Chapter 5 #2
There was no actual road from this property to the ranch, even though you could drive an ATV, walk, or ride a horse or even a sturdy truck there if you just knew the terrain well enough.
Given how private it was, I doubted I needed to worry about anyone using this side to access the ranch.
It would be the same from both the west and northeast, with how much land they had.
I would, however, make a security plan for Bodhi’s Yellow Ribbon Horse Retreat because Wren would want me to.
I went to talk with Fern at the event barn. She was very reasonable when I explained to her what I thought we needed to do there for security in general. Once I was done with everything I wanted to implement, they’d be set enough that I could let Wren roam free as he wished.
For that, I had about three weeks. Luckily I knew that the family was serious about the issue of safety and were willing to invest the money into whatever I told them they needed.
Since my basic ethos was that you needed to, within your means, invest in the best equipment and other security measures from the get go, I hoped they’d all agree to doing it all just once. The dogs would take time, which reminded me that I needed to call a woman about a dog.
I lifted my hand at Fern who was talking to one of her staff, and walked out of the gorgeous barn.
Listening to the ringing, I grinned at the corvid feeding station I’d been told about. I could see it in the distance, mostly because there was a sign saying “Do Not Disturb the Corvids” with a black bird painted on it on the ridge behind the barn.
“Well I’ll be damned, Mr. Aalto.”
Returning my attention to the call, I chuckled. “Hello, Ms. Sanders.”
I could hear dogs barking in the background, then a door opening and closing as she walked out or in, I couldn’t tell.
“What can I help you with, Ville?”
I got into my SUV to drive back to the house for lunch and smiled as I looked around. “Well, Nessa, I have an interesting place needing some interesting dogs for security.”
“Oh? Tell me more?” she asked, already intrigued.
I explained the basics of the ranch, the businesses, and how they were spread out.
“A little boy said that the dogs need to be nice to people, cats, horses, cows, and a donkey called Juanpablo.”
Nessa laughed with delight. “I can do that. I have two young dogs that fit, and….” She went quiet and I could practically hear her thinking really hard. “I also have an older dog that needs away from my chaos. Kind of… a retirement home.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. He’s the son of Kronos.”
Ah. Kronos, a gigantic Cane Corso, had been her heart dog back when she started her business. “I see.”
“He’s seven, exactly like his sire, except he doesn’t care for the puppies and the noise.”
“Well, if you give him a good crew to oversee, I’m sure he’d do well here.” Then Juanpablo started, and Nessa sputtered.
“Is that the donkey?”
“Oh yes. As long as….”
“Hades. His name is Hades.”
Of course it was. “As long as Hades doesn’t mind donkey noises, I’m sure they’ll be fine.”
“I’ll check with my friend Otis. He has some promising young Rottweilers, too, and we collaborate a lot. So I might get you a pack of four plus Hades in the next… couple of months?”
“That’d be amazing. I expected to be put on a waiting list for up to years, Nessa.” I was genuinely surprised and pleased.
“Normally, yes. But you caught me at a good time, and these dogs weren’t earmarked to anyone else yet. I think they’ll do great in a ranch environment, too.”
We chatted for a while longer and promised to stay in touch.
I couldn’t wait to tell Payton that there would be four Rottweilers and a Cane Corso guarding the ranch soon. The boy would get a huge kick out of it.
It was good to see the youngest twins again that night at dinner. I hadn’t spent a lot of time with them in the past, but they’d come to a few shows over the years, and like all the Harringtons, they got backstage access.
Judson and Keegan were clearly different sides of the same coin, much more than Emery and Demi were. Maybe it was the whole being identical thing, or just that they were the same gender, but rarely had I seen two people as in sync with each other.
The dinner, raucous as it could be at times, just showed more of how easygoing the family was. There was so damn much love around that table that it almost made me want to call my mom.
Emery looked exhausted in a way that told me he’d had a rough day.
Everyone else seemed to realize that, too, because they let him be on the sidelines of conversations and didn’t ask him about his day.
Smart move, given that he was a doctor and anyone who saw a healthcare worker look this way after a shift knew better than to ask.
I gave him a smile before I left the house, and knew that he’d join me if he wanted to and felt up for it. Just to be sure, about half an hour later, I texted him.
There’s space for just sleeping, if that’s what you need tonight.
As soon as I sent it, I felt awkward. Did I want to fuck him again? Obviously. Were we friends? Kind of.
Standing in the shower, I tried to figure out what exactly bothered me about sending the message in the first place. I would’ve extended that kindness to any friend, so why did this feel different?
I was still puzzling over my own words and reactions by the time his reply came as I stepped out of the shower.
I need to be cuddled hard. OMW