enough. There you are, my beauty!”
The red haired groom put one hand on each side of the big horse’s
head, and Tango leaned forward to breathe heavily in his face.
Joanna laughed. Josh acted with
Tango the way she did with Raven and Silver Sky.
“Thanks for everything, man,”
Casey said, and shook hands with David, then moved on to shake
Joanna and Cally’s hands. “And don’t worry. We’ll take care of
Williams. We can give the police enough information that they can
find all the proof they need.”
“Thanks,” said Joanna and Cally
together.
“Let me know what happens,” said
David. “Here, I’ll give you my cell number.” He pulled a pen from
his pocket, but didn’t have any paper, so Casey wrote the number on
his hand. Then the two grooms led Tango back toward Williams’
barns.
Joanna watched them go. Tango
was going to be fine, but he may not live so close to her farm any
more. In a way, it had been like living near a famous celebrity,
and even though she’d never met him in person before last night,
she’d be sad when he moved away. But he would be all right. Of that
she had no doubt. Tango would be more pampered than she would ever
be. She sighed and moved to Breeze’s side. “Can I ride back with
you?” she asked Cally.
Her friend nodded. “Here, I’ll
give you a boost up.”
“Cally, before we go, I, uh,
well, I’m really sorry,” David said. “I know now that none
of this is your grandpa’s fault, including chucking me into the
cellar. He’s just an old guy who needs some help.”
Cally looked up at him, her eyes
huge in the moonlight.
“He has every right to be mad at
Graham,” David continued. “Those two jerks stole his horses, plus
all the money Dancer made later in his life, and in a way, even
Tango, because your Grandpa would’ve kept some of Dancer’s best
foals. Williams and Graham are the ones who started all this, and
they’re the ones responsible for what happened. Your grandpa never
would’ve done anything to me if he didn’t think I was Graham. So
I’m sorry I made you feel bad. I just needed time to think it
through.”
Cally stroked Breeze’s neck.
“That’s okay.”
“Don’t worry. We’re both getting
even with you,” Joanna added from Breeze’s back.
David looked up at her and
arched an eyebrow.
Joanna smiled sweetly down at
him. “We’re making you ride the pacer home.”
Thank you, my dear ones, for helping
this man who is lost in the maze of his own memories. How he needs
you. He has instinctively known that, I think, and that is why he
turned to your species for help, though his way of asking for that
help was confused and irresponsible.
I am so grateful for your compassion.
This man has been lost for too long.
The ride back was slow and peaceful.
Bonnie ambled along at a relaxed walk, so of course David teased
Joanna that Bonnie wasn’t that hard to ride bareback, and
that he was obviously a much better rider than she was. Joanna
dared him to go faster, but when he asked the mare to pace, she
wouldn’t listen to him.
“Joanna had no problem getting
her to go fast,” said Cally, joining the banter.
David tried to get Bonnie to
pace again, but she’d have none of that. Instead she stubbornly
continued to walk, her ears back.
“Well, she is in foal,” said
Joanna.
“Oh, I didn’t know,” said David.
He leaned over the black’s neck. “Sorry, girl.”
Bonnie sighed deeply, obviously
exasperated with humans. The two horses’ hoof beats drummed a
regular tattoo on the road. The night was warm and bright. “Breeze
is lovely to ride,” said Joanna. “So smooth, and a nice long
stride.”
“Is he?” asked Cally. “He seems
bumpy to me.”
“I’ll let you ride Raven
tomorrow. Then you can see the difference that a long stride
makes.”
“I’m leaving tomorrow,
remember?”
“Oh, yeah,” Joanna said softly.
“I wish…”
“Me too.” A long moment of
silence. “Hey, do you
The red haired groom put one hand on each side of the big horse’s
head, and Tango leaned forward to breathe heavily in his face.
Joanna laughed. Josh acted with
Tango the way she did with Raven and Silver Sky.
“Thanks for everything, man,”
Casey said, and shook hands with David, then moved on to shake
Joanna and Cally’s hands. “And don’t worry. We’ll take care of
Williams. We can give the police enough information that they can
find all the proof they need.”
“Thanks,” said Joanna and Cally
together.
“Let me know what happens,” said
David. “Here, I’ll give you my cell number.” He pulled a pen from
his pocket, but didn’t have any paper, so Casey wrote the number on
his hand. Then the two grooms led Tango back toward Williams’
barns.
Joanna watched them go. Tango
was going to be fine, but he may not live so close to her farm any
more. In a way, it had been like living near a famous celebrity,
and even though she’d never met him in person before last night,
she’d be sad when he moved away. But he would be all right. Of that
she had no doubt. Tango would be more pampered than she would ever
be. She sighed and moved to Breeze’s side. “Can I ride back with
you?” she asked Cally.
Her friend nodded. “Here, I’ll
give you a boost up.”
“Cally, before we go, I, uh,
well, I’m really sorry,” David said. “I know now that none
of this is your grandpa’s fault, including chucking me into the
cellar. He’s just an old guy who needs some help.”
Cally looked up at him, her eyes
huge in the moonlight.
“He has every right to be mad at
Graham,” David continued. “Those two jerks stole his horses, plus
all the money Dancer made later in his life, and in a way, even
Tango, because your Grandpa would’ve kept some of Dancer’s best
foals. Williams and Graham are the ones who started all this, and
they’re the ones responsible for what happened. Your grandpa never
would’ve done anything to me if he didn’t think I was Graham. So
I’m sorry I made you feel bad. I just needed time to think it
through.”
Cally stroked Breeze’s neck.
“That’s okay.”
“Don’t worry. We’re both getting
even with you,” Joanna added from Breeze’s back.
David looked up at her and
arched an eyebrow.
Joanna smiled sweetly down at
him. “We’re making you ride the pacer home.”
Thank you, my dear ones, for helping
this man who is lost in the maze of his own memories. How he needs
you. He has instinctively known that, I think, and that is why he
turned to your species for help, though his way of asking for that
help was confused and irresponsible.
I am so grateful for your compassion.
This man has been lost for too long.
The ride back was slow and peaceful.
Bonnie ambled along at a relaxed walk, so of course David teased
Joanna that Bonnie wasn’t that hard to ride bareback, and
that he was obviously a much better rider than she was. Joanna
dared him to go faster, but when he asked the mare to pace, she
wouldn’t listen to him.
“Joanna had no problem getting
her to go fast,” said Cally, joining the banter.
David tried to get Bonnie to
pace again, but she’d have none of that. Instead she stubbornly
continued to walk, her ears back.
“Well, she is in foal,” said
Joanna.
“Oh, I didn’t know,” said David.
He leaned over the black’s neck. “Sorry, girl.”
Bonnie sighed deeply, obviously
exasperated with humans. The two horses’ hoof beats drummed a
regular tattoo on the road. The night was warm and bright. “Breeze
is lovely to ride,” said Joanna. “So smooth, and a nice long
stride.”
“Is he?” asked Cally. “He seems
bumpy to me.”
“I’ll let you ride Raven
tomorrow. Then you can see the difference that a long stride
makes.”
“I’m leaving tomorrow,
remember?”
“Oh, yeah,” Joanna said softly.
“I wish…”
“Me too.” A long moment of
silence. “Hey, do you
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