“Oh, I’ll get around to it, I suppose. But we’ve been too busy around here to spruce up the place for the holiday. Do you think he’d have time to do that this week? We’d pay him, of course.”
“I don’t know his schedule, but I bet he does.”
Desi’s obviously been chatting him up.
“Perfect. And hell, it might be nice to figure out something a little classier for the common areas. Yeah, I know the basics of how to make things grow, but if he can help me make them pretty, maybe we can work together.”
The property here is gorgeous, but it’s mostly controlled chaos with the native plants. Having seen Richard’s front yard, I bet Tanner would love to take on a bigger project.
“I’ll talk to him about it. He’s new to everything, but we can see if he has any ideas?”
“Perfect.”
With that, we get into that quiet, meditative cowboy space, rounding up the herd for yet another move.
* * *
“So I’ll be doingthis on my own?” Tanner asks as we pull into Rebel Sky.
His tiny Geo Metro, which I’ve grown to hate, isn’t working. Again. We’ve all had beater cars, but his feels like a deathtrap, and I’m decidedly against anything that threatens us having a long, happy life together.
Yeah, I’m keeping that part under my hat for a little bit longer.
Anyway, Tanner confessed that he spent half the night jotting down design ideas and seeing what he thought he could do versus what he’d need to learn.
This morning, he’s kept his outfit simple with dark-green utility pants, black work boots, and a cream-colored Henley. Of course, he never goes anywhere without his smudged black eyeliner, though the tiny black stars sprinkled across his nose and the dark-green nails round out the look.
“Don’t worry about it, Tanner. You know Trip’s not trying to rush you, especially now. Things slow down this time of year, so you’ve got time. I’ll be helping you out, and, hell, if you’re feeling bossy, we can get Warwick and Colt out here to push around.”
He chuckles, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. “Okay. I’ll try not to be so nervous.”
I park in my spot, and Tanner smiles, leaning in for a sweet round of kisses. We’re stuck gazing at each other for endless moments like a bunch of goobers.
We’re about to go in for a few more kisses when Sam calls out from the front porch. “No making out in the car!”
“Alright then, Tack Room Queen,” I toss back.
His shoulders shake with laughter as he beckons us inside. We’re joined by their two kids just as we’re making our way up the steps. Little Renée immediately goes up to Tanner.
“I like your stars.”
He kneels and boops her nose. “I like your pigtails.”
She looks back at Sam. “Can I get stars, Papa?”
Sam grins at both of us. “Of course. Brother, do you want stars?”
Jayden, clearly in his rugged phase, shakes his head. “Spiders!”
Sam explains, “Halloween was a big deal around here, and his favorite thing was the spider stickers he got to wear on his face.”
“They were so cool,” he says, gripping his Tonka truck.
Sam lets out an over-the-top sigh. “Jayden says he doesn’t want to wear makeup, which is disappointing.”
The little boy rolls his eyes. “No, it isn’t, Papa. You said I can be whatever I want to be. No makeup, and I’ll ride horses like Daddy.”
“You can do both, you know.”
