Page 65 of For the Love of the Lawyer

Mickey flopped onto d up on the bed and bounced a little, bringing giggles from Megan. "Feels pretty cozy. So, you'd want to paint it purple?"

She looked around the room and then at the comforter folded neatly on the bench at the end of the bed. "Maybe it's too pretty to paint purple. It's pretty like it is, right? You like it?" The little sweetheart snuggled up to him.

They both heard Jon laugh. "I guarantee you that Nana Ally would paint this room gold if you wanted it, Angel. Should we go downstairs to see what smells so good?"

Megan stood on the bed and took Mickey's hand, allowing him to help her down the stairs. She turned to them with a beaming smile, and Mickey was finding it hard not to just throw up his hands into the air in surrender. There was a lot to consider, but he could see Megan would be perfectly happy ensconced at the Wells' horse farm. That was one less thing about which to worry.

When Mickey pulled up to the barn at the Circle C and turned off the motor on the crew cab, he was surprised he'd made it home because he hadn't really paid too much attention to getting there. He'd been on autopilot since Jon had spoken to him on Friday night about moving to Dillwyn and running Allison's operation. The trail ride that the group had taken around theproperty that morning was like a guided tour from a real estate agent—hard sell included.

"This is another hayfield we rotate. This year, we got three good cuttings off it, two horse cuttings and one for cattle. The last cutting, we square baled for a pumpkin farm for their Fall Festival Maze, so it doesn't just sit around and go to waste.

"As I'm sure you've noticed, we use bedding pellets instead of sawdust or straw in the barn stalls. It's biodegradable and friendlier to the pastures. I only cut hay on half the land. I rent the other two-hundred acres to a cattle farmer who lives on the other side. Andy Edwards, and his wife Michele, are older than Jon, and they have two kids. Penny is seven and AJ is eleven, I think.

"They're very nice people, and I think AJ and Terry would get along very well. They’d ride the same bus, and it would be nice for Terry to have a boy near his own age to befriend. Hell, AJ might even be older than I think and could very well be in Terry's grade.

"Anyway, AJ rides the fences for me on their side of the pasture, but if all of you lived here, you could make that a chore for Terry to join him. Of course, I'd pay him like I pay AJ," Ally explained as they rode behind Meg and Terry who seemed to be having their own conversation.

Mickey sighed. "What about the breedin' program here?"

"Oh, I have a feeling you and I will get along well regarding the horses. See, I want…" Allison went on to explain her philosophy regarding her horses. She wanted to breed quality stock, train them to lead and be social, and then sell them to top-notch farms in horse country for them to take over the specialized training themselves.

She was looking forward to the Ebony Prince Charles foals because they would be her first test of her choices of mares.Building the stock was her primary concern, and as she explained it to Mickey, he couldn't help but long to be a part of it.

Ally continued with a tender smile, "I already have some of my former competitors interested in looking at the foals when they're born. I believe we could really make a name for the farm, Mickey. We have similar philosophies regarding the care and feeding of livestock, and having you care for things here at the farm will make Ham so much happier than the current set up. Ham wants Clyde gone as soon as possible.”

"Yeah, Jonny told me about Clyde. Where is he, by the way?"

"I gave him a week's vacation. I think he's in New York. Anyway, we’ll turn back after we get to the next fork. I'll show you this really great little meadow where I can see Meggie running through all the wildflowers. There's even a creek there where I stop to let the horses drink or wade myself if it's a hot day. Ham and I have snuck down there for picnics when I can get him on a horse.”

The knock on the window brought Mickey out of his daydreaming. He smiled at Danny standing there with a puzzled look. "Hey. How was the weekend? Any word from Matt or Tim?" Mickey opened the door before he hopped out.

"They called on Saturday to say they're all havin' a great time, and they've decided to stay till today. They’ll be home soon I suspect. They went to that Universal Park thing where Harry Potterland is, and Rocky wanted to go back so they stayed an extra day. How was everything in Dillwyn? Megan get along okay with Josie?" Dan followed Mickey to the back of the trailer to release the donkey.

Josie turned and followed Mickey out without a protest or him holding the lead, and he knew he wanted her for Megan. "She was perfect. How much you think Ryan would sell her for? Megan is so in love with her, it ain't funny.”

Danny chuckled as he retrieved the small saddle and tack from the ledge in the two-horse trailer. "I think if you'd let Ryan breed her to Chief, that stallion of Josh's, they'd let you take the donkey for nothin’ if you'd give him the foal."

Mickey laughed. "Yeah, I know they've wanted to breed her to Chief. You think Matt would allow me to take her off the ranch and watch over her till she foals?" Mickey led the little donkey through the barn to turn her out into the upper pasture for a while so she could exercise after the three-hour ride from Dillwyn.

Mickey stared out into the fields, taking in the view he knew he’d miss if he ever left the Circle C. He was imagining how it would be not to care for the horses or the residents at the ranch when he felt a smack to the back of his head, pulling him from his trance to hear Danny laughing. "What's up your ass, man?"

Mickey stood, rubbing his head, next to the oak gate at the back of the barn and watched Josie trot along the property, snorting at the cattle in her company. Most of them were cows and calves that liked to run along the fence when a horse was in the upper pasture. He wondered if Josie would miss her bovine friends if she went to live at the farm in Dillwyn.

He took a deep, confident breath and looked at Danny. "I got a job offer this weekend. Well, it's a lot more than that, and I'm not sure what to do about it. If I turn it down, I could be happy here at the ranch, but I'd be givin' up a lot. If I take it, I'd be happy there, but same deal. I'm not sure what the hell to do," he explained quietly as Dan leaned next to him.

"Which decision will cause you the most regrets? That's the one thing you gotta think seriously about, Mick. Livin' a life of regret will eat you alive.” Danny limped away without another word. It was the first time Mickey had noticed the man limping, but it had been rainy, and he knew Matt complained about the damp weather bringing out aches and pains he'd rather forget.

Mickey locked the gate to the pasture and went into the barn to check the other horses, seeing Charlie was out in the back lot Matt had built off his roomy stall. The horse was muddy as hell, and Mickey was immediately pissed off because obviously, the stallion hadn't just been left out for the afternoon. Someone had left him out all night, probably, and it had come a hard rain the night before, as evidenced by the mud around the ranch.

Mick went to the office to check the schedule, seeing Wayne and Adam had been working that weekend. He grabbed the walkie-talkies they had in the office and hit the button. "Adam? Wayne? It's Mick.”

There was a squelch, and then a laugh. "Yeah, Mick. Adam here. When'd you get back?"

"Why is Charlie in the outdoor pen covered in mud?" Mickey didn’t bother to answer the guy’s question about when he’d returned.

"Nando turned him out yesterday and didn't say we should bring him back in.” Mickey rolled his eyes because how fucking stupid could a person be to watch an expensive stallion stand in mud up to his fetlocks and not let him back into a dry barn?

"Well, where's Nando?"

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