Beauty and the Brit (28 page)

She settled back into the seat, a self-satisfied grin on her lips. “Whatever you say. Meanwhile, we’ve gotten far off the main topic. So funds are tight. Welcome to my world.”

There was no rancor in her words, just resigned humor.

“In all honesty, I can’t afford to take on ten new horses. Not until the middle of next month when all the board checks come in. I mean, I can put them in a pasture, but I can’t feed them for long. Unless I find cheaper hay very quickly. With ten extra animals, I’ll be out of what I have in a week. I was pushing through for our own horses until the fifteenth. It’s all a balancing act at the moment. November and December will be adventures all their own. Kim will be taking her horse back home, and Jill is talking about moving a couple of hers to their place just to economize. I could have six empty stalls by Christmas.”

“That’s a lot of money, isn’t it?”

“To put it mildly.”

“I’m sorry. Why didn’t you just tell Abby it wouldn’t work?”

He stared at the road, a lump of embarrassment in his chest. “First of all, it’s the horses. I might be a whingeing idiot, but the animals come first. It might not be practical, but it’s what an addict does. Second of all . . .”

He hesitated. She took his hand again. “Second of all, what?”

“Pure pride,” he said. “I’ve spent a long time building this top-notch place. It’s hard to admit I’m failing.”

“I’m sorry, but if this is failing, David, what have I been doing all my life? There are ways to deal with low funds. And the fact that you’re putting these horses first—well, frankly, it’s a relief. This is the you I’ve come to know and respect.”

A little magic happened when she said that. He knew the relief wouldn’t last; reality would kick him in the ass soon enough. But her gentle chastisement and her declaration of belief in him broke up something heavy inside. She
did
know him. After so little time, she knew he didn’t crave glory the way his father did, or status the way his mother did. Something neither had ever understood.

“Thank you.”

“Listen. I don’t talk about this ever, mostly because I don’t know what I believe anymore. But back in the day my dad would say we should always remember there’s a plan to help us out of trouble. As far as he was concerned, God, or Providence, or whatever you believe in, could do miracles. I’m not sure about miracles, but I think Dad was a little bit right. Look at me. Two-pairs-of-jeans Rio is still standing.”

It was the first almost-joke she’d made about her losses. In doing so, she’d struck another nerve.

“My mother used to remind me to think that way,” he admitted. “She was a good, solid, outdoorsy girl. The spiritual side of her was quite strong. Now she’s focused on the material. If you haven’t noticed.”

“I can’t judge. I’ve been plenty fixated on the material things I lost. Maybe these horses are a blessing.”

“Well, if that’s not a novel way of looking at them, I don’t know what is. C’mon then, let’s rescue our allotment.”

T
HE FARM WHERE
the animals had been found didn’t look so awful from the front. The house was a sixties, mid-sized rambler. Behind it stood an ancient pole barn, perhaps twenty by forty feet, not big enough for so many horses, but at least an attempt at shelter. Once they all got to the pasture area, however, the illusion shattered.

To David’s surprise, Chief Hewett met them at the property wearing his usual grim face, although it didn’t seem to be aimed at the people this time. He led them to a herd of the most wretched animals David had ever seen. So muddy and matted he couldn’t even determine their colors, they looked like avant-garde art—emaciated clay sculptures in pitiful groupings.

Ben Thomlinson and Jill were already tromping through the uneven paddock making cursory checks. Some of the horses nickered softly. A few moved out of touching range, and others merely followed the humans with large, hopeful eyes. David’s stomach turned.

“What the bloody hell is the story with this?” he asked Hewett.

“Supposedly there are thirty acres out there.” The chief indicated a pasture area beyond the crowded paddock bathed in soft evening light. “The owner says he planned to start a dude ranch like he used to ride at when he was kid.”

“Where was he a kid? The outskirts of hell?”

Hewett almost smiled. “He’s in his sixties, a quiet guy. Says he’s been buying horses for the past five years and collecting equipment. He just ran out of money.”

“Oh good God in Heaven, and he didn’t think to sell them?”

“He’ll be asked a lot of questions. I promise.”

“Sorry,” David said. “I’m afraid I’m feeling very little charity here.”

“I understand.” Hewett actually clapped him briefly on the arm.

David saw Rio then, leaning against a broken board between two crumbling fence posts. She stared into the herd. He made his way to her and put a hand on her back.

“You all right?”

She turned, her mouth tight, her eyes stormy with anger. “What damages a person so badly he can do this?”

“I don’t know.”

“Ignorance and true psychological trauma.” They both turned to find Chase behind them. He put a hand on each of their shoulders and shook his head sadly. “I don’t think it’s intentional cruelty. This is the same mentality that causes lonely women to become crazy cat ladies, or turns people into hoarders unable to clean their homes. Things get out of hand little by little and suddenly the person has no clue how to solve the problem.”

“You’re a kinder man than I am, Doc.” Disgust still tainted David’s emotions.

“No. I’ve just seen too many ugly things. If I got angry every time I’d have no soul left. I hope this man gets the punishment he deserves
and
the help he needs.”

The anger drained from Rio’s face. She put her arms around Chase’s neck and squeezed briefly. “I’d like to be like you when I grow up.”

He patted her back. “No, honey, we could use a few more Rios—stick with her.”

She smiled and took David’s hand. “Come on, let’s go find out what we need to do to get some of these poor things home.”

Chapter Twenty-One

A
WELCOMING COMMITTEE
of half a dozen people waited when she and David arrived at Bridge Creek with the first six horses. It had taken an hour to coax and lift the first rescuees into the four various trailers. Seventeen animals deemed most in need of help, including six Dr. Thomlinson had truly feared for and taken to his clinic, had been loaded first. Jill and Chase had three with minor lameness issues, Gray and Abby had taken two mares and three foals. David had let Rio hand choose their six. After her big speech about a higher power having a plan, she’d used no criteria other than gut feeling to pick them—nothing more than a set of eyes on one sad mare, a cocked ear on another, and a timid step forward from another.

Questions flew the moment she and David were out of the truck. David held up his hand.

“Everyone hold on. We’ve got six severely malnourished horses here. They’re quite nervous, so don’t get too close. We’ll have plenty of time over the next few days to show them they’re in a better place.”

Rio heard the gasps when the first horse emerged from the trailer. It was a scrawny little paint gelding, the most sociable of the six. David handed its lead rope to Kate. The second and third were bigger animals of indeterminate color, and Andy took charge of them. The last three were quiet, huge-eyed mares.

Bonnie was delighted when David handed her one of their lead ropes. He and Rio took the last two and led the way around the back side of the barn to the pasture where Andy had spread ten bales of hay around the grass and in the two run-in sheds.

“I just used the grass hay,” Andy said. “Figured if they were really in bad shape the alfalfa would be too rich.”

“This is perfect. They were eating some sort of vile ditch cuttings. Thistle-filled and moldy. It’ll be a miracle if they don’t all colic on the pasture grass.”

“Well, it’s eaten down and not very nutritious this time of year,” Andy replied. “They’ll be fine. You did a good thing, boss.”

“I think you should just put the poor creatures out of their misery.” Kate handed David her lead rope when it was time for the little paint to enter the pasture.

“What?” Bonnie swung on her with enormous eyes. “Kill them?” She stroked the thin neck of the horse in her charge.

“They’re so decrepit. Who knows what sort of pestilence they’re carrying.” Kate looked past Bonnie to David and Andy.

“That’s a little extreme.” Rio stared, wondering what had brought on such a reaction. Kate normally had a gentle, if aristocratic, temperament. “It’s not their fault they’re not beautiful.”

“Beautiful has nothing to do with it.” Kate’s eyes censured her for the first time. “David has a lot of very expensive horses here. It would be a tragedy if something were to happen. You don’t want a strangles epidemic or, God forbid, EIA.”

Rio had no idea what either of those things was. She could only assume David had thought of this possibility already.

“It’s not an insignificant worry, Kate,” David said, to Rio’s shock. “That’s why we’ll keep them separate until they can be vaccinated and wormed and thoroughly checked. It’ll be all right.”

“Are you still going to fetch more?” Stella asked. “It’s getting dark.”

“I’d like to,” David said. “There’s so much to do tomorrow. Competitors will start arriving the day after that.”

“What can we do to help?”

“If Andy needs anything, help him. Did you get those messages out?” he asked Kate.

“I did. Everything’s sorted.”

“Brilliant, thank you.”

When all six horses had their noses buried in the hay, David turned to Rio.

“You were wonderful,” he said, “but it’s a long process. You don’t need to do it again. I can take Andy.”

“I don’t mind.” Her heart sank at the thought of not finishing the job with him. “I’d . . . like to go back unless you’d rather I stayed here.”

“No, I’d rather you come along. I just didn’t want to assume you enjoyed it.”

“Hard to say I enjoyed it, but it’s worth this.” She indicated the new residents of the pasture. “They already sound happier. I hate that the others still there don’t know something better is just an hour away.”

“Then by all means let’s go.”

B
Y 11:00 P.M.
twelve horses, two more than the ten David had originally agreed to take, were safely in the pasture, and Rio felt like she’d just saved the world. Even though she was muddy, tired, and smelly, she would just as soon have slept on the ground beside the fence. She had no idea why, but all she wanted was to make sure they felt comfortable, safe, and cared for. David laughingly put the kibosh on sleeping with them.

“You’re so tired you can barely see straight,” he told her, as they stood together, watching the horses snuffle and snort, staking claims to their own places as if fearing the sudden bounty would disappear. “You’ll help these guys more by getting a good night’s sleep and checking on them first thing.”

“Why do I care so much about them?”

He pressed a long, sweet kiss to her temple, and her eyes closed, exhaustion turning to pleasure. When they turned from the fence he took her hand. “For the same reason Kate doesn’t truly get it. It’s part of your DNA, unfortunately.”

“Unfortunately?”

“Because it can get you in twelve half-dead horses’ worth of trouble.”

No regret came through in his words. He had accepted these animals as his responsibility. She could love a man who went where his heart led him.

“Will you be okay taking care of them? This definitely will get expensive.”

“I’ll be looking at the books pretty hard, but I can’t worry about it too much until after the show. It’s going to get crazier yet around here—just so you know.”

“Can I look at your books with you?”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she bit her lip in mortification. They hadn’t sounded so utterly presumptuous in her head.

“Look at my books?”

“I’m sorry. No. No, I didn’t mean I wanted to see your personal finances. I only meant I’d be interested in knowing what this costs, feeding twelve horses. I . . . I struggle with my own money issues all the time, and maybe we could figure out something together. I . . . crap, that didn’t sound any better. Just forget it. Sorry.”

His soft chuckle surprised her. “Stop apologizing. What you’re asking is a nice change from people telling me what I ought to do. I can show you what’s involved if you’d really like to know.”

“I wouldn’t tell a soul anything.”

“Do you know, I completely believe you.”

His words wrapped her in a warm glow. He had an amazing ability to turn her gaffes into genuine compliments.

“I kind of wish I didn’t have to work tomorrow,” she said. “I’ll miss the horses’ first day.”

“I can ask Dr. Thomlinson to come after you get home. If you’d like to hear what he has to say?”

“You’d wait? Oh, thank you.”

David reached behind her neck and pulled her forward into a long, sweet kiss. “Ah, Rio,” he said against her lips. “You do have it bad.”

“D
AMN IT, WHERE
did all these people come from?” Bud looked up from the grill and his umpteenth hamburger order of the lunch rush. He’d been uncharacteristically stressed all morning. “It’s Thursday, for crying out loud. Do people think it’s a holiday weekend? I have to get started on the potato salad for that crazy show, and I can’t buy a break.”

“Busy is a good thing,” Rio soothed.

“I want there to be pie and cakes left for the dinner rush. The gals at The Bread Basket are working overtime for me as it is.”

“We are low on desserts.” Vince nodded somberly.

Rio yawned. She’d been up since five, rising to check on the new horses before anyone else had been awake. She still had four hours left in her shift. Maybe fatigue conjured the idea; when it struck she definitely didn’t have the control to assess it before opening her mouth.

“Do you have ingredients to make apple pie?”

“What?” Bud turned uncomprehending eyes on her.

“I can bake pies.”

“Are you serious?”