Ty nodded. He took off his baseball cap and absently scratched the back of his head, giving me a glimpse of short, light-brown-leaning-blond hair before he put the hat back on again. “It also needs to be something that can be opened quickly from the outside. In case there’s a fire or whatever.”
Brent grimaced. “Yeah, good point.” He started to say something else, but then turned and acknowledged me with a sharp nod. “Hey, Landon. You’ve met Ty, right?” He gestured at him. “Jon said you guys ran into each other yesterday?”
“Yeah, we did.” I smiled, sliding my hands into my coat pockets. “When he brought the escapees back.”
They both chuckled.
“Well,” Ty said with rueful smile, “hopefully I won’t need you guys to return the favor and help me catch a loose horse any time soon, but…”
“Eh.” I shrugged. “Breaks up the monotony.”
Ty laughed for real, which…oh, God. Hot. Oblivious to my pulse skyrocketing, he said, “Okay, I’ll give you that—it’s definitely not boring when there’s a loose horse. But it’s also kind of a pain in the ass, especially since the dogs are usually just kind of strolling around. When a horse wants to really take off?” He groaned and rolled his eyes.
“Isn’t that the truth,” I muttered.
Both men turned to me.
“You have experience?” Ty asked. Brent seemed surprised as well.
The sudden scrutiny rooted me to the spot. I was instantly sure they’d see right through me. That they’d somehow know my experience with horses started and ended with my stint at Old McDonald’s Farm for Straightening Out Hopeless Fuck-ups or whatever that place had been called.
I cleared my throat. “I have a little experience, yeah.” I shrugged. “It’s been years, but I’ve spent time around them. Including catching them when they bust out.”
“Well, good.” Ty grinned. “If one of mine gets loose, you’ll be the first one I call.”
Dude, you can call me any time.
I managed to keep that to myself.
The three of us moved inside to have a look at the kennel where Blaine and Houdini lived. Both dogs were just chilling right now—Houdini was gnawing on a bone while Blaine worked on getting some peanut butter out of a Kong toy. As soon as they saw us, both abandoned their toys and rushed to the door, tails wagging.
“Hey, guys.” Brent smiled as he unlatched their kennel. “We’re going to see about keeping you two contained. Is that cool?” Of course, the boys just kept wagging their tails and falling all over each other to be first in line for pets. Brent chuckled as he opened the door and petted both. They were rambunctious, but they always seemed to know not to jump on Brent. Jon, Kenny, Jon’s son, me—we could all handle even the big dogs trying to bowl us over, but most of them seemed to have a sixth sense that Brent couldn’t.
Still petting them, Brent turned to me. “Could you grab a couple of leashes? I’m thinking we can put them in the house with Winston and Luna while we work.”
“No problem.” Winston and Luna were Jon and Brent’s dogs—a Golden Retriever and a black Lab, respectively—and they got along great with Blaine and Houdini. Hell, they got along great with everyone, the one exception being Winston and the calico cat who thought she owned the property. He wasn’t a fan of cats, and he was terrified of her in particular for some reason.
I handed the leashes to Brent. He clipped them to the dogs’ collars, then handed them back, and I led the dogs out of the barn. Winston and Luna almost lost their minds as I brought the boys into the house. I had to laugh; all four of them were going to sleep hard tonight.
The house had a full basement, which had been tricked out for the dogs. Beds, toys, water—the works. There was a huge yard, of course—a backyard that was mostly for Winston and Luna, plus the rest of the property—but they came down here when the weather was shit. Or, like today, when they were hanging out with our pair of escape artists.
I left them to it, and I hadn’t even made it up the stairs before Luna and Houdini were playing tug-of-war while Blaine and Winston argued over a large bone. Yep. They’d all be worn out tonight.
I made sure the door was securely latched behind me, then headed back down to the barn, pausing to say hi to Jon’s son, Cody, who was watching TV in the living room. He was a nice kid. A little shy, but he’d warmed up to me and Kenny, and he sometimes helped us around the sanctuary to earn extra money. Plus he loved the dogs, not to mention the cats who wandered through, the deer, the squirrels, the raccoons—kid adored animals as much as I did. He had to be in heaven, living here.
A clean, comfortable house. Surrounded by animals. Four present, caring parents—mom, dad, and two stepdads. Stability. Warmth. Love.
Yeah, that sounded like heaven to me. I envied Cody’s gentle childhood.
When I returned to the barn, Ty and Brent were in the kennel, scrutinizing every nook and cranny.
“I don’t know how he does it.” Brent shook his head. “We’ve tried a million different kinds of latches, but he always finds a way out.”
Ty laughed, which almost made me trip over my own damn feet. God, he was gorgeous. Oblivious to my stumbling, he gestured at the chain link door. “It’s possible he’s climbing over this.”
“You think so?” Brent looked dubious. “I mean, I could see Blaine doing it, but what about Houdini?”
Ty shrugged. “If he’s that determined to go with his buddy…”
Brent seemed to consider it, then grunted in agreement.
“Maybe if we put something across the top?” I suggested. “Like a board between the top of the chain link and the rafter, but also something horizontal that they can’t get over?”
As soon as the words were out, my gut clenched. I legitimately expected a sidelong look or a comment—non-verbal or otherwise—about my presumably intimate knowledge of how to keep someone from escaping their confines.
But Brent and Ty both peered up at the top.
“Might not be a bad idea,” Ty said. “Put a bumper of sorts up there. Something round and smooth that he can’t get any purchase on.”
Brent was nodding as he spoke, gaze fixed on the gap in question. “You don’t think he’ll get hurt, will he?” He turned to both of us. “I mean, if he’s up that high and then he falls…”
Ty pursed his lips. “Well, at least until he’s had a chance to figure out he can’t get over it, maybe put a couple of beds or something right here.” He pointed at the floor along the wall. “It’s not a very long fall, and the rubber mats you have down will help, but some extra padding to be safe is probably smart.”
“Good idea.” Brent glanced around the kennel. “I think that’s the only way he’s getting out of here. But they’ve also gotten out of the outdoor enclosures. Would you mind having a look at those, too?”
“Not a problem.” Ty smiled, making the whole building shift. “Keeping critters in or out of outdoor enclosures is kind of my specialty.”
Brent laughed, gesturing for us to step out of the kennel. “Says the guy whose horses get loose sometimes.”