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Boone
The easiest way I could think of to take some pressure off Gabs was getting her landlord to step up. To do that, I headed over to the ranch with my SPCA partner, Logan, first thing the next morning.
“So, you know the owner?”
I shook my head as I pulled into the Emerson Ranch driveway.
“I know the woman who discovered the horses were being neglected. John Emerson is her landlord.”
He whistled under his breath. “She ratted on her landlord? That’s not gonna go over well.”
“She didn’t rat on him. She called me when she found the horses. She’s taken on caring for them, on top of all her other responsibilities. I’m worried she’s overdoing it.”
“So, we’re here to what? Take possession of the horses so she doesn’t have to worry about them? Because, buddy, you know that’s not how we normally handle these cases.”
I clenched my jaw as I pulled up in front of the house, furious that Logan would even suspect me of unprofessionalism. I never had bent the rules, and I never would.
“I don’t expect anything special out of this visit. I’m not out to break rules. We’re here to check the animals’ welfare and issue a warning if it’s needed. I’m hoping we can get the Emersons to step up and look after their own damn animals. Just like any other case.”
He frowned my way. “Settle down. I was just checking.”
We got out and I knocked on the front door of the ranch house. It was early morning and I hoped they were home, not out working in a pasture, which would mean we’d have to go looking for them.
The door swung open, and I was greeted by a younger man who I guessed was Royce. He didn’t look like a rancher. No bulk to his frame. He looked more like an accountant, one who would blow over in a stiff wind. But his clothes were dusty, as though he’d already been out doing ranch work.
Forcing myself to remain civil, I gave him the usual spiel we started with, pretending like I hadn’t already guessed who he was. “Morning, sir. Are you John Emerson?”
He frowned. “He’s in bed ill at the moment. I’m Royce Emerson, his son. What can I help you with?”
“We’re from the SCPA and we’ve come to take a look at your animals.”
His frown deepened as he ran his gaze up and down both of us before settling on my face. “Sounds like Gabriela’s been stirring trouble. The woman does like to keep me on my toes.”
He was the only one I’d ever heard call her by her full first name. Even her folks called her by her nickname. I raised an eyebrow at what he was implying but didn’t say anything, letting my silence do its work.
“My folks came down sick a while back. I tried to keep up with everything but forgot about the horses. Gabriela has been helping me get them back to good. I think she’s with them at the moment. We can head down there, if you want.”
With a nod, I stood back and waited as he pulled on his boots. Logan and I followed him down to an ATV.
“It’s a ways from the house. Want to follow me in your truck?”
“Sure.”
Once we were in the truck, it didn’t take long to get down to the barn. A few horses were out in the pasture. At a glance, I could see they were on the thin side, but they looked well-groomed and were happily nipping at the grass. The barn’s main doors were open and as we walked in, Gabs stopped mid stroke to turn towards us. The gray mare she’d been brushing gave a snort and she shifted to pet and soothe her.
As my eyes adjusted to the dimmer interior, I could see the dark smudges under her eyes, the slump to her shoulders as she gave the horse some loving while frowning our way. She opened her mouth to say something, but Royce spoke before she could get a word out.
“As you can see, all the horses are being cared for.” He moved over and rested a hand on Gabs’ shoulder.
She stiffened and tried to duck out from under his grip, but the horse was blocking the only way she could take to escape the creep. I wasn’t sure what to say. I wanted to pull her away from him and punch him in the face for touching what was mine, but I couldn’t. I was here as a representative of the SPCA.
Logan cleared his throat and took over speaking with the asshole. My gaze was locked onto Gabs as she managed to get the horse to back up enough for her to slip around the front to the other side of the animal. She brushed down the mare’s flank like she was simply continuing with what she’d been doing before we came in.
As Gabs finished up and moved to lead the horse out to the pasture, I tuned back into Logan and Royce’s conversation.
“We’ll be back in a month to check on how things are going with the horses,” Logan said. “If you don’t use them for ranch work anymore and have no time or interest in riding them for pleasure, it might be worth looking at selling them.”
Hoping like hell the man listened and rehomed these beautiful creatures, I let Logan finish up then followed him back out to our vehicle to head off. I wished I could have gotten Gabs alone to talk to her but clearly that wasn’t going to happen.
