AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The new barn is also nice, with ten stalls and a tack room that most cowboys would drool over.
Which Lucky does when we walk inside.
“We have a tack room at the ranch, you know,” I remind him with a laugh.
“Not this fancy,” he replies.“Of course, once it starts getting some use, it’ll get dirtied up.”
“I hope so,” Ryan says.“It’s just been sitting here, and it’s time there was some life in this barn.Come on, I want to show you the horses.”
As we walk out to the pasture and get a better look at the horses, I see what Ryan was talking about.Their manes and tails haven’t been brushed out in a long time, so they’re full of burrs and are tangled.
Three of them are way too skinny.One has a broken hoof.
“This is going to be a lot of work,” I murmur as one of the mares nudges my shoulder.I turn and rub my hand down her neck, and she sighs.“God, they’re just a bunch of lovers.”
“They’re all like that,” Ryan agrees.“They’re docile and sweet, and someone really failed them.None can be ridden as is, but I’ll get them healthy again, and then they’ll be great for riding.”
“You said you had them all tested for disease?”Lucky asks.
“Yeah, and they were all negative.They’ve been treated for worms and given vaccines.The corral they were in was just mud.They were all caked in it, and I washed them all.You could tell they felt so much better after a bath.”
“I bet they did,” Brady murmurs, nuzzling one of the horses.“I’ll help in any way I can.”
“We all will,” Lucky puts in, making Ryan grin.
“Thanks.I’ll need some help.”
My phone rings, and when I glance down, I see that it’s Will Montgomery.
“This is Erin’s dad,” I say as I accept the call.“This is Rem.”
“Hi Rem, it’s Will.I just left a message for Erin but wanted to reach out to you.It turns out that the man who was in prison for stalking Erin has been released.She asked me about it yesterday, but it was Sunday, and we had to wait for someone to be in the office.I saw your security setup when I was there, but how do you feel about beefing it up?”
“Hold on.”I pinch the bridge of my nose.“Erin had astalker?”
That grabs everyone’s attention.They walk closer, listening.
“I’m sorry.I thought she would have told you.Yeah, about five years ago.He’s been in prison, but she had something happen at work yesterday that scared her, so she reached out to me.He’s been released.Now, he can’tlegallyleave Washington, and in the restraining order, it says that he can’t ever live within a hundred miles of Erin, but people don’t always care about restraining orders.”
My heart has plunged into my stomach.Why didn’t she tell me about this last night?
We’d agreed on no more secrets.No more lies.
“Do you know where he is?”
“Well, he met with his probation officer last month, as usual.So, we don’t think he’s left the state.”
“He’s been out for more than a month, and no one told you?”
“I’m pissed, too, trust me.”
“I’ll beef up security,” I assure him.“We’ll get started right away.”
“Thanks.Until we have eyes on this guy, I think it’s smart.”
“How bad was it?Five years ago?”
Will sighs in my ear.“It was as fucked-up as it gets.Talk to her about it.”
