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And okay, yeah. That never bodes well.
“I put her on Clover,” Miguel adds. It’s a good choice. Clover is my baby—I’ve had her since she was a stumbling newborn, and she doesn’t always bond well to strangers, but she’s also the horse with the least amount of complaints. “She loved Eden.”
I blink in surprise, but I’m not sure if this is the point of the story or not. “Alright?”
Miguel sighs. “Everything was fine, but the asshole who was throwing a fit about the sheets was on this ride.”
I grimace. “He’s responsible for this?”
“I don’t know,” Miguel says, sounding a little miserable. I know he blames himself when shit like this happens. “At the stables, he gave Achilles a hard slap on his ass.”
I immediately bristle, and behind me, almost like he knows, Achilles throws his head. I turn quickly and soothe him, which earns me a quick nudge against my shoulder. I pet his nose a few more times before we start walking again.
“I assume that’s not all of it,” I say.
Miguel hesitates, then lets out a heavy breath. “Achilles almost crushed Eden. We got her out of the way in time, and she was a fuckin’ champ, wanting to go out still. I should have canceled the ride though.”
I frown. Maybe he should have, but I know damn well Miguel wouldn’t have gone forward if the horses were worked up. “Were the others agitated?”
Miguel shook his head. “No. Even Achilles calmed down after half a second—and I was riding him. To tell you the truth, boss, I don’t know what the hell happened. It’s not like her to just throw a rider.”
He’s right, it’s not. Not unless she was spooked or something. “You think that guy…” I frown, trying to remember his name. “Montgomery, was it?”
Miguel snorts impolitely. “Yeah, something like that.”
“You think he did something?”
Miguel’s silent enough to give me an answer, but when he sees the realization dawn on my face, he shakes his head. “I didn’t see anything, so I don’t know. I tried to ask Flor, but honestly, she’s in a lot of pain. Her husband didn’t see anything, but he was riding next to her. That guy was behind them.”
I bite my lip and realize there’s probably no way to get to the bottom of this. That guy is obviously not going to confess, and there were no witnesses.
What I’d really like is five minutes alone with that little weasel. I know I could make the fucker crack. But that’s not how we do things at the lodge, so in reality, I can only hope they all choose to leave.
Including this Eden, especially if she’s anything like her boyfriend, and I have no reason to assume otherwise.
* * *
I get to the lobby, and it’s as quiet as the grave. The EMTs have already gotten the injured woman loaded up, and her husband is gone with them. Phoenix is at the front desk, looking a little bit unsettled, so I walk over and lay my hand on his arm.
“You good?”
“Yeah,” he says, his mouth twisted to the side. “That sucks though.”
I shrug. “Shit happens. They all signed a waiver.” It’s a crappy thing to say, and it’s not actually how we handle business, but Phoenix doesn’t need the stress of what comes next. That’s on me. I glance around, then sigh. “The other couple, are they still here?”
Phoenix’s brow furrows. “What couple?”
“The other two who were on the trail,” I tell him.
Phoenix’s eyes widen. “Oh. Yeah, I don’t think they’re a couple. They’re in separate rooms. But yeah, they’re still here.”
I sigh quietly. So much for getting them out of here early. “They say anything to you?”
Phoenix shakes his head. “Nah. They went to the lounge to get a drink. Poor Eden was shaking. That other guy,” he says, his voice instantly dripping with bitterness, “had me make a dinner reservation for the two of them.” He falls quiet but only for a second. “I seriously hope she knows she can do better than that guy.”
I give him a brow, and he flushes.
“Sorry, she was just really nice,” Phoenix explains. “She asked me for a tea, then when I couldn’t find her, she apologized to me and tipped me. That guy has been so mean to everyone since he got here, and I just hope, you know, that he’s not being awful to her.”
