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He sniffed and shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. “Okay. How do I start that? I hope I can still call you a friend.”
I scrubbed my jaw with my hand, turned around, and headed back for the trailer. I didn’t have an answer for him. “I gotta get the horse unloaded,” I muttered.
“I’ll help.”
“I don’t need help unloading a trained horse, but there’s probably something else you could do. That’s all it is, Austen. You just show up. Pitch in where you can, and don’t be a jerk.”
He nodded, and the look on his face was, I’ll admit, perfect contrition. “Okay. Whatever it is, I’ll do it.”
“Fine.” He was still following me. I rolled my eyes and reached for the latch on the horse trailer. “So what are you doing here today, anyway? Did you talk to Morgan?”
“No, it was Jess. She didn’t have much work today, so she took the morning off and came over to help me with my new horse. She and Danny are showing me the ropes—get it?—of moving the cattle from horseback.”
My fingers fumbled on the latch. She was giving him riding lessons now? I swallowed. Lots of guys had captured their lady love from the back of a horse. There was just something romantic about it, the power and the freedom and the beauty, shared with one special person. Austen was no dummy.
“That’s why she was running late. She had her horse over at my place first, so when she needed to leave, I just rode over here to watch today.”
So much for that perfect afternoon I’d been dreaming about. “Sounds peachy,” I said through gritted teeth. “I need to get ready for class, so…”
“Hi, Dusty!”
An electric jolt shot through me at Jess’s voice. I was inside the trailer reaching for Duchess’s halter, but I froze and turned back. Her voice could call me from the grave, I was pretty sure of it. She had walked up outside the trailer, and Austen put his arm around her, then kissed her on the cheek with a smarmy, “Hello, darlin’.” She beamed up at him like he was the butter on her biscuit, then turned to look at me like I was supposed to be smiling, too.
And I think I died a little.
Jess
“This is just amazing. You guys knocked it out of the park.” Morgan set her hands on her hips and scanned the indoor ring, where the after-school kids were racing through a new obstacle circuit Dusty had set up.
At one station, they practiced tying a bowline knot, a clove hitch, and a quick-release. At another, they had to rope the horns on a practice steer head and then dally from a saddle sitting on a nearby straw bale. When they got to Duchess, they had to lead her both forward and backward through two cones in a figure eight pattern, and then when they got to Nash, they had to practice putting a saddle on safely. It was keeping them busy, which was the whole point of an after-school program, but more importantly, it was sparking new ideas and interests in kids who wouldn’t have had these opportunities otherwise.
I was just as in awe as Morgan, and I couldn’t tear my eyes off the guy who’d invented this course. Dusty was roving from station to station, helping every kid who asked for it and patiently watching the ones who didn’t. Occasionally, he’d glance up and accidentally catch my eye, and I’d give him a smile or a thumbs-up. He’d just tip his hat and get back to helping the kids.
“I’m glad you brought Austen today,” Morgan murmured behind her hand. She nodded toward my boyfriend, who was goofing off with one of the lariats. He’d managed to rope himself again, and Aedyn was busting a gut laughing at him.
“Why are you glad? So you can recruit more slaves?” I chuckled.
“You know me! We always need help, the more the merrier. And a guy who can get kids to laugh with him is worth his weight in gold around here. The boys especially love it when a man spends time with them. And I love having the kind of help that can heft hay bales.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know if Austen is planning to come back. He’s buried up to his neck, trying to run his place. It just worked out today, but I’m glad he at least got to come and see what this is all about. It’s important to me, you know?”
Morgan nodded, her eyes a little misty. “I know all about that. It’s what keeps us going here, and it’s pretty special when you find someone who wants to dive in alongside you.”
“That’s a good way to put it. Or at least someone who will support you, even if they can’t join you.”
“Hmm. I guess we all need the supportive type just as much as we need team mates. Hey—” She tipped her head toward me with the air of a conspirator. “What do you think of Dusty?”
“Dusty? He’s a great guy. I mean, just look at what he did here today. None of that was my idea.”
She nodded, her finger thoughtfully tapping her lips. “Cody and I were talking about him last night. I’d really like to see…” She drew a long sigh and frowned. “You know, when I first met the Walkers, I took an instant liking to Dusty. He’s probably my favorite ‘brother-in-law,’ even though I love them all. He’s just so kind and modest. But doesn’t it seem like he’s the only one who hasn’t found his purpose?”
I narrowed my eyes. “I never thought of it like that.”
“I didn’t until lately. But I stole some peeks in here on Tuesday, and I don’t think I’d ever seen him more alive. And watching him with the kids today, I think I put it together.”
“Put what together?” I watched Morgan’s face as a mischievous grin brewed. “What?” I laughed. “Now you’ve got me all curious.”
“Oh, maybe it’s just me and a bit of wishful thinking.” She patted her stomach and arched her eyebrows at me.
