Page 22 of His Eighth Ride

Gerty started to type, but Tag lowered his phone again. Several seconds later, he lifted his phone again. Believe it or not, I’ve set up an interview for Thursday.

Oh, yeah? Who is it? Someone we know?

Yes, Gerty said. It’s Steele Harris. He’s been working with Hunter and Matt for a couple of years now, and I think he might be ready for more responsibility and less management.

Tag read her message quickly, then read it again. You think that or Hunter thinks that? Or Steele’s daddy thinks that?

I did get it from Travis, Gerty admitted. Which is why I’m going to interview him. We don’t have time to be babysitting here.

No, they did not, and Tag sent her a thumbs-up emoji.

I want you to sit in on the interview, Gerty said. It’s here at the farm. Thursday at nine a.m.

I’ll be there, Tag said. He tucked his phone away again, and having silenced his alarm, he dozed for several more minutes. Then he had to move his arm as it started to tingle.

Opal moved too, and she sat all the way up, a long groan pulling from her. “It’s so early,” she said.

“Yes, it is.” Tag watched as she got up and stumbled over to the door. She raised the lights and came back to the dogs. “Howdy, Max. Hey, boy.”

The German shepherd licked her hand and whined, and Opal got up and went to the sink to wash her hands. Tag sat up and scrubbed his hands through his hair. He wanted a hot breakfast, a hot shower, and the ability to go back to bed.

He didn’t think he’d get that until at least tonight, and even then, Tag would need to set an alarm to check on Boots often. One thing at a time, he told himself, just like the pastor had said at church yesterday.

God didn’t expect him to know everything at once. He expected Tag to show an interest in learning what He had to teach, and once he’d learned one thing, He’d teach him another. Step by step. Line by line. One by one.

So he just needed to make it through the next hour, and that was breakfast, a shower, and getting the horses fed.

“I haven’t seen this hour since I worked the ER,” Opal said as she straightened. “It looks really good, Tag. I only put in four stitches, and I think it’ll heal up just fine.”

“How are his paws?”

“No damage on the pads at all,” Opal said. “It’s all up about the forearm. Scratches and whatnot that are pretty superficial.” She reached for his hand, and he got to his feet as if she’d pulled him there. “You—we—slept in the barn together.”

He smiled down at her and slid his free hand along her waist. “Scandalous. We laid on the blow-up couch all night.”

“All night?” She scoffed. “Six hours is not all night.”

“You’ve gotten a little....”

“Finish that sentence,” she teased. “I dare you.”

He chuckled and looked at the mess around them. The couch. The blankets. The first aid kits. The two dogs, both of whom looked at him.

“Hey, Boots.” Tag dropped to the ground at the same time as someone opened the barn door behind him. His corgi looked at him with such trust in his eyes, and Tag experienced a ripping slash of guilt. “Hey, buddy. You’re okay, aren’t you?” He stroked his head, hoping the pup could forgive him.

“Opal,” Gerty said with plenty of surprise in her voice. “What are you doing out here?”

“Trying to wake up,” Opal said. “Although, I don’t know why. I’m going to go back to bed.”

“You slept out here?” Gerty said, and Tag looked over his shoulder to her. She put her hand on the back of the purple couch, looked at it, then Opal, and then finally Tag. She didn’t have West in a sling attached to her chest or back, which meant Mike hadn’t left for the office yet.

“Yes,” Tag said. “We couldn’t just leave Boots.”

“You couldn’t just leave him,” Gerty said, and she trained her blue-eyed fire on her sister-in-law.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that. That was one of the worst nights of my life, and I worked in an ER in Burbank for years. I’ve had better rest on a cot in a crowded doctor’s lounge, for crying out loud.”

Tag chuckled, though he sincerely hoped last night wasn’t one of the worst nights of her life. He hadn’t slept much, no, but holding her in his arms? Tag would gladly do that again.

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