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One person had already responded that Mav wasn’t the right horse. But the second? She was still holding out hope. It sure looked like the same horse.
His brand didn’t quite match, but it was close. Like maybe it really had been altered.
The markings all matched and, if it was true, someone had been looking for Mav for a long time.
She turned back to the barn and opened the tack room. All the saddles had been cleaned and dried. Every piece of tack hung in its place. Tidy. Organized. Orderly.
Everything she didn’t feel.
She’d miss this place. She’d already called Wild Harbor to find out if she could get back on the schedule. There wouldn’t be too much available, but it was a start.
She sat down at her desk and grabbed a pen. Started making a list of all the items she’d have to close out before leaving the job. Leaving camp. She had no idea how they’d pay for the hay order—or even how they’d keep the camp open the rest of the summer.
The silence of the barn buzzed in her ears. Wholly and wretchedly alone.
Forsaken.
“Hey.”
Beth jumped.
Courtney stood in the office doorway, Vivien beside her.
“You startled me. I didn’t hear you pull up.” Okay. Not alone. “I’m not in the mood.” Beth rubbed her arms. “I told you both he was leaving.”
“He’s not like your mom, and he’s not like Lyle.” Vivien’s words poked at Beth like a hot iron.
“Really? Do you see him anywhere around here? Did you see his truck in the drive?” She left the office and flung her hand toward the empty stall. “He didn’t even have the decency to leave Tally.”
Courtney tapped her lips with a finger. “I thought she wasn’t suitable for the camp.”
“I don’t mean for the camp. I meant for me.” Her words scraped her throat.
She was losing all the pieces of her life. Just like when Mom left.
Her job. The horses she loved. Her cabin.
“Why did you push me to believe?” The weight of it all pressed in on her.
“This is our fault?” Vivien asked.
Beth held up a hand. “You both should go.”
Courtney stepped away.
“No,” Vivien said. “We’re not leaving.” She stepped past Courtney in the barn aisle, dusted hay from a chair, and plopped on it.
Courtney reached for her. “Vivie—”
“Nope. Not leaving.” She crossed her arms.
Beth frowned. “Fine.”
“Fine.”
Courtney turned, searched the barn. Finally settled on a hay bale.
“Does he know how you feel?” Vivien asked.
