Page 103 of Guitars and Cages

“Yes, it is. All right now, git, I’ve got a ton of work to do and if you stick around here you’ll be late, so move it!”

“Yes, ma’am,” I told her, and thanked her again before slipping out the door. I caught the first bus heading downtown and sat staring out the window, nervous and a bit afraid at how the interview was gonna go. A part of me figured it was gonna be a waste of time and tried to tell myself that the only reason I was going was so I wouldn’t embarrass Anne after she’d gone to all the trouble to make the call for me. It was more than that, though. I needed this job, and working with horses was something I could do well, if he’d be willing to take a chance on me. I thought back to the moment on the ranch, the wind in my face as I’d ridden for the first time in years. Hard as it was to admit, Gage’s old man was right when he said I belonged on horseback; it was the best skill I had.

I wouldn’t hire me if I was him, but then I knew all my mistakes, all my failures. I’d never failed with a horse, though, so I tried to keep only that positive thought in mind. It was hard. Every time the bus neared a stop I wanted to pull the chain, get off, and run straight for River’s End, where I knew I’d be accepted even if I’d hate every second of the job. The only thing that kept me on that bus was knowing that this might be my last chance not to have to work for Catfish. At least if it failed, I’d know that I’d tried.

I got off the bus at the downtown stop and made my way to the food court. I didn’t come down here often; it was loud, and crowded, and even after as many months as I’d been in the city, I still didn’t like all the cars and the crush of bodies on the streets. I checked my watch, it was twenty minutes until two. That was good. I wasn’t late, and I still had plenty of time to look for him. At least it wasn’t noon and packed with the lunch crowd. I walked around, looking for the black Stetson, wishing Anne had given me something else to go on.

At five until two I saw the hat above the crowd, on the head of a tall man with salt-and-pepper hair. I made my way over, feeling more nervous with every step until finally I stood in front of him. “Are you Mr. Grayson?”

“I am, and you must be Asher. Anne had nothing but good things to say about you, young man.”

“Yes, sir, she was very nice to help me try and save the cat I’d found.”

“That’s Anne, always lending a hand when it’s needed. Why don’t we have a seat so we can talk?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Sir is for old men and people with too much money. I don’t ever plan to get old, and I doubt I will ever have too much money, so call me Travis.”

“Yes, si...err, Travis.”

He smiled at that and folded his hands thoughtfully. “So, Anne tells me you grew up on a ranch in Nebraska; how’d you end up here?”

“A family friend owns a bar here in town. I kind of drifted in to visit and decided to stay.”

“It happens. I never expected to stay so close to the city myself, when I first got here. Now, twenty-two years later, I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. It’s the best of both worlds.”

“How can you have horses so close to the city?” I asked, confused. It had been on my mind since Anne had told me his livery was only twenty minutes outside the city limits.

“You wouldn’t believe how many people ask me that. I got a great deal on the property at a foreclosure auction. The stables and one of the training rings were already set up, but the owner hadn’t been very good at advertising and networking, so pretty soon he found himself out of business and owing a bunch of money for taxes. With some hard work and luck, we’ve been able to turn it into a successful place.”

“I haven’t ever seen a horse anywhere near here. Guess I wasn’t looking hard enough.”

“We’re pretty tucked away out where we’re at. I’ll bet growing up on a ranch you have a good deal of experience with horses; what kind did you have out there?”

“Quarters and paints; some palominos, but those were my dad’s. I worked mostly with the Quarters, got ’em ready for calf roping and barrel racing, driving cattle, herding sheep when people asked that we train ’em for that. We had some rodeo stock on the property, too, broncos that I worked with. We did some breeding, too, especially with the Quarters.”

“So then I take it you know how to follow an exercise schedule, know the importance of a good cooldown, and how to take care of an animal at the end of the day.”

“Yes, si... Travis. My dad used to post schedules, too. Do you do rubdowns and brushing after the cooldown, or just the brushing? I’ve known people who choose one over the other, but my old man always did both.”

“My old man always did both, too, and so do I. I don’t think it’s ever enough to brush a horse down without first sponging him down when it’s hot or wiping him down when it’s cold. I gotta admit, it’s refreshing to find someone else who understands the difference.”

I smiled at that, relaxing a little. We talked a bit back and forth, with him asking me questions about handling techniques and how I would deal with different situations that might arise. He seemed pretty pleased with my answers.

“Well, Asher, here’s the bottom line. I’m giving some strong consideration to hiring you, but first I want to see the way you work the horses. How about you come out tomorrow morning, first thing, and I’ll show you around and see how you do? Consider it a trial run, so to speak. If you’re everything that Anne says you are and I like what I see, then the job is yours.”

“Holy—” I managed to refrain from cussing, but only just. “Thanks, Travis.”

“If this works out, I’ll be thanking you, Asher. I could use the help.”

He drew me a map with the directions out to his place, and I promised to be there on time in the morning. The whole ride home I couldn’t keep the smile off my face, I even stopped off and grabbed some Chinese food for me and Cole, though I didn’t plan to tell him why yet. If I failed, I didn’t need him giving me shit. I’d tell him only if I got the job, and I really hoped I got it.

Chapter Thirty-Five

The trial run went better than I’d hoped, despite the throbbing in my hand for most of the day. I prolly should have had a cast put back on after the other one fell off, but that would have made most of the tasks impossible, so now I was glad I hadn’t.

Travis shadowed me all day, giving instructions and watching how I performed the tasks. It made me nervous at first, but it didn’t take long for the thrill of working with horses again to calm me down and help me focus. At the end of the day he called me into his office and told me he was giving me the job, and then had me sit down and read the contract he’d drawn up. For the most part it was a list of rules, dos and don’ts, things like that. I read it all carefully and then signed it, and he signed it, too, before shaking my hand to seal the deal.

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