“In the afternoon,” said Marston, not looking up. “If folks are interested. If it doesn’t rain.”
“I’ll make a signup sheet,” said Royce, looking around the table at all the ex-cons, who were instantly all at attention, their eyes focused on Royce like a pack of well-trained Belgian Malinois. “Or can we figure on everybody joining in?”
“We only have four saddles,” said Marston, and now he had to look up and join the conversation. Which, Kell realized, with a secret bit of pleasure, had been Gabe and Royce’s exact intention. “But we can get more if there’s interest.”
“I’m allergic,” said Wayne, raising his hand.
“You’ll just need one more saddle, then,” said Gabe.
“I guess we could pick one up tonight,” said Marston. He was looking at Kell as he said it, which meant that there’d be a jaunt in the truck, just the two of them. “Want to help?”
Picking up a single saddle when there was the entire truck bed of an F150 to put it in was definitely a one-man job, but Kell nodded because it meant more time with Marston.
“Yeah,” he said. “Sure.”
“Finish your dinner, then we’ll go.”
The words were said with a soft tone of fondness, and although Kell was old enough to look after himself, he really was, it was nice just the same to be on the receiving end of a little bit of care and affection.
It was as if Marston knew, even though he couldn’t possibly, that there were pockets of Kell still aching with the memory of his first night after he’d run away. The first time he’d jumped a train, falling asleep in a box car, facing the huge wood-and-metal sliding doors. Hearing the brakes of the train squealing to a stop and opening his eyes to find himself in the middle of nowhere.
And beyond the open doors there had been nothing but the faint gray light of morning and endless miles of land, low rolling hills, scraggly scrub, and not another human being for miles and miles. The train could have been guided by robots for all he knew, and the empty earth could have swallowed him up and nobody would have heard him screaming.
“You okay?”
Kell looked up into a pair of gold and blue eyes, and felt himself surrounded by the soft concern.
“Memories again?” asked Marston, his voice soft, the words meant only for Kell to hear.
“Yeah,” said Kell, swallowing hard. “They come and go.”
“Huh,” said Marston with a soft, below-the-breath huff of a laugh. “I know that feeling.” He seemed to shake himself. “You ready?”
“Ready.”
They bussed their places, then headed to the truck waiting in the gravel parking lot. The key fob was in the driver’s seat, waiting for them as they piled in.
In quick order, Marston drove them up to the barn at the guest ranch, got out to talk with a ranch hand for a moment before going into the barn and bringing out a saddle. This, he placed in the truck bed, stabilizing it in the corner of the bed.
When he got back into the truck and started the engine, he looked over at Kell.
“It’s going to be a good sunset,” he said. “Want to go for a drive?”
“Sure.”
It was as if Marston had read his mind about that illicit bareback ride in the woods from so long ago and decided to do something about it. Which was to drive down the dirt road to the gate, pausing to let Kell jump out to open and close it for them, and then to take a small dirt track off the main road, heading east until they were on a sandy, scrub-covered bluff overlooking the long slow slope into the valley.
Marston parked the truck so it was facing directly east, then clambered out, gesturing that Kell should join him. Together, they lowered the tailgate, then sat on it, their legs dangling.
“I love a good sunset,” said Marston as the sun sank behind Iron Mountain and Guipago Ridge and the undulant foothills. “There’s just something about it.”
Kell nodded, because he agreed, his throat too full to say what he felt.
With his hands braced on the tailgate, he leaned forward, the edge of his palm brushing Marston’s fingers. Marston didn’t draw away, and together they watched as the sun went fully down and the eraser-pink sunset scrubbed at the sky.
Chapter19
Marston
