Page 10 of For the Love of the Broken Man

Jase had joked after a day where he’d assisted Ethan Sachs in gathering semen from Charlie at the Circle C.

“Did you know a mare can foal until she’s about twelve, but a stallion can continue to breed mares until he’s about ready to die? Hell, it sounds like people.” Danny wasn’t clued in on that part of the ranch, but it seemed Jason was eager to learn everything he could about the operation.

“Well, let’s hope we’re that lucky.” Dan’s comment had made Jase laugh.

“Yeah, I guess we’d be lucky. Thank for the ride home, Dan.” Jase hopped out of the truck and gave him a quick wave.

Dan smiled as he drove to Mrs. Philips’ house to pick up Kayley. For the rest of the evening, he thought about how eager Jase was to talk to him about horses, and he felt bad for dismissing the young man. He hoped to be more cordial to him the next time they were together.

The eventual compromise reached between the Circle C and the Katydid was that Jase would continue to work part-time at the Circle C, but he’d use the office in the house instead of the one at the barn. Dan hoped it meant he’d still get to pick up the guy and see him at lunchtime. Jase Langston was starting to grow on him.

“What do ya mean he’s leavin’?” Dan stood inside the farmhouse at the Katydid. He’d stopped by to pick up Jase for work at the Circle C on a Friday morning. When Miss Katie met him at the door with a hard look on her face, he was worried.

“I mean, Josh is takin’ him to Dillwyn to work at Wonderland for Jon and Mick.Y’all are so goddamn harsh over there, it occurred to me you don’t know how to nurture a young man who’s tryin’ to figure out his life, so I called Mickey. He can encourage the boy better than any of you. Hell, Tim and Matt won’t let the boy stay at the ranch because of Rocky and Ryan. I’m ashamed of them for that behavior.”

“I think it was more because of the adopt—” Dan tried to defend Tim and Matt’s behavior, but Miss Katie was having none of it.

“That boy came here lookin’ for anybody to give a fiddler’s damn about him and maybe give him a shot at makin’ somethin’ of himself, and all y’all acted like damn fools. I don’t wanna see or talk to any of ya for a while so I’m goin’ to Florida to see my cousin, Freda.

“I feel for poor Kayley with the likes of you bein’ her parent. Don’t mess up that little girl, Daniel.” She walked down the hallway without a goodbye, leaving him to stand alone in the kitchen feeling as if he’d been kicked in the gut.

Dan knew everyone at the Circle C had been in a tizzy since the kid had shown up, but he didn’t think it had been as bad as Katie made it sound. Of course, he didn’t know the boy’s story before he’d arrived in Holloway. If Jase had come out to his parents and they hadn’t taken it well, Dan could see how it could have gone south and led to the kid leaving home.

Hell, Dan hadn’t had the guts to come out to his own mother, but Zach knew it well enough. Of course, there was nothing going on in Dan’s life worth mentioning to his mother, which was likely why Zach felt like it was okay to leave their mother in Dan’s care. He had the time because he had nothing else to do.

Danny stood there pondering why he’d been so shitty to the younger guy, and he knew why before the question registered in his mind. He was attracted to Jason Langston. The boy had him tied up in knots, and the fact there was nine years between them only made Dan feel guiltier.

When Josh walked into the house with a frown on his face, Dan was immediately on alert. “Where’s—”

“What the fuck do you people—? Never mind. I’m takin’ the boy to Mickey and Jon’s, so you let those yahoos over at the Circle C know y’all won’t have to deal with him anymore. Mick is excited to have him there to help with Terry and Meggie, along with the business. We’ve lost a good hand with a lot of promise, but you jackasses at the Circle C oughta be happy again, I s’pose.” Josh poured himself a cup of coffee without looking at Dan.

Heath Sachs walked into the house in stocking feet before Dan could respond. “Hey, boss. You gonna bring back the hinny?” They were referring to the little foal Josie the jenny had delivered after she’d been bred to Chief, one of Josh’s stallions.

Josh sipped his coffee. “Nope. I’m leavin’ her for Mick to train for Meggie when she gets older. Blossom has gaited horse in her, thanks to Chief, so she should do well for that little girl. Mick told me Meggie won’t get too tall, so that little hinny should be perfect for her for a long time.”

Heath laughed. “I’ll break the news gently to Ethan because he was lookin’ forward to seein’ her. He still wishes he hadn’t grown out of ridin’ Josie.”

Dan knew the history behind their discussion, and he wished Mickey and Jon lived closer because he counted Mickey Warren as one of his best friends, and he needed guidance. His heart felt heavy at the idea of Jason Langston leaving Holloway. He’d fallen asleep every night for a month to the smile on the young man’s face as it appeared behind his eyelids. The thought of not seeing it every day made his chest tighten.

“Yeah, well, they’re family, and Meggie loves Josie. Mick talked about a bad hoof, and if I was willin’ to talk to my son-in-law, I’d send him to Dillwyn to take a look because she can’t wear a shoe. Since I ain’t talkin’ to ‘em, I’m gonna call Bart Grant and ask him to call a vet in the area to go take a look at my expense.”

“Why ain’t you talkin’ to Tim and Matt?” Dan was surprised.

Josh frowned. “The boy won’t work over there because he’s afraid of Matthew, and there has to be a reason, though Jase won’t tell me why. Obviously, this hasn’t been a good situation for him, so goin’ to Dillwyn seems like the best answer.”

“Let me take Jase to Dillwyn. I’ll take Kayley because she’s been complainin’ about not seein’ Terry and Meggie. I’ll get a referral from Doc Grant, though I’m pretty damn sure Mick knows a good vet. Ally Wells runs high-priced stock, Josh.”

Josh chuckled. “Yeah, you’re right. I’d bet she could buy us with her pen money. Anyway, if Josie’s not doin’ well, bring her home. It’s comin’ on summer, and I know Megan would like to have a mount, but if Josie’s not seriously lame, it won’t take long for her to heal up. If she’s in bad shape, bring her home. She was Ryan’s first mount and—just bring her home. Take my small trailer, just in case.”

Dan nodded and turned to the stairs when he heard Jason walk down. He was holding that green duffel with his last name on the outside. “Oh, um, Dan. I guess this is goodbye.”

Danny chuckled. “Now, you’re not gettin’ away from me so quick. I’m takin’ ya to Dillwyn. I’ll be back in two hours to pick ya up, and we’ll get on the road. I gotta get Kayley and pack some bags, but I’ll be back.” He saw the boy was surprised, but Danny hoped to hell that he could clear some shit up between them on the ride. He’d sort it in his head as he drove home and pray it wouldn’t be a disaster.

Chapter Six

Things in Holloway hadn’t gone smoothly at all. Working at the Katydid was great, but they didn’t have enough work to keep someone as inexperienced as Jase busy every day. Jase got the impression the only people willing to teach him things at the farm were Josh Simmons and Ethan Sachs, who also helped at the Circle C.

Of course, Ethan had grown up around the ranch hands, so while everyone treated him like a member of the family, they didn’t hold the same affection for Jase. When he’d called Savannah on the prepaid phone that she and Andy had given him, he could hear she was upset.

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