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He glanced at his Oris watch and debated pulling his phone out. They still had almost an hour before the official start time. There were other people chatting and surfing on their phones, but it was such a beautiful day. Maybe he should take advantage of it while he could.
Pushing up from his chair, he headed through the big double doors at the back of the arena and out into the sunlight. He didn’t see Enrique Sanchez, the petty officer that had seated him, so he continued on through the doors.
Brian had never been to Wyoming before, and the scenery was fascinating, long sweeping hills and waving grassland. There was a golden hue to the area, as it began to shift into fall. This was a working ranch so he could see cattle in the distance, and it looked like there was a guy on horseback pushing them toward the hilltop, away from the festivities. Expensive cars were pulling in and parking on the right in a big field, so he headed to the left and around the barn. There was a paddock of horses on this side a little way down, and a couple of catering trucks. Walking to the paddock fence, he held his hand out to a brown horse with a black mane and tail. Was it called a bay? He couldn’t remember. He’d never really been around them much, but this one seemed okay. It lipped his hand and seemed content just with a few strokes along her head.
His dad had never been much of a pet person. The most interaction he’d had with animals had been on his newspaper route. Dogs of all kinds had barked at him and chased him. Three years ago, at Chad Lowell’s wedding, he’d had a chance to get on a horse for the first time. Jackson, the Blue Star Ranch manager, had put together a trail ride for some of the people that had gotten there early. Brian had worried that he wouldn’t be able to do it with his prosthetics, but it had worked out really well. His thighs had ached like a son of a bitch from the odd position, but other than the getting on and getting off, he’d really enjoyed it, and he’d gone a couple more times since then. There were several veteran programs that did horse therapy and he’d thought about partaking, but he just didn’t seem to have the time, recently. He’d been bouncing from one job to another, and then with the move to Columbus he’d lost all free time. The move was going to be good, though, he could feel it. Parker had given him an office to work from and he’d already begun to dig into a couple of businesses, one for a death benefit and the other for a possible embezzling case. It was interesting work, and he looked forward to getting out and interviewing some people.
Brian glanced at his watch. A few more minutes and he’d go back in. He wandered down the fence line, taking care to watch his footing. The ground sloped toward the paddock a little, and he needed to keep his feet. The same brown horse followed him, leaning her head over the fence whenever he paused. Brian grinned, liking the animal. “If I had anything in my pockets, I would totally give it to you, babe.”
A hand popped out from his side, holding a beautiful, shining red apple. Brian glanced down and around to the reddish-haired boy grinning up at him, his hazel eyes shining in the light. He wiggled the apple as the horse leaned over the fence for it. “She really likes these ones. I tried giving her one of the green ones earlier and she’ll eat ‘em, but these are the ones she likes. This is Calliope.”
Brian took the apple from the boy and with a one-handed motion, removed the Kershaw knife from his pocket, snapped it open and cut the apple in half. “We can both give her a piece.”
The boy grinned even wider, nodding as he took his piece. “I’ve given her a couple already, but she’s a nice horse. There’s a gelding in here that picks on her, but he’s dozing on the other side right now.”
Brian glanced around. There was indeed another horse on the other side of the paddock, head lolling toward the ground as he lazed in the sun. The mare, Calliope, gently took the piece of apple from his outstretched hand and began chewing noisily. Brian wiped the knife off in the grass, then his lower pants, and folded it away. The boy watched him closely, eyes wide.
“That’s a neat knife. I tried to get my mom to let me have one, but she thinks I’ll cut my carotid or something.”
Brian looked at him. “That’s a pretty big word for a young man.”
“Yeah,” he sighed theatrically. “I’m gifted.”
Brian smothered a laugh. It was obvious from his expression that the boy was serious. “Gifted, huh?”
The boy nodded. “Yeah. Supposedly, my dad was smart, which made me smart. Mom says it’s a good thing. It might get me out of trouble later.”
Brian did laugh then and held his hand out to the boy. “Brian Calvert.”
“Adam Harrison,” the kid said, shaking his hand, grinning slightly.
“Your mom is right.”
“Yeah,” Adam said, resigned. “It’s kinda irritating. She’s right, like, ninety-eight percent of the time.”
Brian nodded, laughing inside. “Moms are like that.”
Adam gave him a look. “No, you don’t understand. She’s a cop, so she’s seen all kinds of crazy and stupid. It’s almost like she has ESP or something. I can’t do anything without her knowing.”
This kid was cracking him up. “I’m sure.”
They talked about Wyoming and knives, then Adam asked about his job. “I’m a bodyguard and a forensic accountant. I work for an investigation company based out of Denver called Lost and Found. Recently we opened a branch in Columbus, Ohio and I just moved there.”
Brian watched the kid’s eyes widen and could almost see the questions stacking up in his mind. Brian glanced down at his watch, then at the ‘church’. “Think we should get back in there?”
Adam sighed, frowning, obviously frustrated. “Yeah, I guess,” he sighed. “My mom is waiting for me to get something from the truck, anyway.”
The boy took off at a run toward the catering vans parked down the way and climbed into one. Brian turned for the arena, placing his feet carefully. He remembered those days of just turning and taking off running. He could if he absolutely had to, but it wasn’t pretty. He looked like a galloping gorilla when he ran.
Returning to his chair, he was surprised to see how crowded it had become. There were several famous faces in the crowd he recognized, which was kind of cool. He settled into his seat and leaned back, glad that he still had the empty chair beside him. It gave him room to stretch his legs out.
Adam jogged in along the side of the assembled chairs and looked for the opening to the curtains again. With a final wave at Brian, he disappeared.
The wedding ceremony was surprisingly beautiful. He hadn’t known what to expect, seeing a marriage between two men. They both wore suits, though Henry’s was a little more elegant. Were they always this long? He’d heard that Catholic ceremonies were a lot longer, but he didn’t plan on attending one just to confirm that.
The happy couple walked down the aisle to thunderous applause and Brian could tell by the look on their faces that they were ecstatic. What would it take to find that kind of happy? He’d been looking for it for a long time and it just kept evading him. Was he cursed or something? It seemed like every woman he dated wanted an easy ride. And honestly, he couldn’t blame them. If there was a way, he could float through life he would too, but it just didn’t work that way. When he’d joined the Marines, he’d had it easy, but he certainly hadn’t realized it then. Oh, to roll back time to ten years ago, he’d take a day and just bask in being whole again. Then he mentally shook his head at himself. No, he didn’t think he would. He’d gotten used to being an amputee now and mostly he was cool with it, but it seemed to always cause him issues with other people. He shifted in the chair as people headed out of the arena, following the newlyweds. He wasn’t sure what the couple was doing next, only that the guests needed to shift out of the way so that the caterers could set up the tables.
Brian headed for the big double doors. Maybe he’d go sit in his rental car or something. No, he found himself sitting on the bank outside the paddock again where the mare was, just watching her graze. Guests had to kill a half hour before they could reenter the barn/reception area as attendants shifted from wedding to reception. Brian was content to sit right here. It was shaded and there was no one around.
