.
All his, too.
He couldn’t help grinning, smiling against Adam’s lips. Damn, he was having fun.
“What’s funny?” Adam asked.
“Nothin’. Just happy.”
“I like that.” Adam gave him a wide, easy grin, looking amazing in his skin. Home was good for him.
“Damn, cher, you the prettiest man.” He traced the laugh lines beside Adam’s eyes.
“Nah. Chris is the pretty one. Bri is rugged and I’m damned dignified.” Adam leaned back to nip at his fingers.
“Good to know.” He groaned, lips on the stubbled skin of Adam’s throat.
“Mmmhmm. It’s important.” Adam squeezed his ass cheeks.
“Uh-huh. Important.” He traced Adam’s Adam’s apple.
“Silly.” They loved on each other, standing there in the scent of hay and horses. Adam kissed him over and over, a long, slow burn.
“Are you two done working in here?” One of Adam’s brothers banged on the barn door.
They jumped, laughing, and Adam let him slide down until his boots touched the floor. “We can be if you need to come in.”
“Granny and Momma want to meet Landon.”
“Lord.” Adam rested his forehead against Landon’s. “You ready for this?”
“Sure, cher. I love family and folks like me.” Mostly. In fact, more than mostly. From what he’d heard, Adam’s momma was a saint and Granny was a hoot.
“Well, Granny will love you.” Adam patted his butt.
“Course she will. My Maw-Maw loved me.” He kissed the corner of Adam’s mouth.
“Blows my mind how little family you have left.” Adam looped an arm around him, steering him toward the door.
“I know, huh? Jus’ me and Sister these days.”
“Well, I got enough for us both.”
“I cain’t wait to meet ’em.” He meant it, too. He wanted to see all the people that made his cowboy.
The two brothers were waiting for them, grinning like a pair of swamp ’gators.
“They’s toothy, cher.”
“I know. Scary, huh?” Adam just hugged him close. “I’ll protect you.”
“It’s a deal.” He was as high as a chicken hawk riding a swell. He could live on that smile, on the way Adam seemed to be showing him off. He hadn’t expected that, really.
They walked out of the barns, heading for the vehicles.
“You want to meet at the main house, Adam?” That was Chris, he thought.
“Sure. Give us two shakes to clean up.”
“Good deal. I’ll tell them y’all are on your way.”
The main house. Damn. There was more than one house, not just more than one barn… He might be in over his head.
“You want me to follow you in my truck?”
“Sure, honey. I’ll take you up to my little place, first.”
“You need help unhitching?”
“Let’s do it.” He and Adam got to work, unhitching the trailer, then heading to the house to clean up. He didn’t get much of a chance to peek around at Adam’s little house, except to see it was neat as a pin, full of old things and handmade quilts.
Still, three little ranch houses, a main house, barns. Lord. He couldn’t wait to call Sister. She would never believe that one family had all this, and the acreage, too.
It was the horses, though, that were going to blow her mind.
“I wish Sister could see,” Landon said, and Adam glanced over, brows going up.
“She’s welcome any time, honey.”
“Oh, I… I’ll ask her. She went over to Mr. Beau’s.” And she didn’t hex no one while she was there. She’d even gone to New Orleans once for an event.
“She doesn’t get out much, huh?” Adam guided him right to the bathroom.
“Lord, no. She never even went to school but once.”