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“She said she hadn’t. I know better than to think she’d lie.”
I put my hand on her shoulder. “You’re feeling unsettled.”
She nodded, and her eyes bored into mine. “You do that to me, Tryst. And before you do, it isn’t something I want you to apologize for.”
Rather than hesitate, like I had every time I felt the urge to hug her, I pulled her into my arms. “You unsettle me too, Jacy.”
Too soon, she took a step back, out of my arms, and while I momentarily considered saying I was sorry for overstepping, I stopped myself.
“I’ll be heading up a new unit for them. One focused on international investigations.”
While I did everything in my power to mask my reaction, I felt deflated. “When does this take effect?”
“Immediately, I suppose. As I said, I’ll be continuing with my current case since it’s international in nature. This does involve you, at least in part.”
Like I did my best to mask my disappointment earlier, now I tried not to appear too hopeful.
“Merrigan mentioned they extended an offer to you to serve as a consultant.”
“That is true.”
“She also said she asked you to think it over. In all fairness, before you make your decision, you should know you’d be working with me. At least for the time being. If you’d prefer not to—”
“I’d prefer to only work with you.”
Jaicon smiled. “You may quickly change your mind.”
“Never.”
“Look! There she is,” Jaicon said, pointing as Tex led Cariño out of the barn. “It’s heartbreaking. How could someone hurt an animal in such a way?” she muttered.
“We will do everything in our power to help her heal.” We watched Tex release the catch rope, then take two steps away. Cariño didn’t move other than to swish her tail, raise her head, and hollow her back.
Tex took several more steps away, eventually coming to the fence a few feet from where we stood, watching. He climbed up and sat on the top rail.
The horse stayed motionless for several minutes, then dropped her head and slowly walked around the corral.
“This is a good sign,” I murmured.
“We’re starting her off slow with small amounts of high-quality alfalfa and makin’ sure she takes in enough water,” said Tex, never taking his eyes off the animal. “She’s still spooked and probably will be for some time.”
The three of us watched the horse make her way around the outer edges of the enclosed area. Once she was within a few feet of us, I anticipated her turning and going across rather than walking too close. Instead, she stopped near Jaicon. Her ears remained pinned, her head high, but her eyes didn’t seem to dart around as much.
When she held out her hand, Cariño didn’t flinch. Jaicon eased over, keeping her arm extended, and eventually rubbed her nose. When the time came for the beguiling woman to leave, I predicted the horse and I would miss her equally.
“I’m sorry. I have to answer this,” she said, walking away when her phone vibrated.
“Can I take her back in, boss?” Tex asked.
“Yes, let’s not overtire her.”
I climbed up on the fence and sat, looking beyond the corral to the pasture. There was nowhere on earth I loved being as much as this. The sound of leaves quaking in the breeze, the distant neighing of horses, and the gurgling stream that was closer to a trickle this time of year were all sounds that soothed me.
While I missed Rosa every day, I rarely felt lonely. Just the idea that Jaicon might leave made me feel isolated. These new emotions perplexed me.
“That was an update from Ares. You met him, yes?” said Jaicon, walking over to the fence.
I hopped down. “Not met, but I do know who you’re talking about.”
