“What was that?” I ask.
“He recorded pushing her into a grave. Tanner was able to recover it from his hard drive.”
I occupy the seat next to him.
“He stopped calling this phone,” he says, pushing Aria’s old iPhone in the middle of the table.
“So he’s either dead or lost interest.”
“I don’t see him losing interest, and he isn’t dead. I checked.”
“She has a new phone…”
“She would’ve told me,” Nate replies quietly.
I don’t know her that well. But something tells me she tells Nate what he needs to know.
“What about the other associates?”
“Everyone we know about has been indicted. Unless Senior has other goons we don’t know about. There’s only so much the FBI can do.”
“That’s what we’re for,” I remind him.
“I already have Tanner running overtime for me. According to him, there isn’t anything to write home about.”
“Which means there is something more sinister at hand. You think you can get Delgado to do a drive-by?”
And when I say drive-by, I mean he’ll slip in while Tanner disables the alarm systems so he can place audio and visual devices so we can get a better view. The problem is, if the FBI finds them, we’re in deep shit.
“I’m setting something up with him. Tanner’s on stand-by. And I can’t leave to babysit them. I can’t leave Aria in the open.”
“Set it up. I can be Delgado’s wingman, that way we can cover more ground. This is Steve’s daughter, Nate. We can’t let this slip into a blind spot. There are too many innocent lives at stake.”
Zoey’s, for instance.
Nate grimaces.
“All right. You think you can come back in a few hours? If we’re going to do this, we need to do it sooner rather than later.”
“Sure. I can come back after morning feed. Is that enough time?”
He nods and focuses on the computer.
“Where’s Steve, Bubba?”
“He said he was visiting family in New York.”
He glowers, knowing I spew bullshit lies. Again, he’s my commander. I do what he asks.
20
ARIA
25 weeks pregnant…
Eric, our farrier, is the only outsider on the property today. Annie was the one who was supposed to be here to supervise, but then she got wrapped up in her article and asked Derek to take over.
Derek is late. And now I’m the one stuck in an awkward game called, “Who can be the quietest?” with a guy I went to kindergarten with. Eric keeps to himself. Always quiet. And me? Well…I definitely don’t have anything to say.
Hercules, one of our newer arrivals is on the cross ties while Eric gets acquainted with him. Herc lived with a family who tortured him for five years, and now is too terrified of humans in general. Derek has been working with him and has made a lot of progress, so much so that this is the first time he and Eric are meeting, and he hasn’t ripped the cross ties out of the wall yet.
Herc sniffs Eric cautiously, his ears pointed in his direction. They’re not doing shoes today. This is more of a trust exercise and non-invasive examination. Herc doesn’t dare lower his head, even if it would make him feel better. I feel for him. He went through far more abuse than I did and coming into this environment is a culture shock.
Eric bends over and touches Herc’s foot, asking him to lift it up. He stands firm, refusing to do anything. I stand up, not making any sudden movements and reach for the apple cookies in my pocket. I approach him with my palm wide open. He lowers his muzzle, snorting like I’m the most terrifying being in the planet. He inspects the cookie and eventually takes it out of my hand.
It occupies him enough for Eric to get his foot up and check the insides.
“Sorry I’m late,” Derek announces from behind me.
“It’s okay. We just started. He’s being stubborn but I think I won him over with the apple cookies.” I turn and greet him with a small smile when Herc nudges me for more cookies. And of course, I oblige. We all need sweetness in our life.
“I can take over if you’d like to head home. It’s hot out. You should be drinking some water.”
That’s what Dr. Cash tells me, but here I am.
“I’ll hang around a bit. I’m invested now. I need to know if he’s okay.”
Derek chuckles as I cross the aisle and sink to the ground. My back aches and my knees are sore. I absolutely should go home and stretch out in bed for a few hours. But home is too far away. This spot on the ground is mighty comfortable. Derek disappears to the middle of the breezeway, grabbing something out of the fridge and walking back this way. He hands me an icy cold bottle of water with a tight lipped, sarcastic smile.
“You’ll thank me in the long run.”
I doubt it. But this is nice.
He sinks down next to me and we watch Eric work in silence. The fans blow especially hard since this heatwave is unbearable. I wonder when Daddy is coming home so I can spend the days inside like I should be.
“I don’t see any abscesses at first glance, so that’s a good sign. He could do with a trim, but I don’t think that’s a good idea at the moment. If it’s all right with you, I’d like to introduce him to some of the equipment I’ll be using.”
“That’s good news. Sure thing. Do what you need to do,” Derek replies.
“So what do you do with these horses when they’re rehabilitated?” Eric asks.
“Depends. Steve will never admit this to the public, but he has a soft spot for them. He usually sends them out to pasture to live out a happy life. Sometimes the riding school will take a few.”
My heart plummets into my stomach.
Does he take pity on them because of me?
“What about selling them to other people?”
“Honestly, buddy, it would be an intense vetting process, and I don’t mean it would be coming from me.”
Eric nods in contemplation.
“You think he’d let me in on this little operation you’ve got going? I bought a place near the Parkers and I have a substantial amount of land I’m looking to fill up.”
“What would be your plan?” I pipe up, genuinely curious.
“Well,” he exhales and steps out from under the cross ties to face us. “I’d do something similar. I don’t ride at all, but I was looking into opening up some sort of therapy for both people and horses.” He sinks to the ground so he’s eye level with us. “You remember my sister, Stephanie, right?”
I nod. She’s on the autism spectrum and hardly sees the light of day.
“Well, there are a lot of kids like her in the world. I’ve been doing a ton of research on equine therapy with children with autism. I was thinking this is exactly what this town needs.”
“You’d probably do well with women and children from abusive households,” I reply.
Actually, that’s a great idea. I wonder if Jo thought about that. They could add this service and pair up with Eric. It would be mutually beneficial.
“That’s a good one,” he says softly.
And suddenly, he’s staring at me and seeing what everyone else sees. I shrink into myself and pull my knees up to my chest.
“I can bring it up to Steve if you want me to,” Derek offers, trying to steer the conversation back on topic.
And he thinks he isn’t a knight in shining armor.
“That would be great. Tell him to call me if he’s interested.”
Quick and light footsteps echo through the breezeway, and suddenly, Annie appears with a shit eating grin on her face.
“Aria, have I ever told you you’re my favorite sibling?”
I groan. “Remind me.”
“You’re so pretty and nice. And you’re the best barrel racer on the planet.”
I grimace.
“What do you want?”
“Can you take over my lesson today? She’s super easy. It’s Alyssa Aldridg
e. She’s Zoey’s age and she’s a dream client. Tom is calling and it’s the first time I’d be able to talk to him in two weeks.”
“Fine, but you owe me. And I don’t mean by you cooking me something, either. I’m talking Rico’s. Fajitas and chips and salsa. And flautas. And chimichangas.”
“You’re an expensive date,” she grumbles. “Deal. She’ll be here in a half hour.” Annie disappears as fast as she arrived. Eric announces he’s done with Herc after showing him the tools. I lead Herc back to his stall and latch the door closed.
“Can I watch your lesson tonight?” Derek asks.
I turn to face him in horror.
“You want to watch my lesson? I’m not going to be teaching her anything dangerous. It’s your basic run of the mill, boring shit.”
He shrugs. “I don’t care. I want to watch. The word around town is you’re a champion barrel racer. I’ve heard all sorts of things about bridleless runs and killing rodeo clowns.”
Ugh.
I hate this town.
“Again, I’m not teaching her anything dangerous. And all of those instances weren’t our fault. Brandy Hunt and Ashley Parker have a sick sense of humor and have been trying to murder me since we were kids.”
He shrugs nonchalantly and smirks that stupid charming smirk. “But you’d be in your element.”
Alyssa Aldridge is one of the sweetest kids I’ve ever met. Her parents on the other hand…they’re prickly. When they drove up, I pasted on the best smile I could muster and introduced myself. They refused to shake my hand, despite their ten year old daughter, Alyssa did.
She gushed about my previous runs with the National Barrel Horse Association and how many times she’s watched my videos.
I end up pulling Old Man Kit out of his stall because I know he’s bomb proof and the best horse to give lessons on. I give her simple instructions to see where she’s at. She brushes him down with no problems. She even tacks him up with no problems. The only thing I had to help with was getting the bridle on since she’s too short to reach over his ears.
Derek helped me move poles onto the rail of the arena earlier. We’re working on new things Annie probably hasn’t covered with her yet. Derek escorts the Aldridges to the set of bleachers on the far end of the arena so they had a perfect view of what we’re doing.
After her warmup, she meets me in the center of the ring.
“Alyssa, do you know what your two point position is?” When she shakes her head, I continue. “Okay, so stand up with your knees in, heels down.”
She’s shaky at the first point, which is fine because she’s not used to it yet.
“Great! That’s your first point. Now the second point is leaning forward and extending your arms out towards his ears on his mane.”
She folds at the waist and grimaces.
“Perfect. You can sit down. Here’s what I want you to do. There are six poles on each side of the arena. In a trot, I want you to be in your two point position while you trot over those poles. Once the last pole is cleared, continue posting.”
She sends Kit into a trot. She’s a little sloppy on the first set of poles as she tries to keep her knees in. She corrects herself on the next set, nearly acing it until she drops to the seat before she’s over the last pole.
I have her change directions and try again. Annie’s right. She’s a dream. I hardly have to talk to her.
“How does that feel?” I call out to her.
“Weird!”
Giggling, I have her push Kit into a canter, a more natural way for her to feel comfortable in her two point position.
Her smile is contagious. I totally envy her freedom. In fact, when I was her age, you couldn’t get me to come home from the barn. I was always riding, grooming, trail riding…
I miss that.
I miss that ignorance to this ugly world.
She soars around the arena three more times before I call her to meet me in the center.
“How do you feel about trying out a barrel pattern?”
Her whole face lights up.
“Can we? That would be so fun!”
“Give me a few minutes. Why don’t you walk around the arena a few times so I can move these poles out of the way, and I can fix up these barrels.”
I don’t pick up the poles, but I do push them through the open holes in the fence. I straighten out the barrels and climb up on the first barrel. Let’s see what she knows.
I glance over to the bleachers and find the Aldridges with sour grimaces while Derek glares ahead.
Alyssa trots to the chute and waits for my command.
“All right, Alyssa! Let’s start this pattern with a trot. After you round your third barrel, get into your two point!”
She nods in acknowledgement, and she trots out of the chute, her eyes trained on me. Sitting on top of this barrel is a distraction, but it’s also a necessary teaching lesson. As she rounds the first barrel, she cuts in too close, the toe of her boot knocking the barrel—and me—over.
“I’m so sorry!” she exclaims.
“Don’t worry. I’m okay. This happens sometimes.” I dust the sand off my jeans and pick the barrel up. “Tell me what you think you did wrong.”
“I got too close to the barrel.”
I nod. But there’s more.
“When you’re running to your first barrel, you need to map your pocket around the barrel. You have to see what the safest distance away from the barrel is so you or your horse don’t knock it down. What else?”
She purses her lips and shrugs her shoulders.
“I’m not sure.”
“You were looking at me.”
She mouths oh and frowns.
“As you’re rounding your first barrel, you need to be looking at the second barrel so you can start mapping out your next pocket. If you’re looking at the barrel, you’ll most likely knock it over. Try again.”
She trots over to the chute and resets. She gets a good grip on the reins and takes a deep breath. She pushes Kit into a trot and starts my way. She looks just past me, stepping and leaning into the turn. And when she’s halfway around the barrel, her head snaps up and searches for the other barrel. I grin when she completes the pattern, a megawatt smile beaming from her cute cheeks.
“I can’t believe I did it! That was so fun!”
“You did a great job! Do you want to try at a canter?”
“Ms. McKenzie!”
I glance up to the bleachers, with Mr. Aldridge standing up with his hands magnifying his voice.
Great.
“Push him into a canter and see how you feel. I’ll be right back. I’m going to talk to your parents.”
She gives me a head start before she turns around and heads for the chute. When I arrive at the bleachers, The Aldridges are angry. For what? I don’t know, but I’m probably going to get an earful now. Derek stands up, his arms crossing his chest and narrowing his eyes at Mr. Aldridge.
“We brought her here to be the best. She can’t be the best if she’s trotting patterns.”
Ugh. And suddenly, they know best. Fuck me. What do I know?
“Actually, Annie mentioned Alyssa hasn’t attempted a barrel pattern yet. So when we introduce it, we have them trot it first so they can get their bearings. It teaches critical thinking and strategy. Speed comes later.”
“We were already weary when Annie called earlier and told us you would be taking over the lesson today. We don’t know you, but you bet your ass we asked around about you.”
“Find your respect, Brian. Do not talk to her like that,” Derek growls.
Little does Derek know, I’ve been sticking up for myself my entire life. Nobody walks all over me.
“Oh, you did? Who did you ask? Let me guess: Bethany Hunt and Deb Baker. Does that sound about right?”
Mr. Aldridge takes a step back and pales.
“I’m sure you’ve visited our family’s website. There is a tab where you can see every single competition we’ve done. I was N
BHA 1-D Champion five consecutive years. That’s me knowing exactly what I’m doing. On the other hand, Bethany Hunt and Deb Baker are on a crusade to discredit me—and they have been since I was in kindergarten. They were trying to discredit a child. As it turns out, Bethany had a thing for my dad back in the day and he rejected her. Chris and Annie have put her in her place any chance the opportunity arose. But I’m quiet. I’m an observer. And frankly, I didn’t care. I knew what they were saying about me wasn’t true. I’ve learned to rise above it.”
I glance back to Alyssa and grin once she turns the third barrel and gets into her two point.
“If you want to go to the Parker’s for lessons from now on, I totally understand. Your daughter is a great listener. I’m sure one day when she starts doing this competitively, she’ll blow everyone out of the water. Dr. Hawthorn will help Alyssa untack and rinse Kit down. It was nice to meet you.”
I turn on my heel and approach Alyssa who stands in the center of the ring with terrified eyes.
“That was an amazing pattern, Alyssa! You did a great job! Okay, so I think we’re done for the day, so why don’t you start walking Kit around the arena to cool down. Fifteen laps, okay?”
She nods and opens her mouth to say something but thinks better of it. Inside, my heart squeezes. I was never concerned about my reputation around town, but now it’s affecting business, and I’m getting angry.
With anger comes tears—ones I wish would disappear. I hide away in the feed room and kick a bale of hay out of frustration. I bury my face in my hands and sob. Leave it to the motherfucking Hunts to continue cutting me down whenever the opportunity arises.
“Peanut? What’s wrong?”
Never in a million years would I be so happy to see my idiot brother, but here I am. I launch myself into his arms and wrap my arms around him, sobbing into his chest.
“Dude, this was supposed to be an easy lesson. Why are you crying?”
I can’t bear to answer him, because if I do, he’ll take matters into his own hands and rip Alyssa’s parents a new one. The Parkers are the worst. They’ll break her spirit and teach her bad habits. I don’t want that to happen.
“It’s been a long day,” I murmur.
Make Me Dream (The Sage Creek Series Book 1) Page 17