Cowgirl Up ✔️

Chapter Twenty Three

The farm yard was quiet, aside from bird's chirping in the tree's and the odd cluck from the chicken's wandering the yard, searching for weed's and bug's to devour.
My concentration was on the little Palomino patchy coloured gelding in front of me.
As what was of usual for us for the last week or so, I'd already given him scratches in his favourite spot's (the left side of his tail, behind his right elbow and under his chin).
Hilariously, when I hit the chin spot, his left hind leg would raise off the ground and he'd shake it like a dog who has those nerves go when you scratch the right spot on his belly.
So far, he was the only horse on the property who did this on an itchy spot we found.
Our liberty session of me asking him to walk, trot and canter in circles, switching direction every so often and keeping him thinking, had already taken place.
Now it was down to haltering him.
Slowly, but smoothly and in a non sneaking matter, I offered him the nose piece of the royal blue rope halter.
The caution was clear in his deep brown eyes, but he lowered his white nose into the hole I'd shown him.
Gently, I eased the long strap behind his ear's, making sure my moves were obvious, but gentle.
As Blayze and my Mum had taught me since I was a child, there was no use sneaking.
Even on a shy, skittish horse, you still had to teach them, rather than sneak around the issue they had.
My first few tries at getting a halter on him almost a week ago, were disheartening.
First, he'd bolt with just the nose offered to him.
Then he'd pull back and bolt when I got the nose band on his nose.
His next move was to pull back and bolt when the halter ropes moved on his face, as I'd try to get the poll strap up behind his ear's.
Finally, I got to a point where I could tie the knot while his front hooves would dance.
By now, he was thankfully standing weary but still.
Once I had the halter fastened, I gave his forehead between his eyes a gentle rub, then stepped back out of his space, allowing him a moment to think.
One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, four Mississippi-
Counting in my head, I waited for my sign.
On four, the little Paint released a breath he'd been holding, blinked his golden eyelashes and licked his lip's, working his jaw.
The smile stretched across my lip's!
"Who's a goooood boy?"
I crooned.
Paint lifted his head slightly and flicked his ear's toward me.
I stepped forward, offering my hand out, palm toward the sky.
Paint dropped his head so his nose was level with my hand and nuzzled his top lip over my finger's.
Heart swelling with pride, I took another step forward to scratch behind his right elbow.
His eyes closed and his lip's twitched with delight, making me laugh!
I pulled my hand away and Paint shook out his neck, relieving the tension filled muscles.
Opening his eyes, he turned his attention to something beyond me.
He tucked his nose in toward his chest and shied left!
"Hey, hey, hey."
I crooned, letting the twelve foot lead rope slide through my hand's a little, but taking a slow, gentle step toward the little guy.
He let me run my hand down his neck and relaxed slightly under my touch.
Satisfied with the response, I decided to leave the lesson there.
He let me comfort him after he'd found something to worry about, which was monumental!
I moved around to his left side and untied the knot in the halter, letting the halter slide off his head once he offered me his nose as I'd been using each half lesson to teach him to do.
He lightly rubbed his forehead on my shoulder, then walked off toward a corner of his yard, which had a tree for shelter over the watering trough.
I turned toward the front of the yard, preparing to leave and let Paint do some thinking.
Surprise hit me, seeing the figure leaning on the post and rail fence that ran across the front of the yard.
Blayze.
He'd been absent all morning, with the only person in knowledge of anything, being Heath.
Heath didn't know much except he got a text from Blayze's phone that was written by Joel, that said Blayze was spending the night in town.
I found this out this morning, when Blayze didn't show up for breakfast and a panic about his safety had burnt my veins.
I slipped out of Paint's gate, ensuring to chain it shut behind me and made my way along the rail to where Blayze was still standing.
His t-shirt and jeans were rumpled, his face looked strangely quite pale and maybe a little drawn in.
His eyes lacked their usual spark.
Even his cowboy hat was missing.
Apparently Blayze had one hell of a night.
Even after the last really drunk Blayze I had to deal with, I couldn't remember seeing him look this bad.
Now that he was standing in front of me, the worry I'd felt over his absence seemed to dwindle and get replaced with annoyance.
Why'd he go and be so damn stupid?!
"You look like shit."
I stated, placing my hand's on my hip's, the halter and rope tucked into my left hand joining in.
"Gee, thanks."
Blayze muttered, his gaze darting briefly my way.
I threw my hand's up in exasperation.
"Well you don't sugarcoat anything, so why should I?!"
Paint snorted and shied away from the water trough.
I winced.
I'll have to deal with this away from the poor little horse, who's fighting to re-find his trust in people.
"What the hell did you do last night?"
I all but hissed, trying not to upset the little horse further.
Blayze kept his gaze cast on the dirt floor inside of Paint's yard, his shoulders slightly hunched forward.
"Got the most shit-faced I have in a really long time, obviously."
It was pretty clear he's feeling sorry for himself, maybe even a little ashamed.
"Well that was a bright idea!"
Struggling to contain my emotion's, warring between worry and anger, I turned on my heel and stormed toward the tack shed to return the halter and lead rope, not feeling in the slightest bit sorry for him, being he'd gone and done it all to himself.
"Apparently I have a Kid."
Blayze's word's stopped me in my track's!
I'd only taken maybe a half a dozen step's.
He what?!
I spun on my heel, my heart beating too fast, feeling constricted by my chest.
My jaw dropped and I didn't seem to be able to make it shut or formulate word's.
I visibly saw Blayze's whole upper body shift with the sigh that escaped.
"Rikki told me yesterday. She asked me to meet her, because she needed to tell me something..."
Rikki?!
He went and-?
Hold on.
She's only been here a bit over a week!
Even if he has been sleeping with her, she surely couldn't know she was pregnant yet, right?
I tried to think back to my Mum, my Aunty and my Health lesson's at school.
No.
There was no way pregnancy would be registered yet.
Even a Usain Bolt sperm couldn't have made it yet.
A sense of relief seemed to ease my racing heart a little.
I walked back to his side.
"Blayze, I think she's messing with you."
He turned to look at me, a mixture of surprise and confusion on his face, resting sideways against the post and rail fence.
"Whaddya mean?"
"Well, you're a bit older than me, I'm sure you'd have some kinda understanding. But I'm pretty sure she wouldn't be able to know she was pregnant to you yet."
Understanding — almost like shock — dawned on his face!
He shook his head.
"No. She's not pregnant. If she get's knocked up, it's certainly not to me."
A huge wave of relief washed over me!
She's not pregnant to him.
"She's tellin me my Son is already born, walkin' and talkin'. Apparently he's four."
Shock hit me like a bucket of cold water.
"I- she- did you-?"
I gave up and shut my mouth.
I couldn't seem to get one coherent sentence or question out.
Blayze turned so he was leaning back against the rail, both elbow's resting on the worn top rail, his eyes squinting a little in the late morning sun.
"We were together for a bit some five year's ago."
He shook his head.
"I didn't realise anything had happened. She's never contacted me again until now."
Holy... crap.
He must feel as if the whole entire world has been tipped upside down!
Blayze has a Kid?
I know he's great with Kid's, but the idea of him having a Kid to some woman floored me.
"Umm is she... Is she definitely telling the truth?"
It might not be the right question to ask, but really, I did want to know.
Girl's lie about this shit a lot, don't they?
I've seen it on TV!
Blayze slowly shook his head.
"I don't know."
I looked quickly to his face, shocked!
"I like to think she's not a liar. I just don't even know what to do."
He shook his head.
I took a step forward, forcing myself to grow a tougher skin and be there for him when he needed it.
I was absolutely floored and had no idea what to make of any of this.
But I could see Blayze was struggling.
I placed my hand over his, giving it a squeeze.
He pulled his gaze to look at me.
"Do they actually do those paternity test thing's in real life?"
I asked.
In the book's and movie's, you always see them going through the test's.
"I think so. But he's a Kid so I guess it would just be a DNA test."
Blayze answered quietly.
"Are you...?"
I couldn't bring myself to actually ask the question.
He was either going to choose to take her word for it, or be that guy who looks like a wanker and asks for a test to be done, because he thinks the girl is lying.
"Should I do that? I haven't heard anything from her for five year's. In the whole last week, she hasn't said anything."
He shook his head, casting his eyes down.
"I dunno. It has to be your call, I guess. I mean, she'd have to understand, right?"
"Maybe. Or she might lose her shit at me..."
If she does that, maybe she's actually lying.
I bit my tongue from voicing my opinion.
Like Blayze need's to dwell on the possibility of her lying.
"Did you... I know how great you are with my sibling's and with my cousin's. But did you ever want to be a Dad?"
Bafflingly, I didn't know this answer.
You'd think by now I would!
He's great with my brother's, sister's and cousin's, but I guess that didn't automatically mean he's wanted to have his own Kid's.
"I honestly don't know."
His finally answered, voice quiet.
"As you know, my Dad was never a role model on what being a Father was all about."
"That doesn't mean you won't make a fantastic Dad, though."
Finally he turned his gaze to meet mine.
"It also doesn't mean I will."
"I'm sure being a shit parent isn't hereditary."
I insisted, squeezing his arm gently.
"You're absolutely amazing with Izac, Jace, Hazel and Lily. They all love you and respect what you say."
"Yeah, but they're not mine. Your Mum and Paul are there to parent."
Paul parent?
He's always behind his computer, or off in Town.
Mum does everything.
"You'll do amazing, Blayze. It's come out of nowhere, but I know you'll make it work."