Page 6 of Austin (The K9 Files #29)
It’s easy to forget when out on a mission, easy to just focus on the things that you wanted to remember, and it was never all about the good things.
When times were tough, it was usually the rotten things that helped you to reinforce your stance and your beliefs.
It never really did him any good, but, hey, he’d gone from one mission to another after that, refusing to ever step back home again.
It had been hard at first, but, when the years rolled along, it became easier to reinforce the fact that he had nothing at home for him anyway.
He hadn’t even come back for his stuff. He’d slipped out of the house pretty quickly after she’d told him to go and to never come back.
So he had left their bedroom, just to go for a walk.
He walked the fence, with one of the dogs, Chester, at his side, half to keep him out of trouble and half to ensure he didn’t do something he wasn’t allowed to do.
The dogs were incredibly protective and always had been.
Austin had always been very much a dog person, and, hell, he was also a horse person. He was an animal lover in general.
His ruminations of the past were interrupted as Austin thought he heard some noises coming from the barn.
People were suddenly up and heading out to take a look at something.
He didn’t have any wheels capable to take on the ranch lands or a mount, so no way he could catch up with them.
Yet, as he walked in that direction, somebody came up behind him.
He stood still, waiting for the recognition.
Jake called out, “The least you can do is get on a damn horse and help.”
“If I had known there was a problem, I would have,” Austin replied in a calm tone.
Jake asked, “Did you hear anything out here?”
“No, I was just coming to investigate an odd sound, when I heard you guys.”
“You won’t get far without something under you,” Jake noted in a hard tone. “Either grab a four-wheeler or go saddle up, but this isn’t a time to not be partaking.” Jake took off, galloping his horse into the dark.
Austin laughed. So typical of the man. Jake was all about getting out there and doing what needed to be done and doing it fast before anybody else got there.
It wasn’t a bad attitude, particularly if crap was going on that you needed to take care of.
Austin headed back to the barn and found Charlie, who recognized him and started nickering.
He quickly saddled him up, grabbing the closest saddle, not even knowing whose it was or if somebody was particular about this one.
Jumping up into the saddle, Austin and Charlie took off after the others.
Austin was never one to be left behind and wanted to be in the action at all times.
As he raced over the ground, he smiled with joy, completely forgetting about his prosthetic, just getting up and moving out fast, not missing a beat.
That freedom and the sense of recognition that he really could still do this was so absolutely stunning that he just wanted to laugh out loud.
Even as he came abreast of Jake and one of the ranch hands that he didn’t recognize, Jake looked over at him and nodded. “Glad to see it didn’t hold you back.”
Austin figured he meant the injury, but he wasn’t sure, so he just nodded and replied, “I don’t hold back easily.”
“No, maybe not,” Jake muttered, “but the shit women can do will turn your guts inside out. I know Rox tossed you out, like some discarded piece of meat. Don’t ever let anybody do that to you. Not even my daughter. You should have more self-respect than that.”
“Wasn’t planning on it.”
Jake snorted. “Too late, you already did.”
“Maybe,” Austin conceded, “but I’m not the same person I was before.”
“That’s a damn good thing,” Jake stated, “but you’ve also got to remember that neither is she.” And, with that, he nudged his horse to a higher speed and tore off toward whatever was causing chaos up ahead.
Austin followed quickly behind, and he had the ranch hand right with him. As they came to a clearing, they found vehicles tearing off into the distance, looking to have just been joyriding on Jake’s land.
Jake raced up behind them, trying to take photos or something along that line, with the other ranch hand coming up behind him.
Seeing the direction the vehicles took, Austin veered off, heading toward the road to intercept them.
He couldn’t stop them, not on a horse, but, if he could get close enough to identify them in any way, that would be a different story.
This shit would never go down well, not where animals were involved, livestock, especially not when the brush was as dry as hell, and a fire could start without anybody even thinking about it.
As soon as Austin cut through the brush and kept on going, he just gave Charlie his head, knowing that the horse would know his way far better than anybody else.
It didn’t take long before he came to an opening to see the vehicles crash through the brush, heading directly for him.
Charlie reared off to the side, and Austin quickly took photos of a modified pickup truck, lifted, with huge tires underneath.
It generally looked like a kid’s toy that had been souped-up, rather than anybody serious about riding off-road.
Austin figured it was just some locals out having fun, probably drunk and high as a kite, but still dangerous as hell.
He couldn’t keep up the pace, and, laughing and screaming at him, the driver of the vehicle took off. But Austin had enough photos to identify the vehicle. Plus, he thought he recognized who was inside, and that wouldn’t make Austin or anybody else happy.
Unfortunately it looked to be Amie’s son.