Maverick Cattle Company Ch. 07

Darrin gave him a peck on the cheek and headed toward the bedroom. In short order Darrin arrived at the corral to find Mitch mounted on Storm and holding Lady. He held Lady's reins while Darrin clambered into the saddle. They entered one of the pastures at a slow walk, moving into a canter as the horses loosened up. Darrin looked over and saw a smile of the like that he hadn't seen on Mitch for several weeks, if not months. With a whoop, Mitch leaned forward and Storm responded with a jump that ended in full gallop. Darrin couldn't help but laugh when Mitch yanked his cowboy hat off and was yelling at full volume while swinging it. The scene reminded Darrin of how a 12 year old might ride, which was exactly the kind of attitude that helped make Mitch so attractive to him.

The outing lasted for several hours, freeing the guys from their worries, at least for a little while. After a time, both they and the horses were beginning to tire and they headed back to the house. The conversation was relaxed and Darrin was glad to see Mitch laughing again. He vowed to himself that they were going to do this more often so they could reconnect. With a last short race, they topped the hill to the house, and Mitch slid Storm to a stop. Looking toward the house, Darrin saw an older barrel-shape man with grey hair standing in the yard talking with Josh.

When he turned to Mitch, he saw the muscles in his jaw knotting. Mitch was beyond tense, and Darrin wasn't sure what was happening.

"Mitch, who is that? Do you know him?" asked Darrin.

"His name is Steve. Yeah, I know him," replied Mitch through tightly clenched teeth.

"Who is he?"

"My ex. . ."