Page 6 of Tom's Chance
“Oh my god, that was brilliant. That’s what Riceman Stallions is all about?”
“Yes, and the men help Tom when it’s time to extract more. We have a special barn that they dubbed ‘the sex barn’ that is where all the mating happens, false and real.”
“False mating is extracting the sperm?”
“Yes.”
“Wait, you said guys and men, aren’t they the same?”
“No. My guys have been on this ranch since before I was born. I don’t think you’ve met them yet, but they are Wendell, Floyd, and Virgil. The men are like Reid, and the ones that work over at Broken. They are the men that served with Clark in the military.”
“Clark is your brother?”
“Yes, he’s in charge of the construction of Broken Two. We should plan a BBQ for next weekend so you can meet everyone.”
“That sounds good. Now, what can you tell me about Misty? Which horse is she? I will be the first to admit that I have to spend time at each ranch in order to get to know the horses yet.”
“Misty is the mule.” Erin laughed and told her how she ended up having possession of Misty. Atthe end, they were both laughing, and Erin said she had to get back to her office. Before she left, she paused and looked at Lorissa. “Talk to Naomi at Broken, I believe the files for all the horses are at the ranches. Like my stallions are in the barn office Tom shares with Duane, or rather Duane shared with Tom, because Tom was there first. Naomi has all of the files for the horses at Broken in her office, and since New Double is still well, new. I’m not sure who has the files. Talk to Naomi about them. They might be at New Double and Cole might be in charge of them, because he was when everything was in Wyoming.”
“Wow, that’s a lot.”
“Yeah, but take your time, and if you could, could you please make sure that Naomi has your cell number in case there’s an emergency? Also, make sure Cole has it. Explain who you are and what you do, and it should go smoothly. I saw Tom just yesterday and don’t expect him back for at least another month, unless there’s an emergency.”
“I do that with the phone. Maybe the next time I’m in town I’ll stop by the vet office to talk with him about sharing vet duties here.”
“That would be a wonderful idea. Good luck with Misty,” she laughed, and Lorissa scowled after her, wondering why she acted that way. She shrugged as she gathered her things and put them in her truck. After she packed up, she went into her house, washedup, made a quick sandwich, and ate it as she went looking for her grandmother.
“Nana,” Lorissa called out as she approached the greenhouses and smiled when the older woman came out brushing the dirt off her front. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, just cleaning up around here. It’s too late to get plants in the ground, but I want to clean out these greenhouses to get ready for next spring. I can still start my herbs.”
“Good, Erin stopped in and I have to go over to Broken to not only reshoe Peaches, but something is wrong with Misty.”
“Not that I’ll ever remember, but which one is Misty?”
“The mule.”
“Ah, got it. Have you eaten?”
“Yes, and I think you need to, also.” Lorissa frowned when Lois turned to walk away and came back with a sandwich with several bites out of it. It was in a plastic baggie, and she moved the plastic to take a big bite. They shared a laugh, and Lorissa went on her way to go help a horse/mule with their feet. A thought struck her, and by the time she arrived she was laughing at herself. She exited the truck looked around, and whispered, “Who needs a pedicure today, ladies?”
CHAPTER 3
Tom satin his truck as he finished up a call with a rancher, and told him he would be out there as soon as he could. Based on the call, it wasn’t an emergency so he knew he could do this ‘date’ thing with Leslie. After talking it over with Duane the day before, he hadn’t realized how pissed he was that he would have been played if he hadn’t gone with his gut and had Duane do a background check on his date. He looked up when he saw people walking in and out of the bakery, and hadn’t realized how nervous or upset he wasn’t sure what yet, until he saw both Stone and Jake walk into the building.
On a sigh, he looked at his watch and noted that it was about two minutes away from the time he said he would meet Leslie. He put his phone away, made sure his wallet was locked in his glove box, because there was no way he could leave it at home, and putthe cash he’d withdrawn earlier in his pocket. As he exited his truck, he saw a woman approach the bakery and called out while she was still several feet away.
“Leslie?” Tom didn’t know if he should be worried when she didn’t answer right away, and he had to call her name a couple of times. She finally acknowledged him when he stopped in front of her. “Leslie?” This time he was hesitant to ask.
“Oh, yes, Tom, right? I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you calling me before.”
Tom knew immediately that it was a lie, because why would she say she didn’t hear him call her name if she had heard him and hadn’t realized he was calling her. His first thought was whether Leslie really was her name, or was it the name of one of her victims?
“Yes, I’m Tom,” he said as they turned, and he opened the door for her. “What would you like?”
“If you give me your credit card, I’ll order for us, if you want to sit down.” She was brazen at her request and all Tom could do was raise his brows in shock.
“I’m sorry, but I wasn’t raised that way. It goes against my nature to have the woman pay when we are out on a date.” He knew she had told him to give her his credit card, but he played dumb.
