Healing Trace (27 page)

The
petite mare gave him a look he knew well. She stood calmly, but the ride tired
her out and confinement frightened her. He held onto her halter and led her
through the double doors, down the aisle, and placed her in one of the smaller
stalls with no fight. When he released her, the horse circled back around and
stared at him.

He
nodded without saying a word, and the horse walked to the side of the stall to
drink out of the trough.
Dammit.

He'd
seen horses in every kind of condition imaginable come through the doors. Some
were prime animals, well cared for and ready to please. Others were beaten and
the best thing he could offer is to put them out of their misery.

The
little black mustang suffered from dehydration, and he suspected starvation.
She saved her energy by not struggling to get away, because she was pregnant.

The
shippers who traded horses for money sickened him. The least they could do was
see to the comfort of their load. How hard was it to find the time to dish out
food and water?

"I've
got the transfer papers with me, but no one's in the office." Charlie
strolled by leading a limping quarter horse.

"No
problem. I can take them." He motioned toward the mustang. "What's
the deal with this one?"

"A
little small for you to take an interest." Joe scoffed.

Trace
smacked the backend of the quarter horse, sending him into the opening stall,
closing the door after him. He ignored Joe's jibe.

He
knew a swindler when he saw one. It was none of Charlie's business what
happened to the horses before or after they were out of his care. He'd receive
a check, and would go on to delivering his next load.

Deciding
he wasn't going to get to talk with Joan before she left, he returned to the
trailer and dealt with the troublemaker.

The
six-stall horse trailer rocked. Trace spoke quietly, soothing the stallion from
the outside as he walked around the hitch. He had his work cut out for him, but
he would do better on his own, without the added tension of Charlie around.

He
opened the side door and pulled the ramp down. The animal screamed and tried to
rear up, but the lead rope held him in place.

"Sh.
You're okay. I'll get you out of here." Trace ran his hand along the side
of the stallion, warning him he was coming in. He took the time to memorize the
brand number stamped on the horse's flank while he worked.

He
took a firm hold on the rope, unsnapped the clip silently, and led him down the
ramp. The stud danced and rolled his eyes, but followed him easily. No doubt,
he knew he was going in the same direction as the mare he'd noticed in heat
earlier.

Not
wanting to put him in the rickety old stalls in the stables, Trace led him
outside and put him in the corral. The stallion headed straight to the trough
and drank his fill. Trace decided to speak to Joe about firing Charlie. It was
inexcusable to ignore the basic needs of animals.

"Here's
the papers." Charlie handed him the file.

Trace
thumbed through each one. Then he walked back through the stable and matched
each horse with the right brand. When he was done, he went inside the office,
wrote a check, and handed it to Charlie. Without a word, he saw the man to the
door.
Good riddance.

He
walked back to the black mustang's stall and leaned over the door. After
spending some time studying the horse, testing her for behavioral issues, he
headed back to the office. He had one more thing to do tonight, before he went
home. The smile came slowly, and he walked faster. He knew exactly who would
work wonders with the pregnant mare.

Chapter Thirty-One

"Come
on, Joanie. We're late." Katie stood outside the car in the driveway of
Lakota Ranch.

"We're
not late. For once, we're right on time." Joan grabbed her bag out of the
backseat. "We're not staying late into the night either, and don't talk
Devon into taking you riding. He's let you come over three times this week, and
you don't want to overstay your welcome."

"Aw,
Devon would never get tired of me. He did say I could work here on the weekends
once school starts too. He's even going to pay me." Katie danced beside
her. "That's a sure sign that he likes having me around."

"Well,
we'll see about that," she answered. "I want to talk with him and
make sure it doesn't mess with your schoolwork."

She
also needed to find out if they saw Katie for a charity case, or a girl who
made it impossible for them to tell her no. It wouldn't hurt Katie to volunteer
her time to learn more about horses. Besides, in a year, Katie might outgrown
her fascination with learning everything there is to know about the equines.

"I
can't believe they have a pool too." Katie rang the doorbell. "I came
in the house the other day with Devon and he showed me around, but I didn't get
a chance to check out the back yard. You'd never know they all live together
the way the wings of the house separate their living quarters into a sort of
apartment building. Maybe we can do the same when I'm older. Wouldn't that be
cool? You could have the west wing, and I could have the east wing…"

Joan
snorted. "We'd have a better chance of renting a townhouse. You could have
the upstairs, and I could have the downstairs."

"Geez,
you take the fun out of everything. You're supposed to agree with me. Haven't
you ever heard you're not supposed to dash the dreams of the young?" Katie
sagged against the house.

The
door opened, and Devon stood in the entryway, barefoot, shirtless, and wearing
only his swimming trunks.

"Hey,
you made it." He moved back to let them enter.

Joan
stepped over the threshold. "Thanks for inviting us."

"It
wouldn't be the same without you." He peered behind Joan. "Where did
Katie go?"

Joan
walked back outside, and found Katie still leaning against the house.
"What's wrong?"

Katie
frowned. "Did you see him?"

"Who?
Devon?"

Katie
nodded and whispered, "How will I ever talk to him when he's almost
naked?"

Joan
smiled and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Buck up, sis, I have a
feeling they'll all be in their swim shorts. It's a pool party. You haven't
been that sheltered. You've gone swimming with boys who you go to school with
lots of times."

"Devon's
different. He's a man." Katie glanced inside the door and quickly
flattened herself against the house out of view. "He's…like perfect."

Joan
laughed, grabbed Katie's hand, and dragged her beside her. "Come on.
You'll get over it and have a good time."

Devon
smiled at them again as they followed him through the house. Joan had made sure
she wore her one-piece swimsuit this time, and even wore the suit under her
clothes so she wouldn't chicken out about going swimming. In fact, she couldn't
fault Katie for being overwhelmed; she'd acted the same way the first time.

Devon
opened the sliding glass door leading out to the backyard.

"Make
sure you put sunscreen on, Katie. You know how you burn," Joan said.

Katie
gasped behind her. "Please let me die right now."

Joan
turned around and pulled Katie up in front of her. "God, Katie, don't wish
for death, it freaks me out, even when you're kidding. I'm only thinking about
your skin. Why don't you go say hi to the others?"

Katie
walked a few steps, turned, and frowned at Joan. "You're gonna be okay,
right?"

She
nodded. "Of course. I want to talk with Devon alone for a minute."

"Oh
God, my life sucks…" Katie whipped around and marched away from her.

Joan
spotted Trace, lounging on an air mattress in the pool. She dragged her gaze
off him and turned to Devon. She didn't want to embarrass Katie, but she'd be
falling down on the job of playing big sister if she didn't mention Katie's
crush.

"Thank
you for offering to let Katie work with the horses." She nudged him with
her elbow. "Now that I have the job at Hope Clinic, you don't need to pay
Katie. She would love to learn and get the experience of working with the
animals. And, I wanted to tell you thank you. She loves being out here with the
horses, and you guys."

Devon
frowned. "You don't think I'm doing it as a favor, do you?"

Joan
grimaced. "Kind of. I just don't want you to think we need money. I'm at a
better place in my life now. I have Katie back with me, and we'll be
okay."

"Hell,
Joan. That didn't even enter my mind. I honestly would like her help. She pulls
her own weight around here, and the horses respond to her. I think they enjoy
having a soft voice and touch taking care of them." Devon crossed his
arms. "I've been listening to her dreams for her future, and it gave me an
idea."

"Oh
no…look what happened last time you did that. You built Hope Clinic." Joan
laughed.

"Katie's
ideas make a lot of sense though. This area needs a place where people can take
riding lessons and advance in their equestrian skills. Seeing how much Katie
loves horses, and how she doesn't have somewhere to keep a horse or ride, has
shown me that other people are in the same predicament." He gazed off at
the pool. "I won't lie. Most of the time I'm researching and contemplating
a business plan it's because I'm dreaming up another way to bring more profit
to Lakota ranch. It all comes down to how we can make money, and give back to
others."

Joan
gazed up at him in wonder. "You're amazing."

"Oh,
go on…" He winked, and then turned serious. "I'm not saying anything
to Katie about what I'm looking into right now. I don't want to get her hopes
up, but you don't have to worry. She's always welcome here. You too."

Joan
stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Thank you. That means a lot.
Katie's…young. Sometimes she doesn't think before she acts, and I wouldn't want
her to push her way onto the ranch. All of you have busy lives, so if you need
me to talk with her, just let me know."

"She's
fine, Joan. Relax." Devon smiled. "Everything is new to her, and the
excitement will wear down after a while. I do have to say, she's a natural
around the horses. For someone not raised around the animals, she doesn't
hesitate to jump right into doing chores."

She
squeezed his arm. "That's good to hear."

"Hey,
Joan." Brody held up his hand.

She
strolled toward Brody, who operated the oversized, stainless steel, propane
grill. After giving him a hug, she hung back and watched Katie peel off her
clothes. Her jaw fell open.

Katie's
teenage body more than filled out the bikini Joan had worn the first time she
swam in the pool when she worked for Trace. Why Katie thought it was okay to
borrow her two-piece swimsuit was beyond her. She stepped forward, ready to
tell Katie to wear her T-shirt while she swam but Katie jumped into the deep
end of the pool.

The
spray she'd created arched toward Trace. She opened her mouth to yell a
warning, but it was too late. Trace rolled off the flotation device and
disappeared under the water.

The
last time Joan startled Trace, he'd reacted on instinct with no fault of his
own. She hurried to the edge of the pool. Not because she was afraid of Trace
getting angry, but Katie had no idea what she'd done. She'd apologize to Trace
for her sister's carelessness, before dragging her out of the pool.

Katie
rose out of the water and into the air, screaming. Joan stared in surprise as
Katie flailed back down in the water with a splash. Her head broke the surface
sputtering. Trace's head bobbed not far away from her sister. He was obviously
the reason she flew through the air.

"That
was so not – Katie coughed – cool!"

Not
one to back down from a challenge, Katie took off swimming across the pool.
Trace easily ducked under the water and popped out on the opposite side. Joan
observed the transformation on Trace's face. Only during the time they'd spent
together, alone, had she observed such peace and easygoing spirit shine
through.

Trace
pulled himself out of the pool. Joan swallowed. His bronze skin glistened in
the late evening sun. Every hard plane and bulging muscle kept her gaze glued
on him.

He'd
spotted her, and made his way over. She couldn't move to save her life.

He
grabbed a towel off one of the chaise lounges nearby. "Hi."

"Hey."
She caught herself staring and glanced away.

It
was hotter outside than she thought it was, or maybe it was the way she reacted
toward Trace. She needed to distance herself. Even the outdoors seemed too
small of an area when he was around.

"You
should jump in, cool off." Trace's left eyebrow rose, issuing his own
challenge.

She
shrugged one shoulder. "I'm fine. Maybe later."

"Okay,"
he murmured.

"What
do you mean, okay?" She crossed her arms.