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He lifted a shoulder. “I had my suspicions.” He squeezed her hand. “But what about Trinity? Your job?”
“Something’s happened.” She dug in her pocket and pulled out a printed page. “Look at this.”
He skimmed the page—an email she’d printed. Stolen quarter horse…lost trail…civil case…reward. He squinted at the photo of a horse embedded in the email. “Is that…Maverick?”
“Yeah. He’s from some famous horse’s line. He’d been leased for showing and ranch work, then stolen.” She looked up at him. “The owner’s been searching for him for four years. The person who’d leased him disappeared with him and some other high-value horses. Four—can you believe that?”
Grayson knew of similar situations—though no, not quite like this.
“Did you get to the important part?”
“Which part is that?”
“Okay, it’s all important—reuniting a horse and human. I meant this.” She turned the page toward herself and pointed. “‘I’ve issued a reward check in the name you provided.’”
He looked at the dollar figure and his jaw went slack. “That’s a lot of zeroes for a gelding. He can’t be used for breeding.”
“He was the last colt out of his mom’s favorite mare.” Her voice dropped. “His mom passed away three years ago.”
Connection. He swallowed.
“He came to see him in person and brought the registration papers. Verified it with his own eyes. Maverick even recognized him, I think—whinnied when he heard the man’s voice.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Of course, Noah offered him back. He’s finally home.”
“Good work.”
“Thank you.” Beth pulled an envelope from her back pocket. “This is yours.” She opened it and handed him a check.
A check with his name on it.
Man, that was a lot of zeroes. “But—you’re the one who found out who he belonged to. Noah bought the horse.”
Beth held up her hands. “The sale of the lot has more than covered Noah’s needs. This is yours.”
Trust.
“It’s enough, isn’t it?” She looked up at him, her green eyes clear and bright and filled with hope. “Enough to buy this place?”
He stared at the check, the words and numbers blurring. All he could do was nod.
She laughed. “I love you, Grayson Fox.”
“I love you, Bookworm Bethy.”
He drew her to himself, wrapped his arms around her, and let his lips meet hers. Sweet and tender and whole.
epilogue
“Seriously, where are we going?”Beth looked out the truck windows, watching the lush green blur of forests and meadows. Oregon’s mid-August sunshine had turned the land into an outdoor paradise.
Miles passed beneath the deep blue skies.
Oh, how she enjoyed the view from the middle seat, with Grayson next to her, the world ahead of them.
“You’ll see,” Grayson answered and wrapped his hand around hers. He gave her a wink, then turned back to the road.
He’d packed up the horse trailer the day before and they’d headed west. They’d driven through the mountains and halfway across the Willamette Valley. The scenery had changed from high desert to Douglas fir forests, which made way for the rolling hills and farmlands punctuated by small towns.
He had a silly smile. They’d stopped overnight in a little town named St. Paul. He’d dropped her off at a cute little farmhouse bed and breakfast, then overnighted with the horses at the rodeo grounds.
