Page 95 of Outlaw

With my gaze out the side window and my thoughts on everything that had happened since I had woken up, Stevie’s, “I SEE A HAWSE!” caused me to jump.

I snapped my gaze from the fenced-off fields on my right to look directly ahead. Several yards away sat a red barn, and just outside of it was a buckskin quarter horse.

“I want to pet it!” Stevie exclaimed, her hands clasped together at her chest as she peered over the dashboard.

Linc slowed the truck and came to a stop outside the barn.

“Then, let’s go,” Linc said as he swung open his door.

“Is that…do you have stables?” I asked him.

He reached to take Stevie as she crawled over to him, and his eyes lifted to meet mine. “They’re part of the reason we bought this property. Cash Stables is where the family raises their thoroughbreds in Mississippi, but I wanted something smaller. Mine. But I just never got around to getting horses moved into it. These two had been at Cash Stables for about a year now. I’d bought them on a trip to Alabama with Bane to look at a thoroughbred he wanted to buy.”

He had stables. This was not the surprise I had expected. I’d not really thought too much about the surprise, honestly. I’d been too wrapped up in my boots and Linc buying them becauseof a memory I hadn’t realized he had.

Stevie slapped his back as he held her. “Let’s go!” she urged him.

He nodded, smiling at her before looking back at me. “Get out, Ringlets.”

I reached for the door handle and pushed it open, then hurried to get down out of the truck. My gaze took in every detail of the scene around me. There had to be over thirty acres out here that was fenced in. That wasn’t bad for only two horses. The barn looked freshly painted, although the rustic older-style feel to it remained intact. I loved that. It wasn’t flashy, like the rest of his life seemed to be. This was simply functional.

Linc put Stevie down, and she took off running over to the fence where the pale golden horse watched us. Its black mane and tail fluttered gently in the breeze.

“I’m ashamed to say that she’d never been around horses until we were in Ocala,” I told him.

“She mentioned that. But she’s young. We’ve got plenty of time to turn that around.”

I smiled and watched her as she held on to the wooden fence with her head tilted back so that she could stare up at it.

Linc walked up behind her and picked her up under the arms, then sat her on the post while keeping his arm wrapped around her waist. “Stevie, meet Diane,” he said as he reached out and ran a hand down the horse’s head.

“Diane?” I asked, scrunching my nose. “Odd name for a horse.”

He cut his gaze to me. “Shh, you’ll hurt her feelings.”

I suppressed a grin.

Linc let out a whistle. “Jack!” he called out, then pointed toward the barn as a blue roan quarter horse emerged.

I’d only ever seen photos of a quarter horse this color. They weren’t easy to breed for, and they weren’t cheap.

The names clicked then, and I swung my gaze back to Linc.

“Jack and Diane,” I said aloud.

He nodded. “Yep. Life goes on.”

A laugh bubbled out of me.

“Don’t laugh at theyah names, Mommy,” Stevie scolded me. “It’s not nice.”

I nodded, looking at him one more time before shifting my attention back to Jack. “You’re right, Vivi Lu,” I replied. “I’m sorry.”

“Can I wide them?” Stevie asked, turning her head to look up at Linc.

He nodded. “Want to go inside and check out your tack?”

She had no idea what tack was, but she nodded her head as if she did. I watched as he put her booted feet back on the ground. She immediately reached for his hand, and seeing him wrap his much larger one around hers never got old for me.

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