Into My Own

Thirty-Five

"You mean to tell me Blake knocked out your front tooth when she was five?" I giggled hysterically.

Kellan nodded with a small grin. "Yep. I didn't let her on the tire swing since it was my turn so she started a boxing match."

I placed a hand over my mouth so the poor kid didn't get covered in half chewed French fries.

"I bet you let her on the swing after that?"

He shook his head violently. "Nope. I told her if she hit me one more time she was gonna get it. Little monster hit me square in the tooth so I returned the favor."

My eyes widened in horror. "You hit a girl?"

Kellan's cute face took on a sheepish blush. "I hit Blake. Not sure if you could really call her a girl at that point. There were lots of days when she was more man than me... Long story short, that's the night we both lost our front teeth."

I dissolved into another fit of cackles. "Your poor mothers..."

The blonde joined in. "My mama actually laughed and told us we both got what we deserved. Her mama wouldn't let us play together for a week even though Blake explained repeatedly that it was just as much her fault as mine!"

"Oh good lord..." I rolled my eyes, taking a long sip of tea.

We had been sitting in the same secluded booth for the past hour and half while customers buzzed in and out. Never in my life had I exchanged so many stories about my childhood in one sitting.

As it turned out, we had been raised very similarly. Neither set of parents was very sympathetic when we did something dumb such as get our teeth knocked out in a fight or break a nose while trying to do a flip on the trampoline.

I set my glass down and sighed in contentment.

"Y'know, we should probably get out of here. The waitress has been giving us weird looks for the past half an hour," Kellan commented quietly with an amused grin.

"If you want to head out, that's fine with me."

He quickly counted out money to match the bill along with a substantial tip before getting to his feet.

"Shall we?"

I nodded and took his outstretched hand.

"Where to now?"

"Well, I was thinking we should get ice cream and maybe go back to my place for a little while?"

At the sight of my alarm he quickly added "I was hoping to introduce you to our horses if that's okay."

I released a breath and nodded. "I'd like that."

"What'd you think I was gonna do, poison your ice cream and then stick your dead body in my basement with the rest of them?"

"You never know," I joked. "You southerners are pretty weird."

"Oh hush."

Ice cream in hand, we cruised down the highway for a ways and then turned onto the gravel road I knew would take us to the Dace mansion.

"How many horses do you own?" I tried to break the silence, though it wasn't all that uncomfortable with George Strait playing softly in the background.

"Mom and Dad own twelve together, I have four and Blake keeps three with us."

My eyes bugged out. "Nineteen horses?"

He nodded. "My parents like to breed them. They sell some, keep some for breeding stock, etc... I just like to train them. And Blake's are all for rodeo and queening purposes."