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“Hey, Sasha.” My German Shepard came into the room and set her paws on my thighs. “Did you have a good night, girl?”
She rested her head on my legs and let me pet her before settling at my feet.
“What a good baby Daddy has.”
I leaned back in my chair, took a sip of my drink, and closed my eyes. The thought of making it to bed before the sun came up was more appealing than I had realized. I downed the vodka, then got out of the chair to make that prospect a reality.
“Jude.”Luke, my trusted partner and best friend, stood in the doorway. “You’re home early.”
“Things were going well at the club, so I decided to call it a night.” I nodded toward the hallway. “I’m on my way upstairs.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
“I’m sure that’s true.” Luke and I had been friends since we were kids. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t trust him with. I set my glass on the table by the door. “But why don’t you tell me anyway?”
“It seems we have a guest in the stables.”
“Like a coyote or a fox?” I glanced at Sasha who was asleep by my chair. “I’m sure she could run them out of there.”
“It’s a little more complicated than a wild animal.”
“What is it?”
“A woman.”
“In the stables?” I ran my hand along my jaw. “Like a squatter?”
“She’s been here the past few nights,” he admitted.
“Luke?” I shouted. “What the fuck? I can’t have strangers on the property.”
“I only found out a couple minutes ago.”
“How?” When I took Sasha’s leash out of my desk drawer, she opened her eyes. I snapped for her to come to me, and she enthusiastically obliged.
“Anthony told me because he realized he didn’t do the right thing.”
Anthony was Luke’s younger cousin. His mother was addicted to drugs when he was born twenty-five years ago which created some challenges for him. Luke looked out for him and brought him on here a few years ago. He was a hard worker and took good care of the horses.
“He saw this woman had snuck onto the property the other night. She sleeps in the stables and then leaves each morning. She doesn’t disturb anything. Anthony said she confides in the horses.”
“Has he spoken to her?” I harnessed Sasha.
“No, he just watches her.”
We headed out the patio doors and across the backyard.
“He left her a blanket so she wouldn’t get cold.” Luke kept pace with me. “I’m sorry. You know he’s a gentle soul, and he feels bad for this girl.”
“Girl? I thought you said she was a woman?”
“Anthony described her as a girl, but I haven’t seen her.”
“Could she be a runaway?” We made our way to the stables. “Why would she pick here to sleep? It’s isolated and away from the city. It’s not easily accessible to anything. She would have had to go through the trails to get here.”
