Grabbing my hat, I toss it onto my desk as I slam the door shut in my office. At least out in the barn, I can get away from her. From the intoxicating smell of her. I don’t know how it’s possible, but she smells like sunshine.
Fuck me. I’m in trouble.
Checking the schedule, there’s a family of five that are heading out onto the trails with me this afternoon. With it being summer, I have a few high school kids helping me outaround here. It’s nice to have them here. I don’t have to do everything, like tacking the horses. I’ll have to check their work, but it frees up my time for other things.
Like thinking about Joey.
Fuck.
Glancing at the clock, I still have a few hours before I have to be anywhere. Grabbing my hat, I head into the barn and find one of the guys getting ready to put one of the horses out in the field.
“Are they still ready to ride?” I ask.
“Yes, sir.” He straightens as I walk to him.
I smile. It’s funny these kids treat me this way. Like I’m one of their parents. I guess I’m old enough to be their dad, but a lot of times, I don’t feel that way.
“I’m going out for a ride. I’ll take care of him.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You know you don’t have to call me sir,” I say, placing my booted foot in the stirrup and hoisting myself over Storm.
“Sorry, sir.” He winces.
“It’s okay, Billy.” I tip my hat at him. “Sign your parents raised you right. I’ll be back before the next trip out.”
“Got it, si—” This time he stops himself.
Smiling at him, I head out into the sunshine before kicking my boot into Storm’s side and taking off.
Fuck, this feels good.
There is nothing I love more than being out on a horse. Something I’ve loved since I was a kid. I knew from an early age I wanted to work with horses. Being a farrier meant I never had to stick around long. It worked for me for a while.
Until I met my wife.
Then Pinecrest became home. And after she passed away, it’s the only place I could think of staying. My job always took me and Lennox to different ranches around the state, but no matter where we went, we always came back here.
Must be these damn mountains.
As we head into the pine trees covering the trail, I slow Storm to a gentle walk. The sweet vanilla smell pulls the corner of my mouth up.
It’s one of my favorite things about being out here in the country. I wouldn’t trade this for anything. I’m not built for the city life.
Wide open spaces and horses are what I love.
I duck my head under the low-hanging branches and turn up one of the harder trails. Storm can handle it.
He’s been at the ranch for about as long as I have. He’s one of our older horses, but he’s gentle. Always good for the kids to ride. Doesn’t spook easily.
I’ve claimed him as my own. And seeing as how he knows where I want to go, he takes the lead.
“You know exactly where we want to go, don’t ya?”
I pat his shoulder as the thick trees start to clear. This is one of my favorite spots on the ranch. It’s harder to get to, so I don’t always take our groups out here which means it’s quiet.
The sparkling blue lake comes into view.
