Long Road Home by Joann Ross Read Free Book Online Page A

were this morning, allowing her to get in a zone, it was almost as good as the meditation Rachel had taught her to do during the stressful ending days of her marriage.
    As she let the horse trot awhile around the corral, Austin’s gaze drifted to the far pasture, where cattle grazed. As she watched, two SUVs drove down the dusty road from what was now Sawyer’s cabin. She recognized them as belonging to his brothers, who’d obviously shown up to help him move the stock from the Bar M.
    Although the Merrills had built their reputation as stock breeders and she had no plans to enter the increasingly competitive beef business, the sight of the cows and calves proved surprisingly pleasing. Perhaps, Austin admitted, because they were Sawyer’s cows. Just seeing them was an indication that possibly she’d been wrong about having destroyed their relationship when she’d married Jace. Maybe Heather was right. Perhaps there was some way forward for them. But first they’d have to talk about the past.
    Going back to the future.
    She was pondering yet again how to best attempt that when the colt stopped in front of her, nudging her, trying to regain her attention.
    “Good boy,” she said absently, running her palm down the front of his blaze face. “You’re such a baby.”
    He’d always been needy for human attention, which put him ahead of others she’d worked with over the years. And while he was easy to spoil, the trick would be teaching him responsibility. Fortunately, he came from a long line of cattle horses, so herding—which was what he was doing right now, pushing against her, trying to move her where he wanted her to be—was in his blood. Even if he didn’t know it yet.
    “You may not realize it, but you’re going to do Green Springs proud when you go off to your new home,” she told him. The ranch’s reputation was only as good as its next horse, and so far, over several generations, it had risen, thanks to diligent breeding and records that went back to her great-great-grandfather.
    After returning the yearling to the herd, she’d just gone over to a small paddock next to the corral when a sunny yellow minivan drove up the gravel road, kicking up dust behind it. It pulled up in front of the barn, the doors opened, and two children jumped out, racing toward her, their mother following behind.
    “Buttermilk had her baby!” Seven-year-old Jack Campbell scrambled up on the paddock fence, leaning so far over Austin had a momentary fear he’d go flying right over it.
    “She’s pretty.” Sophie Campbell grabbed her younger brother by the back of his jeans. Being five years older, Sophie had always acted as a junior mother to her active brother.
    “He is, isn’t he?” Austin ran her hand down the foal’s mane.
    “What’s his name?” Jack asked.
    “He doesn’t have one yet,” Austin said.
    “I know!” Jack wiggled free of his sister’s hold and began jumping up and down. “You should name him Zombie Butt!”
    “And we should rename you Idiot Child,” Sophie shot back.
    “Though Zombie Butt would definitely be an original name,” Austin said, fighting back the smile that was trying to get free.
    “That B-word has become the word of the day. And yesterday. And for the past month before that,” Heather said. “I totally blame Santa for bringing him that copy of The Day My Butt Went Psycho .” She ruffled her son’s red head. “That was followed by Zombie Butts from Uranus .”
    “Which he’s not allowed to say out loud.” Sophie scowled a warning at her brother, who’d just opened his mouth to blurt it out.
    Austin ran the forbidden word through her head, separating the first two letters of the planet’s name from the last four—Ur-Anus—as a young boy might relish saying. Laughing when she figured it out, she glanced over at Heather, who merely rolled her eyes with maternal patience.
    “I’ll bet, when we were talking about you wanting a large family while growing up, you never