Page 6 of Unbar the Barred
At the nod, Ethan tipped his hat back into place and, holding the horse's mane, squeezed his thighs and they took off. Horse and man as one, fluid and stunning to watch as they moved in unison. Cassidy had never ridden bareback, but Ethan seemed to prefer it.
The squawking coming from the direction of the henhouses brought Cassidy’s attention to where he’d been heading beforehe’d stopped. His grin spread at the welcoming committee of Lila, Lisbeth, Luna, Lottie and Lana.
“They’s my girls,” Cassidy crooned as he walked to the large enclosure where the chickens roamed free. Their henhouses were tucked back close to a large barn, so even when the weather turned, the inside remained mostly dry.
Sunny appeared from inside the barn carrying a large pail full of eggs as Cassidy’s little chicks made a beeline for him, squawking and chirping in delight.
“Cass, I thought you had the day off today?” Sunny said, projecting his voice to be heard over the welcome the girls were giving Cassidy, his gaze on where he walked so as not to tread on any of the Seramas chicks.
They had several breeds, and the Seramas’ were the smallest. The teacup puppies of the chicken world. Sweet and lovable with curly feathers, they were smaller than a coke can and came in a wild assortment of colors, feather patterns, and feather types. They also made great pets because of their loveable nature. Some of his girls often spent the night in his cabin when he was feeling the need for company.
“I am, but I was awake, and I’ve done all my chores.” Cassidy held up the knitted purple top he’d made for Lynda. “And as I finished this, I thought I’d come and see if it fits.”
Sunny stifled a giggle. “You know, you’re probably the only dude on the planet who would knit clothes for his chickens.”
With a small shoulder shrug, Cassidy sat down on the dirt and grinned when the chicks immediately climbed on to him. “If you love someone, you gotta treat them right,” he murmured, stroking carefully at their feathers. “Isn’t that so, girls?”
The clucking started in earnest, and Sunny’s giggles got drowned out.
Cassidy spotted Lynda coming out of the barn, and she held all his attention as she stalked majestically towards him. TheLa Fleche breed unfortunately made Lynda and her sisters a bit satanic-looking. With jet-black feathers and fleshy little devil horns, they stood out in the crowd. This breed of birds was more aloof around people, and, unlike the others, they didn’t follow their owner around. Lynda knew who the boss was, and it wasn’t Cassidy.
She tolerated him and his crazy notion to make her look less satanic and more pretty. “Look what I got for you, Lynda.”
She pecked at the purple wool several times and then lowered her head in approval. “I knew you’d love it,” he crooned.
“You know it won’t make her look—”
Cassidy shook his head, not shifting his gaze from Lynda.
“Don’t be mean,” he said softly to Sunny, and to Lynda, “to my special lady. She has feelings too.” He carefully pulled the knitted top into place, pleased with how it fit.
“Perfect.”
Sunny sauntered off, mumbling under his breath, loud enough for Cassidy to hear, “Sometimes, I worry for you.”
He lifted Lynda up to look her in the eye. “There’s nothing to worry about, is there?”
Cassidy was sure he could see amusement in her eyes as she squawked, then flapped her wings to show it was time to let go if he didn’t want to be pecked in the eye. When she sauntered off, proudly displaying her knitted top, Cassidy beamed with satisfaction, his mind focusing on what color to make Letta’s sweater.
Chapter Four
Cassidy
The arrival of the newcomers the day before had brought much excitement to the ranch and not all because Silas was there for the first time in months. A couple of months ago, his parents chose to retire, rather suddenly, or so it seemed. Silas hadn’t even mentioned anything to Ethan, who got the same shock as everyone else at the announcement.
It was that Silas had come with all his brothers. There’d been a lot of speculation as to why they would all come on a team building retreat to the ranch when they were now all in charge and working together at Starling Enterprises.
Cassidy, unlike the other guys who worked on the ranch, had paid little mind to the new arrivals. He wasn’t interested in them other than being polite and friendly. Some of the single ranch hands took an interest in any new arrival, in case they’d be up for a bit of fun. The only one Cassidy wanted to catch the eye of and have fun with was Trey.
You already caught his eye.
Thanks for reminding me.
You’re welcome.
“Bubba, come on darlin’, you gotta wiggle that cute backside outta there. You're makin’ me late, and Ethan will have my hide, never mind yours. I have a group to work with today,” he coaxed.
The loud squeaking noises that followed, along with some grunts, did not sound amused.
