Chapter 3

Austin was summoned to the counselor’s office during the first period the following day. When he was called in, Mr. Winehouse asked as he sat down, “How have your first few days been going?”

“Fine.”

“I’ve talked to your teachers, and they say you’re struggling because you missed months of classes, that you’re a bright kid but need some help to catch up. Would you say that’s correct?”

“I’ll catch up.”

“You might, but I think it might be best if you started attending our after-school tutoring sessions.”

Austin shook his head and said, “I can’t. I work after school.”

“You must be at least sixteen to have a job,” Mr. Winehouse said.

“Not true. The rule for non-farm work is that you need to be at least fourteen. Since I work on a farm, that rule doesn’t apply. While researching labor laws, I discovered that no matter your age, your employer has to pay at least minimum wage. When I found that out, I informed my dad that he owed me a bunch of back wages.”

“What did he have to say to that?”

Austin scowled.

“He said when I start paying rent and buying my own groceries, we can talk about me getting a wage. He showed me the grocery bill, and I decided I’d be his slave labor for now.”

“Perhaps I should talk to your dad,” Mr. Winehouse offered.

“No, don’t. My dad just bought me a horse, and I could never afford to feed it and me at the same time.”

“How about if we arrange it so you can be tutored during your lunch hour?” Mr. Winehouse suggested, trying to get the conversation back on track.

“That would be great,” Austin said.

“I’ll get a tutor assigned and have them get in touch with you,” Mr. Winehouse said, handing Austin a hall pass.

As he walked to class, Austin wondered why he didn’t need a pass to go to the guidance office. Some things just didn’t make sense.

Right before lunch, Austin received a note saying he should meet his new tutor in the library. When he walked in, Austin froze. Sitting at a table and waiting for him was none other than Miss Tina Wilkens, Maverick’s date for the dance.

He’d heard she was good-looking, but seeing her up close ... well, she took his breath away. Tina’s short black hair shone. If she were outside, it might’ve blinded him. She looked at him and smiled, which struck him dumb.

“You must be Austin. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

All he could do was nod.

“I’ve reserved one of the study rooms. I hope you brought your lunch because we’ll be brown-bagging it for the next couple of weeks,” Tina said.

Austin secretly hoped it would be months. The rumor mill said she was a bright, happy girl everyone adored. Every other guy was jealous because Tina had said ‘yes’ to Maverick for the big dance. Seeing her this close made Austin fall into the jealous camp because she looked like a model.

Tina was tall for a girl—she could look Austin in the eye, and he was five-ten. The average girl was about six inches shorter. And Tina’s skin was flawless; no zit would ever dare mar perfection.

Once they closed the door to the study room and sat down, Tina was all business, which put Austin at ease. Her demeanor allowed him to focus on the work and not on the angel sitting across from him.

When they got into the truck to go home, Zeb asked, “Any fights today?”

“Luke was out getting his nose checked,” Maverick said, “so Austin didn’t have his usual target to mess with.”

“Instead, he was spending time with your date,” Nora said.

This time, it was Maverick’s turn to give Austin a measured look. Usually, that was Zeb’s job.

“Mr. Winehouse asked her to tutor me to help me catch up in my classes,” Austin said. But then, when Maverick turned back around, he added, “She’s very thorough. I would’ve been going to school back in Montana if I knew sex education was so hands-on.”

Even Zeb barked out a laugh when Maverick’s face turned dark red. The look Mav gave Austin had the younger boy worried he might go three-for-three on fights this week. This time, he might have his hands full.

“Speaking of the dance, I need to decide on a dress and figured I would ask for a boy’s advice,” Nora said, changing the subject.

Austin turned to focus on the landscape when she pulled out her phone to show her dad and brothers her options.

Once they got to the house, Austin was out the door and running. Maverick was hot on his heels, but Austin outran him. The two of them ended up in the barn, breathing heavily, with Zeb and Travis joining them to ensure no one died.

“Dang, you’re fast,” Maverick said with a half-smile. “You need to come out for football next year. You could intercept all of Luke’s passes.”

“Are you boys okay?” Zeb asked.

“Yeah. I was just busting on Mav. He’s a lucky guy,” Austin said.

“Don’t I know it? I’m sure every straight guy at school would be willing to give up significant body parts to date Tina. She’s so nice that when guys ask her out and she turns them down, they don’t have any hard feelings. I still can’t believe she hasn’t fallen for anyone yet. I really want this to work,” Maverick said.

“Maverick’s in love,” Travis drawled.

Maverick didn’t take the bait as he contemplated what his brother had said.

“I have to tend to the horses. If you all gave me a hand...” Austin started.

“I need to check on something,” Zeb said.

“Us too,” Maverick said with a quick smile as they all left.

Austin shook his head as he checked on Bliss, the only horse in the barn.

“You ready to get out of here?”

She snorted to let him know he was taking too long.

Once Austin was done, he climbed the stairs to the apartment, where he found his dad dressed in slacks and a dress shirt.

“I have a class,” Clay said to his son’s unasked question. “The chamber’s offering a business management course that Zeb recommended. You’ll be on your own for dinner for the next few weeks. I put some things in the freezer you can microwave.”

“Maybe later. I’m going to take Red for a ride and explore a bit.”

“Take your fishing rod. There are three lakes and a river, and Zeb says there are good-sized catfish in the lake at the end of the north trail. There are chicken livers in the fridge and shrimp in the freezer. You’ll find a small pasture Red can explore next to the lake,” Clay said.

Sometimes, his dad had great ideas.

After his dad left, Austin gathered everything he expected he might need for his outing and put it into his saddle bag. He’d put on a long-sleeve shirt because his dad had complained about the deerflies. Their bites were painful, and insect repellent did almost nothing. He also packed a jacket in case he was out later.

When he came back downstairs, he found Nora and Travis saddling their horses.

“Your dad told us you were going fishing,” Travis explained.

He noticed that Nora wore a tank top.

“You might want to get a heavy long-sleeve shirt.”

“When I want fashion advice from a cowboy, I’ll ask.”

Austin shrugged, then saddled Red, broke down everyone’s fishing rods, wrapped them in horse blankets, and tied them to the back of his saddle.

On the ride to the lake, Nora only wanted to talk about the dance. She filled Travis in on who all was going with whom.