Maybe There's No Mistakes..

•forty seven•

Austin hadnt stopped talking, laughing and grinning since we left the diner. His excitement was infectious, and by the time we had pulled into the gravel driveway headed onto Frank and Dottie's property my smile was as big as his. He has seemed so exhausted and slightly beaten down for the past few weeks, it was nice to see him acting more like the Austin I had met, he tried so hard to not let on how much the travel and constant demands really effected him, but he couldn't fool me. I was thankful to see him coming back to me, still feeling some guilt over my bullshit from this morning, knowing it didn't help, knowing how much he needed the sleep he was missing over me, but this.. this Austin was my favorite by far. His eyes had that sparkle in them again and it made me suddenly feel a wave of protectiveness for him, for this version of him. I'm not even sure he knows how hard this life is on him.

We got to a large green pole gate and my hand was on the door handle before the truck had even come to a stop.

"Where are you headed?" Austin said with a laugh as I popped the door open and hopped down.

"To open the gate silly, it's the passengers job." I slammed the door shut and ran to the gate unlatching the chain from the post and hopping up on the bottom rung of the gate. I kicked my foot off the ground to get the gate swinging and hung on as it opened, carrying me with it. I grinned at Austin as he laughed and pulled through stopping again on the other side. I kicked my heel off the fence post behind me and rode the gate back closed and latched it back. I climbed back up in the truck as Austin just sat with a grin shaking his head.

"Seems like you have done that a few times Ms Grey..." he put the truck in drive and we headed further down the dusty driveway.

"More times than I could count. I've been in charge of the gate since I was big enough to push it open." I said as I sat on the edge of my seat as we bounced up the driveway. There was an older rambling one level house ahead of us and a couple barns and sheds with various farm equipment housed in them along the driveway. As we passed the house and rounded a corner a fence row came into view and suddenly about 20 or so sheep started bleating at us.

I squealed and clapped my hands as Austin chuckled at me. "Oh stop the truck! Let me see the babies!! You think I can pet them?" I said and before he could answer I was already out of the truck and slowly approaching the fence.

"Jesus Sara he has like 4 Great Pyrenees, you are gonna get your ass bit if you don't get back in the truck!! ... please just be fucking careful. Damn it... Now I have to get out and they really are gonna eat us both, because you are mesmerized by the sheep and not listening to a damn word im saying..." I heard him mumbling behind me as he got out and walked up behind me. His head on a swivel.

"I'm not worried about the dogs, I'm not dumb enough to get inside the fence without Frank here to introduce me. 2 are over by the wood line to your left, one is way back there by that tree behind the sheep and the other is pissing on your tires. They don't care about us... heeeeey sweet momma... ohh you will let me love you won't you?" One if the sheep had gotten curious enough to walk up to the fence and stuck her nose out to sniff me. Her tiny baby was hiding behind her legs watching Austin carefully.

"Wait... how did you? I've never gotten this close to these damn sheep before! I've been here a bunch of times and they just... come to you?" Austin was amazed and I had to giggle at him as he slowly walked up behind me and crouched down. The momma sheep was now leaning herself against the fence and aggressively enjoying the scratch I was giving her behind her ear.

"I've always been around animals. My whole life, I can't ever remember not having livestock of some sort. Cows and chickens always, but we had pigs, goats, the fucking peacocks, horses, we even had an alpaca for a bit, kind of a foster situation. You just have to be confident but slow and steady. Patient, quiet. Animals know who they can trust.. let him sniff you, it's just like meeting a dog. Slow.. don't startle him." The tiny baby lamb only looked a couple days old at best and he had finally gotten brave enough to inch up next to his mom on the fence line. Austin slowly held his hand out and the tiny lamb backed up at first and almost ducked back behind mom but stopped and looked at Austin again.