AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
“The goats missed you.” He grins, lopsided and goofy, and I shake my head.
“Uh-huh.”
I climb out of the truck, stretching and shifting in my pants, trying to conceal the stiffy situation.
“How was the trip?”
“Long, but fine. Everything good here?”
“Mostly. Oreo’s a little dickhead, though. He hopped the fence, and Roman had to come help me chase him back home. We added another level of fencing, and the rascal escaped that too. I’ve been watching him real close, but I still can’t figure how he’s getting out. Unless he has ups like LeBron.”
I snicker in spite of myself. “I could tell that one was gonna be trouble from the get-go. I’ll scour the perimeter, make sure nothing’s out there, helping him escape. I’d hate for a coyote to get him.”
“I know, me too. The little guy’s kinda growing on me. Even if he is a dickhead.”
“Any word on the pony?” I glance over the fence toward the barn.
“Nothing yet. I can follow up if you want.”
“Nah. The owner will call when he’s ready.”
I head toward the barn, and Beau follows right behind, keeping up with my quick pace. Tension seeps out of my shoulders, my chest, my abs as we cross the lawn and cut through the paddock. Being home always does that for me.
“Trip was good. Does that mean you found her?” Beau doesn’t name names or mention her title, which I appreciate. He’s pretty astute for being as young as he is. Well, guess he’s not so much young as I am old.
Another depressing thought.
I shove that one away, too, and answer his question. “Yes, we found her.”
“We? Did Poppy or Parker go with you?”
Well, shit. Guess he didn’t know about Juliet, and now I have to explain myself.
I scrub my jaw. “Juliet went with me.”
“Juliet? Capelli?” He tilts his head to one side, very much resembling a confused golden retriever. Same floppy hair and everything.
“Yeah.”
“Huh. I didn’t realize—” His voice tapers off, waiting for more details.
“Nothing to realize.”
His head bobs, real slow, as if he’s trying to work out the calculations on some complicated math problem. He doesn’t question me further, though. Another reason the kid has the job.
“And I found Lacey. So at least I did what I set out to do.”
“Nice. Good for you.” He screws up his lips, and I feel a question floating in the air, but he holds back.
“Well, thanks for covering for me and staying out here. You can get on now, head on home. You’ve worked more than your fair share of hours.” I wave my hand, shooing him away.
“You sure? You look pretty drained. I’m happy to stay and help with the dinner feed.”
“Nah. I’ve got it. Get on home.”
“Okay. Thank you, boss. Get some shut-eye.”
