Founder

by Jodi Payne

  Aubrey swallowed and patted Thelma's shoulder, changing the subject. “So, what happened to him?” He pointed in Haley's direction.

  "He's a stupid, stubborn old coot,” Thelma said, plenty loud enough for Haley to hear, though her words were softened by the affectionate smile on her lips.

  "Hey, now,” Haley said loudly from his chair. “I might be laid up a little, but I ain't got no trouble talkin'."

  "Ain't that the truth?” Thelma asked with a laugh. “I'll leave you men to talk,” she told them, and then disappeared into the kitchen.

  "I smell those cookies, Thelma!” Ray called after her. He nodded to Haley and then followed Thelma out.

  Aubrey was left a little bewildered by the sudden emptying of the room. He looked around awkwardly.

  Haley sighed. “Sit, son. I ain't in a bitin’ mood."

  Aubrey took a seat near Haley. “All right, then. Tell me what happened."

  "Bah,” Haley waved his good hand dismissively. “Thrown off a new horse. Not as bad as they all make it out to be: broken wrist, sprained ankle. Hardly worth a fuss."

  Aubrey whistled. Haley had always been one of the best horsemen he'd ever known. He did look a little older than the last time Aubrey had seen him, but he certainly wasn't anything like frail. “Stallion?” Aubrey asked.

  "Mare, thanks much.” Haley snorted. “I ain't stupid enough to ride them studs no more."

  Aubrey laughed. “You got thrown by a mare?"

  "Oh, you go on an’ laugh, Jacek. Laugh it up. I'm sittin’ your ass on ‘er next."

  Aubrey grinned. “Bring it on."

  There was good natured silence for a moment and then Haley cleared his throat and got down to business.

  "So. Ray says you're sober."

  Aubrey sighed. “Big guns first, eh? Yes, sir, I'm sober. Dry as a bone."

  "For how long now?"

  "Well, just a few months.” Aubrey wished he could say that it had been longer. A few months, no matter how earnest he was about them, didn't sound like much to him. “It's not long, I know, but it's something. I mean, I gotta start somewhere and..."

  Haley waved his hand to stop Aubrey. “It's long enough,” he said. Aubrey shut his mouth quickly.

  "I know Denny's been itchin’ to get out of the barn and back out with the cowboys. Ray says he's already been askin’ about it, what with you back an’ all, so I'm inclined to let him. But Aubrey, before I give y'all what y’ want, you got some promises to make. And to keep."

  "Yes, sir. Whatever you want, Boss."

  Haley leveled his gaze at Aubrey. “Don't ‘Boss’ me yet, cowboy. You listen up ‘cause I'm serious."

  "Yes, sir.” Aubrey swallowed. He had an idea of what was coming.

  "First, you have to promise to stay sober, son."

  "Yes, sir."

  "I mean it."

  Aubrey nodded. “I promise, sir."

  "Second, there ain't gonna be no more fightin'. Not here, not in town."

  "No, sir.” Aubrey shook his head. “No fightin'."

  "And the last thing...” Haley shook his head like he didn't even want to bring it up. “There ain't gonna be no more messin’ around—at all—between you and Kelly, or you and anyone else up there at that barn. Or anywhere else on my property."

  "No, sir."

  "If you can't do it in reasonable, polite company, it don't happen here."

  "No, sir. That was cheap, like you said, sir, and disrespectful, and I do apologize. It won't happen again. I promise."

  Haley looked at him and smiled. “Thank you, Aubrey. I wasn't expectin’ no apology, but it's welcome and I accept it."

  Aubrey smiled. He needed a few brownie points on his side and there they were, even if he did have to kiss Haley's ass some to get them.

  "So. You'll be back in the barn where you belong. For now the pay'll be the same as before you left. You'll take Denny's spot as barn manager and Kelly will work with you like he did before. Only Aubrey, Kelly's damn handy now and I don't want him insulted, so you best give him some respect. Don't set him to nothin’ but muckin’ out stalls and cleaning tack like you did before."

  Aubrey laughed. “Heard and understood, Boss."

  "You'll start today. Let Denny show you around and introduce you to the new animals and then he'll be on his way."

  "Thanks, Haley.” Aubrey stood up to go.

  "We're proud of you, Thelma and me, about you bein’ sober an’ all. I want you to know that I know it ain't an easy thing to do. If you have any problems, anything at all, you come talk to me. We'll support you like we always have, I hope you know that."

  Aubrey blinked at Haley and stood there for a long moment, stunned into complete silence. He sniffled before he even realized the tears were there and smiled to cover the onslaught of emotion. “Can I use the head, boss?"

  Haley just nodded and smiled. Aubrey figured Haley could see through him, but it was kind of Haley not to say anything. He hurried down the hall and disappeared into the small half-bath. It was newer than the rest of the house; Thelma had added it a few years ago, squeezing it into what used to be a large closet. Aubrey wrestled the door closed and reached for a tissue so he could blow his damn nose.

  No one had ever said they were proud of him before. Not his parents, not anyone. No one had ever offered him the kind of support that Haley and Thelma gave him without question. He fought with the tears this time, and won, but the strange ache in his chest was still there. He was repeatedly shocked by just how raw he was inside, even months after his withdrawal. He was definitely home now, but he wasn't quite hale and whole.

  He splashed his face with some cool water, cleaned up, and then went back out to find Haley bent over his ledger, just like always.

  "Thanks, Boss. I'm gonna get to work."

  "You do that,” Haley told him. “Oh, but one more thing, Aubrey."

  "Yeah?"

  "If you're takin’ up with Kelly again then you best know Thelma's taken quite a shine to ‘im. She'll slap you five ways from Sunday if you break that boy's heart."

  Aubrey nodded. “Ain't gonna do that, Boss."

  Haley chuckled at him. “See to it."

  Aubrey ducked out of the house before Haley could lecture him like a father any more than he already had. The wind hit him as he hurried down the front steps and he pulled his coat tighter, hoping that after all of this, Kelly wasn't going to break his heart instead.

  Chapter Twenty Five

  "Hey, wait up!"

  Aubrey practically stumbled, he stopped so quickly.

  "Barreling out of the house, racing down the porch steps. What's the hurry?"

  "There you are."

  Kelly was making his way down the steps after Aubrey, his collar pulled up against the wind and his hands stuffed into his pockets to keep them warm. His nose was pink and his eyes were bright, watering in the cold. “Yeah, what do you know? Here I am.” Kelly snorted at him. “Been waitin’ out here on the porch like a good pup. I'm telling you cowboy, I'm getting a little tired of waitin’ on you."

  Aubrey grinned. “I'll try to see to it that you won't be much longer."

  "Do that.” Kelly bumped shoulders with him and they turned and headed up to the barn together.

  "Fuckin’ cold."

  "Yeah. Set in good and hard this year, huh? But spring's around the corner."

  "Haley's got me on the clock. Denny's supposed to show me around and then you and I are supposed to talk."

  "Oh, yeah. We gotta talk, that's for sure."

  "About work, this time, kid."

  "Oh.” Kelly shrugged. “Well, yeah. That first, and then tonight we'll talk talk, yeah?"

  "Promise."

  "Looks like I'm waitin’ on you again, Aubrey.” Kelly chuckled. “You better be ready to make this up to me."

  "I am ready to make it all up to you, Kelly. Every damn minute of it. I'm gonna listen to what you have to say, I'm gonna think about it, and then I'm gonna make it up to you. Hopefully alone. And na
ked."

  Kelly made a soft sound, adjusted his jeans, and cleared his throat. “That's a lot of promises for a short walk up to the barn, cowboy."

  Aubrey grinned and looked around the barn. “Denny?” he called. Denny didn't answer him.

  "Oh! I forgot. Ray took Denny out in the truck; they're headed out to price lumber or something."

  "Sounds like Denny's not going to be showing me around after all."

  "Guess that'll fall to me, then."

  "I reckon.” Aubrey grinned at Kelly. “How much of a tour do I really need?"

  "Well, we have a few new ladies in this barn, a couple of studs in the other."

  Aubrey nodded. “After you."

  The tour wasn't a long one. Kelly spent a couple of minutes on the horses Aubrey already knew, catching him up on any new meds or routines they were used to now, and then they spent a little longer on each of the new mares. Aubrey did his best to keep his mind on work, but it was hard with Kelly so near after so much time. He wouldn't disrespect Kelly by suggesting they take a drive and get off to get past the tension, but it wasn't far from his mind.

  No, he wanted this first time with Kelly to be whatever Kelly wanted it to be. And he had a feeling he knew what that was.

  Apart from the one suggestive hitch in his step on their way up from the Big House, Kelly didn't seem to be having Aubrey's issues. He talked and talked about the horses, throwing out information and feeding them snacks and basically doing what he was supposed to be doing. His job.

  Aubrey felt like a kid with a crush on his teacher.

  "And here's the Queen herself,” Kelly joked, interrupting Aubrey's straying thoughts.

  Aubrey stood outside of Guinevere's stall and grinned broadly. “Hey, girl!” he said, sliding the bolt free and letting the stall door swing open. She eyed him a little cautiously at first, but then she turned her head and nuzzled him, in that fifteen-hundred pound animal way, nearly knocking him off his feet. He laughed. “Glad to see me, little lady? Oh, I missed you, too. Yes, I did. Look. I brought you a carrot!"

  He fed Guinevere the carrot and she munched on it, happily chewing most of it down in seconds. She huffed at him and he stepped closer, reaching to give her ears a good rub and her neck a pat. She raised her head to nibble at his fingers instead and he laughed again.

  "That's nice to hear.” Aubrey heard Kelly's voice behind him.

  "She seems to be happy I'm back, yeah."

  "No, I mean you. Laughing."

  Aubrey kept one arm under Guin's jaw so she didn't knock him over again and looked out through the open stall door at Kelly. “Feels good, too. Feels honest. Real."

  Kelly nodded, glancing down at the straw. When he looked up again he was squinting a little like he was trying to figure something out. “Are you honest and real now, cowboy?"

  Aubrey petted Guin's shoulder and considered the question for a minute before answering Kelly, looking him square in the eye. “Yeah, kid. Yeah, I'm honest and real."

  Kelly nodded again. “Okay."

  A horrible shriek filled the air, making Guin go stiff and roll her eyes. “What on God's green earth...?” Aubrey asked Kelly, petting Guin to soothe her. “Hush girl, hush now."

  "That,” Kelly sighed heavily, “is the bitch that sent Haley ass over teakettle last week."

  Aubrey raised an eyebrow. “This one I gotta see.” He tucked Guin in again and promised he'd see her soon, then he followed Kelly and made his way down the long row of stalls to a large one on the end.

  "Aubrey, meet Hera."

  "Hera?” Aubrey raised an eyebrow.

  "One of the girls named her. Greek goddess or something. I don't know."

  "O..kay.” Aubrey didn't know squat about the Greeks.

  "Hera, this is Aubrey Jacek. Horse Man."

  "Oh, haha.” Aubrey said, stepping much closer to the stall than Kelly had. Hera lunged at him over the split stall door, teeth bared and snarling, suggesting rather strongly that Aubrey keep his distance.

  "Whoa, girl.” Aubrey stepped back respectfully.

  "Careful, she'd kick the eyes off a fly."

  "She's monstrous,” Aubrey said, looking her over.

  "Seventeen hands of pure mutt. We think she's part thoroughbred and part—

  "Percheron,” Aubrey nodded.

  "Yeah, that's our guess."

  "Where did she come from?"

  "Sold at auction. Haley said she was being sold by the pound."

  With that temper Aubrey didn't doubt it. But Haley had obviously seen the same potential that Aubrey thought he was seeing in her. “She's beautiful.” He stepped closer again. Hera's eyes were white rimmed and a little wild, her mane was long and in tangles, and her stance was decidedly defensive.

  "Beautiful and dangerous. She's like a classic movie heroine.” Kelly sounded almost wistful.

  "Did you become a poet while I was away?"

  "Shut up,” Kelly said with a snort.

  Aubrey watched her. He watched her move, watched how she looked at him, ears back with one leg cocked in warning and looking ready to strike out. “Likely she wasn't handled much, or was handled badly. She's stressed, needs some alone time to relax. We'll keep her in here and spoil her a bit, watch her for a few days,” he told Kelly. “No one handles her but me for now."

  Kelly just shrugged at him. “Be my guest."

  They moved on, finishing up in the stud barn just before lunch. He and Kelly still needed to work out the barn duties, but there were a couple of other things that Aubrey knew he was going to have to work out before suppertime, too.

  For one thing, he wasn't staying another night in that loft.

  "How about we work through lunch and get the stalls done, and then you come into town with me and help me find a place to stay?"

  Kelly looked at him. “I might know a place."

  Well, that would make his life a lot easier. “Yeah?"

  "Yeah."

  "Great,” Aubrey said, and tossed Kelly a rake.

  It had been a long time since Aubrey had mucked out a stall. The riding barn where he'd been working was staffed with people to do those things; all Aubrey'd had to do was keep the barn staffed and scheduled and keep the tack stocked, repaired and organized. It wasn't that he'd forgotten how, or that he had any objection to hard work, it was just that his hands had forgotten a muck rake and by the time they were through he had nasty blisters threatening to pop up in the webbing between his thumb and forefinger and along the palm of his other hand.

  "Damn,” he complained, blowing some cool air across the blisters. Kelly produced some badger balm. “Thanks."

  "I'm starving,” Kelly told him. “Let's hit the road, go get some grub, and talk barn stuff."

  "And other stuff?"

  "If there's time."

  "We'll make the time.” Aubrey grabbed his keys. Kelly nodded and zipped up his field coat.

  Chapter Twenty Six

  "God, I didn't realize how much I'd missed this place,” Aubrey said. He pushed back from the table and groaned, stuffed. The Red Oak Diner had been one of his favorite haunts and he'd always been a fan of their all-day breakfast.

  Kelly was still eating. He'd swallowed down a huge cheeseburger, onion rings, and now he was deep into a slice of apple pie. They'd gotten most of the work discussion done fairly quickly, which was a good thing because Kelly hadn't said anything but “This is delicious,” since his food arrived.

  Aubrey would handle the horses, their overall condition, scheduling rest days, work days, and riders, and handle their medical and general care issues as well as maintain all their tack. Kelly would handle supplies and ordering, keeping the barn clean and ordered, and he'd still do most of the mucking. They'd work together on the budget and the reports for Haley's books, something Kelly expressed a specific interest in learning, and they'd both handle daily turn-out and anything else that came up they'd address as they went along.

  Not a bad deal, really. Splitting up the responsibilities meant t
hat they both would feel useful, but all the mundane chores that made the barn run day to day would get done without complaint. They'd stared at each other when they started to consider days off and the like. It would be nice to have at least one day a week to spend together, and it seemed particularly important to the kid, so Aubrey promised Kelly he'd have a talk with Ray and Haley and see what they could work out. Sundays were quiet at the barn and Aubrey had a feeling that something could be arranged.

  If Kelly really knew a place that Aubrey could rent Aubrey was ready to do it. He didn't have a lot of cash on hand so he'd have to make some promises about the putting up the deposit and all of that, but Haley was well known in town and Aubrey knew that he could drop Haley's name if he had to for respectability.

  "Oh,” Kelly stopped eating suddenly and finally put his fork down. “I'm so full."

  Aubrey laughed. “I should hope to Hell so. You just ate like it was the last meal on earth."

  "I was so hungry and it tasted so good.” Kelly grinned at him. “I might need a nap."

  "Well, find me a furnished apartment and I'll let you nap there."

  "Haha. I told you, I think I know a place."

  Aubrey put money on the table. “So come on, show me."

  "Wait, I gotta...” Kelly was digging through his pockets.

  "I covered you, come on."

  Kelly groaned and stood up. “You didn't have to do that."

  "I wanted to.” He helped Kelly on with his coat, then buttoned up his own and they headed out into the cold again. He took Kelly's hand, picking up the pace as they went. It was a short walk to his truck, but Aubrey was suddenly feeling impatient for five minutes alone with the kid.

  "In a hurry?” Kelly asked.

  "You could say that.” His voice was rough.

  He steered Kelly into the parking lot, which was sheltered by a couple of wide buildings. As soon as they were well off the street, Aubrey pulled Kelly into his arms and kissed the kid. The scent of Kelly's shaving lotion mixed with Ivory soap, the taste of the cinnamon gum that Kelly was chewing to cover his onion breath, and the way Kelly melted against him were all so familiar that he suddenly knew what it felt like to go home.

  But it was gone in an instant.