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Taking her by the hand, I lead her out back towards the large buildings a couple of hundred yards back from the house. We follow the dirt road until we get back there, and I lead her inside.
Taylor is walking toward us, and I motion for him to come over. “Taylor, this is Andi. She just moved into my rental next door. Andi, this is Taylor. Tay is pretty much my right hand around here.”
He reaches out to shake Andi’s hand. “Hey, don’t give me that title. Iknowwhat you do with that right hand.”
That gets a laugh out of her, but I scoff. “Haha, motherfucker. Hilarious. Just remember who signs your paychecks.”
“You won’t fire me. If you did, who would you get to come in here on the weekends?” His cocky smile grows even wider.
“Yeah, yeah. Everything go okay today?” I ask.
“Yep. Everything seems to be on track.” He says before giving me a few minor details about the events of the day. I don’t let him go on too long, though, because I’m sure it’s as dull as watching paint dry for Andi.
We say goodbye to Taylor, and I proceed to show her around. Granted, there isn’t a whole hell of a lot that is exciting around a cattle ranch, but God love her, she pretends to hang on every word that I’m saying.
We walk through the large building that houses some cattle that require a bit more care and attention. The large fields outside are filled with free-range cattle, which I explain to her produces a higher quality of beef.
Behind the buildings, I lead her down a path that leads further back on the property. I take her hand in mine, linking our fingers together. Much to my surprise, she doesn’t pull away, and I’m grateful because her small hand seems to fit perfectly within mine.
“What’s over there?” She asks.
“Oh, those are the stables. I keep a few horses.”
“Really?”
I nod. “Yeah. They’re mostly the horses who used to compete in the rodeos around the state, but they aged out, and no one wants them anymore. I bring them here and give them a place to live comfortably for their last years.”
“That’s sweet,” she says. “Can we go see?”
I nod and lead her down the path leading to the white building with green trim that houses the horses.
Once inside the building, we walk past the different stalls. The first few are empty, but we stop at the fourth stall. Andi’s eyes light up when the black and white mare walks over to the doorway.
“This is Oreo,” I say.
She chuckles. “Good name. Very fitting.” She turns her attention toward the horse. “Hi, Oreo. Can I pet her?”
“Sure. Just go slow.”
Her hand reaches out timidly as she inches closer to Oreo’s long nose. Both of them look rather tense, but the moment they touch, they visibly relax.
“Hi, Oreo. I’m Andi,” she says almost too softly for me to hear.
“I’m impressed. Usually, Oreo is pretty timid around new people.”
She keeps her eyes locked on the horse. “Me too, Oreo. Me too.”
“You’re a natural. Did you used to ride?”
“Hmm?” She asks.
“Horses. Did you used to ride horses?”
“Nope. Never been around one before right now.”
Damn, this woman has been sheltered.
“We will have to go out riding one day,” I tell her.
