is all Safe Haven land, you know. It doesn’t belong to the state or the Bureau of Land Management. That’s good, because we need the space. But we’re not incorporated, and if there’s a fire, unless it threatens buildings or livestock, it’s only going to be managed, not fought. So the more snow and rain we have, the better it is for everyone. Thankfully, this far north, we still get a lot of snow.”
“You have trouble with predators?”
“Much as any ranch out here. We’ve lost our share, but that’s the way of it. The price for free range. Most of the cattle are just passing through, though. We’re not equipped to take care of many, but people are quicker to take cows.”
“That’s good. What about the horses?”
She found herself urging Candy Cane to move faster. “We get a lot of abandoned horses. Too many folks have lost their homes, lost their property, including their ability to care for their stock. Cows are typically bought, but horses... There’s a lot of sentiment around horses, even if the old-timers want to deny it. Nobody likes to send a horse to slaughter. Unfortunately, those same people aren’t able to find them new homes. I’m sure it’s the same story on your end.”
“Every rescue shelter we support has a different set of circumstances unique to their location.” Tucker looked around at the distant prairie, spread as far as they could see. “There are plenty of lakes here. Shade trees. Underground water flow. A horse might find a decent chance.”
She nodded. “Good thing we have that because there’s never a time we’re not at capacity. Not a week goes by we don’t have to turn someone away.”
“That won’t change if you get funding.”
“It’ll happen less. That’s something to hope for.”
He seemed to study her with a different kind of interest. “Safe Haven is lucky to have you. Whatever happens from this trip, the work you’ve put into this place is something you can be proud of.”
“Thank you.” Annie rode ahead a bit, trying not to let him see her confusion over the oddly ominous compliment. Had he already eliminated Safe Haven as a worthy nonprofit? Then why bother to stay for the board meeting?
Maybe they weren’t ready for a gift yet. She’d run across that in her fundraising efforts, where an organization would hold back money until certain goals had been met.
That would be a blow, but only because she was letting herself hope too much. Nothing was ever guaranteed. Especially when things looked brightest.
They weren’t far from the field she wanted Tucker to see. Putting aside her worries, she let the excitement of this amazing project spur her forward. Candy Cane caught her enthusiasm and Weasley trotted along. The perfect breeze lifted Annie’s hair, taking her out of her myopic panic for the first time since he’d mentioned dinner.
The day couldn’t have been better. Green leaves and buds and early flowers were everywhere she looked, the scent of spring vivid, the sky an astonishing blue. Realizing she’d let this pass her by for half an hour reminded her to grab what she could while she could.
When Tucker caught up to her, she truly saw him, not as the man who could solve her financial problems or the nosy stranger who asked too many questions. He wasn’t smiling or anything so obvious, but he looked happy. As if he belonged in Montana, at least for this day.
It was the contrast that made it so clear to her. Yesterday, this morning, Tucker had walked with an air of gravitas about him. Even when he joked around or drank beer from the bottle, he made an impression. You wouldn’t want to tangle with this guy. She had the feeling if he went after someone, they wouldn’t know what hit them until the dust had long settled.
“What’s this?” he said as they got closer to the five-acre experiment. “How tall is that fence?”
“Seven and half feet. It’s not finished, though. But we’ll need to keep the deer out, so we had to
“You have trouble with predators?”
“Much as any ranch out here. We’ve lost our share, but that’s the way of it. The price for free range. Most of the cattle are just passing through, though. We’re not equipped to take care of many, but people are quicker to take cows.”
“That’s good. What about the horses?”
She found herself urging Candy Cane to move faster. “We get a lot of abandoned horses. Too many folks have lost their homes, lost their property, including their ability to care for their stock. Cows are typically bought, but horses... There’s a lot of sentiment around horses, even if the old-timers want to deny it. Nobody likes to send a horse to slaughter. Unfortunately, those same people aren’t able to find them new homes. I’m sure it’s the same story on your end.”
“Every rescue shelter we support has a different set of circumstances unique to their location.” Tucker looked around at the distant prairie, spread as far as they could see. “There are plenty of lakes here. Shade trees. Underground water flow. A horse might find a decent chance.”
She nodded. “Good thing we have that because there’s never a time we’re not at capacity. Not a week goes by we don’t have to turn someone away.”
“That won’t change if you get funding.”
“It’ll happen less. That’s something to hope for.”
He seemed to study her with a different kind of interest. “Safe Haven is lucky to have you. Whatever happens from this trip, the work you’ve put into this place is something you can be proud of.”
“Thank you.” Annie rode ahead a bit, trying not to let him see her confusion over the oddly ominous compliment. Had he already eliminated Safe Haven as a worthy nonprofit? Then why bother to stay for the board meeting?
Maybe they weren’t ready for a gift yet. She’d run across that in her fundraising efforts, where an organization would hold back money until certain goals had been met.
That would be a blow, but only because she was letting herself hope too much. Nothing was ever guaranteed. Especially when things looked brightest.
They weren’t far from the field she wanted Tucker to see. Putting aside her worries, she let the excitement of this amazing project spur her forward. Candy Cane caught her enthusiasm and Weasley trotted along. The perfect breeze lifted Annie’s hair, taking her out of her myopic panic for the first time since he’d mentioned dinner.
The day couldn’t have been better. Green leaves and buds and early flowers were everywhere she looked, the scent of spring vivid, the sky an astonishing blue. Realizing she’d let this pass her by for half an hour reminded her to grab what she could while she could.
When Tucker caught up to her, she truly saw him, not as the man who could solve her financial problems or the nosy stranger who asked too many questions. He wasn’t smiling or anything so obvious, but he looked happy. As if he belonged in Montana, at least for this day.
It was the contrast that made it so clear to her. Yesterday, this morning, Tucker had walked with an air of gravitas about him. Even when he joked around or drank beer from the bottle, he made an impression. You wouldn’t want to tangle with this guy. She had the feeling if he went after someone, they wouldn’t know what hit them until the dust had long settled.
“What’s this?” he said as they got closer to the five-acre experiment. “How tall is that fence?”
“Seven and half feet. It’s not finished, though. But we’ll need to keep the deer out, so we had to
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