Page 22 of Wasted On You

“Yep.” Her mouth was pursed as she shrugged into her winter coat. “I swear I smelled some of that there cannabis the young ones like to smoke.”

“Now, Arlene, it’s perfectly legal to buy pot these days.”

She lifted her chin in disapproval. “That is the stupidest thing I ever heard. What is this world coming to?”

He kept his smile to himself.

“There are studies that show it can help folks in certain medical situations.”

“Jacob Clappison doesn’t have a medical situation, and he’s nowhere near twenty-one.”

“Noted.”

“I’m just saying he’s wild and needs more supervision than he’s getting.”

Mike Paul frowned. “I thought his parents were back together.”

“Mary Margaret told me that his momma left weeks ago. Run off again with some man who delivers fruit to the grocery store, and the two of them haven’t been seen since. It’s just Jacob and his daddy. And everyone knows Marcus Clappison is a no-good drunk.”

“Huh. I didn’t know.”

“Like I said. Keep an eye on him.” Arlene’s eyes narrowed a bit. “And behave yourself this weekend. Stay away from Ivy Wilkens and that handsome fiancé of hers.”

He opened his mouth to reply, but his sarcastic comeback died on his tongue because she moved past him with a parting shot he didn’t see coming.

“Oh, and your mother’s waiting for you in the house.”

“She’s supposed to be in Florida.”

“That may be, but right now, she’s making herself a tea in your kitchen.”

“Dad with her?” he asked, hopefully.

“Not that I saw.”

Arlene opened the door, letting in a whistle of wind and a gust of snow, and then disappeared.

Great. If his mother was here without his dad, it meant only one thing. She wanted to talk about something, and generally speaking, the things his mother wanted to talk about weren’t things he wanted to discuss.

Mike Paul squared away his work kit and looked longingly at his office. Not that he enjoyed paperwork, but he’d rather spend the next two hours at his desk than being grilled by his mother. He loved the woman, but she was too nosy, and had no doubt heard about his less-than-stellar appearance at the Sundowner the previous weekend.

There was no avoiding Melody Darlington, so he turned off the lights and headed to the barn, knowing he’d buy a few minutes to get his head on straight before dealing with his mother.

He had a crew of four—one girl and three boys—that worked his place. The time spent and eventual evaluation he gave would be put toward a course credit. The girl, Sandy, blushed as soon as she saw him, then stammered over her words while filling him in on the status of the kennel.

“Thanks for looking after things.” He nodded and smiled. She blushed harder, and when one of the boys, Cade, started to tease her, he shut it down immediately. She had a crush on Mike Paul—that much was obvious—but she sure as heck didn’t need to be teased about it.

They were ready to head back to town, save for Jacob, who was still in the last stall with a yearling that had been found running wild with obvious signs of torture and neglect. He told the kids to warm up their vehicle and headed to the other end of the barn. When he got there, he paused, watching as the teenager gently ran hands over the colt’s head and murmured to him. The young horse’s ears were forward, a good sign, and the animal wasn’t trembling—also a good sign.

“He ready for the night?” Mike Paul asked quietly.

Jacob nodded and stepped back. The kid was tall for his age, with long legs and arms that he still needed to grow into. He wore a ball cap backward, and his pants damn near hung off his skinny butt, kept in place by a wide leather belt. His hair, long and touching the tops of his shoulders, hid most of his face, though when he turned a bit, Mike Paul frowned.

“That’s some shiner.”

Jacob shrugged, and head down, moved past Mike Paul.

“Who hit you?”

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