Page 21 of Trickster King

We’d let him pick his pace, and it’d only taken him one Christmas to decide how he’d approach the issue.

His collection of new mothers received similar treatment.

I’d been given the title of Dad, and when he slipped or was truly upset, he’d toss a daddy my way. The first time he’d called Jessica his mom, she’d cried the instant he couldn’t catch her doing it.

Jessica had become only the first of his mothers, filling the void the loss of his mother had created from the day of his birth. Near most holidays, we visited his parents’ graves, an offer we made without fail. The trips hurt, but until the day he refused the tradition, we would go.

Nobody could bring back the dead, but we could keep their memory alive as long as he needed us to.

“We do need to be a little careful with your dad,” Geoff said. “He has a few days left on his medications, so we want to keep his workload light until his prescription is finished and we’re headed off to the new ranches.”

“He hasn’t been skipping, has he?”

Yep, Jessica had gotten to Eddie when I hadn’t been looking as he’d delivered his question in her most skeptical tone.

“He’s been proactive,” Geoff assured our boy. “The only reason we caught it is because Randy was aware he’d been in the pasture and was keeping an eye out for trouble. This bout was mild, but we’ve been taking every precaution.”

Randy cleared his throat and added, “And since we’re all being honest right now, we’re here because your dad needs a break. Your mom just got her vacation while your dad held down the fort, and since your mom won’t be able to hold down any forts starting within the next month, we’re making sure he gets in some rest. His form of rest involves buying ranches, setting up rescue operations, and picking up horses and cattle, but he’s selling off foals and rescues to fund everything.”

“Stall Blight?” Eddie asked.

“Yes, he’s being sold.”

“About time. He’s a great horse, but you do not need another horse just like Chocolate Cupcake.”

I would be feeling that blow for a while. “I see your other fathers have gotten to you.”

After a moment of thought, I eyed Geoff as the most probable offender.

“You have worked wonders with that devil, but he’s still a devil. You did not name him Stall Blight because he’s sweet. You named him accurately. And anyway, he’s selling for top dollar.” Geoff picked his phone up off the table and checked the screen. “Are you ready for the final offer for him?”

I hated selling my babies, but I had ranches, horses, and cattle to buy. “I’m ready.”

“Half a million dollars.”

I blinked. Someone had wanted to buy Stall Blight for how much? “Repeat that?”

“Five hundred thousand dollars,” Geoff replied.

I’d expected low six figures for the horse. “How did we go from a hundred or maybe two hundred thousand to five?”

“I sent the buyer Stall Blight’s genetic report, a copy of his papers, and several videos of you working with him. The buyer then went and spoke to some of the leading experts on Akhal-Tekes, who confirmed you’d bred an excellent animal while also stating he was quite possibly one of the best examples of the breed. While not the golden chestnuts many desire, Stall Blight’s conformation is perfect, his bloodlines are clean, he has a good generational lead outside of the predominant breeding lines, so he’s going to be an excellent stud for breed conservation purposes, and he’s excellent on the track.”

Well, shit. “I mean, I was very careful in picking the stud for Chocolate Cupcake.”

“It shows. The stud you picked for Chocolate Cupcake is only going to end up covering a few mares just to help preserve the genetics as much as possible. Like you, the breeder is careful about crossing lines. The breed has limited lines, which makes this even more difficult.”

I was well aware of the breed’s struggle, part of why I wanted Chocolate Cupcake’s entire family. “But he’s really selling for half a million?”

“Post tax,” Geoff added. “I guess that part is important.”

I sat back in my chair. “Huh.”

Randy laughed. “Eddie, in case you weren’t aware, this is your dad’s version of being caught completely by surprise when hard work actually pays off. It’s a bad habit of his, picked up from before your mom wisely caught him to be her king. Your mom has done a great job of reining in his self-deprecating commentary, so now he settles with this sort of reaction.”

“That’s a lot of money for a horse, though. A lot of money for a horse.”

“Racehorses can sell for ten million or higher,” Geoff said. “Five hundred thousand is a solid amount for an unproven, young horse—one that can’t compete for racing purses. What your dad doesn’t know is that he has a horse on the list selling for more than Stall Blight.”

---