Angel (Love, Daddy 1)

“Yeah, you know, I’m doing okay. You know when mom passed and I sold the old farm, this place was perfect. A little closer to civilization with freeway access for the haul-in clinics than back home. Two hundred acres all the arenas and pastures all set up. It worked out perfect. Add to that the horse training business and I’m making ends meet. But you know all that already. But, I’ve franchised my system, did I tell you?”

“Your system?”

Roger and I started training horses since before we had any hair on our balls back in our hometown of Meyer about two hours from here. We might have taken different paths since, but our roots are in what we learned together over many years and a whole lotta mistakes. If you need a serving of humble pie, training horses is a good place to start. They don’t care who you are, how much money you make, or how much swagger you may think you have. It takes patience and more than that, you best check your ego because they can smell a fake like week-old road kill.

He laughs, puts up his hands. “Okay, you got me. Our system. But you know, we have different styles, man. Anyway, I’ve packaged it up, branded it. Videos, webinars. I’m doing three seminars a month. All over the country to a full stable of eager students at twelve hundred bucks a pop. I even have my own line of training tack and supplements.”

I nod. “Good for you, man.”

“Where are we going?” Sally yells from her place by the Range Rover.

Roger cups a hand to his mouth as he hollers back. “Murphy’s.”

&nb

sp; “No.” I stop dead on the gravel drive.

“Man, what now?” Roger turns and squints his eyes at me. “Come on, no one’s going to know who you are. We’re two hours from where anyone knows you. You don’t have to worry about that around here. And even if we were back home no one would ever recognize you with all that hair. And that baseball hat. I mean, who the fuck wears a baseball hat around here? Unless it says ‘Mack’ or ‘John Deere.’” Roger snickers at his own joke but I don’t move.

“I’m not going to Murphy’s.” My skin prickles, the evening suddenly chillier than it was a moment ago. Murphy's is a place where Roger and I used to hang out just before I left for Oklahoma. It was a good ninety minutes away from our hometown when he had an apartment here and back then I needed the distance. It was kind of a shitty time in my life, and I just don’t want the trip down memory lane.

“Okay, okay.” Roger waves a hand at me. “Where then? Your call, buddy.”

“Head over a couple towns, maybe Plythesville. They have that downtown with a few bars. I’m sure not that much has changed in four years.”

“Fuck man, that’s a whole forty minutes away from here. We’ll take so long we’ll meet ourselves coming back.”

“Then go ahead to Murphy’s, but I’m staying here.” I spin to head back to the house.

“Okay, okay.” Roger sighs and shakes his head. “Fine, well there’s that giant barn of a place, you know,” He thinks for a moment. “Crutches. Yeah, that’s it. Got a good and rowdy mix of regulars, bikers and townies.”

“Fine.” If anyone recognizes me it’d be a miracle this far from home but tonight I need to be sure I’m anonymous. Besides the beard and hair, I’ve put on a good thirty pounds in muscle since I left. My life in Oklahoma consisted of horses, chores and two hours on the weights every day.

Roger starts walking toward the girls, pressing the key fob in his hand and the lights on the Range Rover come to life.

“Let’s go.” I puff out a laugh, and with everything that’s going on it feels good to release the tension like that. “You need a beer.”

“Yeah?” Roger chuckles. “You sure you don’t have a six pack hiding in that beard? Why don’t you root around in there and see what shakes out?”

I hurl a half-hearted swing to his jaw, but Roger jets forward out of the way. I miss by a whisker, and I’m sure he must have felt the rush of air as my fist passed his face. Anyone who didn’t know us would think it was serious, but he’s laughing and hooting as he takes off at a canter, leaving me to take a few calming breaths of Michigan’s late summer air.

I reach up to grab the coarse hair that hangs from my chin and there is an emptiness that rumbles in my gut. Being home with no idea what the future holds is both freeing and frightening.

Roger turns and leans against the Rover while the girls climb into the back. “Since you don’t seem interested in the little homecoming gift I brought you, I see a three-way in my future and you may need to find your own ride back.” He tips his hat at me then clucks his tongue. “Just sayin’.”

He nods, and I return it as I saunter over to stand with him. The girls are in the back, adjusting their skirts for some level of decency.

“Hey.” I set my hand on his arm, keeping him a second longer from opening the driver’s door. “Thanks for letting me stay. I’ll get down to town and start looking for a place tomorrow. You sure you don’t mind if my place is around here? Competition?”

“Hell, no. Buddy, I’m glad to have you close by. We don’t compete, I think it will help both our businesses. And you know what it’s like around here, finding your own farm with barns and training arenas and everything else you’re going to need, well that might take a while. Or you’ll have to find a blank slate and build everything. Going to put a dent in your wallet, too. The price of land around here isn’t what it used to be. The city’s coming in. You can’t stop progress.”

“Yeah, I’ll figure it out. My wallet’s fine.”

“Sorry, man.” His usual lighthearted tone is gone. “I know it’s hard to come back. With what happened with Leander and the farm and everything. But I’m glad you’re here.” Roger twists his lips toward the side, then shakes his head and gives me a mischievous smile. “You’re who I want to be when I grow up and get old! Now get the fuck in the car and let’s go get drunk, you pussy.”

Yep, there’s no place like home.

Chapter Two