Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Ellis had a list and a mission, so he loaded Mavis into the truck and was about to head off to the Hy-Way Ranch Supply when he saw the kid he’d met on the porch a few days back, Michael, heading for the barn.
Now, he figured the kid had a right to go look at any horse out in the pasture—of which there were some good working animals and a few retirees—because they belonged to the boy’s family.
But Rio was out and about too, in the quarantine stall, and he was a roping horse as well as a working ranch horse, and he could be a wee bit high-strung. So he sighed.
“Come on, Mavis. We need to make sure the kid doesn’t get his brains kicked out.”
Mavis woofed and jumped back out of the truck, heading right for the barn. She really did love kids and wanted to meet every one she saw.
He hurried to the barn, and he could hear the boy, just jabbering away.
“So, are you supposed to be locked up in a stall all by yourself?” Ellis could hear the kid jabbering at Rio. “I brought apples and baby carrots for treats. Do you like apples? The other guys do. Uh-oh, here they come. Hi, guys, I brought your apples. Don’t crowd!”
Lord have mercy, this kid was either going to become a horseman or he was going to get himself trampled to death. The kid seemed a decent one though, so he was going to vote for being a fine horseman.
Ellis walked inside, making sure to create enough noise that nobody got surprised, but not so much noise that it startled anybody. “Hey, Michael, how are you?”
“Hey, I’m all right. I didn’t steal the apples, I promise. I bought them with my allowance money. At the store. And there were lots of carrots. My grandpa said that carrots and apples were okay for the horses.” The kid was all wide-eyed and worried.
“They are. You know who else likes apples?” He gently elbowed horses out of his path, getting snorts and curious wuffles for his trouble. This was a well-trained bunch.
“No?”
“Mavis here loves a bit of apple.”
“Oh, wow! You have a dog.” Michael bent to give Mavis a slice of apple and rub her ears. Which, of course, when Rio bent over the stall door and nudged the kid in the ass. “Whoa!”
“He’s a jealous one. Rio, be nice. Now, he’s in his stall because he’s quarantined from the herd here for a few days—just because he’s crossed state lines. And I wanted to introduce you because he can be a little nippy.”
Michael straightened, turning to face Rio, nice and slow. “Can I give him an apple?”
“You absolutely can.”
Michael gave Ellis a grin that shone like the sun through the clouds. This kid wanted something to do, a reason that he was out here.
And he desperately wanted to see these horses.
Michael put a piece of apple on the palm of his hand with an exaggerated care, pulled his fingers back, and offered it over. “Hey, Rio, would you like a piece of apple?”
Rio rolled his eyes toward Ellis, and Ellis nodded, barely. Rio took the treat, lipping it up, gentle as all get-out.
Then, of course, all the horses started pushing up, trying to get more.
“Okay, that’s the way to get hurt now. Don’t let them push you around.”
Michael blinked up at him, confusion written clear as anything. “They’re like forty-seven thousand times my size.”
“Which is why you have to let them know you’re the boss.” Fortunately, all these guys were happy to get snacks and to love on Michael, but still…
This this was an accident desperate for a place to happen. The last thing he needed was for this boy to get hurt. Not because it would be his job, but because this young man was trying.
Michael didn’t know what he was doing, but this was a good kid who had that natural love for critters.
“So what do I do?”
“Well, for one thing, you step back. You take yourself out of his space and let him know you don’t like that. Dogs and horses are way better at reading body language than people.”
Michael dutifully moved back a few paces, and Ellis shooed the other horses away so they could focus on Rio.
“Now, no more apples until he calms down.” Because Rio was bobbing his head and lipping at the air.
“Is he mad?”
“Rio? No, no, he’s letting us know exactly what he thinks.” Ellis leaned over, winked. “I will tell you, Michael. Horses are just smart enough to be evil. Just smart enough to have an opinion on everything, but too dumb to read.”
“Oh, sort of like my brother Zane.”
Ellis wasn’t sure if he was supposed to laugh at that or not, but he did anyway. “It’s hard to be a teenager.”
“That’s what Dad says. I think that Zane’s just a dick. He’s so, like, busy being unhappy all the time.” Michael rolled his eyes. “It’s got to be boring.”
He remembered that, vaguely, from being a teenager.
Somehow there had always been something to have drama about or to worry about.
He had to admit, growing up was a challenge and a half.
“Well, I bet, given time, he’ll work himself out.
When school starts, it’ll be easier. He’ll get to meet friends. ”
Michael nodded, head bobbing eagerly. “Yeah, I’m ready. I mean, I’ve already made some. Dad takes us to the rec center. They play all sorts of stuff, basketball, soccer, football. I like them all.”
“Yeah, what? What is it you like to do best?”
Michael shrugged. “Well, I’m not real big, so lots of them are harder.
I kind of like tennis, but really, I like to go and do things and meet people, you know?
Dad says there’ll be lots of clubs and stuff that I can join.
Same for Zane, if he wants to. The girls are still little.
By the time that they have lots of clubs, I’ll be driving, and I will take them to their stuff because I am not a dick. ”
Ellis chuckled. He couldn’t not. “Do you like to swim?”
“Oh yeah, Dad took us to the Glenwood hot springs pool. It’s huge, it’s hot, so much fun. We played gooney golf, too. And had ice cream.”
All the while that Michael was talking, he was offering Rio a bite, including the rest of the herd by spoiling them with carrots, loving on the dog, sort of making himself known.
Ellis liked it.
The horses had stopped bumping and crowding, and he thought Michael was a natural. He was learning the horses’ body language like they learned his.
“Well, I need to get to the feed store, kiddo,” he finally said. “You want to stay down here, you stay out of Rio’s way a little. He’s grumpy when he has to stay out of the herd, and he has one more day.”
“I guess he’s ready to make new friends too. I’m out of stuff to feed them anyway.” Michael followed him out of the barn. “Can I come?”
“Huh?” He blinked, caught a tad flat-footed.
“To the feed store. I’ve never been there before, and I would like to know what a ranch needs from there.”
“Uh—” He sized the kid up. He shouldn’t need a car seat anymore, right? Ellis knew kids stayed in them now until they were like, twenty, but he thought Michael hit the weight limit. “I’m not opposed to you tagging along, but I need your daddy to look me in the eye and say it’s okay.”
Michael bounced. “Cool! He’s stripping wallpaper in the little bedroom. No one is staying in it yet, but I think one of the girls will go in there when they’re older. Come on, Mavis!” He took off, just rip-roaring.
Lord. Ellis followed at a slower pace, because he would give Ichabod plenty of warning he was about to be employee in the house. That could be weird, right?
“Dad!” Michael jammed right into the house, the screen door flapping.
Mavis skidded to a halt, because she was well-mannered and didn’t go into new houses without him.
“Good girl. You wait here. I got no idea if dogs are allowed.” He rubbed her ears, then knocked on the screen door.
“Dad says come in!” Michael called. “He’s stuck.”
He headed inside. “Mr. Ichabod?”
“Hey! Can you come help me down?”
“Coming!” He made his way quick-like down the hall to the bedroom that looked to be across from the master. “Crap. Hang on.”
Ichabod was hanging off the ladder, which had tilted against the wall.
He’d obviously been trying to get the highest corner of the room and started to go over, and while eight feet might not be too high, it would be a tough landing on the hardwood floors.
“Michael, hold the ladder. Don’t let it slip down the wall,” he snapped.
“Yessir!” Michael put his slight weight right to it, leaning on the ladder to keep it upright.
He grabbed Ichabod and muscled him right down onto the floor. “There you go. You all right?”
“You are wicked strong.” Ichabod bent over, hands on his knees. “Whew. That was a little wild.”
“Looked a little hairy. Good job, Michael.”
The kid flushed. “Thanks. Dad, can I go to the feed store with Mr. Ellis?”
“Oh, um.” Ichabod looked at him.
“I told him he had to ask you. If he can ride with just a seatbelt, I don’t mind taking him with me.”
Ichabod chewed his lower lip. “Okay. But you have to do what Mr. Ellis says and not get into things.”
“I will and I won’t!” Michael bounced some more. “I got to meet his horse.”
“Did you?” Ichabod gave Michael a patently false glare. “Were you in the barns again?”
Michael blinked and grinned. “Maybe…”
Ichabod made a soft huffing sound. “Just be careful, okay? Those horses are huge.”
“Mr. Ellis said that it was cool. I met his horse. He’s so beautiful, Dad. His name is Rio.”
“Well, that’s amazing, kiddo. Thank you for letting him see your horse. I know that that can be a… complicated situation.”
This man knew nothing about animals. In fact, Ellis would bet that if it came right down to it, the guy had never even had a dog. Ichabod didn’t seem like the dog kind.
“Are you a big animal lover?”
“I grew up with cats.”
Of course he did.