Looking around the ranch, apprehension uncurls in my gut. My intuition is very rarely wrong, and something tells me this place is as shady as its owner. Leaning on the fence, I keep watching the filly, her eyes wide, tail swishing as she paces the ring. She needs security, a gentle hand rather than whatever the fuck they were just trying to do. I don’t attempt to get her to come to me, and I certainly don’t invade her space. I just remain at the fence, a constant presence.
She looks over to me a few times but never comes close, but that’s okay. This will take more time than I originally thought, but it will happen when the time is right.
“You’re okay,” I mumble quietly, her ears flicking in response to the sound of my voice. “I’ve got you.”
Chapter Two
“Daddy!” Rosie’s entire face fills my cell phone screen; chocolate smeared across her mouth and up her cheeks from the cupcakes I had sent to the house earlier today. The guilt from being away from them always has me spoiling them whenever I can, but now I feel a little sorry for Beth since Rosie is on a sugar rush, and it’s almost bath and bedtime.
“Hey bug,” I lean back on the headboard, laptop open to the side of me as I run the database on Calvin Scott. I try not to use these services all that much, but sometimes needs must, and this is aneeds mustsituation.
“When are you coming home?” She sets the cell at a more reasonable distance and starts to peel off the wrapper from another cupcake.
“Soon,” I tell her, “Maybe no more sweets now; it’s almost time for a bath.”
“Bethie said I could,” she pouts like all five-year-olds do, her brows drawing low over bright blue eyes. My gut twists in the way it does every time I look into them.One day I will have to tell her.
“How many have you eaten?” I ask.
“Just one,” she says.
“Two!” Caleb calls in the background, snitching on his little sister.
“Okay,” I sit up, “No more, bug. I mean it.”
“But daddddddddd,” she drags out the word with a whine.
“Nope, last word,” I tell her, using the tone she knows not to argue with. “You won’t sleep with all that sugar. You can have another one tomorrow.”
She huffs, “Fine.”
I chuckle, “Did you have a good day with Beth?” I ask her, switching the subject.
“I did! Aunty Niamh braided my hair, look!” She swings her head around to show me the braid Niamh, my brother’s wife, put in her hair.
“Very pretty.”
“Yep,” she grins, “Even Becky liked it! We saw her at the park.”
I wet my lips, knowing she’s been having issues with the girl in her class. It had taken almost three months to get the school to deal with it before summer break, but it seems to be on the mend and my daughter is happier for it. It’s fucking hard when your children are being picked on because of something they had no control over, and even worse when there’s little to be done about it other than constant meetings and calls to her teachers.
“You want to speak to Caleb?” She asks, distracted now.
“Go on then,” I smile, “I’ll speak to you later, bug, love you.”
“Love you too, Daddy,” she mumbles as she passes the phone to her brother and runs off.
“Hi Dad,” my son answers, propping the phone up against something so he can continue with his drawing, “How’s work?”
“Busy,” I admit, “The horse is a real wild one.”
His eyes light up and he lifts his head from his paper, “Really?”
“Mm,” I nod. “Could use your special touch.”
He grins wide, showing off his gappy teeth. “No, you’ve got it,Dad.”
I chuckle, “I’ll try.”
