“You know I’m not interested in dating anyone. And if I do take the job, Brendan will be my boss, and I won’t go down that road again. Once was more than enough.”
His aunt stood and smacked him on the shoulder. “You had better not. This is a job, not a dating opportunity. But Brendan is a good person, and I can tell you that working with animals can be an amazing experience. They don’t lie either.” She sat back down. “Now, go on. I have work to do.” She shooed him out of the office.
Lucas left, wondering what the heck was going on here. His mother had been pushing him to get a different job, and if he didn’t know better, he might have thought she had singlehandedly gotten the club to close. Combine her with his aunt, and he swore they could change the tides if they wanted. Well, this was a job, and the place he had in Harrisburg was certainly nothing special. Lord knows if he was even going to be able to stay there anyway. He knew he had to figure out a way forward, but he just kept wondering if a stable with horses was it.
Lucas knockedon the front door at five. The front yard of the place was plain, but clean and well kept. Fruit trees lined the space, and they were loaded with apples. Footsteps from inside caught his attention, and then the door opened, and he looked into the eyes of a little boy, who gasped at him.
“Are you the Hulk?” the kid asked.
Lucas chuckled. “No. I’m Lucas, and your daddy is expecting me.”
The kid stared at him like he didn’t quite know what to say. Finally, he turned around. “Daddy, the Hulk is here. He says he’s not the Hulk, but I don’t believe him.”
“Jameson,” Brendan said gently. “This is Lucas, and he isn’t the Hulk. He’s just a big man. Go on and play. Okay?” He shook his head. “Four years old and he already thinks he knows everything and is cynical at the same time. My life is going to behell when he becomes a teenager.” He held the door open, and Lucas went inside.
The house was comfortable and uncluttered, except for toys all over the floor. It was clear that Brendan’s family had lived here for a long time. The walls were covered in pictures, some yellowed with time. “That is my son, Jameson.”
He waved from the living room floor and went back to his toys.
“We have a bedroom upstairs that you can use if you want. And then there’s the living room here, and the dining room is through there with the kitchen.” He walked through the rooms. “Jameson, do you want to come see the horses?” Brendan called from the kitchen, where they ended up after the quick tour.
The boy raced in, and they all went out the back door and across the yard to a large barn. Brendan pulled open the door, and they went inside the space. “Above us is the hay loft, which is nearly full at this point. Then there are the horses. These four are mine, and the rest are boarders.”
“Do you have a horse?” Lucas asked Jameson.
“Daddy says not yet.” He even managed to look at little put-upon. “I keep asking for a pony. I really want one. He’ll be brown and white, and his name is going to be Peanut Butter because that’s my favorite, and he’ll be my best friend.” God, the kid was adorable. “Can I give the horses carrots?” He hurried through to a bag and pulled out some.
“Yes. But you have to be careful. Only feed these four. Some of the horses get a little aggressive, but mine are all very gentle, and they are used to being fed.” Lucas loved how Brendan let Jameson do his thing, standing back to give him the illusion of independence, but still being there to jump in if he was needed.
“You said you’ve had some trouble?” Lucas prompted.
“Yeah. I found nails through here. I was pretty lucky that I saw them, because there weren’t a huge number, but just enoughto cause real issues. None of my students or boarders would bring anything like that into here. They all know better. That was done to hurt the horses.” He took Jameson’s hand and led the way outside. “This section of fence was taken down.”
Lucas checked it over. “It seems strong enough.”
“My father built it, and it’s all pegged together. It can be taken apart so pieces can be replaced if needed. But it’s super strong otherwise. Someone took it apart on purpose and just left it here so the horses would find the opening.”
“And you think it’s Jenn,” Lucas said. “Is there anyone else who would have issues with you? Any other enemies?”
Brendan shrugged. “Not that I know of. I train horses and give riding lessons. It’s not like I’m big enough for anyone to really take that much notice of me. I don’t have any professional rivalries. For me, it’s too much of a coincidence for her to threaten me and then have this sort of thing happen. I know her, and this is the kind of petty behavior that she would pull.” Brendan lifted Jameson into his arms.
“Can you smash things?” Jameson asked.
“He’s just a large man, but he isn’t the Hulk. Besides, he isn’t green.”
“Okay, Daddy. But he can still smash.”
“Not really. I don’t do that sort of thing,” Lucas told Jameson. “But I can lift a lot.”
Jameson’s eyes lit up. “Can you lift a horse?”
Both he and Brendan snickered. “No, I can’t do that. But I can lift rocks, and I could maybe lift a pony. Though I don’t think the pony would like that.”
Jameson seemed to accept that for an answer and put his head on Brendan’s shoulder.
“Are you hungry?”
“Yes.”
