She said goodbye, and Spur ended the call. He’d dated before. He’d been married before. He still felt like he was walking on clouds and marshmallows as he left the office and got back to work on the ranch.
“You’re going to kiss her tonight,” he told himself as he pushed through the doors and went outside.
“You haven’t kissed her yet?” Trey asked, and Spur cursed himself for talking out loud before checking to see if anyone was around. Trey stood just outside the barn, a clipboard in his hand. He studied it, but Spur knew he could wait forever for an answer. Trey had the most patience out of any of the brothers, that was for sure.
He had to, to work with all the people coming and going from the ranch. That was a nightmare for Spur, who much preferred to work alone and check things off with someone than have to have conversations all dang day.
Trey finished his note and looked up as a trainer approached. He handed him the clipboard, and the man signed. “Thanks, Hal,” Trey said. “You’re good for the rest of the summer, all right? Don’t let one of my girls call you and say otherwise.”
“Got it, Trey,” Hal said, and Trey turned to Spur. “You and Olli haven’t…you know.”
“It’s called kissing,” Spur said darkly.
Trey grinned at him. “Hey, I’m actually on your side here. I think it’s great you’re dating her. I meant it when I said she was pretty.”
“Yeah.” Spur sighed. “I know. Sorry, Trey.”
“You’re worked up over her.” Trey gestured down the even, graded path. “Walk with me. I have to get over to the row houses to check on the Whitehouse Ranch.”
“Yeah? Why?” Spur easily fell into step with his brother. Everything about him was a little more even than Spur. He laughed easier. He had lighter hair and eyes. He could relax when Spur stayed tense. He let go of emotions while Spur kept them bottled tight. He consciously told himself to breathe out and let the tension go with the air, and it actually worked.
When he remembered to do the things he’d learned in therapy years ago, he felt better.
“There’s a rumor Kali Whitehouse has been doubling up her horses,” Trey said with a hint of frustration in his voice. “Which means she owes us more money.”
“Can’t house horses here without paying,” Spur said.
“Not only that, but if the Association found out, we could lose our credibility. We need that to keep our prices high, and I’m not willing to risk it for the Whitehouses.”
“They’ve been boarders for decades,” Spur said, glancing at Trey. “Are we really going to ask her to leave?”
“No,” Trey said. “We’re going to ask her how many horses she’s got here and see if it corresponds with how many stalls she’s paying for.” He sounded so calm about it too. “If it doesn’t match up, she’ll pay for what she’s not and move her horses into the appropriate facilities. We can’t have it reported that we’re cramming animals into too-small spaces, Spur.”
“No, I know,” Spur said. “I’m with you.”
Trey nodded and kept on toward the far row house. Spur had work to do in the exercise arena, so he ducked in there with a, “Good luck, Trey. Let me know how it goes.” He worked with the championship horses the Chappells were hoping to sell at the next sales event, and he needed to check with another trainer. When he wasn’t doing that, he got reports from everyone else on the ranch, compiled all the information together, and ensured the ranch kept operating at peak efficiency.
Sometimes he didn’t know what to do with the information he got. He’d call Daddy then, and his father would walk him through what the best solution was. Spur probably needed to get over to the house where his parents lived now and do a little more explaining when his mother wasn’t so stressed and his father wasn’t caught off-guard.
He did love his parents, but they’d always been extraordinarily busy, and he’d often felt overlooked. He’d never caused any trouble like Ian and Duke, and Spur had never given his parents any attitude, the way Conrad did.
As a result, his mother hadn’t had to spend much time and energy on him growing up. He’d thought he’d been doing her a favor by getting his chores done and keeping up in his classes. He probably had been, but he felt like the cost had been high for him personally.
He pushed his mother out of his mind as he approached the stall where his horse for the afternoon waited for him. “All right Lucky Number Thirteen,” he said. “Are you ready for this?”
He grinned at the horse and stepped over to a cooler at the end of the row. He found a bit of carrot and half an apple inside, and he took them to the beautiful black and white horse who could literally win everything next year. “You have to run,” he told her. “You have to run when I say, and pull back when I say, and you have to want it more than every other horse out there.”
He always gave pep talks to his horses. He believed they could feel his energy and knew on some level what he was telling them.
“You’re better than all of them,” he said, stroking his hand down the side of her face as she crunched through the apple, core and all. “You act like it, okay? You’re going to be the one they’re all watching.” He smiled as her lips rippled, her signal that she’d like the carrot now, please.
Spur gave it to her and said, “I’m getting the saddle. Get ready.”
* * *
By the timeSpur showered and put on his dating clothes, the sun was starting to set. Olli had texted for an eight o’clock dinner time, and he’d said they wouldn’t be able to make it to a movie if they ate that late.
She’d responded with, We’ll have a movie night in, and a smiley face.