I point him out to Wick and Abel. “Y’all will scare him off with those ATVs. Let me see if this mare can round him up.”
Wick hands me his rope, gloves, and a couple of apple chunks.
I take a moment to observe Wesley, and he’s essentially going in a big circle, turning every time he runs up against a fence or the tree line. I wait till he’s coming back our way again and then take off on my brand-new horse.
Now, Belgians aren’t necessarily known for their speed, and she and I don’t know each other very well, but together we are a force to be reckoned with. She seems to know what I’m trying to do because, as we approach him, she follows my slight tug on the reins, throttling down to keep pace.
Wesley’s body language immediately shifts, taking in her calm presence as she circles him up. He starts to lope in a new direction, and she simply turns, bodying him. The correction, which has to be delivered a few more times, eventually has the intended effect.
He reaches up for a nuzzle, and she returns it, nudging him under her chin for the kind of hug you see between a mare and her foal.
“Guess I’ll call you Beverly,” I say, laughing as I pet the big mare. This colt's been named after Wesley Crusher on Star Trek, and Dr. Beverly Crusher is the character’s smart, talented mother. It tickles me to keep the tradition going.
I reward Beverly with a piece of apple, then hold out another to Wesley, clicking my tongue to get his attention. The treat works, and I set the rope around his neck as he pauses to munch.
I wind the other end of the rope around my pommel and walk us easy as you please over to the stallion barn. I feel a bit like a returning hero when Wick and Abel send trucker whistles my way. Wesley rears up a bit, but with a few softly spoken words and some gentle nudges, he calms right back down.
Sparrow and Luke technically beat me to the barn, but only just. Sparrow watches the interaction between Beverly and Wesley and grins as Luke tosses me back my keys.
“You like your gift?” Wick says, shielding his eyes as he looks up at me.
“She’s fucking gorgeous, man. She rides like a dream.”
Sparrow grins proudly, and Wick playfully elbows him in the ribs. “My buddy here knows what he’s doing when it comes to these things.”
“That he does.”
I gesture to the nuzzling between Beverly and Wesley. “I suspect they’d like it if we roomed them together in one of the bigger stalls. What do you think?”
Wick nods, rubbing my thigh as he winks up at me. “Make it so.”
Luke catches the move as he makes it to the passenger side of Sparrow’s truck. Raising his brows, he shakes his head before slipping inside. At least he kept his mouth shut.
Meanwhile, Warwick is leading Wesley, and the sway of his Wranglers seems purposeful.
Cheese and rice, that man is gonna be the death of me.
4
JOAQUIN
Driving to the front gate of Rebel Sky Ranch is surreal. I’ve been here a few times in recent months. I was happy, of course, to spend time with my new friends, but the main purpose of every visit was to fuck Warwick until he was a beautiful, boneless mess.
Now that I’m here as the foreman of Rebel Sky, things will have to be…different.
I’d been at my old ranch ever since immigrating to the United States from Argentina, and I’ll always appreciate their taking a chance on me. Last week the family gave me a heartfelt sendoff, then my replacement, the woman who’s been my longtime right-hand, jokingly told me to get the fuck off her ranch.
I'm a lucky man to feel so supported, and with Rebel Sky, I know exactly what I bring to the table. They’ve been doing a good job with interim solutions while my son, Sebastián—Sparrow to his friends—finds his own way, and I think with Trip’s ideas, this place is on the verge of becoming wildly successful.
It's late afternoon, and while my first official day is tomorrow, I need to get moved in so I can hit the ground running.
I grab a few boxes from the back and make my way up the long walkway between the main house and the stallion barn. I never met Renée, but Sebastián always told me she had a vision for this place. I can attest to the fact that she had a beautiful sense of style.
The Goodnight home is veryTexas,with its mix of limestone and cedar and a pretty tin roof. It also has a big wraparound porch that looks welcoming to anyone who visits. Even the stallion barn is a classic, perfect shade of red with white trim.
I follow the long pathway around the back to my new home.
My previous bunkhouse was clean and functional, but this place is something special. There's a gorgeous pool between the bunkhouse and the main house, almost connecting them, and the beautiful oaks and landscaping around the building make it feel like a vacation property instead of a place for roughnecks to rest their heads.
