Chapter Eleven #2
“Don’t use his name in that tone, young man.
I can still tan your backside!” Granny shouted at Baker’s back.
My brother replied, but I couldn’t make out what he said.
Granny then turned all of her attention to me.
My throat felt smaller than normal. “Go on now. Talk it out. The good book warns about those who trouble their own houses ending up owning the wind. You don’t want to end up being a wind owner, do you, Ford Bastian? ”
“No, no, ma’am.” I had no clue what that meant either, but it sounded bad. Like someone inviting a twister into their home, or someone who farted a lot. I wasn’t sure. I nervously rolled the brim of my hat in my hands.
“Then go saddle up a horse and stop standing there staring at me. Go talk things out with your brother. When you come home, I’ll have some of that apple-cinnamon oatmeal you like so much warming on the stove.”
I gave her a nod, plopped my hat on my head, and headed off.
Neither of us said a word while we saddled up after doing a quick round of chores.
I’d have to clean pens when I got back, same for the stables, which I hoped Linc would help with and not Baker.
It was hard not to look at the man as we readied our rides.
The horses were prancing about, eager to stretch their legs.
Lady was tossing a clump of dirt around the yard when we led our horses out.
She instantly sat down before being told, tail sweeping the ground, and hit me with that look.
She had such sad brown eyes. I couldn’t say no.
“Okay, you can come. Stay close.”
The dog gave me a wink. “You trust she won’t run off?
” Baker asked as he swung a leg over the back of his mare, a pretty dark brown mare named Prissy.
I got settled into the saddle then bent over to give Persimmon, a gray gelding, a nice pat on his neck.
Persimmon and Prissy were calm horses who had been the fastest to get used to Lady being along their fence line.
They seemed okay with her being closer. Hopefully, they stayed cool about her.
“She won’t,” I said with a confidence I wished wasn’t a front.
“Stay close,” I told the dog once again and set off with Baker, the morning just coming alive as we cleared the paddocks.
Lady bounced ahead of us, joyous to be off a leash and just be a dog.
Persimmon tossed his head a few times when Lady ventured too close.
Prissy tried to nip the dog when she trotted past, but Lady was too fast.
We rode for a while in silence with only the sounds of nature coming awake and the soft rattle of tack and leather. Climbing up a knoll, we paused to allow Lady to catch up. I gave a sharp whistle, which got her nose out of a woodchuck hole. She raced to us, making Prissy sidestep then snort.
“She’s smart,” Baker said, tipping his head back to glance at the sky.
His work-rough hands resting on the pommel of his saddle, shoulders loose.
He shot me a look. I jerked my sight from him, blushing slightly at being caught gawking at him.
“Wish I could say the same for you.” The tension took root in my jaw.
“Don’t get mad. Jesus, Ford, you sure are defensive. ”
“And you wouldn’t be if everyone and their fucking beagle were telling you to not take up with Hanley?!” I turned my head to glare at him openly.
“No, you’re right, I would have told you all to fuck yourselves if you’d have been preaching at me not to see him.
What’s that old saying? The heart wants what the heart wants?
” I was too mad to talk. I merely grunted.
“I get it, you want Aiden. Truly, I do. He’s a smart, good-looking man with a love of animals that aligns with you perfectly. ”
“Then why the hell are you always getting in our faces about dating?” Persimmon shifted under me. Lady lay down about ten feet from us, tongue out, happy with the world. Glad someone was happy.
“Because I don’t want to see you get hurt.
” I tore my sight from my dog to focus on my brother.
That was a pretty nice thing to say. He tossed a glance my way.
“Look, I know Aiden is hot. And he’s got a way about him.
But he’s also a known roamer. He’s gone through men like most of us do socks.
Hell, I at least wear my socks more than once, but he don’t ever do the same man twice. ”
“He’s seeing me more than once,” I argued. Baker pressed his lips together.
“Yeah, and that’s not like him. Which also makes me worry when he does chuck you aside like a used condom that the pain for you will be worse.”
“You don’t know he’ll toss me aside,” I argued weakly because all I’d heard about Aiden was how he fucked and forgot men.
“No, I don’t know for sure, but if I were a gambling man, I’d place money on it happening,” he replied, his voice softening slightly before he met my gaze.
“Look, I’m not saying you can’t date him, or hook up, or whatever terminology you want to use.
I just want you to be careful. You’re a soft-hearted man.
That ain’t a bad thing. The goats, Lady, hell, all of us are much better off with you in our lives spreading that sweet, shy sunshine of yours.
We just want you to stay shy and sweet.”
“I will,” I muttered, my anger fizzling in the face of such kindness. “I know I have some things—traits—that seem weird to everyone, and I kind of get loopy with things.”
“We all have traits that seem weird to people. Have you seen Linc folded into a pretzel humming ohm while he huffs druid incense or whatever the shit it is he burns that stinks up the house like someone put a dead skunk in the broiler?”
That made me chuckle. “I think it’s called Neg Champa.”
“Huh. Guess they had to call it something other than roasted skunk.” He gave me a wry smile then blew out a breath.
“I realize I might not have handled my concerns properly. Dodge says I tend to run at things like a bull seeing a red cape, which is justified. Guess I get overprotective of those who I call family. Still, don’t give him all of you, okay?
I know you and Bella left some dark shit behind in New York City.
I would hate for you to get hurt here in Bastian Grange as well, since you’re both fitting in so good. ”
I looked from him to the valley below where the Double H cabin sat in the morning sun, pretty as a picture, as Granny would say.
“It’s nice to hear you don’t resent us anymore,” I said as the sun peeked at us over the horizon, its rays warming the frost on the tall grasses.
“Well, only when you’re hogging the toilet, or when Linc is burning skunk grass, or Bella uses my razor on her legs.”
“I need more fiber, Granny tells me,” I confessed and got a snort out of him.
“Probably. Anyway, just tread carefully. I’ll keep my nose out of it best I can now you’ve been warned a few dozen times.”
“Thanks.”
And that was the end of it, I hoped, which made me feel far less growly.
We rode down to the cabin, Lady in the lead, and dismounted in front of the cabin I’d helped renovate.
Not to brag, but I did do a fine job. Paul had taught me well.
The door opened quickly. Four women in matching pajamas stepped out into the chilly morning air.
One, a tall Black woman, stepped out of the foursome and introduced herself as Jackie.
She then told us about what they had heard.
Loud, womanly cries that set them on edge.
I stood back as Baker explained it was probably just a bobcat or coyote, but we’d look around the cabin for them.
They thanked us and returned to their breakfast, locking the cabin door after they re-entered.
“Okay, let’s make a mile or two perimeter sweep.
Look for any signs of something that might have passed through,” Baker said, and I nodded.
Lady trotted along in front of us, nose to the ground, tail up, as we plodded along.
We found no signs of anything, but Lady hit something that brought up the hair on her back.
“Steady,” I called out when she looked ready to bolt.
She slowed. Her hackles raised, and she led us to a gnarled old cottonwood.
She circled the tree. I glanced up into the boughs and saw something dangling from a large, thick branch.
“Come back,” I told the dog, who returned to me, but it was slow as molasses. “You seeing that?”
“Yep,” Baker said, tipping his hat back. “Looks like a whitetail.” That was my guess. Bloody and torn up, but a deer, yes. A buck, a small one, with spike antlers. “Not much will haul a kill up a tree ’round here other than a mountain lion.”
“Shit.” This was a little too close for comfort. “I didn’t know they did that.”
“Sometimes. Usually younger cats when there are wolves in the area. Could be it ran into a pack of coyotes and used the tree to get it above canine level. Rare to be sure. They don’t usually do this, not like leopards, since we got so many bears around.
Climbing up there would be easy for a bear, so the kill is far from safe. ”
“What do we do?” I leaned forward some to give my nervous horse a pat. Seemed Persimmon didn’t like the smell of puma any more than Lady had.
“Leave it. We’ll stop back to tell the gals in the Double H not to roam around alone.
Might be I can call Penton Grace over at the Department of Wildlife Conservation to give him a heads-up that we got a roaming cat in the area.
Other than that, unless it becomes a problem, we just live and let live. ”
That seemed fair. We gave the deer one last look before turning our horses for home. Oatmeal and chores awaited. I also wanted to thank Granny for her advice. Seemed a morning ride on the back of a horse did help men ease their troubles.