CHAPTER FOUR
Boone swung the gate open, clicked his tongue a couple of times, and led Patience into the paddock. Dust kicked up with each thump of the three-year-old palomino’s hooves to the sandy ground. Her golden-blond coat and almost white mane, tail, and boots glistened beneath the midday sun.
He looped her reins loosely over the top rail next to her embossed saddle and grabbed the curry comb and ran it over her in circular motions. Loose hair, dander, and dust floated into the air with each stroke.
Her tail flicked side to side, letting him know how much she enjoyed being brushed. Proving that her name suited her perfectly.
“You like that, don’t you, sweet girl?” Boone had a special place in his heart for Patience.
He’d been home on leave and was in the stable the night she was born.
It had been a difficult birth—Patience was inverted in the birth canal—and they’d been worried about losing both the foal and the mare.
Fortunately, Boone and his dad were able to maneuver the foal, and Patience was finally delivered.
Both baby and momma had been exhausted but otherwise healthy.
They’d gotten lucky that night.
He spent a few more minutes brushing her, then released the reins from the fence and draped them over her back so she could stroll freely around the paddock.
She immediately trotted over to where some branches from an apple tree hung over the fence and started poking her nose through the branches, sniffing for any low-hanging fruit.
Normally, he wouldn’t let her indulge, but there weren’t that many apples left on the tree this late in the summer.
A loud, high-pitched whinny from inside the barn had him shaking his head.
Someone was feeling ignored.
He sauntered into the barn and saw Sassy’s big reddish-brown head sticking out of her stall. She saw him coming and started whinnying and bobbing her head up and down.
“I didn’t forget you.” He grabbed a carrot from a bucket on the floor and strolled over to her. “Here ya go.” He opened his palm to let her grab the carrot, and she crunched it loudly, dropping little orange bits on the floor.
“You’re so impatient.” He ruffled her bangs and smoothed his hand down the front of her face a few times, stopping to scratch that one spot she liked so much.
Boone grabbed the bridle and reins from the hook next to her stall, fed the end of her snout through the nose strap, and wedged the bit to the back of her mouth. He slipped the headband over her ears and secured the strap beneath her throat.
He’d done this so many times with Sassy she knew exactly what to do, which made his life a hell of a lot easier. Because when a thousand-plus-pound horse decided not to cooperate, it was no fun for anyone.
He reached for the latch on the stall door, and she automatically backed up a few feet to make room for him to swing it open and walk inside. Boone wanted to give Patience a bit more time to munch on apples without being harassed, so he repeated the brushing process with Sassy.
Her back twitched as he stroked the brush over her, and she stomped her front hoof a few times to indicate she was more than ready to go.
“All right, all right. I’m done.” He tossed the brush onto a nearby shelf and grabbed the reins.
Sassy walked alongside him out of the barn, rubbing the side of her head up and down on his arm. She tucked her nose under the back brim of his cowboy hat and tried to flip it off his head.
“Knock it off.” He repositioned his hat on his head and led her right into the paddock, where she noticed Patience snapping an apple off a branch.
“She might’ve left a few for you.” Boone released her, and she trotted across the circular paddock to join Patience.
He turned at the sound of tires crunching over his long gravel driveway. Eddie’s black SRT Hellcat Charger came into view, followed by Lucas and Calliope’s big gray truck with Viking and Marigold in the back seat. They were going slowly so as not to kick up too much dust.
Boone sauntered over and pointed to a wide gravel area where they could park. They pulled up next to each other and cut their engines. It became oddly quiet without the rumble of the truck’s big V8 and the throaty growl of Eddie’s Charger.
Lucas swung his long legs from beneath the steering wheel, hopped down, and gave Boone a quick guy hug.
The back door opened, and Viking slid out and held out a hand for Marigold to hop down.
Calliope circled the back of the truck, dropped the tailgate, and started to drag a cooler from the back.
Lucas hurried over to help her.
“Here, let me get that.” He slid the cooler out and looked at Boone. “Where do you want it?”
“You can set it in the shade under the pavilion.” He pointed toward the brand-new structure adjacent the paddock.
“Hey, Boone.” Marigold lifted her hand in a little wave. “Thanks for having us.”
“I’m glad you guys could make it.” The more the merrier.
“Marigold made some nice whole-grain rolls to have with dinner.” Viking stood behind her, a big hand resting on one shoulder, a basket covered with a cloth napkin in the other.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Marigold said.
“Fresh rolls?” he asked. “Heck no, I don’t mind.”
Calliope gave him a hug and set her hand across her forehead to block the sun.
“Is that new?” She surveyed the large open-air structure.
Eddie walked up to them, a plastic grocery bag hanging from each hand.
“Yep, and I couldn’t have done it without this guy’s help.” He clapped his friend on the back.
“Felt good to swing a hammer again.” Eddie had helped build his family’s modest home in southern Texas after his dad died. “Here are the things you asked me to pick up.” He held up the bags.
“That’s great. Thanks.” Boone lifted his chin toward the door at the back of the house. “You can take all of that into the kitchen. I made room in the fridge for the cold stuff.”
“Cool.” Eddie jogged across the grass and clomped up the steps to the kitchen door.
“How about I take this inside, too.” Marigold relieved Viking of the basket and followed Eddie.
The spring on the screen door screeched, and the door slapped shut behind them.
“What’s up with him lately?” Calliope tugged an old ball cap from the back pocket of her jeans and put it on. “He hasn’t been his normal man-whore self lately, and I’ve got to admit, it’s freaking me out a little.”
“No idea.” Boone shrugged. “I asked about his sudden lack of female companionship, and he just laughed and said, ‘A guy needs a break every now and then.’”
“Did you ask him what he meant by that?” Calliope adjusted her hat low on her forehead and wedged her hands in her back pockets.
“No. I figured if he wanted me to know, he would’ve told me.” Unlike women, guys didn’t need to know every little detail about each other.
“Guys are so weird.” She shook her head and walked over to join Lucas.
Calliope wasn’t the type to let things go. She’d probably harass Eddie until she got the answers she was looking for.
Boone’s phone rang, and Cole’s name appeared on his screen. He tapped the icon to accept the call. “Hey, Cole.”
“Hey, Boone.” He sighed. “I’m sorry, but we won’t be able to join you guys today.
Carter’s running a low-grade fever and is pretty miserable.
Fortunately, we never told him he was going to be taking a horsey ride today—we wanted it to be a surprise.
If he knew he was missing that, he’d be really cranky. ”
It was funny hearing the words horsey ride and cranky coming from a big, tough man like Cole. The guy might be intimidating and deadly as hell, but he was a giant mountain of mush around his wife and son.
“I’m sorry to hear the little man isn’t feeling well.” Carter was a cool little dude. “Nothing serious, I hope.”
“Nah, Dulce just thinks another tooth is coming in,” Cole said. “Give everyone our apologies, and you guys have a great time.”
“Will do.” Boone added, “Say hi to Dulce and give the little man a high five for me.”
“You got it.” Cole ended the call.
Boone slipped his phone into his pocket and caught sight of another car making its way toward the house. His heart rate kicked up when he recognized Luna’s crossover SUV pulling up the drive.
Ever since having to cut their conversation short the other night at the Turnbuckle, he’d been riddled with curiosity and concern for her.
As they were all leaving, he’d tossed out the idea of everyone coming out to his place for a barbecue and some horseback riding.
He hadn’t been sure whether she would show up or not, so he was thrilled to see her.
She’d been so close to sharing her secret with him, and he hoped he hadn’t lost all of the ground he’d gained with her. Not that it mattered. Boone would wait however long it took for her to be comfortable with him.
She pulled up next to Eddie’s Charger and cut the engine. The rear liftgate hissed and started to rise. She climbed out, smiled and shared a wave with Calliope, then looked his way before hurrying around to the back of her car.
Her hair wasn’t in its usual ponytail. Instead, it cascaded down her back like silky dark-blond water.
She was wearing her usual T-shirt with jeans that hugged her ass like they were made just for her.
He thought of how perfectly his hands would cover her ass cheeks and had to physically shake his head to clear it of the lustful image.
“What is it about this woman?” Boone muttered to himself as he jogged over to her. “Can I help with something?”
“Sure.” She slid her sunglasses to the top of her head to hold her hair back, stepped aside, and he got his first look at what she’d brought with her.
He tipped up the front of his hat a bit and propped his hands on his hips.
A beautiful cornhole set was loaded in the back of her car. It was made with some kind of reddish-brown wood, similar to Sassy’s color.
“That’s a good-lookin’ set.” He’d never seen a finer-looking cornhole set.