Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 112850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
We were in and out of the utility vehicle, guiding me through the functions and executions of how everything cohesively worked together. We talked for hours, stopping here and there among the herd, showing me the water troughs that were part of an automatic underground watering system. I hadn’t even known that was a real thing. I learned that Kitt added natural additives, minerals and such to the system, making sure the cattle had what they needed to thrive in this climate.
I was thoroughly impressed before we made it to the main horse barn. Man, that was next-level amazing. A superior facility, no expense spared, better than any home I had lived in.
Hooch, Kitt’s famous stallion, along with his mama, Lady, were his personal horses. Hooch had accomplished great things in the world of quarter horses. The horse was known far and wide for many different reasons, the one I liked the best was how Kitt’s proprietary feed, along with constant proper care, helped make Hooch a magnificent animal. He had to be taller than the sixteen hands I’d seen before. Muscular, sleek, and attentive. A beautiful beast worth millions of dollars.
I could tell Kitt loved Hooch and Lady like I had my Wildflower. When Kitt approached the stallion’s spacious pen, the animal meandered to the stall gate. Kitt had half bushels of apples in various spots inside the barn, and he grabbed one as he went closer to his horse. As he came to the outside of the gate, Hooch didn’t hesitate to flick his head, knocking Kitt’s cowboy hat off his head.
“Hey, guy. Stop tryin’ to impress the company,” Kitt scolded teasingly, lifting a hand with the apple palm side up. Hooch gave a huff, or his version of a laugh. His full set of teeth caused me to believe he was a willing participant to everything going on. The horse gingerly took the offering, taking two steps backward to eat the prize.
“Lady’s at a vet appointment with my sister. You’ll meet her later,” Kitt explained to the empty pen across from Hooch’s. As he went for a saddle hanging nearby, two men came out of the tack room.
“Here, I got it,” one of the two men said, taking over saddling Hooch.
“Saddle Whiskey too,” he instructed.
Kitt had an innate way about him that didn’t require a forceful nature to gain respect. His tone hadn’t changed from greeting me on arrival to dealing with his staff, but we all seemed to hang on to every word he said. He grabbed his hat, keeping it in his hands as he lifted a finger, guiding my gaze to the rafters. Every racing banner won over the last ten years hung there, most were Hooch’s accomplishments.
Hooch’s career had lasted about two years before Kitt pulled him back. He held the place of honor inside this climate-controlled barn. I could eat off these floors—they were so clean.
“So what do you think?” Kitt asked.
“I’m stunned. I haven’t seen anything like this outside of horse racing country,” I said, my head angled backward, still reading the awards. “And I didn’t actually see it in person, only video.”
“Hmm,” Kitt said, grabbing additional apples to feed the two other horses in the barn. Each received the same style greeting Kitt gave Hooch, again the love and respect were made clear between horse and man. Kitt cast a look back at Hooch while being saddled. “See what you’re missin’? These could have been yours if you hadn’t missed behaved.” He lifted his cowboy hat for Hooch to see. Another huff and full teeth showed, causing me to chuckle.
“This whole deal has been a labor of love, for sure.” Kitt guided us back outside. “I never wanted to get into racin’, but after I took over the farm, I needed cash to survive. If it weren’t for Austin, I’d likely have lost everything. I was hidin’, deep in the closet. That takes a lot of energy away from reactin’ properly to the world. I also had external demons fightin’ any success I managed on the ranch. Austin infused money into my business without my knowledge. He was selfless with me, still is. Once we were outed and committed, Austin and Hooch made everything else possible.”
One of the hands guided Hooch out, bringing the reins to Kitt.
“Whiskey’s on his way,” the man said.
“Thank you,” Kitt said, absently reaching for the chestnut stallion, petting wherever he could reach. I’d done that same thing with Wildflower anytime she was around.
The sudden memory landed without any pain. Only a special memory. That had never happened before. It felt good to be able to enjoy thoughts of Wildflower again.
“I wasn’t into the travel required to race a horse. I had a financial total in my head that I wanted to achieve to allow me to add all the additions I wanted to, like the underground automatic watering source. Once I reached it, I didn’t want to keep leavin’ here. I like my home.”