“Okay, I guess I can see that. What’re you gonna do when you get found out? It has to happen eventually.” Mike drained his beer and shook his head when Austin offered another.
“I’m hoping enough time passes that no one really cares anymore.”
“Is your wife gonna come out and live here, or is she stayin’ in California? You know what? Don’t answer that. It’s none of my business. Mr. Grainger, I gotta roll. Tomorrow’ll be here pretty quick. Good night, sir.” Mike stood from his chair. Just like that the conversation was over.
“Good night, Mike, and you can call me Austin.” Austin stayed seated, but gave Mike’s outstretched hand a shake.
“No, I already told you, all owners go by their last name.” Mike called over his shoulder already down the steps walking out to his truck.
“Then lose the Mister. Wait, I don’t remember that rule!” Austin yelled out after Mike.
“It’s one we’re definitely enforcin’ around here,” Mike called without looking back before getting in his car and driving off. Austin raised his beer in answer before looking down at the phone he still held in his hand. He had Kitt’s number! Now, all he needed was the guts to call the guy. How long had it been since Austin called someone he was interested in? He couldn’t even remember, and the thought made him more nervous. What would he say when he called? A simple ‘I’m sorry’ wouldn’t have the conversation going much longer than a few minutes.
Austin needed a second reason. He could call Kitt and ask about artificial insemination. Mike made several references to Kitt’s expertise in that area, but hell, Austin seriously couldn’t remember jack about that shit. He’d been out of this world for way too long, and his own dad wasn’t a modern kind of a guy himself. He could ask about pasture management, but again, he knew dick about it, not even enough to form an intelligent question. He could ask Kitt to come over and lick his balls. A smile spread across his lips as he took another drink. That topic he definitely knew plenty about. After a couple of swipes of his finger across the smartphone, he got enough of a signal to pull up the key facts about artificial insemination and began to read.
Austin sat on the porch for at least an hour forming his questions in his mind. He drank his beer and listened to the oldies play on the radio. When he felt reasonably comfortable at being able to ask a couple of legit questions, he started to dial Kitt’s number, but Sam rang through first.
“Yeah?” Austin said a little too gruffly. His security team was to only call with problems. So far, no reason presented itself. Of course, the exact moment he planned to make his move, the phone rang. It kind of spoiled his good mood to even be reminded they were out there.
“Sir, we have a Fisker pulling along the property line. Along the east side of the Circle K. We’ve been tracking it since it left the highway. It’s going slow, clearly the driver’s concerned about the car, but it’s headed south, coming your way.”
“How far down?” Austin asked dropping his feet to the stone porch as he sat up a little straighter.
“Half way down, already.”
“Who’s inside? Anyone we know?” Austin asked, finally standing. Shit, how the fuck did Rich & Mercedes find this place already?
“One person, male. We can’t see anyone else in the car. He’s dark headed, no one I’ve seen before following you, but his windows are tinted. I could be wrong.”
“Okay, stay on him, and keep me posted. Stop him before he crosses the fence line. Stay with the car. Maybe we can head ’em off.” Austin bent down to turn off his radio and grab his cooler.
“We are, sir. We just wanted to notify you since you’re sitting outside in the open.”
Just like that, he reminded Austin that he wasn’t truly as alone as he thought, and didn’t that just completely suck.
He disconnected the call without responding and decided not to follow through with calling Kitt. Instead, he stood in place. He stared off toward the guy’s house. Did Kitt let the world know he’d relocated here? How often did a hundred thousand dollar sports car drive down a rugged path to get to Kitt’s cabin?
The underwear came back to Austin’s mind.
He sprang off the porch in a matter of seconds, sprinting toward the barn. He never broke stride as he entered from the side. He grabbed a pair of binoculars from the tack room and the keys to his four-wheeler and took off toward Kitt’s house. He rode full throttle, eating up the distance between their houses. As he got closer, he slowed the engine, bringing it to a crawl and turned off the lights. The moonlight guided him.
Austin spied a line of fresh new trees planted along the fence. By spring, they would grow big enough to hide the fence and all of Austin’s land from Kitt’s sight. For some reason, the move seemed intentional and it hurt his heart. He’d been so focused on seeing Kitt again while Kitt obviously spent his time trying to block Austin from his view.
He drove the rest of the way in the dark, still worried they could hear the motor. Austin stopped at least a hundred feet out and parked the four-wheeler in the middle of the pasture. He jogged the rest of the way, staying low as he bridged the small hill before the pond. He lay down on the grassy slope, edging forward until he got a clear shot of the car parked in front of Kitt’s house. The curtains were drawn, closed up tight and most of the lights were out. Only a small glow peaked through the curtains from somewhere in the back of the house.
Austin moved forward and hid behind one of the trees. He stayed there watching the house. Beside the Fisker was a truck, he supposed Kitt’s, but there was no sign of anyone. He palmed his phone and texted Sam on a very weak signal.