Chapter 19
Mace
Once on the actual property of Grainger Studios, past all the security measures in place, it took me about three seconds to understand how Austin and Kitt had made their compound a locked-down, secure fortress for the people inside.
The sight instantly calmed any worry I’d been harboring, allowing me to take in the greatness on what appeared to be a small city working within these gated walls.
Kitt was there to greet us. Whether Slade arranged that for my benefit or Kitt had chosen to be there at our arrival, it relaxed me further.
We hit the ground running. Austin and Kitt gave us a tour of the compound.
The four of us piled into one of what appeared to be a fleet of low-speed, open vehicles.
Austin and Slade took the front, Kitt and I sat in the back.
White fences, very Kentucky horse barn vibed, ran the length of the property and separated various pastures.
The ranch and barns were state of the art and designed to impress.
They certainly did. I itched to get inside and explore what I was missing.
If I had questioned whether a small city actually existed, that answer came when we crested one of their rolling hills to see a complex of sprawling buildings, paved rounds, and loads of concrete.
A populous of security guards and others were visibly present.
Hundreds of cattle sprinkled the land on the other side of a large privacy fence surrounding the small city.
If I remembered correctly, Grainger Studios encompassed five hundred acres of land. A small portion of the acreage he and Kitt owned.
Around the fringe of the studio, but still inside the fenced-off area, were small homes creating a small but pretty neighborhood.
Kitt explained the mini living community was for the crew and actors to stay while they filmed.
They were currently vacant. Austin had a firm rule that very little happened in the excessive heat of July and August. Apparently, it was entirely too hot to be conducive to optimal filming.
Since I’d lived my entire life in this desert-style heat, either actors were fragile or my mind had slowly baked inside the hot summer oven. Judgy, yes, but still my first impression.
As we rode, I received a lesson on how Austin had challenged the film industry head-on, creating a brand of western movies and TV series that rivaled anything currently out there.
Since I didn’t watch streaming or movies, it was all foreign to me, Austin had had enormous success, even spawning many spin-offs.
Kitt shared with me that Slade was a large part of Austin’s vision for the future. Landing him was a coup in their industry. Austin planned to move heaven, or hell, if necessary, to have Slade a part of the dream.
Once we’d toured the surroundings of the studio, doing a drive-by, checking out the operational restaurant and bar, Kitt and I parted ways with Austin and Slade. My guy gave me a spontaneous quick chaste kiss in all his eager happiness.
I accepted the peck which seemed damned grown up of me. Maybe I was beginning to see a path to coming out… My theory had holes, so I put a pin in it to deal with later.
Kitt took the driver’s seat, and I hopped in the front passenger seat. He gave me a more thorough circuit of the land Kitt called “his side of things.” I felt much more in my element as we encountered the animals and his ranching enterprise.
We were in and out of the utility vehicle, guiding me through the functions and executions of how everything cohesively worked together.
We talked for hours, stopping here and there among the herd, showing me the water troughs that were part of an automatic underground watering system.
I hadn’t even known that was a real thing.
I learned that Kitt added natural additives, minerals and such to the system, making sure the cattle had what they needed to thrive in this climate.
I was thoroughly impressed before we made it to the main horse barn. Man, that was next-level amazing. A superior facility, no expense spared, better than any home I had lived in.
Hooch, Kitt’s famous stallion, along with his mama, Lady, were his personal horses.
Hooch had accomplished great things in the world of quarter horses.
The horse was known far and wide for many different reasons, the one I liked the best was how Kitt’s proprietary feed, along with constant proper care, helped make Hooch a magnificent animal.
He had to be taller than the sixteen hands I’d seen before.
Muscular, sleek, and attentive. A beautiful beast worth millions of dollars.
I could tell Kitt loved Hooch and Lady like I had my Wildflower.
When Kitt approached the stallion’s spacious pen, the animal meandered to the stall gate.
Kitt had half bushels of apples in various spots inside the barn, and he grabbed one as he went closer to his horse.
As he came to the outside of the gate, Hooch didn’t hesitate to flick his head, knocking Kitt’s cowboy hat off his head.
“Hey, guy. Stop tryin’ to impress the company,” Kitt scolded teasingly, lifting a hand with the apple palm side up.
Hooch gave a huff, or his version of a laugh.
His full set of teeth caused me to believe he was a willing participant to everything going on.
The horse gingerly took the offering, taking two steps backward to eat the prize.
“Lady’s at a vet appointment with my sister. You’ll meet her later,” Kitt explained to the empty pen across from Hooch’s. As he went for a saddle hanging nearby, two men came out of the tack room.
“Here, I got it,” one of the two men said, taking over saddling Hooch.
“Saddle Whiskey too,” he instructed.
Kitt had an innate way about him that didn’t require a forceful nature to gain respect.
His tone hadn’t changed from greeting me on arrival to dealing with his staff, but we all seemed to hang on to every word he said.
He grabbed his hat, keeping it in his hands as he lifted a finger, guiding my gaze to the rafters.
Every racing banner won over the last ten years hung there, most were Hooch’s accomplishments.
Hooch’s career had lasted about two years before Kitt pulled him back. He held the place of honor inside this climate-controlled barn. I could eat off these floors—they were so clean.
“So what do you think?” Kitt asked.
“I’m stunned. I haven’t seen anything like this outside of horse racing country,” I said, my head angled backward, still reading the awards. “And I didn’t actually see it in person, only video.”
“Hmm,” Kitt said, grabbing additional apples to feed the two other horses in the barn.
Each received the same style greeting Kitt gave Hooch, again the love and respect were made clear between horse and man.
Kitt cast a look back at Hooch while being saddled.
“See what you’re missin’? These could have been yours if you hadn’t missed behaved.
” He lifted his cowboy hat for Hooch to see.
Another huff and full teeth showed, causing me to chuckle.
“This whole deal has been a labor of love, for sure.” Kitt guided us back outside.
“I never wanted to get into racin’, but after I took over the farm, I needed cash to survive.
If it weren’t for Austin, I’d likely have lost everything.
I was hidin’, deep in the closet. That takes a lot of energy away from reactin’ properly to the world.
I also had external demons fightin’ any success I managed on the ranch.
Austin infused money into my business without my knowledge.
He was selfless with me, still is. Once we were outed and committed, Austin and Hooch made everything else possible. ”
One of the hands guided Hooch out, bringing the reins to Kitt.
“Whiskey’s on his way,” the man said.
“Thank you,” Kitt said, absently reaching for the chestnut stallion, petting wherever he could reach. I’d done that same thing with Wildflower anytime she was around.
The sudden memory landed without any pain. Only a special memory. That had never happened before. It felt good to be able to enjoy thoughts of Wildflower again.
“I wasn’t into the travel required to race a horse. I had a financial total in my head that I wanted to achieve to allow me to add all the additions I wanted to, like the underground automatic watering source. Once I reached it, I didn’t want to keep leavin’ here. I like my home.”
“I get it. I feel the same way,” I said, and added the sunglasses hanging off a button on my shirt. “Texas might not be the rebel state I learned in my history classes, but my anarchist heart belongs right here.”
I did a full turn as I spoke, staring out at the carefully crafted ranch land. More horses were outside, spending the morning in the sun before the heat became too much, forcing them in for the day. If I ever came back as a horse, I wanted to live right here on this land.
“How many quarter horses do you have?” I asked. They were also my preferred breed.
“In one way or another, we’ve had around two hundred fifty horses since we started.” A saddled Whiskey came around the barn led by the second ranch hand. He wasn’t as large as Hooch, but nearly so. “Currently, we’re somewhere about seventy-five.”
“Wow,” I murmured. “You’re livin’ my dream. What’s his story?” I asked, nodding to Whiskey as he came forward.
“He’s got his own personality. He enjoys farm work but not racin’.
He’s picky with his riders. He’ll only respond if he likes you.
I think he’ll like you,” Kitt said as he mounted Hooch.
“Horseback’s still the best way to get around the property.
You know, they’re smart animals. They stay calm when you need it the most. Austin prefers ridin’ in the UTVs, but he sure is something special when he’s on a horse’s back. ”