Page 258 of The Texas Sterling Collection
Felix wondered what Joey meant bya few things,but figured he would find out sooner or later. His own father was unapproachable, so almost everything fell into the 'we don’t discuss such things'category. Discussions with his father were not discussions but orders and accusations, all one-sided with no acceptable responses. He longed for conversations. Like he learned in his government class, exchanges of ideas, and the finding of common ground or comparison of differences. The ease of talking with Joey surprised him. It was as if Joeywantedto hear what he had to say andcaredabout his opinions. His initial dread of being in a strange place with people he didn’t know eased a bit more.
Joey pointed toward the front of the house. “Let’s put away the carriage and then curry Maybelle.”
Felix climbed into the carriage. Joey untethered Maybelle and then climbed in. He shook the reins and clicked his cheek twice. The carriage moved forward. Felix glanced at Joey. “We have a spot for our carriage in the barn. Do you keep your carriage in your barn?”
Joey shook his head. “No. We need that space for ranching. Pa had a small carriage house built onto the side of the barn. It keeps the carriage out of the sun and the weather.” He steered Maybelle to an enclosure on the east side of the barn. Doors were open on both ends. “I opened it up before I came in the house.” Maybelle entered the carriage house. Joey stopped her once the carriage was inside and hopped out.
Felix hopped out, helped Joey unhitch the carriage, and removed the harness from Maybelle. Felix put her halter on while Joey hung the harness on the wall hooks. Felix led her out of the carriage house, and Joey closed the north doors.
Joey beamed at Felix. “You're comfortable around horses.” They walked together around the outside of the carriage house.
Maybelle plodded along beside Felix. “Yes, I take care of the horses at home. I know about hitching, saddling, and currying.”
“That’s interesting, Felix. Pa said he thought you didn’t know much about ranching at all. Maybelle is at ease around you. Horses have a sense of people, so Maybelle’s reaction to you tells me a lot. You’ll be a great rancher.”
Joey’s compliment warmed Felix's insides. Except for his teachers telling him he was a good student, no one else complimented him. His father never did, even though Felix tried hard to please him. Summer on the Sterling Ranch was becoming less and less uncertain.
In the barn, Felix inhaled the pungent aroma of hay and the scent of horses. He liked being in the barn at his house in Blackfield. The structure was small, and the two Bonner horses didn’t require much care, but he enjoyed mucking out the stalls and adding fresh hay to the mangers. He loved the aroma of the steeds as he curried them after a ride. This barn dwarfed the stable in Blackfield. He counted the stalls. Eight. “Wow, this barn is huge,” Felix stared with his mouth open. “And so many horses.”
“This is a ranch, Felix. We raise horses and breed cattle.”
“Gosh, I never thought of that.” He peeked at Joey. “I’m eager to learn about horse and cattle breeding.”
“I’ll teach you all I know, Felix. Pa will help, too. He and Ma talked about having you here for the summer, and they both agreed it was a good idea. I’m glad they did.”
Joey’s beaming face caused a strange fluttering in Felix’s stomach, and he directed his gaze to Maybelle. Perhaps he was hungry. That sandwich for lunch was okay, but he yearned for a meal with his new family. “Which stall is Maybelle’s?”
“That one.” Joey pointed to an open stall. “You guide her in, then I’ll introduce you to the other horses and show you where everything is. We’ll curry her after that.”
After Felix got Maybelle situated in her stall, Joey took him around to the other horses. “This here is Noah.” Joey stroked the muzzle of the large brown horse. Noah nickered at Joey’s touch. “He’s a gentle horse, about right for you, Felix.”
Felix needed to show Joey he was comfortable around horses. “I’m a good rider, Joey.”
“Well, in that case, we’ll give you a horse with spirit.” Joey tugged Felix’s sleeve to the next stall. “Meet Sparkle, so named because of the sparkle in his eyes. He’s spirited. If you’re going to be my riding partner, you’ll have to keep up.”
Noticing the twinkle in Joey’s eye, Felix turned his attention to Sparkle. He never knew anyone with a twinkle in their eye. Nobody was as friendly toward him as Joey. He kinda liked it. He stroked the muzzle of the beautiful white quarter horse. “I can handle that, Joey.” Sparkle nodded his head and sputtered, nudging Felix, a sign that the two would get along.
“That is amazing, Felix.” Joey beamed. “Sparkle is never that calm for Pa or me. You must have a magic touch with horses.”
“Not that I know about.” Felix stroked Sparkle’s muzzle again, enjoying the feel of the horse under his hand. “But I can tell Sparkle is an amazing horse.”
“I’ll show you an amazing horse.” Joey tugged Felix’s arm to pull him toward another stall. “This is my horse, Lightning.” Joey’s words took on a gentle tone as he stroked the muzzle of the beautiful brown quarter horse. "The zig-zag white marking on his muzzle shaped like a lightning bolt.” Joey ran his index finger over the marking. “He’s a fast horse, fast as lightning.”
Heat rose from Felix's neck from Joey’s earlier grasp of his arm and from watching Joey caressing the horse’s muzzle. Seeing the loving way Joey’s strong hands stroked Lightning caused a stirring between his legs. What was that all about? He never saw anyone be as gentle with a horse as Joey. He thought that maybe he wanted Joey to be that gentle with him, too. It was an idea he dismissed. His father told him never to think about his man parts, but his own man part tried to pay attention to the caresses Joey gave to Lightning. “Lightning is a magnificent horse, Joey.” He gazed at the ground and toed the dirt with his boot, hoping Joey didn’t see his redness. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
“Me too, Felix.” Joey leaned against the stall. “We’ll saddle up in the morning, and I’ll take you around the ranch. It’s a massive spread, about thirteen hundred acres.”
Felix enjoyed riding, but his adventures on a horse were limited to riding around town. His father didn’t encourage competitive games like horse racing or rodeo contests he’d heard about. He never joined Felix on a ride. Being with Joey on a horseback ride on the open prairie sounded like fun. Emmaline was right. He was a bookworm. But now he had a chance at friendship and someone his own age to relate to. He grew to like the idea of ranching more and more.
Joey introduced him to the other horses, including his father’s horse, Patches, and the workhorse Buckshot. Dragging Felix around the barn, Joey pointed out the different areas. The roomy tack stall included six saddles, a stack of horse blankets, and currying tools. The tool stall contained pitchforks, shovels, rakes, and the usual assortment of carpentry tools. The farrier stall included a variety of shoeing tools along one side.
They climbed into the hayloft, and Joey pointed at the door at the south end, where they would hoist in hay bales to replenish the dwindling supply. As they strolled toward the ladder to go back down, Felix noticed a horse blanket spread out on a bed of hay. Why would anyone need a horse blanket in the loft?
“Let’s climb down and curry Maybelle. Then we’ll see if Ma has supper about ready. Okay, Felix?”
“Supper?” Felix followed Joey down the ladder. “Isn’t it kinda early?”
Joey laughed, and again, the deep, chesty laugh did funny things to Felix’s stomach. He must be hungry.
