Chapter 18

After their afternoon of ‘stress relief,’ as Naomi called it, Austin headed to the pasture to check on Storm and Red. All the horses looked agitated, but the pecking order had been figured out. Red did have a bloody ear. When Naomi arrived, fresh from a shower, Austin had pulled the two combatants into the barn to be thoroughly inspected.

“It doesn’t look like anyone’s missing any hide,” Austin announced before she had a chance to question him. “Why don’t you take her to the bathing station and clean her up? It’ll help with your bonding.”

While Storm got hosed down, Austin tended to Red’s ear.

“I’m so disappointed you let a girl bite your ear,” Austin said as the big horse patiently allowed him to clean his ear with cool water.

There wasn’t any permanent damage, so Austin rinsed the wound with saline. Since it didn’t look like it needed stitches, Austin skipped calling a vet. He rinsed the ear with chlorhexidine—a disinfectant and antiseptic—and then wrapped it with an antibacterial wound dressing to keep the flies off it.

Once he finished his medical work, Austin brushed Red’s coat before putting him in his stall and going to take care of the other horses. While he did that, Max showed off by chasing all the cats to establish that he was king of the stable. That came to a screeching halt when the big tomcat swatted his nose. Austin found his pup hiding behind Naomi.

“Someday, buddy,” Austin said as he loved up Max. “He’s getting braver around the cats. It’s only a matter of time before he’s big enough to hold his own.”

“It sounds like you have your own drama around here. I just checked my phone, and Rob and Sally sent me a message to come pick them up an hour ago. They’ll be in pissy moods when I go get them.”

“Bring them here and show them your new horse. Rob can play with Max, and I’ll order pizza.”

“Austin, we’re not dating,” Naomi said.

“No, but a horse and a puppy will get them out of their bad moods.”

Naomi considered it for a moment before saying, “It’s worth a shot.”

Austin had just finished feeding the horses when he heard a car pull up. He exited the barn to find Simone, Shea, and Steph.

“I was about to order pizza. Do you want some?”

They all agreed they did. Austin was about to go in and make the call when Naomi showed up with her progeny. When Sally saw the other girls, the scowl left her face. The other back car door flew open, and Rob jumped out to play with Max. It looked like Naomi was forgiven for being late.

“Show them your new horse while I call for delivery,” Austin said.

Before he left, the girls wanted to ensure he got the right kind of pizza from the right place. Austin was appalled when they wanted vegetable toppings. On the rare occasion his dad ordered a pizza, it was always a meat-lover’s version.

It was rare because back where he lived in Montana, the only option for pizza was the local tavern, and they didn’t deliver. On special occasions, his dad would take him. Liam had mentioned that he’d ordered one for delivery, so Austin wanted an excuse to try it.

After he made the call, Austin ran upstairs to take a quick shower. When he came down, he found Emma had joined everyone and was making a huge salad. His grandmother came downstairs, too; she must’ve come home while he showered.

“I see you’re having a party,” Grandma Montgomery said.

“Well, I hadn’t planned it, but it’s looking that way. I thought you were going to play cards tonight,” Austin said.

“It got canceled. It’s a good thing it did, or who knows what you might have gotten up to tonight?”

“Austin is too responsible to get up to anything too bad,” Naomi said, coming to his defense.

The teen girls’ giggling probably didn’t help his case.

“If he’s anything like his dad...” his grandmother said, teasing him.

The front doorbell rang, saving him. Austin ran to collect the pizzas and pay the driver.

When he returned, only his grandmother remained in the kitchen.

“We’re eating in the pole barn.”

His grandmother had converted the pole barn into an entertainment area. It had a large live-edge oak table that sat ten people. She’d also installed an outdoor kitchen with a smoker, and lights were strung crisscross to light everything.

As they walked to the open barn, his grandmother commented, “I miss doing stuff like this. When your grandfather was alive, we entertained all the time.”

Austin noted one other person had joined them: Mia. He hoped this wouldn’t get awkward. Looking back, boning her in front of her boyfriend probably wasn’t his best moment. At the time, Austin had used the excuse that it was the last time they would do something like that. Apparently, from his reaction, she wasn’t entirely out of Austin’s system.

He almost tripped over Max when the pup suddenly appeared under his feet, wanting to see what he was carrying.

“Let me take that,” Simone said, grabbing the boxes from Austin and carrying them to the table.

He grabbed the seat next to Rob because the girls were busy talking with each other. Guys had to stick together, after all. Besides, Rob was an okay guy based on the time Austin spent with him in class. He at least paid attention and was one of the better riders. What really won Austin over was that Max liked Rob. Austin had found that dogs were usually excellent judges of character.

Halfway through dinner, Rob shared, “My dad had to travel to California for a conference and took his secretary with him. He called Mom yesterday and told her they were staying an extra week.”

“Just him and his secretary?” Austin asked.

Rob glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention.

“I guess so. I think my parents are going to get a divorce. Mom wasn’t at all happy when he told her.”

“My parents got divorced. It’s hard,” Austin said.

“My friend Terrance’s parents are getting divorced. He said his dad hit his mom.”

“Do you want me to talk to his dad?” Austin asked.

“No, his mom’s brother took care of it. Terrance’s dad is staying in the city now.”

“If you need anything or want to talk, come find me,” Austin said.

“If you need anyone to play with Max, you should do the same,” Rob said.

“Max and I would love that.”

After they ate, Naomi and Rob went home. Shea offered to take Sally home, so Naomi allowed her to stay. On the third floor, they had what his grandmother called a media room. She’d turned two bedrooms into a small movie theater.

Austin didn’t watch TV and hadn’t really used the room much, though he did occasionally use it to watch an old Western. He’d found that he liked the classic Westerns, especially ones with John Wayne or Clint Eastwood.

Steph was put in charge of finding a streaming movie they’d enjoy.

Everyone got comfortable, and Mia sat next to Austin. When the movie started, she leaned in close so they could talk without being overheard.

“You know I’m pregnant, right?”

“Yes, I did hear that.”

“Noah wants me to get rid of the baby, and our parents are divided. What do you think I should do?”

“I have no idea. I’m not sure what I would do if a girl told me she was having my baby, especially at my age,” Austin said. “If you have it, what do you plan to do?”

“My mom says I’d have to put it up for adoption, but Noah’s mom said he would keep it with their help.”

“I thought Noah said he didn’t want it.”

Mia nodded, ‘yes.’

“That doesn’t sound like a good plan to me, then. If I were in your shoes and was going to give it up, I would want my child taken care of by someone who actually wants it. But in the end, it’s up to you,” Austin said, hedging his response.

His only thought on the matter was that Mia probably should seek help in making the decision. Anyone who would believe their body wasn’t ready to have a baby and they, therefore, wouldn’t get pregnant probably shouldn’t be making life-changing decisions on their own.