“Don’t scream in front of the horses, Harper!” Justin warned her, and Harper mimed zipping her lip as she danced from foot to foot.
Del laughed, scooping Scarlett up off the floor. “I guess we’ll finish dinner later.”
Dusk was painting the sky brilliant colors as they made their way outside. Justin drew a deep breath as they walked over toward the paddock where the horses roamed during the day. Harper stuck her hand in his.
“What are their names? Can we ride them?”
“I don’t know their names yet,” Justin said. “Well, there are photographs in their paperwork and names on their stall doors, so I’ll figure it out. And no, we can’t ride them. They’re not ours to ride. Also, we don’t know how to ride horses.”
“Can I learn?” Harper asked.
“Maybe,” Justin said, look at Del. Del shrugged. “That’s something we can look into, I guess, if we can find a riding school nearby.”
“And then I can ride the horses?” Harper asked.
“No,” Justin said. “They’re still not ours to ride. But maybe, if you learn how to ride first, and if your grades are good, and if you help out with the chores around the house, then maybe we can see how much a horse costs.”
Harper bounced on her feet.
Justin looked over at Del, suddenly terrified at what he’d just more or less promised, and found Del laughing at him silently.
“What about you, Wyatt?” Del asked as they drew closer to the fence of the paddock. “Do you want a horse too?”
Wyatt shook his head vehemently. “They big!”
“They’re very big,” Del agreed. “That’s okay. Me and you will stick to being chefs, and we’ll let Justin and Harper look after the horses.”
Wyatt nodded.
Justin ducked through the rails on the fence and walked toward the stable entrance. The horses, ears twitching with interest, followed him, eager for food. They were all friendly and placid but Wyatt was right—they were big. Justin opened the side door to the stable, blinking in the sudden gloom as the smell of hay tickled his nose. The horses ambled in behind him, each one of them knowing their correct stall, and each one of them knowing the drill. It was no effort at all to get them secured for the night, and have their feeders filled. Justin even took a moment to give them all a friendly pat and talk to them, getting them used to the sound of his voice.
In the morning he’d email the owners, and let them know he was here now. He’d also go through the books that Leo had left, and make sure everything was good with the suppliers. All that time working in a feed store, and Justin had never imagined being a buyer.
The last few months had been nothing short of a whirlwind. The first day he’d got the kids he’d worried he couldn’t afford to feed them, and now here he was promising Harper a horse.
Fucking crazy. Justin wasn’t used to life hitting him with good surprises.
He exited the stables by the front entrance and found Del and the kids waiting for him.
“Can I help you let them out in the morning” Harper asked. “Can I feed them and pet them?”
“Sure,” Justin said. “If you get up early enough you can help me every morning. Now let’s go inside and get you guys showered and in bed. We’ve got another big day tomorrow, with lots of stuff to do.”
* * * *
Justin woke in the middle of the night when he was forced off the air mattress and onto the floor by a squirming Wyatt. He lay there for a moment, watching the unfamiliar pattern of light on the ceiling, and then got up and went into the kitchen. He drank a mouthful of water from the faucet, and stood there in the moonlight. He ran his hands over the countertop, imagining all the years stretching out ahead of him, and all the times they’d spend in here, helping Del cook. This kitchen would be the heartbeat of the house, just like the kitchen back in Del’s house in Enterprise, and Justin couldn’t wait until it felt like home.
He smiled to himself.
Home and family. Same thing, really. Home and family and Del. They were impossible to untangle in his mind and in his heart, and he didn’t even want to try.
“You can’t sleep?”
Justin turned to find Del standing in the doorway. “I’m think I’m too wired still. Like I’m exhausted, but at the same time I feel like running around like the kids were earlier, just checking out every inch of this place.”
Del laughed softly, and came to stand behind him. He put his arms around him. “I’m excited to have our own bed again tomorrow night.”
“Hell yeah!” Justin laughed too. “It feels like it’s been forever since we made love.”
“Hmmm. It’s been about four days.”
“Forever,” Justin repeated. “God, I want you so much, Del.” He squirmed as Del slid a hand down his abdomen. “Don’t tease! You know if you start something, one of the kids will be sure to wake up.”
“You’re right.” There was a note of regret in Del’s voice. “But tomorrow night, baby, you’re all mine.”
Justin shivered. “Yes, please.”
Tomorrow night, and every night after that, Justin was Del’s.Epilogue
Harper Abbot woke up on the morning of her eighteenth birthday and stretched, making a purring sound that always amused Justin and Dad when they came to wake her up.