The Outsider

A Last Cowboy Story

Advanced Reader Copy Edition: November 24, 2023

Copyright ©2023 G. Younger

ISBN-13: 978-1-955699-10-5

Author: Greg Younger

Editing Staff: Bud Ugly, Old Rotorhead, Pixel the Cat, Rusty, TheMikeBomb, and Zom

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

All characters depicted in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

Table of Contents:

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Epilogue

Notes from the Author

Prologue

meta·mor·pho·sis

It was a ten-dollar word Austin Carson’s mother, Marie, had taught him while homeschooling him. It meant a striking change in appearance, character, or circumstances.

She’d given him a mythical example of the goddess Athena, who turned the weaver Arachne into a spider that would spin only beautiful webs. In the real world, limestone can be heated and pressed into marble over hundreds of years. The most famous example of metamorphosis was a caterpillar turning into a butterfly.

For Austin, it meant moving from the great outdoors of Montana to a dude ranch in Groesbeck, Texas.

Before they moved, his dad, Clay, showed him on a map where Groesbeck was. It was a small town outside of Waco. The ranch they were moving to comprised 1,023 acres and was managed for wildlife, fisheries, cattle, horses, and hay production.

The website boasted vacations where you could go horseback riding, hiking, fishing, and hunting deer, wild hogs, ducks, and much more. Austin and his dad were hired to take care of the horses.

Growing up, his parents couldn’t have been more different. His mother was a trust-fund princess who’d traveled to Montana for a vacation after graduating from Wellesley College with a liberal arts degree. His father was a high school dropout working as a cowhand.

They’d met at a seedy bar, and his father was smitten the moment he saw her. One thing led to another, and a night of passion ensued. When his mother got home, she discovered she was pregnant. Seven months later, they were married.

His dad worked for a large cattle farm. Austin loved summers. His mom would drive their motorhome and his dad would pull the horse trailer to the mountains, where they would herd the cattle from valley to valley to graze.

Since he was five, Austin had been on a horse, helping his dad. He’d been given Charger, his dad’s old cow horse. He’d ride from sunup to sundown as they tended to the cows. Charger seemed to have an instinct about what a cow would do. When Austin was younger, there were many times he just held on as his horse did all the work.

Fall through spring, they lived at the ranch, where he tended to the horses and then spent time with his mom being homeschooled. It wasn’t that he couldn’t have gone to the local school; it was that his mother was appalled at the poor quality of education the children were receiving. She’d gone to private schools with rigorous, highly competitive educational programs.

Austin didn’t really mind because he wasn’t used to being around a lot of people. He was much more comfortable with animals.

It turned out his mom had other ideas. About the time he turned ten, she and his dad began to fight. She wanted to return to Virginia. It started when she claimed Austin was naturally gifted and was wasting it on being just a cowboy. His mom said Austin should be in a private school where they would challenge him.

She also admitted she missed being one of the beautiful people and the life that came with it. She said her son deserved the benefit of his birthright.

When Austin was eleven, his parents divorced. He was given the choice of staying with his dad or moving with his mom. Ultimately, he couldn’t imagine being around so many people, so he stayed in Montana.

His dad had been quiet for the past three years. Austin worried his dad might be considering a move to Virginia to be with his mom.

His dad seemed to ignore him, which was okay with Austin. That meant he didn’t go to school and allowed him to spend time taking care of the horses, cows, and various animals on the farm.

Austin remembered the day his metamorphosis began. The church ladies showed up and had a talk with his father. Austin overheard them talking to his dad about sending him to school and church. A week later, Austin had returned to the motorhome when his dad came in and announced, “I’ve taken a job in Texas as a ranch manager.”

Suddenly, Austin’s life was turned upside down. His father sold the motorhome Austin had lived in all his life and Charger to a lovely older couple who wanted to retire. Charger had begun to slow down, and Austin knew he couldn’t keep up with the cattle anymore. His dad told him he’d buy Austin a new horse when they got to Texas. They’d packed everything into their pickup truck, loaded his dad’s horse, Blaze, into the trailer, and began the long drive to Texas.

On April first, after an uneventful journey, they arrived at Houston Farms. They turned off the main road onto the long drive to the main farm. Large oaks canopied the road, making it evident that the farm had been there for generations.

When they came around a bend, Austin was surprised that everything looked new. He’d expected an old farmhouse with an even older barn. They would move into the apartment over the thirty-eight-stall horse barn, so they’d be close to work.

They were met by the owner, Zeb Houston. He looked like one of those TV cowboys on the show Yellowstone.

“Austin, get Blaze out of the trailer and walk him around so he gets familiar with his new surroundings while I talk to Mr. Houston.”

Blaze was being ornery after being stuck in the trailer for three days, so Austin saddled him up to take him for a ride to run off his bad attitude. As soon as he was saddled and Austin was mounted, Blaze bolted for the barn. One of the mares was in season, and Blaze wanted to make her acquaintance. Luckily, the mare was in her stall and shied away when the aggressive stud came a-calling.

“Get that … that … animal away from my horse!” a gorgeous blond girl, who must be about his age, yelled.

“Sorry, ma’am. He’s my dad’s horse and sometimes has a mind of his own,” Austin said, jerking the reins and kicking Blaze’s sides to get him to mind.

Blaze’s ears went back, never a good sign, and he tried to bite Austin. Austin laughed at the poor attempt and corrected the horse again, which had the effect of being shot out of a cannon as Blaze galloped through the barn. The girl had wisely stepped into the tack room to get out of the way.

Austin noticed two things. The first was this might be the nicest barn he’d ever seen. The aisle was wide, and the floor was made of rubber pavers that looked like stone. It was large enough to get a tractor or trailer in. The stalls were made of oak with black metal bars on top. Each one had a door with a V-shaped yoke that allowed the horses to socialize with others in the barn.

The second was that the girl had checked him out. The last thing he wanted was for Blaze to unhorse him in front of her. For a cowboy, that would be unthinkable.

He let Blaze have his head, and the stallion raced around the barn once and then shot off down a trail. Austin noted his dad giving him a dirty look as he talked to Mr. Houston. He had no doubt he would be spoken to later.

As he’d observed earlier, the main farmhouse looked new. Up close, he could see it was a monstrous two-story mansion on a hill with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the lake. A long dock with three covered boat slips jutted out into the water. Dotting the shore were cabins and what looked like a bunkhouse for guests. In the center of the cottages was a large fire pit with benches, and a pole barn with tables and an outdoor kitchen.

All that soon disappeared as he and Blaze descended a well-worn trail into the woods. Someone had taken care of the track by spreading pine needles, which firmed it up and reduced the amount of mud—the bane of all horse owners.

Blaze finally settled down and reduced his speed to a trot, allowing Austin to enjoy his ride. The weather in Texas was a balmy sixty-five degrees. When they left Montana, it had been twenty-five degrees and snowing, which followed them through Wyoming and Colorado. The roads were a mess, so reaching the New Mexico state line took them forever. From there, the trip wasn’t so bad.

The truck’s navigation system said the trip should have taken them a full day, but with the snow, it turned into three. Something you learned in Montana was that you didn’t push it in the snow when you were pulling a horse trailer.

When Blaze was ready, they headed back to the horse barn, where Austin rode him into the grooming station. He unsaddled Blaze and gave the horse a pail of water to drink, a quick hose-down to knock the dust off him, and a good brushing. Austin then carefully checked the horse’s legs and hooves. Blaze had kicked the side of the trailer a few times to show his displeasure at being cooped up. Austin didn’t find any serious damage, but, just in case, applied liniment and wrapped the horse’s legs to help with any pain Blaze might have.

When Austin was almost done, two boys showed up. These looked to be the girl’s brothers.

“You must be the boy who has my sister in a tizzy,” the older one said.

Introductions were made. The older brother was Maverick, who was seventeen. The younger was the same age as Austin and named Travis. Their sister was Nora, the middle child at sixteen. All three of them were blond, blue-eyed, and good-looking.

Austin could tell Maverick was the confident one accustomed to being in charge of his brother. Travis suffered from a bad case of acne and acted shy. He kept glancing at Austin like he was desperate for a friend.

They showed Austin where he could turn out Blaze. He had to go to help his dad move their stuff into the apartment. Before he left, the three told him that he and his dad were invited to dinner. Their dad had a brisket in the smoker.

The apartment was huge compared to their motor home, with four bedrooms, three baths, and a full-sized kitchen, office, and family room with a fireplace. There was also a large balcony for a table and chairs with a view of the lake.

Austin picked one of the back bedrooms and quickly unpacked his stuff. He took a long shower and changed into a fresh pair of jeans and a flannel shirt. He also grabbed his new cowboy hat to look his best for dinner.

◊◊◊

Travis had watched from the house as the new ranch hand rode his unruly horse into the barn and then raced it down the south trail. Over the past couple of years, he’d seen all kinds ride horses on the ranch, and he had a feeling Austin might be even better than Maverick.

Travis had also not seen his sister this worked up about anyone before. He wanted to tease her about it, but Maverick pointed out that the shoe would be on the other foot someday. He asked if Travis would want his sister teasing him about a girl he liked.

Travis was sitting on a bench eating cookies when his stepmother, Kelly, walked in.

“You’ll spoil your dinner.”

Maverick followed her in.

“He’s a fourteen-year-old boy with a hollow leg. I predict he’ll put a serious dent in Dad’s brisket tonight.”

Kelly had commented more than once that she wished she had his constitution. His stepmom claimed if she even looked at a cookie, it went straight to her hips.

His dad and Kelly had married five years before. She was the one with the money and owned the farm. When they married, Kelly had the original farmhouse torn down and built their current home. She’d also put in all the outbuildings. It had long been his dad’s dream to have a dude ranch, and Kelly had made it her mission to make it happen.

The Houston kids’ mother had died in a car accident when Travis was too young to remember. Only Maverick really recalled her. She’d been heavily into the church and worked as a secretary. One night, she lost control of her car and hit a tree, killing her instantly.

Their dad was working as a horse trainer when he met Kelly. She owned a young gelding that no one could get to take a saddle. Zeb worked his magic, and Kelly could ride her gelding.

Later, Zeb and Kelly had coincidentally been in the same bar one evening, and he rescued her from an altercation. She took a liking to him, and a year later, they were married.

“Tell me about the new manager,” Kelly said.

“Dad likes him. He says the guy knows horses,” Maverick said.

“He has a son my age. We saw him ride, and he looks like he was born in the saddle,” Travis said.

“Dad invited them over for dinner,” Travis said.

Kelly frowned.

“I hope this doesn’t become a regular occurrence. The help needs to know their place.”

Travis and Maverick glanced at each other, and Maverick slightly shook his head to tell his brother not to react. Kelly was big on respecting her since she was their meal ticket. Any slight, and she would fire the new ranch manager before he started.

Travis was glad Nora wasn’t there because she’d already complained about Austin and his rowdy horse. She had big breeding plans for her precious Arabian, Bliss. They’d paid big money to have it done by a local vet. They’d purchase frozen semen from a prize-winning stud in Florida. No cow horse would ever get near her filly. Nora sometimes let her mouth run without thinking about the consequences, so it was best she was elsewhere while Kelly was in this mood.

◊◊◊

Austin reminded his dad to clean his boots. He remembered his mom complaining about them tracking in dirt. He felt it wouldn’t make a good impression if they did that in the fancy house on the hill.

“Ready for inspection,” Clay said with a wry smile.

Austin made a show of checking out his dad’s attire. He shook his head with a sad look.

“It’ll have to do.”

“Careful, smartass, or you’ll stay home and miss out on the brisket.”

“What’s the big deal? It’s not like it’s bison or elk,” Austin said.

“You’re about to get a real education. Smoked brisket is a delicacy,” Clay promised.

Austin had his doubts, but he would keep them to himself.

They walked through the barn, doing a cursory check of the horses before going to the house. Travis saw them coming and opened the back door. As Austin walked in, he was stunned. This was nicer than the fancy hotel they’d gone to when meeting his grandparents on his mom’s side of the family. He understood spending money on the care and upkeep of the horses, but this place was ridiculous. He could never live there for fear he might touch something and mess it up.

Zeb entered the great room, walked up to Austin, and shook his hand.

“You must be Austin. Your dad tells me you know horses.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Let me take your hats, and we’ll head to the dining room. My wife has outdone herself tonight,” Zeb said.

When they entered the dining room, Austin saw Nora and her mother dressed up. He glanced at his dad and could tell his father felt as uncomfortable as he did at being underdressed.

“This is my wife, Kelly. This is Clay Carson and his son, Austin,” Zeb said.

“Thank you for having us, ma’am,” Austin said when his dad stood mute.

Kelly eyed them for a moment, then nodded.

“Welcome to my home. I hope you’re hungry.”

“It smells wonderful,” Clay finally said.

“Sit next to me,” Travis said to Austin.

Austin was grateful because it put him as far away from Kelly as possible. She acted like she was worried he and his dad would steal the silverware, so he preferred to keep his distance. His poor dad had to sit across from her with Zeb at the head of the table.

Once seated, Zeb prayed to bless the food, and then they dug in. Austin observed everyone to ensure he didn’t take too much or use the wrong fork. His mother had explained those things, but he hadn’t really listened because he didn’t think he would ever have to worry about something like what a salad fork was for.

He discovered that he loved smoked brisket. Zeb told them to first try it plain, and it melted in his mouth. Then he had them sample three different barbeque sauces: sweet and tangy, jalapeno and cherry, and a Carolina-style sauce made with vinegar. Austin liked them all but decided to stick with the jalapeno and cherry.

It turned out it was a family recipe that had been in Kelly’s family for generations. It seemed that Austin had earned big points for picking it.

Even though it was spring, they had a winter fruit pie made with raisins, apples, pears, and cranberries. After dessert, he and his dad left so they wouldn’t overstay their welcome.

When they returned to the apartment, Austin said, “That might have been the best meal I’ve ever had.”

“I agree, but don’t count on being invited back.”

“Agreed. I don’t think Kelly really wanted us there. Anyway, I’ll soak some beans for tomorrow night. We need to go to the store to get some corn meal, eggs, and the like,” Austin said.

“Let’s make a run tonight so we can focus on working tomorrow,” Clay said.

The trip to the store cost a fortune because Austin pointed out that they didn’t have any cleaning supplies or pantry items, having left them in the motorhome.

When they got back, they found Blaze in a lather. The prize filly in the barn had him feeling his oats.

“You’re going to have to find somewhere else to board Blaze or get him gelded,” Austin said.

“I’ll see if there’s another pasture further away to put him tonight. Otherwise, I’ll have to watch him all night,” Clay worried.

“Okay. I’ll handle the groceries while you deal with that.”

Austin put everything away and got the beans soaking. He was worn out from the trip, so he hit the sack. Austin remembered something his mother had told him as he lay there thinking about how his life would change. Austin might as well not worry because it was never as bad as he imagined. Well, unless it was worse.

He chuckled because his mom cracked him up sometimes.

◊◊◊

Chapter 1

It was the first day of school, and his dad was cooking breakfast.

“Remember, pick out the toughest-looking kid and lay him out so the bullies will leave you alone.”

Austin nodded his agreement to appease his dad. Clay had admitted to being a bully in high school and was not proud of it.

His dad had told him a story about an incident that straightened Clay out. His main target was Billy Clark, a skinny nerd from a well-off family. He’d roughed the kid up and taken his lunch money on a regular basis until Billy’s cousins visited.

Clay said there were six of them, all older and not afraid to hand out some cowboy justice. That meant they would take someone to the middle of nowhere and use them for target practice. Clay stood firm until the oldest drew his forty-five and shot Clay’s hat off. His dad was convinced he wouldn’t have lived to become Austin’s father if Billy’s cousin had been a poor shot.

That story convinced Austin that, if confronted, he would let them know he owned guns and wasn’t afraid to use them. He’d been hunting for as long as he could remember and could take a deer or hog from 500 yards. Austin had once taken an elk from 800 yards. So, if he got within a quarter of a mile of his target, he could easily take it down.

Austin had also learned to quick draw. He carried a twenty-two with a forty-five as a backup. Austin was good enough to hunt quail or rabbit with the smaller gun. The larger was for when he ran into wolves or the occasional aggressive bear.

Clay’s bragging about his son’s gunplay at the local watering hole had meant no one ever messed with him. Not that Austin had ever drawn down on anyone or even thought about it. His mom would have skinned him alive if he’d ever tried that.

Her solution was to talk to someone and reason with them. She would be appalled at his father’s advice.

Speaking of guns, Austin was required to go to the school to take placement tests. They felt that since he’d been homeschooled, they wanted to make sure he would fit into the freshman class. Mr. Winehouse, the guidance counselor, had administered the tests, the first of which was math.

“Just do your best. We have programs to help you catch up if … is that a gun?”

He looked like he’d never seen one before. This confused Austin because this was Texas, the home of John Wesley Hardin, the most significant gunfighter in American history. While no one knew how many men Hardin killed in his lifetime, he’d put 27 men in the ground by the time he was 21.

He once famously said, “I never killed anyone who didn’t need killing.”

Austin did not intend to shoot anyone, but it did seem ironic that Mr. Winehouse was acting funny around a gun.

“Yes, sir.”

“Guns aren’t allowed in school.”

Austin had a duh squared moment as he realized that it might be an issue with school shootings nationwide. His only counter to that was with him armed, he might help end one of those incidents.

“I promise not to bring it again,” Austin said.

“If the school was in session, you would have been arrested.”

Austin nodded his understanding and said, “It won’t happen again.”

“Why don’t I take that for now? When your dad comes to pick you up, I’ll give it to him,” Mr. Winehouse said.

That all turned into a big deal, and his dad was forced to take his guns away from him. Some laws said someone his age wasn’t allowed to have a gun.

Austin passed all his tests and was admitted to the freshman class.

Before leaving, Mr. Winehouse asked, “Do you know what you want to be when you graduate?”

Austin played along because he’d heard guidance counselors couldn’t help but be meddlesome.

“I’ll be a cowboy.”

“Cowboys were important in the creation of this country and have been glamorized in books and movies, but it’s no way to make a living. Cowboys live a life that’s rough, lonely, and sometimes grueling. It’s not for the faint of heart. You might be better off doing something else.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t think there are any ‘real’ cowboys anymore,” Mr. Winehouse said.

“Then I’ll be the last cowboy.”

On the ride home, Austin thought about what the guidance counselor said. His dad wasn’t on horseback all the much now that he managed the Houstons’ farm. Clay spent most of his time in his office ordering supplies or planning. It was also his job to babysit all the guests and cater to their needs.

While Austin loved caring for the animals, this wasn’t the cowboy life he’d left in Montana.

He turned to his dad as they pulled away from the school and said, “I don’t think I’m going to like it here.”

“We moved here because of you. It was either this or go along with your mom’s plan to move you east and have you attend a private boarding school,” Clay said.

Austin hadn’t known that. With the new information, he mentally vowed not to complain anymore.

Besides, his dad remained in a funk since his mom left. Now that their divorce was final, he hoped his dad would find someone to make him happy. The problem was, when would he have time to do that?

The oven timer sounded, and Clay pulled out a pan of biscuits and put them on the table. Austin grabbed two of them and quickly made egg-and-sausage sandwiches because he needed to run. The school bus was due soon, and his walk to catch it was over a quarter of a mile.

Austin stuffed one in his mouth and ran down the stairs. Halfway to the end of the drive, he heard one of the Houstons’ big pickup trucks barreling toward him. He stepped to the side and, as it passed by, saw Kelly driving with Maverick, Nora, and Travis. Travis was looking out the side window and gave him a little wave.

When Austin made it to the road, he saw the school bus come flying down the asphalt. He had to flag it down because the driver wasn’t used to stopping there. He jogged down the road to catch up with where it had pulled over.

When the door opened, an old, heavyset lady gave him an appraising look.

“You know it ain’t Halloween?”

“Sorry?” Austin asked.

She just shook her head and said, “Get on. We don’t have all day.”

He climbed onto the bus and looked around. No one else wore a cowboy hat. A few were wearing baseball caps. The way everyone stared made him feel uncomfortable. He quickly found the first open seat, which happened to be next to a girl. She scooted closer to the window like she was afraid he might get her dirty or something.

That set the tone for his first day of school. Wherever Austin went, people stared. So, at lunch, when this older guy blocked his way to the tables, he’d had enough.

“Listen, freak …” was all the boy got out before Austin used his lunch tray to hit the bigger guy under the chin.

The whole place went silent, which never happened in a high school cafeteria. Austin later learned that he’d laid out the school’s starting quarterback. Something Texas took seriously was their football, and Austin had just knocked out the school’s golden boy.

His chance of making any friends had just hit rock bottom.

The teacher on duty had been off smoking or something because she freaked when she walked in.

In the following commotion, Austin put his tray on the garbage can and slipped out. To his surprise, no one told on him, apparently, because the summons to the office he expected never came. When he walked out to the bus, Travis found him.

“Come on. My dad’s giving us a ride home.”

“I can take the bus.”

“My dad wouldn’t hear of it. Only when my stepmom drives will you have to ride it. She has this thing about the ‘help’ and them knowing their place,” Travis explained.

“You’re sure?” Austin asked. “I mean, after what happened at lunch and all.”

Travis shrugged and began walking to where parents pick up their kids. Once they got into the truck, Zeb turned around and asked, “How was your first day?”

Before Austin could answer, Maverick said, “He knocked out Luke Allen at lunch today. I told everyone they hadn’t seen anything. I’m just glad someone had the balls to finally stand up to him.”

Zeb’s response was to blink a few times and then smile. He turned around and said, “Well, okay then,” as he put the truck in gear.

On the ride home, they listened to the radio. Nora looked out her window as Travis stared straight ahead. Maverick and Zeb talked about a bunch of nothing, so Austin looked out his window.

It was a mixture of historic and modern as they drove through town. That part of the drive was short because there were only about four thousand residents. They were soon through the small urban area and in the country.

When they returned to the ranch, Zeb talked with Clay while Austin put his backpack in the apartment and headed back downstairs to tend to the horses. His dad had turned them all out except for Nora’s mare, which the vet had inseminated. She was still in her stall because they weren’t sure if it would take and didn’t want to risk another horse doing the job.

He checked on Bliss, who looked unhappy at being cooped up.

“I need to clean out stalls, girl. When I’m done, I’ll take you to the rounding pen, and you can stretch your legs.”

She snorted, which he took as saying she would hold him to that.

When he finally was done—cleaning ten stalls (ones with occupants) was a job—Bliss was waiting for him. Austin put her bridle on and a long lead and walked her to the rounding pen, where he began to work with her. He could tell she was a well-trained animal in just a few minutes.

He admired Nora’s horse; Bliss was a fine example of the breed. The Arabians were the foundation of most other horse breeds. Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, and Orlov Trotter were offshoots. The primary purpose of cross-breeding was to give birth to stronger horse breeds that were far more agile and intelligent than the average Arabian.

An Arabian was easy to spot, and Bliss displayed all the telltale characteristics. Wide-set large eyes, wide forehead, broad chest, high tail carriage, short back, and an arched neck were some of the breed’s most distinguishing features. Bliss showed a nice, easy gait as she trotted in a circle.

“She talked you into letting her out?” Nora asked.

Austin’s head snapped around because he wasn’t used to people being around when he worked. Upon seeing Nora, Bliss all but dragged Austin over to say hello. It was clear that the two of them had bonded.

“Why don’t you put her through her paces? It’s obvious that I’m a poor substitute.”

“You don’t mind?”

“She’s your horse. I’m just here to help out,” Austin said.

“Okay,” Nora said as she climbed the fence and joined them.

Austin watched her work with Bliss for a few minutes and saw Nora had everything in hand.

“I’m going to start bringing in the horses. Call me if you need help putting up Bliss,” Austin called out.

She waved to let him know she’d heard.

It took him a couple of hours to bring them all in and get them fed and watered. He gave the complete treatment of being washed and curried to half of them each day. He took special care of Blaze, who’d had the vet out and been gelded. While you could geld a horse at any age, it was best done before they became yearlings. Apparently, Blaze had figured out what Austin’s dad had done to him by the way he was moping around.

◊◊◊

Nora couldn’t stop thinking about Austin as she lay in bed, trying to fall asleep.

When he first arrived, she was prepared to hate him. He’d ridden that rude horse that'd harassed Bliss and then bolted without apologizing. Then, the night Austin and his father came for dinner, she’d decided he must be brain-damaged. He’d just sat there and basically said nothing but ‘Yes, ma’am’ or ‘No, sir.’ What a suck-up.

At school, everyone ignored him because he dressed like some old Western-movie cowboy.

Then everything changed when he knocked out her tormentor, Luke Allen. Luke thought he was God’s gift to women. He was the big man on campus because he was their starting quarterback. Luke had a reputation for sleeping with girls and then dumping them after the conquest. Nora was his most recent target.

Her big brother had told Luke to back off, but that only seemed to embolden him. Before lunch, he’d cornered her at her locker and told Nora she would go to his friend’s party Saturday night. The implication was that was when they would do the deed.

Austin, looking different, was like a red cape for a bull. Luke spotted him entering the lunch room, and Nora cringed when he nodded toward Austin. His buddies all laughed as Luke waited until Austin got his food. Luke sent Tom to distract the teacher in charge of lunch that day so he could make his move.

It was like a car wreck was about to happen, and she couldn’t take her eyes off the coming carnage. Luke stepped in front of Austin and began to berate him, trying to goad Austin into taking a swing or smarting off. Luke didn’t get out more than two words before Austin used his tray to hit Luke under the chin. His mystery meat with gravy dribbled down the front of their starting quarterback as he stiffened and teetered back before falling like a felled tree.

The back of Luke’s head smacked on the floor with a sickening crack, and he just lay there, covered with the day’s lunch offering. No one said a word because the thought that the skinny cowboy would knock the shit out of their star athlete never made it into the equation.

Then all hell broke loose as Mrs. Howard, her English teacher, nearly suffered a coronary when she found Luke sprawled out on the floor, unmoving. Maverick quickly trotted from table to table and told everyone they hadn’t seen anything. The subtle threat was if anyone narked on Austin, they would have to answer to Mav.

Mrs. Howard sent someone for the school nurse, who came in, snapped open a small packet of smelling salts, and put it under Luke’s nose. His eyes popped open, and he groggily was helped to sit up. That was when the giggles started. Poor Luke looked around, and everyone laughed at him, causing his face to flush in embarrassment.

On the way out of the lunch room, Nora looked at Luke disgustedly and headed to class. There would be no ‘hooking up’ at the coming party after that.

When she got home, she changed to check on Bliss. Her stall was empty, so Nora left to track her down. She found Bliss prancing around, showing off for Austin. Nora took a moment to check out his butt in his tight jeans. She had to admit that cowboys had firm bottoms from being on a horse all day.

Bliss’s ears twitched when Nora said something, and her horse came to her. She’d caught Bliss cheating with Austin, and her horse knew it. Horses were an excellent judge of character. If Austin had been a bad guy, she would never have followed his lead so well in the ring.

Austin offered to let her take over working out Bliss, which she accepted. She then realized that he was standing there, checking her out. Nora couldn’t even look at him when he left.

In a matter of hours, she’d gone from not really liking the guy to being flustered when he was around. She didn’t doubt that when going to sleep that night, her dreams would feature Austin’s butt.

Her problem was, what was she going to do about it? Their school enrollment was only 400 students, half of which were girls. Those girls had grown up with all the boys and knew way too much about each of them. Austin was fresh meat who’d gone from a weirdo because of how he dressed to something dangerous after taking down the biggest bully. Dangerous new meat was a recipe for one of the girls to quickly go after him to stake their claim.

Nora vowed to get her dad to take them to school so she would be seen with Austin and maybe slow down some of the more brazen hussies. That would give her time to figure out whether she liked him or if the attraction was just because he took down Luke and Bliss liked him.

◊◊◊

Chapter 2

Travis had played it cool with Austin until now. Still, after seeing how Austin could handle himself, he decided it was in his best interest to make him a friend. Luke and the other football players gave Travis a hard time when Maverick wasn’t around. If they knew he was also friends with Austin … maybe it would stop.

When Travis came downstairs for breakfast, he discovered his dad had already left for the day. That meant his stepmom would drive them to school.

“I think we should let Austin ride with us today,” Maverick said, catching Travis flat-footed.

He’d been about to make the same suggestion and noted that Nora intently listened for Kelly’s answer.

“He can ride the bus. Your dad told me he was in a fight yesterday, so I don’t want any of you spending any time with him. I don’t condone violence for any reason and don’t want your reputations tarnished because you associate with that type of person,” Kelly said.

“Then I’ll ride the bus,” Maverick said.

From his stepmom’s expression, she hadn’t expected Maverick to go against anything she said.

“Me, too,” Travis said.

Kelly looked at Nora, who flinched. Travis could tell his sister wanted to rebel, too, but she wilted under Kelly’s glare.

“I’ll ride with you.”

“At least someone has some common sense. When your father gets home tonight, be prepared to explain yourselves,” Kelly said and left the kitchen.

Travis and Maverick looked at their sister.

“What?” she said defensively. “Kelly’s taking me shopping this week for a new dress for the school dance on Friday. You know she would never take me if I went against her on that. After what you two just did, you might not even get to go.”

“Fine with me,” Travis said, mainly because no girl had ever looked at him.

Maverick looked a bit worried because he’d asked Tina Wilkens. It would be their first date. He even got his dad to agree to let him take the truck, which was a big deal. Maverick hadn’t been able to drive since it got keyed in the high school parking lot last fall. His dad had taken away his driving privileges since then.

At least their dad hadn’t made them ride the bus. He or Kelly would take them back and forth to school.

On more than one occasion, Travis had wondered why his sister hadn’t gotten her driver’s license yet. She’d gone to take the test three times since her birthday but hadn’t passed. She claimed she wasn’t a good test-taker, which he knew was a blatant lie. Nora did just fine, getting A’s on all her report cards. But no one was saying what the problem really was.

“You don’t think …?” Maverick worried.

“Dad knows what this means to you,” Travis assured his brother. “Plus, he likes Austin and his dad. He’ll straighten this out with Kelly.”

None of the kids could bring themselves to call her mom, which she would love. She finally said that Kelly was fine until they felt comfortable. Travis predicted that would be … uhm … never.

“You two should start for the bus, or you might be walking today,” Nora said as she pointed to the clock.

Maverick flipped his sister off, but it was accompanied by a smile, so Travis knew he didn’t mean it.

◊◊◊

Austin was waiting for the bus when he saw Travis and Maverick hustling up the drive. The bus stopped, and as he got on, he said, “Two more are coming.”

The bus driver glared at him, but Austin stood in the doorway until Travis was there. He walked down the aisle and spotted the girl from yesterday; she had an open seat next to her. Today, she patted her seat to get him to join her, but he spotted some empty seats further back, so he kept going. Travis sat next to him, with Maverick sitting behind them.

“Why didn’t you sit with Macey?” Travis asked.

“Who?” Austin asked.

“The girl with the empty seat.”

“I don’t think she likes me.”

“She looked disappointed when you didn’t sit beside her,” Maverick said.

“Why are you guys on the bus?” Austin asked to change the subject.

“If you’re riding the bus, so are we,” Travis said.

Austin knew there was more to this than Travis said, but let it go.

Travis began telling him about his brother’s big date on Friday night. Austin had seen the posters but hadn’t planned to go.

“Which one is she?” Austin asked as he turned back toward Maverick.

“She’s just a girl.”

“If you mean the hottest non-cheerleader,” Travis said, then ducked as Maverick took a swipe at his head and missed.

“You mean the cute junior who was checking out my butt?” Austin teased.

Maverick didn’t miss this time. Austin stopped goofing around and got serious.

“You saw what happens when you do stuff like that to me,” he growled.

Maverick rolled his eyes, which caused Austin to laugh. He noted that Travis had bought his attempt at bluffing his brother. Travis nervously laughed, too.

The bus pulled up in front of the school. Just as Austin got off, Kelly pulled up and let Nora out. As Nora walked off, Kelly rolled down the passenger side window, leaned across the console, and called out his name. Austin stepped over to the window to see what she wanted.

“I heard you were in a fight yesterday.”

“It wasn’t much of a fight. Luke tried to bully me, so I put a stop to it. He had it coming,” Austin said.

When Kelly heard the word ‘bully,’ she stiffened slightly.

“I don’t want to hear that you got into any more fights. Is that clear?”

“Yes, ma’am. I figure after yesterday, no one will mess with me, so there’ll be no need,” Austin said.

The first bell rang.

“You better get to class,” Kelly said, then rolled up the window and drove away.

◊◊◊

Austin noticed that kids he’d seen being picked on yesterday seemed to find him in the halls and walk with him to their class. But only Travis spoke to him. Austin had brought his lunch so he didn’t have to deal with Luke or his friends.

He walked outside, sat on a bench, and got out his peanut butter sandwich with jalapeno jelly. His dad had spotted the jelly at the store, and they’d decided to try it. Austin thought his dad was a wuss because it wasn’t all that hot. It did make his sandwich a bit iffy, though.

“I’ll trade you half a sandwich,” a girl said.

He looked up, and it was the girl from the bus.

“You sure?” Austin asked as he saw she had pimiento cheese.

“Sure.”

He traded, and they each took a bite of the other’s creation. Macey began to chew but suddenly stopped and looked at Austin. She then smiled as she swallowed.

“You could warn a girl.”

“I thought people in Texas like spicy food.”

“They do, but not on a peanut butter sandwich. My mom just canned some strawberry-rhubarb jam. I’ll bring you a proper sandwich tomorrow,” Macey offered.

He noticed a couple of girls were hanging around, looking at them.

“What’s their deal?” Austin asked.

“They’re my friends, and they’re shy. They want to sit with us.”

“Invite them over.”

Austin was introduced to Carol and Emily. He remembered a couple of Luke’s friends had made rude comments to them yesterday in the hall. They’d also been part of the pack that followed him between classes.

Carol was too shy to talk, but Emily wanted to know all about Austin. He was seriously worn out by the time lunch was over.

As he walked to his locker, he heard Nora.

“I said ‘no!’”

Austin looked in an empty classroom and found Luke had backed her into a corner.

“The lady said, ‘no,’” Austin said.

“Beat it. Me and the lady are getting to know each other,” Luke said, then turned to see who’d interrupted them.

He pushed off the wall far enough for Nora to wiggle out and run from the room.

“I was hoping to find you alone today. You won’t get a chance to sucker-punch me like you did yesterday,” Luke said as he puffed up and strode up to Austin.

Austin, quick as a snake, snapped off a stiff jab into Luke’s nose, which instantly began to bleed.

“That was just a little preview of what you’re in for if you continue with that line of thought,” Austin said.

“You got blood all over my shirt,” Luke complained.

Austin wanted to point out that it wasn’t him who was bleeding, but he knew better, so he kept that thought to himself.

“You might want to see the nurse,” Austin suggested.

“We’re not done,” Luke growled.

Austin snapped off another jab that hit Luke’s nose.

“Dang, it! I think you broke it!”

“Want to try for three?” Austin asked.

“No, I’m through,” Luke said, looking daggers at Austin as he left to see the nurse.

◊◊◊

After school, Zeb picked them up. When Austin got into the truck, he asked, “Did you get into a fight today?”

“I wouldn’t really call it a fight.”

Zeb turned around, looking confused, so Austin enlightened him.

“Luke cornered a girl in an empty classroom and was making unwanted advances, so I stopped him.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nora stiffen and then relax when he didn’t reveal that the girl was her.

“Was that why he had blood all over his shirt and his nose taped up?” Maverick asked.

Zeb’s eyes narrowed. “That sounds like a fight to me. What exactly happened? And don’t try to act like a slimy lawyer and dance around the truth.”

“Welp,” Austin said as he thought about how to say it. “I did punch him twice, but he never laid a finger on me. In my book, that’s not really a fight.”

“You understand why I might disagree?” Zeb asked.

Austin just shrugged. He could agree to disagree on this one.

◊◊◊

“I found you a horse,” Clay announced when Austin got home.

His dad had taken it upon himself to find the ‘perfect’ horse. In Austin’s mind, it was like his dad was out buying him clothes: he doubted his dad’s taste would be the same as his. His dad did say that it was ultimately his decision, so he was willing to look at what Clay had found.

After he’d taken care of the horses, they hooked the horse trailer to the truck and drove to the next county.

They turned off a road onto a lane with the Triple Z Farms sign. As they drove to the house, Austin’s eyes lit up. In the pasture were Friesians. They were all black and resembled a light draft horse. The breed was used as a war horse in the Middle Ages because they could carry knights with all their armor.

Then his hopes sank because a Friesian would be too expensive. But that didn’t mean he didn’t want to see them.

They pulled up to the barn, and one of the hands came out.

“I’m here to see a man about a horse,” Clay said.

The owner, Mr. Cole, was called down from the house. He was a big man in his thirties. Austin guessed he was at least six-six and over three hundred pounds of muscle. When he shook Clay’s hand, it disappeared in his giant grip.

“I’m told you have a horse you want to sell,” Clay said.

“I don’t normally sell my stock, but I have one that got into a barbed wire fence, and it left a scar. We provide horses for movies and can’t use him, but I won’t sell him to just anyone,” Mr. Cole said.

Austin had read somewhere that the breed was favored for film because they looked fantastic on camera. Plus, being former war horses, nothing much fazed them.

“Jimmy, go get Red,” Mr. Cole told his man.

A few minutes later, a large chestnut-colored horse was led from the barn.

“He’s a hundred percent DNA-tested Friesian and registered in the FPS, Friesch Paarden Stamboek, studbook. That basically means he’s an accepted breeding stud. If it weren’t for the scar, I could get upwards of eighty thousand for this rare color,” Mr. Cole explained.

Austin’s worst fear was confirmed, but he still wanted a chance to ride Red, so he asked.

“Go with Jimmy and saddle him up while your dad and I discuss things,” Mr. Cole said.

Jimmy left to get the tack when they entered the barn. It gave Austin a chance to check out the horse. The scar was across his chest. To him, it only gave Red character. He was no longer some pampered pretty boy. His quick check found the horse to be sound. Of course, a vet check would tell him more.

Jimmy left him to saddle Red as he watched. When he mounted, Red’s ears went up as they left the barn. Mr. Cole opened a gate to the riding ring. Austin took Red around the ring and noted his graceful, easy gait. When he was warmed up, Austin began to test the big horse. Austin found him surprisingly agile, considering Red was seventeen hands and weighed over a half ton. All that made Austin fall in love with the beast.

When he finished, Mr. Cole was smiling.

“I think you have to meet my price if that smile is any indication.”

Clay scowled.

“How much is he asking?” Austin asked.

“Five grand, and Red sires three foals.”

“If he throws three chestnuts, that’s worth close to a quarter million,” Austin said after doing some quick math.

Mr. Cole let out a booming laugh.

“Me and my big mouth. How about this? What if I split the profits with you when they sell?”

It was Clay’s turn to laugh.

“You just said you never sell your horses. Plus, how much profit are we talking about? You could claim all kinds of expenses.”

“You got me there,” Mr. Cole said with a grin. “What are you thinking?”

“Pay us ten grand to take this damaged horse off your hands, and we will arrange for him to cover three of your mares,” Clay countered.

“But that doesn’t guarantee me a foal.”

“You got me there,” Clay said with a smile.

“Enough of tormenting me. I know you two already came to a deal, so I’ll go unsaddle Red and load him into the trailer,” Austin said as he rode back to the barn.

◊◊◊

Chapter 3

Austin was summoned to the counselor’s office during the first period the following day. When he was called in, Mr. Winehouse asked as he sat down, “How have your first few days been going?”

“Fine.”

“I’ve talked to your teachers, and they say you’re struggling because you missed months of classes, that you’re a bright kid but need some help to catch up. Would you say that is correct?”

“I’ll catch up.”

“I think it might be best if you started attending our after-school tutoring sessions.”

Austin shook his head and said, “I can’t. I work after school.”

“You must be at least sixteen to have a job,” Mr. Winehouse said.

“Not true. The rule for non-farm work is that you need to be at least fourteen. Since I work on a farm, that rule doesn’t apply. I learned that you must earn at least minimum wage if you are under twenty. When I found that out, I informed my dad that he owed a bunch of back wages.”

“What did he have to say to that?”

Austin scowled.

“He said when I start paying rent and buying my own groceries, we can talk about me getting a wage. He showed me the grocery bill, and I decided I’d be his slave labor for now.”

“Perhaps I should talk to your dad,” Mr. Winehouse offered.

“No, don’t. My dad just bought me a horse, and I could never afford to feed it and me at the same time.”

“How about if we arrange it so you could be tutored during your lunch hour?” Mr. Winehouse suggested, trying to get the conversation back on track.

“That would be great,” Austin said.

“I’ll get a tutor assigned and have them get in touch with you,” Mr. Winehouse said, handing Austin a hall pass.

As he walked to class, Austin wondered why he didn’t need a pass when going to the guidance office. Some things just didn’t make sense.

◊◊◊

Right before lunch, Austin received a note saying he should meet his new tutor in the library. When he walked in, Austin froze. Sitting at a table and waiting for him was none other than Miss Tina Wilkens, Maverick’s date for the dance.

Seeing her close up took his breath away. Tina’s short black hair shone. If she were outside, it might’ve blinded him. She looked at him and smiled, which struck him dumb.

“You must be Austin. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

All he could do was nod.

“I’ve reserved one of the study rooms. I hope you brought your lunch because we’ll be brown-bagging it for the next couple of weeks,” Tina said.

Austin was secretly hoping it would be months. The rumor mill said she was a bright, happy girl everyone adored. Every other guy was jealous because Tina had said ‘yes’ to Maverick for the big dance. Seeing her close-up had Austin falling into the jealous camp because she looked like a model.

Tina was tall for a girl—she could look Austin in the eye, and he was five-ten. Most girls were about six inches shorter on average. And Tina’s skin was flawless; no zit would ever dare mar perfection.

Once they closed the door to the study room and sat down, Tina was all business, which put Austin at ease. Her demeanor allowed him to focus on the work and not the angel sitting across from him.

◊◊◊

When they got into the truck to go home, Zeb asked, “Any fights today?”

“Luke was out getting his nose checked,” Maverick said, “so Austin didn’t have his usual target to mess with.”

“Instead, he was spending time with your date,” Nora said.

It was Maverick’s turn today to give Austin a measured look. Usually, that was Zeb’s job.

“Mr. Winehouse asked her to tutor me to help me catch up in my classes,” Austin said. But then, when Maverick turned back around, he added, “She’s very thorough. I would’ve been going to school back in Montana if I knew sex education was so hands-on.”

Even Zeb barked out a laugh when Maverick’s face turned dark red. The look Mav gave Austin had the younger boy worried he might go three-for-three on fights this week. This time, he might have his hands full.

“Speaking of the dance, I need to decide on a dress and thought I would ask for a boy’s advice,” Nora said, changing the subject.

Austin turned to focus on the landscape when she pulled out her phone to show her dad and brothers her options.

Austin was out the door and running when they got to the house. Maverick was hot on his heels, but Austin outran him. The two of them ended up in the barn, breathing heavily, with Zeb and Travis joining them to ensure no one died.

“Dang, you’re fast,” Maverick said with a half-smile. “You need to come out for football next year. You could intercept all of Luke’s passes.”

“Are you boys okay?” Zeb asked.

“Yeah. I was just busting on Mav. He’s a lucky guy,” Austin said.

“Don’t I know it? I think every straight guy at school would be willing to give up significant body parts to date Tina. She’s so nice that when guys ask her out and she turns them down, they don’t have any hard feelings. I still can’t believe she hasn’t fallen for anyone yet. I really want this to work,” Maverick said.

“Maverick’s in love,” Travis drawled.

Maverick didn’t take the bait as he contemplated what his brother had said.

“I have to tend to the horses. If you all gave me a hand …” Austin started.

“I need to check on something,” Zeb said.

“Us too,” Maverick said with a quick smile as they all left.

Austin shook his head as he checked on Bliss, the only horse in the barn.

“You ready to get out of here?”

She snorted to let him know he was taking too long.

◊◊◊

Once Austin was done, he went to the apartment, where he found his dad dressed in slacks and a dress shirt.

“I have a class,” Clay said to his son’s unasked question. “The chamber’s offering a business management course that Zeb recommended. You’ll be on your own for dinner for the next few weeks. I put some things in the freezer you can microwave.”

“Maybe later. I’m going to take Red for a ride and explore a bit.”

“Take your fishing rod. There are three lakes and a river. I heard there are good-sized catfish in the lake at the end of the north trail. There are chicken livers in the fridge and shrimp in the freezer. You’ll find a small pasture Red could explore next to the lake,” Clay said.

Sometimes, his dad had great ideas.

After his dad left, Austin gathered everything he thought he would need for his outing and put it into his saddle bag. He’d put on a long-sleeve shirt because his dad had complained about the deerflies. The bites were painful, and insect repellent did almost nothing. He also packed a jacket in case he was out later.

When he came back downstairs, he found Nora and Travis saddling their horses.

“Your dad told us you were going fishing,” Travis explained.

He noticed that Nora wore a tank top.

“You might want to get a heavy long-sleeve shirt.”

“When I want fashion advice from a cowboy, I’ll ask.”

Austin shrugged, then saddled Red, broke down everyone’s fishing rods, wrapped them in horse blankets, and tied them to the back of his saddle.

On the ride to the lake, Nora only wanted to talk about the dance. She filled Travis in on who all was going with whom.

“Who are you two going with?” Austin finally asked.

That stopped the chatter. Thanks to their silence, Austin was able to see some wild hogs as they entered a meadow. They might have had a pig roast this weekend if he had his guns.

◊◊◊

Nora quickly understood why Austin had suggested a heavy shirt when the deerflies came out. He gave her his jacket to give her some protection. Travis gathered firewood and started a small smoky fire to help ward them off.

The three of them settled in to fish.

“Who are you taking to the dance?” Nora asked Austin.

“I’ve been to school for three days. It’s not like I’ve met anyone.”

“What about Macey?” Travis asked.

“Macey Donaldson?” Nora asked, to which Travis nodded ‘yes.’ “She would be perfect.”

“Then who would take you?” Austin asked, being a smartass.

“You asking me?” Nora asked.

Travis tried to hide his big smile at the trap Austin had walked himself into.

“Uhm,” Austin stammered.

“Yes. I’ll be your date to the dance,” Nora said.

Austin blinked a few times before saying, “Well, okay, then. Maybe Maverick can give us a ride.”

“He has to take all of us,” Travis said.

From the way the siblings looked at each other, Maverick had put up a fight but had lost. Zeb was smart enough not to let his son be alone on his date with Tina.

“I can’t wait until Kelly hears who your date is,” Travis said, reminding his sister how their stepmom felt about the ‘help.’

Looking at Nora’s expression, Austin decided to give her an out. “If we just go as friends …”

“I wouldn’t have to tell Kelly,” Nora finished, latching onto what he said. “And you would still have to dance with me.”

Austin had never gone to a dance before, let alone danced.

“One problem: I don’t know how to dance.”

“No worries. Most of the guys there have no idea what they’re doing,” Travis said.

Somehow, that didn’t make him feel any better. Then he smiled.

“We should ask Tina to dance,” Austin said to Travis.

They all laughed at that.

“Maverick will kick our butts if we do that. It’ll open the floodgates to every guy at the dance wanting a turn. Tina’s so nice that she’ll accept,” Travis said.

“You goofs should probably wait until the dance is almost over before you ruin Mav’s big night,” Nora suggested.

“Nora! Your bobber!” Travis said excitedly.

From there, it was a good night of fishing. They caught fish until their bait ran out. When they were done, they’d kept nine channel cats between one and two pounds—perfect eating fish. Austin filleted them and put them into sandwich bags with hot sauce to marinate.

He’d brought a bag of cookies to snack on. The three of them polished them off. They wanted to eat the apples he’d brought but left them when Austin explained that they had to catch the horses to ride home.

When it was time to go, the horses had had enough of the deerflies and came willingly without being bribed. The three saddled up and began to ride back.

“What do you plan to wear to the dance?” Travis asked Austin.

“Don’t you dare say cowboy boots, jeans, a flannel shirt, and your cowboy hat,” Nora said.

“Well … I don’t really own anything else,” Austin admitted.

“Maybe Kelly could take him shopping,” Travis said with a straight face.

“She’ll have to because I don’t trust Clay to get him anything decent,” Nora said.

“Hey! My dad wore city clothes for a class he’s taking. I can probably borrow those.”

Travis and Nora both looked at him like he was from another planet. They explained that you didn’t borrow your dad’s clothes to go to a dance. Somehow, that was worse than what he usually wore.

“I didn’t realize this was a dress-up event,” Austin complained.

“It is if you’re taking me,” Nora countered.

“Then …” Austin began, but Travis shook his head violently to get him to stop what would come out next—specifically, that Austin wouldn’t take Nora.

It was then that Austin put it all together. Travis and Nora had set him up because Luke was chasing her. If she went with Austin, he might lose interest. Austin sighed.

“If Kelly will take me …”

“Yes!” Nora said while doing a fist pump.

“You might want to dial it back a notch,” Travis warned.

Nora couldn’t help but smile. Austin was screwed. He and his big mouth had gotten him into this, and he didn’t want to upset the boss’s daughter; if not for him, then for his dad.

◊◊◊

Once they got back, Austin took care of the horses while Nora left to talk to Kelly. Travis took the fish, promising that Zeb would fry them up and invite Austin and his dad to dinner this weekend.

He came into the apartment to the phone ringing. No one ever called, so he panicked, thinking something must be wrong.

“Hello.”

“I’m glad it’s you,” his mom said.

“Hey, Mom. What’s up?”

“I just wanted to check in and see how school is going,” Marie said.

He told her everything was fine. She came back with the fact that she’d heard that he’d had to deal with a bully, which told him she and Dad were talking.

“I’ve gotten a tutor.”

“What? Why?” Marie asked.

“Everyone’s ahead of me. I joined the classes in the middle of the semester.”

“That makes sense. Have you started yet?”

“Yeah, and she’s good. She’s a junior and very bright,” Austin said, hoping to back his mom off from meddling in his education.

Otherwise, she would hire someone. And it wouldn’t be Tina.

“Your dad tells me there’s a dance on Friday. He says you probably won’t go. I think it’s important—”

“Mom,” Austin interrupted, “I have a date.”

That was met with stunned silence. Austin couldn’t remember the last time his mom didn’t have words for something.

“How’s Virginia? You dating anyone?” Austin asked.

“That was partly why I called. I was hoping you’d come to Virginia for the summer. You see, I’ve met a man who’s a real estate developer. I think it might be serious, so I want you to get to know him.”

“No,” Austin said without thinking.

“Austin,” Marie said with a warning in her voice.

“Let me think on it. Maybe the two of you could come here for a weekend. Besides, I just bought a horse.”

“Your dad said he was getting you one. What did you end up getting?”

“A chestnut Friesian named Red,” Austin said.

“Those are beautiful horses, but not exactly the cow pony I expected you to get,” Marie said.

“I’m not herding cows.”

“No, I get that. I guess I assumed you’d want a horse like you had, that’s all.”

They were quiet for a moment.

“I do want to come to Texas to see where you’re living. I’ll talk to your dad and book a weekend to stay on the ranch. Don rides, so it’ll be a nice vacation for him,” Marie said.

Austin bristled and decided he didn’t like Don. Any hope of his parents reuniting would be dashed if his mom married the man.

◊◊◊

Chapter 4

Kelly picked them up after school on Thursday. Austin hesitated when he saw she was driving, but she nodded to let him know it was okay to get into the truck. He was glad because he’d watched his bus leave only a few minutes before.

Once they were all in the truck, Kelly said, “I’m taking you boys to get clothes for the dance.”

“But I’m not going,” Travis said.

“Yes, you are,” she said, putting an end to that conversation.

“I didn’t bring any money,” Austin said.

“Don’t worry about it. Let me get this,” Kelly said.

“Yes, ma’am,” Austin said, not letting his irritation show.

He didn’t want to owe Kelly anything.

She took them to a men’s store in downtown Groesbeck. Once they got inside, Maverick and Travis went their own way, but Kelly and Nora grabbed Austin before he could escape.

That was a preview of The Outsider. To read the rest purchase the book.

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