All Chapters of The Age Plus Billionaire Cowboy: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Tonight was the Halloween Party at the community center for the pre-teens and teens. Ava got into the Halloween spirit by dressing in a sock hop costume. It only cost her thirty-five dollars at the holiday shop in Helena. It was an A-line silhouette. The white T-shirt had a scoop neckline with short sleeves and the letter A largely stitched in black over her right breast. Her red swinging skirt came to her knees. A five inch black belt was around her waist. A black, sheer scarf held up her ponytail. One of the ranch hands drove her and the kids to the center. Jesse and Ray wanted to look over the pregnant heifer who was no longer pregnant. She had gone into a rough labor last night. Both mother and calf were weak. The brothers had said they would meet them at the party. Tom was dressed as the Mad Hatter. The costume was rather clever and fun. Tom wore a white broadcloth with a collar with a black ascot around the collar. The vest was orange and brow

Hawk couldn’t help how angry he was. The last thing the Calhouns or the Steeles needed was another generation of their first-borns feuding. And the last thing everyone else needed was the school getting wind of the fight. The boys could get suspended for a week or more from the football team. Hawk was getting too old for this shit. “Explain yourself, boy,” Hawk said through gritted teeth. “Why were you fighting with Dax?” The front of Hank’s black hair was damp with sweat. Some of the heat had left his cheeks. “Well, me and a couple of the guys were hanging out out front. Dax and a few of his buddies were just across the way hanging out. I . . . I knew Dax was dressed up as the killer from Scream. So, I might have said some things about . . . Miss Ava and I might have said it loud enough where he could hear it.” “Like what?” “Uh . . . like how . . . hot she is and how I wouldn’t mind . . . doing things to her,” he said and then his eyes

Ray got up at five a.m. the next morning. He had only gotten three hours of sleep. Ava’s words and the conversations he had with the boys last night had plagued his mind. Ray put on a pair of dark brown cowboy boots, black jeans, and a turtle neck and sweater over it and hit the kitchen. He fixed himself a turkey sandwich and gobbled it up and left. What he needed this morning was solitude – and a good hard ride. Ray went to the stables and saddled up Nicklaus and he was off. He trotted the horse for a few minutes, letting him stretch his legs and then he broke out into a hard ride. It was thirty-four degrees. The cold prickled his face as he rode as hard as he could across the land. The leaves on the trees were shades of red, brown, and orange. The grass – not so green as it was this summer. Fall was definitely here. Ray rode across one of the more shallow creeks. The splashing was like music to his ears. A few moments later, he jumped a fence and then slowed

Ray thought the first thing he could do to fix the rift between him and his sons was to make a conscious effort to be at as many meals as he could. He knew Ava was right about attending Dax’s games, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. So, last night he had stayed home as usual – and as usual the Bulldogs had won. They were now in the semi-finals. If they made it through that, they would play in the championship game. Now that it was fall it got dark earlier. He walked Nicklaus to the stables. Most of the hands were making their way to the barracks for some grub and to relax. They ended up putting the heifer and the calf down. According to the vet, if they were going to get better, they would have by now. It was for the best to end their suffering. Ray got to the stable door and stopped when he heard Dax and Jesse talking. “So, Lana accepted your apology and believed that you just wanted to spend time with her – not trying to pull a Hallowee

The next morning . . . The Steele family sat down for breakfast, including Jesse. As usual, Ava sat at the table with them to eat her breakfast. Ham and cheese quiche. After breakfast, Jesse and Tom went to the living room. Jesse wanted Tom to look at the pictures he had taken of him yesterday with the buck. Jesse had said he was going to have the best ones printed and framed. Dax stood. “Before you go to your corner of the world, Dax, I got something for you,” Ray said as he reached into his pocket. He had Dax folded bills. Dax slowly took it as confusion showed on his face. “It’s the money I owed you for doing extra work on the ranch,” Ray said. “Oh,” Dax said with realization. “I didn’t think you pay me so soon.” “It’s been a little over two weeks. I meant to give it to you yesterday but Tom bagging that buck distracted me,” Ray said with a little smile as he continued to sit