Page 22 of Buck Wild Orc Cowboy
“It is,” Sel said.
Max let out a whoop of pure joy. “This is cool.”
Sel urged the sorhoxes past the house, and I crooked my neck to take it all in. We'd only ever lived in apartments in the city, never in a house. Of course I'd been inside houses, but they were too expensive to rent.
He slowed the beasts when we reached the fence extending away from the barn.
Sel dismounted first, landing lightly on the ground. Reaching up, he slid me off Zist and placed my feet on the packed dirt.
“My legs feel funny,” I said with a laugh. “I feel like I'm walking bowlegged.”
“You’re a true cowboy then.” He held onto my arm even though I wasn't unsteady. I didn't shrug him off because it felt nice to be near him, to have him touching me. Something I'd never expected to find with anyone after my ex.
“All I need is my own hat,” I said with a grin.
He adjusted his own, creating a shadow across his face that made him look incredibly sexy. “Let's get you one tomorrow.”
“I can't spend money on something like that.”
“We'll see,” was all he said.
Maybe he didn’t mean to say it at all, but my brain unboxed the words anyway and stared at them too long.
Max leapt from his beast with complete confidence, landing solidly on the ground. “That was so much fun. When can I go riding again?”
Sel's gaze met mine. “We'll talk about it soon, alright?”
Max scuffed the dirt with the toe of his sneaker. “Okay.”
Sel meant after he'd spoken with me, and I appreciated that he wasn't making decisions related to my son without my input, plus that he wasn't seeking that input in front of Max.
“We need to put Zist and Brelar in the pasture with the others,” Sel said, going over to Brelar and loosening the strapholding the saddle. He slid it off and handed it to Max, whose eyes bugged.
Max peered around, wrangling to hold it. “Where do I put it?”
“In the barn. Follow me, and I'll show you what you need to do before you put it away for your next use.”
“We have to do something to it?” Max followed Sel to the barn, where Sel opened the big door on the front.
“Leather needs proper care if it's going to remain supple.” Sel stepped into the barn, his voice echoing, and Max followed. “Over here.”
I poked my head inside, taking in the gated stalls along the right side, a wall with only one door on the left. Sel urged Max to a room at the end, and I could hear him explaining what Max would need to do to take care of the saddle. While Max worked, Sel joined me at the entrance.
“It won't take him long. I hope you don't mind that I put him to work,” he said.
“Not at all. I appreciate you being patient with him, showing him what to do.”
“He's a good youngling. I can see that already.”
“Thank you. I’ve done my best with him.” Despite the damage his father had done before he and I were finished.
“I’ll be happy to teach him about cowboy life, but we’ll talk about that later.”
I nodded.
“Where are you going to sleep?” I noted a ladder mounted on the left wall leading to an open hatch above. The smell of fresh wood and hay filled the air, and sunlight poked in from the solitary window at the end. This barn had been built similarly to the one in town, only smaller.
He pointed to the ladder. “Up there.”
