Page 83 of Ethan

The mare shifted at his approach, and he ran his hand along her flank, up to her neck, feeling for anything he might have missed earlier. She was calmer than she’d been at Dillard’s place. That was something.

He checked the water. Full. Good. A horse could go a long time without food but not without water, and he wasn’t taking any chances on an eight-hour drive.

“Hey, girl.” He kept his voice low. “I know it’s not ideal. But you’re out of there and that’s what matters. I’ll get you home tomorrow and we’ll start putting some weight back on you and get that lameness taken care of.”

The mare turned her head and blew warm air into his hand.

He grinned.

“You’re going to be just fine,” he said. “I’ll make sure of it.”

He stepped out, latched the trailer gate, and stood in the quiet parking lot for a moment looking up at the sky. Different stars down here. Not as many.

The next morning, at six, he pulled out of the motel parking lot and drove straight to Sawyer’s place after calling him. He knew Sawyer would take care of the mare. He was one of the best veterinarians in the area who used hydrotherapy for equine. He gave him another call when he reached Clifton.

Sawyer met him at the gate when he pulled in, a little older than the last time Ethan had seen him but looking well, the kind of settled that came from a man who’d found the right life.

They shook hands and Sawyer looked the mare over before she’d even come off the trailer, walking around her slowly, running his hand along her flank, checking her eyes.

“She’s thin,” he said.

“I know. She’s been eating since I got her back yesterday. Appetite’s good.”

“That’s something.” Sawyer lifted one of her legs and set it down gently. “Let’s get her inside and I’ll do a proper assessment.”

The facility was bigger than most people expected when they came for the first time. Three large barns housed six pools and three water treadmills, all of them clean and well maintained, the smell of chlorine faint but present. Ethan had been here enough times to know his way around, but he never stopped being impressed by what Sawyer and his brother, Colson had built.

“Treadmill first,” Sawyer said, leading the mare slowly down the aisle. “Swimming puts more demand on them. We’ll see how she moves in the water before we decide anything else.”

“What are you looking for?”

“Compensation. Whether she’s favoring anything she shouldn’t be.” He glanced at Ethan. “Neglect has a way of showing up in the joints before it shows up anywhere else.”

The water treadmill was enclosed, the water level adjustable depending on the horse and what they needed. Sawyer talked to the mare slowly, giving her time to get used to the feel of the water rising around her legs.

“The treadmill’s good for building muscle back without stressing what’s already compromised,” Sawyer said, watchingher move. “Buoyancy takes the weight off. She can work without the work hurting her.”

Ethan stood at the glass panel and watched the mare move through the water. She was cautious at first, then steadier, her ears relaxing as she figured out what was being asked of her.

“She’s going to be alright,” Sawyer said beside him. “She’s got good instincts. Just needs time and consistency.”

“She’ll get both.”

Sawyer looked at him. “How long was she with him?”

“Eight months.”

Sawyer shook his head but didn’t say anything else about it.

They watched her for a while longer and then Sawyer walked him through the pools, pointing out the straight-line design where horses swam against resistance, the four circular pools with their surrounding decks, the largest pool at the far end that was reserved for horses strong enough to swim on their own.

“Each pool has its own filtering system,” Sawyer said. “Chlorination, pH, tested every day. I won’t put a horse in water I’m not certain is clean. The circular pools are the safest for animals that get distressed. They’re only a few strides from the deck at any point. The straight-line pools are in-ground.” He nodded toward the far end. “That big one we won’t touch for a while. She needs to earn that.”

“How long before she’s ready to come home?”

Sawyer looked back at the mare on the treadmill. “Depends on her. Could be weeks, could be longer. But she’s in the right place now. That’s what matters.”

Ethan looked at the mare moving steadily through the water and thought that was about the best thing anyone had said to him in three days.