“Very good, that’s all you need to know. We can learn you about the other stuff.” They all shared a laugh and Tony felt accepted by Lloyd when he laid his hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, most of us knew nothing about horses when we arrived. You’ll be in good hands with Cole and Ann, also with Clem, he’s another guy that works here. When we get a minute away from Broken, we come over to help as much as we can. I’m going to be brutally honest with you here, Tony, until I read those text messages I was about to pummel you into the ground when I first laid eyes on you. Now I know there is nothing between you and Marcia. I want you to feel welcome. You also need to know this.”
“What?” Tony asked when he paused.
“You are not working here at New Double to keep you away from Marcia. I don’t fear that, and pleasedon’t think that. You’re here at New Double because they are in desperate need of help. Other than Cole, there is Ann, and Clem. Clem is leaving in the spring to go to the rodeos to recruit hands for The Triple R. They’ll work here until that is built. We’re hoping that along the way, Clem can not only recruit people for The Triple R, but also hands to work here at New Double, this will be so that when the time comes for them to move across the street, this ranch won’t be left high and dry.”
“How many horses are here on this ranch?”
“Thirty-two,” Cole said. “We had some late foals this year. I like to have five horses per person, so as you can tell, we are sadly lacking in help. We will get there eventually, though.”
“What about the other workers at Broken? Can’t they come over and help?”
“They do when they have a chance to, but I don’t know if you were told this, but now that the people and horses are ready, it’s open to the public as a rehabilitation center. Please don’t take any offense to this, but if you had lived closer, or needed their services, you could have probably been a client there.”
“Okay, that sounds good, but I do have one question.”
“What’s that?”
“I have no clue about horses, is there any way I can learn to ride?”
“Probably once you get into the groove of thingshere, one of the guys from Broken can come over here to relieve you, and you can go over there to learn.”
“What’s the difference? Why can’t I learn on one of these?”
“Because these are born and bred to run races like the Kentucky Derby, or The Triple Crown. I’m the first person that doesn’t disparage horseflesh, but the ones over at Broken knew rock bottom before Erin brought them home. Some of them had about given up on the will to live. They know what it’s like to be sore, beaten, neglected, and downtrodden, they are the perfect horses for people with challenges to learn to ride, hence the rehabilitation center that is going on over there. Not only were the horses brought back to life, but so were all the workers. Like you, they all faced challenges, and they worked with the horses so they were brought back together.”
“Oh, wow, okay, I told my buddy,” Tony said as he turned toward Lloyd. “The Commander, that I wanted to learn to ride. He said he’s going to go to a local horse ranch back home and see if he could get riding lessons. He’s also going to try to learn as much as he can about horses and their care.”
“Where’s back home?” Cole asked.
“Pennsylvania.”
“Oh, wow, okay. Now, where would you like to live? Since you are the first one here, you can have a choice of a room in a bunktel or a cabin.”
“Is there a possibility of getting to see each place before I decide.”
“Yep, oh shit,” Cole said with a laugh and looked at Lloyd. “We forgot all about Ducky.”
“How or what is a Ducky?” Tony asked and whipped around, but the men had to reach out and catch him because he turned too fast, and when he was steady, he saw an older gentleman come barreling toward them driving a golf cart. He stopped, introductions were made, and Ducky volunteered to take Tony to where he needed to be. Before they left, Tony looked at Lloyd.
“Can I ask a gigantic favor of you?”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“Don’t tell Marcia I’m here? At least not today. I want to take time to settle in, and get a good night’s sleep before I see her.”
“I understand. I know she’s excited to see you. Now, a quick question for you.”
“What’s that?”
“When and where do you have to return your rental? I’ll help you take your truck off the dolly before I leave, but I can have almost a dozen people here to help you unload first thing in the morning.”
“If we do that,” Cole spoke. “Then you won’t have to report to work until the next day. I’ll give you tomorrow to settle in.”
“I can help you unpack,” Ducky said. At Tony’s look he grinned. “Trust me, I’ll do more talking andsupervising than unpacking. I’ll also be able to give you the rundown on everything. I might be in my eighties, but I’ve been on this property my entire life.” He grinned. “Yes, there’s a story.”
Lloyd laughed and slapped him lightly on the shoulder. “Yes, if you need to know anything about the area, the ranch, and what is what, Ducky is your guy.” They ended up removing both the truck from the dolly, and the dolly from the truck, and while Ducky took off like a bat out of hell, Tony followed at a more leisurely pace, taking in the sights as he drove behind the golf cart. As soon as they were gone, Cole turned to Lloyd.
“Tell me to mind my own business, but what was that stuff about him asking you not to tell your woman that he was here?”
