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“Yeah, thanks. Can you come or what?”
“I’m up on Sunset Trail, but I’ll look for him while I drive back.”
“Sounds good. Text if you see him.”
“Got it.”
I end the call and sigh. “Sorry, duty calls.”
“It’s okay. What happened?” she asks while we walk to the four-wheeler.
“Disco’s a new boarder and too smart for his own good. He got out and is probably grazin’ in a pasture somewhere.”
“What’re you gonna do if you find him?”
“Depends on where he is, but I’ll let Tripp know, and he can figure it out. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time a horse’s gotten out, and we’ve had to chase it down.”
Once we’re riding on the trail again, Laney holds on to me even tighter as I take another route, one closer to the pastures. He couldn’t have gone far.
“Ah, there he is.” I point to our right. He’s rolling around in a mud bath.
“Oh my God.” She laughs. “I didn’t know horses did that.”
“It cools them down. But that gate should’ve been closed since it flooded back here. Twenty bucks one of the twins left it open.”
“Double it, and I’ll put my bet on Wilder,” she mocks, and I crack up at how quickly she’s caught on.
“No way, I’ll lose.”
I drive closer to the fence and whistle, hoping to get his attention. Taking out my phone, I text Tripp the location, and he sends back an ETA of five minutes.
“Disco,” I call out, turning off the engine. Laney and I remove our helmets and set them on the seat. My attempts to get his attention fail, but at least he’s not running.
“I bet you have a different adventure each day,” she says, staring at Disco as he continues acting like a pig in mud.
“Oh yeah. It’s never the same ’round here. Always some shit goin’ on. Makes it fun, though sometimes it’s stressful, too.”
“I bet.”
“I never asked. Did you stay workin’ at your mom’s boutique?”
“Yeah, I basically took over and spent years adding more inventory so we’d attract more tourists. Finally, it worked, and we were able to hire some part-time workers.”
“That’s amazin’, Lane.”
Her mom opened a shop filled with specialty clothes and accessories. It was her high school weekend job, and last I knew, they were struggling to keep it open.
Smiling wide, she nods. “I have pictures of me baby-wearing Serena while I’d do inventory after hours. She’d never sleep unless she was on my chest, so I had to get creative.”
Now I’m the one smiling. “I have no doubt you’re an incredible mom.”
“I love being her mom. It came naturally, more than I thought it would, but it was almost like we grew up together. Only being eighteen with a newborn, my friends couldn’t relate, so eventually, they stopped invitin’ me out. When she was three, she was a little gabber mouth and so much fun to play with. I much preferred to hang out with her than go out drinkin’.”
I can’t stop beaming at the imagery of Laney and Serena at those ages.
“And now you’re twenty-eight, and she’s already halfway to being an adult.”
Her eyes widen in panic, and she nudges me. “Hush your mouth. Don’t say that.”
