“Nosy, aren’t you?” I muse. “You’ll have to follow me to see. No clues.”
“I’ll follow you anywhere, you know that.”
“Is that right?” I giggle.
“Wait—as long as it’s not out to the manure pile. I’ve shoveled enough shit for one day.”
“It’s good how the Lawless family doesn’t treat you any differently,” I chirp cheekily. “With all your fame and fortune, we don’t want you getting too big for your britches around here.”
“Like I could with you here to keep me grounded, haulin’ hay bales and cleanin’ the stables.”
“You love it, really.”
“That I do.” He pulls me into his embrace and it still knocks the wind out of my sails being in his arms. I breathe into his chest, my favorite place, the scents of his faded cologne tingle something deep within me. I’ll never get sick of this man, smelling him, kissing him, making love to him. Every day I learn something new, and he makes my heart sing.
I lead him down the steps and around the back to the direction of the stables. He squeezes my hand as we walk, the early evening breeze brushing by us like a welcome friend.
I’ve been excited all week for his surprise, it’s something we’ve talked about, so I don’t think I’m overstepping the mark.
“Are you going to give me any clues?” he says as I brace myself at the stable entry.
I glance up at him and press my lips together, dragging the moment out while I pretend to contemplate before giving him a little tid-bit. “It involves a hay bale,” I offer.
His eyes instantly light up. “Now you’re talkin’.”
I swat his arm as I laugh. “Hey! I’m not talking about a romp in the hay.” Yes, not canoodling in front of thekidshas all gone out of the window. Brett doesn’t mind one bit if we have a quickie amongst the hay in a quiet corner of the stable, out of eyeshot of my precious babies, of course.
He laughs too and squeezes me round the middle as I hold onto the barn doors.
“Are you ready?”
“I’m ready,” he breathes close to my ear, tickling the side of my face with his soft beard. “So, so ready.”
I push the doors open and we walk inside. Everything is how it usually is—at least to the naked eye. Dancer, Spirit, and Rebel are all now resting for the evening, along with a newcomer—the surprise I can’t keep contained any longer: I’ve adopted a brown and beige Pryor Mountain Mustang, called Bounty for Brett. His prior owner had to move to a smaller property just outside Wyoming and couldn’t keep him.
Zane told me about the situation: a friend of his, Takoda—who runs a horse ranch in Montana and rescues animals—asked him if he knew anyone who could look after this handsome boy and give him a loving home. I immediately jumped at the chance, having given Takoda a long rundown on my experience with horses and references to verify how well he would be looked after. Takoda is fussy, and so he should be.
I took photos and uploaded a video of the stables and Cedar Hollow to show my property’s suitability for the task. Takoda would ordinarily visit the property to check things out, but because he knows Zane so well, it was a done deal, and I’ve said he can come check on Bounty any time he wants.
I’m excited for Brett to see his new horse. I think they will gel perfectly together.
“I thought you said my surprise wasn’t shoveling–” he stops short as I lead him past my three nosy horses, sticking their heads out over their stalls to watch us. “Bails–”
We stop outside Bounty’s stable. I’ve spent the day with him out in the penned off field, getting to know him and introducing him to his new horsey friends. He’s a seal brown with beautiful lighter beige markings. So far we know he’s intelligent and agile, and though he’s on the smaller side, he’s strong and apparently excellent on rough terrain.
“Meet Bounty,” I breathe, gesturing toward a very dark brown head with lighter patches around his muzzle, as he pops his head over the stall and lets out a snuff. “Bounty, this is Brett, your new Daddy. Brett, this is Bounty, your new horse.”
Brett stares at him, and at first I don’t know what he’s thinking. His eyes are as wide as I’ve ever seen them and his mouth opens, but no words come out. He steps a little closer before he turns to me. “He’s—he’s forme?” His words catch in his throat and break before he’s finished the sentence.
“Yes, if you want him, honey. He’s a rescue from Zane’s friend in Montana. He wasn’t ill treated or anything, his owner just didn’t have a large enough property when he moved, and he’s looking for a new place to call home.”
Brett lets out a breath and gently reaches out to touch Bounty. Bounty’s big brown eyes are trusting, thoughtful, and almost ethereal. I’ve only known him for a day, but he just has a presence already that makes you feel comforted and at totalpeace. I think he’s going to be perfect for Brett, and fit in just perfectly here at Cedar Hollow.
“Brett?” I wait with bated breath, for a millisecond I wonder if I’ve fucked up and this is too much.
“Oh, babe, I want him. He’s beautiful,” he says, not taking his eyes off Bounty. He presses his face towards the beautiful horse, and they have a little moment like they’ve known each other their whole lives. It’s so beautiful, better than I ever expected, and I’m tempted to whip out my camera and film them, but I don’t want to kill the moment. Brett turns his head to me and gives me a watery-eyed smile. “Thank you, baby, so, so much.” He wraps an arm around me and hugs me to his side.
“You’re welcome.” I smile up at him as he leans down to kiss me. I think he’s still in shock, his hands shake a little and he keeps letting out the deepest breaths. “It’s not too much?”
