Page 42 of Sean

“All right, do what you got to do, but don’t be a stranger for long. You know this business. You’re my preferred consultant, but sometimes the choice isn’t mine. If we end up locking in someone more reliable, he might be who I call going forward.” Hayden’s message was clear. Everyone was replaceable in Hollywood.

“Appreciate the advice and the call.” When Sean hung up, he shoved his phone in his pocket and stared out over the ranch. He should be more worried about risking the stream of income that had supported him for four years. For some reason, he wasn’t. Those research and consulting jobs didn’t seem as important to him now that he had more going on in his life. Chaining himself to his computer for hours on end held a lot less appeal compared to spending time with his family and with people he liked and cared about.

Julia, Lucy, and Amos figured high amongst those people. A few weeks ago, he couldn’t have foreseen the changes in his life, but he was going to roll with them while they lasted.

TWENTY-ONE

Sean made it only a few steps out of his room two mornings later when Amos and Lucy ran up to him in the hall.

“Sean,” they squealed together.

“We built a fort in the basement,” Amos announced.

“A fort? That’s cool.” The kids sure seemed excited about it.

“Emmy helped us. It’s made of blankets mostly,” Lucy said. “When Eden, Ally Mae, and Alice get home from school, we’re going to watch a movie.”

“Can you watch with us? Please?” Amos asked. “It’s going to be something scary.”

“Kid scary,” Lucy corrected. “That’s what Aunt Julia says.”

He was sure that Julia had called it a scary movie to make it special and a bit of a thrill. She was good at that—making things special. They’d been lovers for all of three days now, and he’d enjoyed every second of it. She waited until the house settled at night and then slipped into his room. Before dawn he reluctantly kissed her goodbye so she could return to her room. If he was lucky, he could catch a moment alone with her during the day and get a kiss or a hug. He’d never been much of a hugger, but with Julia, the simple press of her body against his was an experience worth savoring.

“Will you?” Amos’s pleading face was looking up at him. No way could Sean say no to these kids.

“You bet. Will there be room for me?”

“Oh, yeah, it’s enormous.” Amos spread his arms wide.

“Okay. I’ll see you down there.” The kids ran off to their room, and Sean headed for the barn. He felt good, better than he had in a long time. Things were good with Julia, and the kids, who’d been a little afraid of him in the beginning, were excited to have him around now. He could get used to that.

That was going through his mind as he headed to do the chores he’d taken over since coming home.

“Mornin’, Sean,” Pedro, one of the older ranch hands, called to him. “Maverick’s acting up.”

“What’s new?” The horse had let Sean in the stall with him and Julia had petted him, but he was still skittish and surly around everyone else.

“He needs a vaccination today. Can’t put it off any longer. He’s in a foul mood, though,” Pedro said. “Willy couldn’t even open the stall door. Maverick kicked out and tried to bite him.

“I’ll give him the vaccination,” Sean said and detoured to Maverick’s stall.

“You got him?” Willy asked. He was one of the younger hands, but he was good with the animals. The fact that he was unnerved wasn’t a positive sign.

Sean nodded and took the vaccination needle from Willy. “All right, boy. You can’t behave like that.” Sean kept his voice calm as he slowly approached Maverick’s stall. He kept up a steady stream of words, most of them praising the horse and talking about the beautiful weather. His hand was on the horse’s neck when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. If he took the call, he’d have to start all over again with Maverick, so he continued what he was doing.

It took him another twenty minutes to work his way to Maverick’s hindquarters and get the vaccination in. The horse shied and let Sean know that he wasn’t pleased, but the shot was in. Sean worked his way back out of the stall and gave Maverick a treat before checking his phone. It had vibrated three more times.

He hit the button to pull up the voicemails, noting that they were all from Hayden. Before he could listen to the first one, his phone rang again.

“Hey,” he answered. “What’s up?” Something had to be.

“Where have you been?” Hayden demanded.

“Vaccinating a horse. I didn’t have a chance to listen to the messages.”

“Shitshow here,” Hayden said. “Audiences are loving those hard-core military scenes in Yukon Country. The studio wants to add more to coming episodes. I need you, man.”

This wasn’t a new project he had the option of turning down—Sean was under contract for the show. He was obligated to do the work. He’d be compensated, but he couldn’t refuse it without getting sued for breach of contract. “Can you send me the info?”

---