Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 69468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
“You need to try,” I said gruffly. I hated the idea of Colt’s hovering chasing Carson off, but Luna made a good point. Carson was over thirty now. He wasn’t going to put up with Colt babying him forever.
“Yep.” Luna kept her voice firm. “I know you had the added responsibility of your dad dying when Carson was so little, but you need to let him be an adult now.”
“Yeah.” Colt let out a defeated sigh, leaning against the side of our booth. “I only want the best for him.”
“Says every meddling big brother ever.” Luna laughed, but the shrewdness in her gaze remained.
“We should grab a booth.” Grayson clapped a hand on Colt’s shoulder, clearly itching to get him away from this conversation.
“Go get your beer.” I gave a friendly wave to disguise my own relief.
“Nice seeing y’all.” Colt followed Grayson over to the bar.
“How are the kids?” I turned my attention back to Luna and Mitch, preemptively heading off more questions about my life.
Luna was halfway through a story about the kids and soccer when my phone’s emergency ringer went off.
“I knew it.” Luna groaned right along with me. “We jinxed you.”
“Yep.” I readied some cash to leave on the table as I listened to the message from the answering service. “There goes my quiet night.”
“Good thing you stuck to one beer.” Luna reached across the table to pat my hand. “What’s the emergency?”
“Kat at Second Chance Ranch has a horse who came back from a trail ride poorly.” Horses were finicky creatures, and poorly could mean anything from the start of colic to dehydration to something more systemic. “She wants me to take a look, see what I think.”
“Good luck figuring it out.”
Luna tried to wave off my cash, but I stuck it under my coaster anyway before I headed out. As I walked to my truck, I texted Kat for more details, corralling my brain into professional mode. Didn’t matter that I might get to see Carson. I had a job to do, no matter how much my pulse thrilled.
Chapter Twenty-One
Carson
While I was always glad to see Jude, especially lately, I could have done without a horse emergency as the reason. Most of the other hands had gone on to dinner, leaving Kat and me waiting for Jude’s arrival.
“I hope Jude gets here soon.” Kat paced back and forth in front of Forest’s stall. He was an older, regal gelding. Up until a few hours ago, he’d been the chillest member of rescue horse row, a favorite among hands and ranch guests alike. Kat stopped to pat my shoulder. “Thanks for helping.”
“Happy to.” As if I was going anywhere, even if Jude weren’t on the way.
I wasn’t going to leave Kat to deal with a sick horse on her own. She had decades of experience and was a supremely capable barn manager, but my time in the service had taught me the benefit of having a team when a situation went sideways. She might need an extra pair of hands, and I was more than happy to provide moral support as well.
“You’re doing a great job keeping him calm.” Kat managed a tense smile.
I’d learned a few tricks from Linus on how to deal with agitated horses, and I was doing my best to keep Forest calm. I’d brought a fan like the one I was using with Linus over to Forest’s stall to help him regulate his temperature and kept up a steady stream of soothing nonsense talk for the horse.
Gravel crunched in the distance, coupled with a faint yet familiar hum of a truck engine. “Here’s Jude.”
“You know the sound of his truck?” Kat’s voice was rather impressed as her eyes went wide.
“Eh.” I made a vague gesture. “I know trucks.”
“I see.” She likely saw far too much.
While it was true that I knew all sorts of engine sounds from tanks to convoy trucks, I also knew the particular sound of Jude’s truck because I’d spent a fair bit of time the last few weeks listening for it. Our friendship wasn’t a secret, but I did tend to dart out to his truck the second he arrived to pick me up for dinner at his place. The fewer folks with questions, the better.
Luckily, I was right that the truck coming down the drive was Jude, and his arrival saved me from more conversation with Kat. Wearing a gray western shirt and a black cowboy hat, he came striding in with his medical pack on one shoulder and an all-business demeanor. The cavalry was here, and tension visibly rolled off Kat. Jude inspired that sort of confidence. He did, however, spare me the barest of smiles as he greeted Kat.
“Thank goodness you’re here.” She led the way to Forest’s stall.
“I came as fast as I could.” Jude’s voice was as soothing as the one I’d been using with Forest. “Tell me more about his symptoms?”