by Myra Johnson
On impulse, she took her phone from her pocket and hurriedly typed a text to Spencer. Bring the horse over here. You can use our barn.
She hit Send, then watched for Spencer to check his phone. At first, he seemed too embroiled in arguing with his father to read the message. Then he did a double take, and his gaze sought out Lindsey’s across the field. Even from this distance, she made out his questioning stare. She nodded sharply and waved.
More animated discussion followed before Spencer climbed into the deputy’s passenger seat and Mr. Navarro threw up his hands and marched off.
Within minutes, the deputy parked his SUV next to Audra’s barn, and Lindsey decided she probably should have cleared this with her aunt first.
“Give me a sec,” she said as the men opened their doors. “I’ll be right back.”
Inside, she went looking for Audra and found her in the downstairs master bedroom folding laundry. “Um, Aunt Audra...”
Her aunt narrowed her eyes. “The last time you used that tone with me, you were fifteen years old and had accidentally left the pasture gate open.”
“And I’m still so, so sorry about what the cows did to your vegetable garden.” Hands clasped, Lindsey inched closer. “I promise, this isn’t nearly as awful, but I did, um, kind of tell Spencer he could use one of your barn stalls for a rescue horse.”
Audra clucked her tongue. “Oh, honey, why’d you think I’d mind? Of course he can use our barn. It’ll take some effort to get one of the vacant stalls ready, but if we get started now—”
“Actually, they’re parked out back and ready to unload.”
* * *
Waiting for Lindsey to return from the house, Spencer struggled with competing emotions. On the one hand, he couldn’t be more thankful that God had brought Lindsey back into his life, and not only because of everything she was doing so that he could save more horses.
However, her return to Gabriel Bend was creating all kinds of problems for Spencer within his own family. In addition to Tito’s ongoing animosity toward the McClements, Dad had made his opinion perfectly clear concerning Spencer’s stabling his rescues in Audra’s barn. Did any hope remain that God would someday heal the rift between the Navarros and McClements? The only answer was to keep praying.
Deputy Miller had entered the barn to take a look around. He came out rubbing his chin. “Don’t know if I can okay this, Spencer. The stalls where Mrs. Forrester keeps her animals are the only ones in decent shape. There’s a hole in the roof over the stalls at the back, and several of the gates are busted or hanging on rusty hinges. A lot of work needs to be done before I’d declare it safe for fostering rescues.”
“I’ll be lending a hand with repairs around here anyway. I’ll put those items at the top of my list.” Spencer strode over to a sheltered paddock attached to the barn. “The weather’s supposed to be milder through next weekend. The horse could stay outside for a day or two while I fix the roof and get a barn stall cleaned up and ready. That’ll also give the vet time to check him out before I move him into the barn with Audra’s horses.”
“That could work. You’d blanket him at night?”
“Of course. And check on him throughout the day.”
A moment later, Lindsey and Audra stepped out to the porch. “Good morning, Deputy,” Audra called. She walked over to shake the officer’s hand. “Spencer’s more than welcome to use our barn and pasture for his rescue horses. I know things aren’t in the best of shape right now, but we intend to work on that.”
While Audra and Deputy Miller talked more about the necessary releases and boarding arrangements, Spencer sidled over to Lindsey. “Can’t thank you enough for this.”
“Will you be able to smooth things over with your dad?”
He shrugged. “As long as I don’t shirk my duties with our own horses, I think he’ll come around.”
Something else nagged at him, though. If, despite Lindsey’s best efforts, Audra was forced to sell and Tito bought the McClement ranch like he hoped, Audra’s house, barn and pastures would all become Navarro property. In that case, Spencer could easily run his equine rescue operation separate from the Navarro quarter horses while also keeping everything in the family.
And he’d likely never see Lindsey again.
He found her studying him. “Still worried about your dad’s reaction?”
Before he was forced to come up with at least a partially honest reply, Deputy Miller joined them. “Ready to get the horse unloaded and into the paddock?”
The aging gray gelding stumbled as the deputy backed him off the trailer. Ribs poking out, head drooping, the animal barely took notice of his surroundings, as if one more stop on the journey to his final end made no difference. By providing the love, care and attention this horse deserved, Spencer hoped he’d have the chance to rewrite this old fella’s story with a happier ending.
With help from the deputy, he soon had the horse settled in the paddock with a pail of water and a flake of hay. Audra and Lindsey pitched in by spreading a bed of fresh shavings beneath the barn roof extension. Spencer placed a call to the vet to schedule the horse’s health evaluation and was told he’d be there before day’s end. Expressing his satisfaction with the arrangements, Deputy Miller closed the horse trailer and drove away.
Audra had returned to the house, and Lindsey stood with her chin resting on the paddock fence rail. “He looks so sad,” she murmured. “Will he make it?”
Spencer came up beside her, close enough to catch the scent of something sweetly floral. He wished he had the right to slip an arm around her waist, or even to take her hand. “Only time will tell. But at least now—thanks to you—he has a fighting chance.”
“If you give me some instruction, I’m happy to keep an eye on him during the day while you’re busy working with your dad.”
“Mostly he needs good nutrition and a little kindness.” A surge of anger squeezed his chest. “The people he was taken from had no clue how to care for a horse. Thought they could stick him in a field and let him fend for himself.”
When her hand slid into his, it was all he could do not to tense in surprise. “Ash has you now,” she said in a tender tone, “and that’s what matters.”
Spencer slanted her a crooked smile. “Ash?”
“Yeah. Thinking of how you’re saving his life reminded me of a Bible verse my grandma always loved—the one about beauty for ashes. I can’t remember how it goes, but it suits him, don’t you think?”
“I know the passage you mean. I’ll have to read it later.” His mouth had gone dry. All he could think about was her nearness and how much he suddenly wanted to kiss her. He tilted his head. “Lindsey...”
She tensed and sidled away. “I’d better get back to the house. I need to follow up with the VA about Uncle Charles’s pension benefits, and later I’ve got to get started trimming hedges and cleaning out flower beds.”
“I should get home, too, before my dad has a conniption.” Probably too late for that. And way beyond too late for putting a lid on his growing feelings for Lindsey. He cleared his throat. “As soon as I get a break later, I’ll come over and start on the barn repairs.”
“Great.” She was already edging toward the house. “And maybe we could sit down at the computer together with my notes from the attorney and finalize those nonprofit forms.”
A gut check made him draw a quick breath. “Yeah, about that. Are you sure it wouldn’t be rushing things? I mean, you’re still figuring out whether Audra will even be able to keep the ranch, and if the situation changes—”
“I told you, I fully intend to save the McClement ranch, same as you’re determined to save all the horses you can. So no more negative talk. Deal?”
How could he argue in the face of such single-minded optimism? “Yeah, okay. Deal.”
“See you later.”
The fires of ho
pe kindling within him, he nodded. “See you later.”
Chapter Six
With growing confidence about the event venue idea, Lindsey described it to Audra, and her aunt was in complete agreement. Over the next several days, Lindsey could see real progress in her efforts to spruce up the place. The tasks she’d managed so far had been those that didn’t require much more investment than muscle and sweat. With help from Audra, she’d trimmed and shaped the shrubbery around the house. They’d raked leaves and added compost to the flower beds. Friends from Audra’s church had supplied them with daffodil, crocus and hyacinth bulbs, along with various iris rhizomes. With those in the ground, along with Audra’s few perennials that hadn’t completely succumbed to neglect, they could look forward to colorful springtime blooms.
Spencer had also come through for them, doing far more than his share of repairs and cleanup around the ranch. Ash was now housed in the barn, and Spencer had moved Cinnamon into the adjacent stall. In addition to caring for his rescues and working for his father, he’d patched the barn roof, replaced the broken stall gate latches, cut down a dead cedar tree, and gotten Lindsey’s grandfather’s old brush hog working well enough to mow the tangle of overgrowth along the road and driveway.
The house, barn, chapel and other outbuildings desperately needed painting, but purchasing that quantity of paint would be expensive. Lindsey was back to the same crucial point—she needed someone who believed strongly enough in her vision for the ranch that they’d be willing to invest some up-front cash.
In that regard, Spencer’s prospects were looking slightly better. He’d officially established his nonprofit organization, with both Lindsey and Audra signing on as New Start Equine Rescue’s first two board members. Two days ago, when they’d previewed the website Joella had designed, she’d never seen his smile so wide. The site had gone live yesterday, coinciding with an announcement in the Gabriel Bend Weekly Tribune, and moments ago Spencer had texted Lindsey to let her know he’d already received almost one hundred dollars in donations.
She called Joella to share the news. “Spencer said to thank you again for building his website. He couldn’t be happier.”
“I was glad to create something for a worthy cause.” Joella’s sigh rasped across the phone connection. “Wish I had the nerve to do what you did and say goodbye to the corporate world.”
“It wasn’t so much nerve as desperation.” Taking a break on the front porch swing, she glimpsed Audra passing the dining room window. “Plus, I had a compelling reason.”
“Your aunt. How’s it going, by the way?”
“Thanks to the consolidation loan, I’ve made a good-size dent in her outstanding debts. All except the back taxes, anyway. I sent in a small partial payment, but the county hasn’t budged on the tax sale deadline.”
“And your plans for an event venue?”
“Slow. Everything takes time and money, and there’s still so much work to be done.” Lindsey snorted a weak chuckle. “I’m seriously considering forming my own nonprofit so I can solicit donations.”
Joella grew silent for a moment. “That’s not a half-bad idea, Linds. Not the nonprofit thing, obviously. But how about crowdfunding? There are several websites where you can run a campaign.”
“I always thought those things were kind of flaky. I mean, using social media to ask total strangers to fork over money for what may not even be a legitimate cause?”
“Sure, people have been known to scam the system. But if you target individuals and businesses you already have favorable connections with—”
“I don’t think so, Jo-Jo. For one thing, Audra would never agree to anything that sounds remotely like charity. She’d insist on paying back every cent.”
“How about if you promised to list the donors’ names on a plaque?” Joella suggested. “Or maybe thank them with framed photos of your grand opening.”
Lindsey still wasn’t convinced. “I need to think some more. Christmas is only a week away, and my mom and stepdad are coming in a couple of days.” She glimpsed Spencer hoisting himself over the barbed wire at one of the fence posts, and her heart did its usual fluttering every time she saw him. “I’d better go. Let’s talk again soon.”
After saying goodbye, she tucked her phone into her jeans pocket and started down the porch steps. Spencer caught her eye and waved, but his flat-lipped smile didn’t match the excitement she’d expected after his text earlier.
She caught up with him on his way around back. “Great news about the donations.”
“Yeah, thanks.” He barely slowed his pace.
“Is everything okay?”
“Just a lot going on.” His crisp tone suggested there was more to it than that. More flak from his father and grandfather? He headed for the equipment shed. “Can’t give you too much time today, but I wanted to finish clearing the trail to the river.”
While helping Audra move cattle again a few days ago, Lindsey had come upon the brushy path leading to a bluff overlooking a gently flowing arm of the San Gabriel River. On the far northwest edge of McClement land, it had always been one of the most picturesque spots on the ranch.
She stayed out of the way while Spencer hooked the brush hog to the tractor and made sure everything started. Over the rumble of the tractor motor, she shouted, “I’ll ride ahead in the Mule and get the pasture gates for you.”
When he lifted a gloved hand in acknowledgment, she climbed into the utility vehicle and pulled in front of the tractor. Parking to the side of the first gate, she hopped out and swung it open. Spencer drove through, then waited while she followed and closed the gate behind them. They repeated the action twice more before entering the stretch of pastureland bordering the river.
While Spencer mowed the trail, Lindsey drove the Mule ahead, jouncing over the ruts and dodging brambles until she reached the bluff. Even now, amid the fading fall color of oaks and elms dropping the last of their leaves, the beauty took her breath away. Spying her favorite rock for sitting and thinking, she stomped around it a few times to make sure no snakes, spiders or scorpions lay in wait.
A brisk breeze skimmed past her ears as she scooted onto the sun-warmed rock. The scents of river water, oak and cedar were strong here, mixed with the earthy smells Spencer’s mowing released. With the roar of the brush hog behind her and the rippling river below, she tipped her face skyward as an unexpected prayer of longing rose within.
God, I need help. Do You have any idea how overwhelmed I feel? What if I fail Audra? What if all I’m doing here is postponing the inevitable?
But no answers came. Was God even listening? Or had He turned his back on her just like her human father had?
The tractor and mower noises grew louder, then abruptly ceased. Lindsey looked over her shoulder to see Spencer ambling her way. He paused, hands on hips, and scanned the view. A murmured “Wow” slipped between his lips. “It’s been a while since I was up here.”
“Me, too.” Lindsey rose and stood beside him. “Am I crazy?” She cast him a questioning frown. “Is this whole event venue idea even going to work?”
Spencer removed his hat and ran his gloved thumb along the brim. “When you first brought it up a couple of weeks ago, I had my doubts. But then you convinced me I could start a nonprofit equine rescue, and now I’m officially in business.” He turned to her, his tender gaze irresistible. “I have confidence in you, Lindsey. If this is what you want, don’t let anything stop you.”
Feelings she’d been fighting since seeing him again the day she’d arrived battled her lungs for breathing space. In a weak attempt to lighten the moment, she asked, “Even your grumpy old grandfather?”
Exhaling sharply, he locked eyes with her. “Especially my grumpy old grandfather.”
Her thoughts returned to his evasiveness earlier. “Is he still giving you a hard time about hanging out with a McClement?”
“Th
at’s only part of it.” Spencer angled away, his mouth tight. “My mom was looking at the website with me this morning. She asked how things were going with you and Audra, and we got to talking about your plans. Tito heard the words event venue and about blew a gasket.”
“Seriously? What business is it of his?”
“He says the extra traffic and commotion will be bad for our horses.”
Lindsey scoffed. “That’s hogwash.”
“I agree. But...” Jaw working, Spencer stared out across the river.
“Why do I get the feeling there’s more you aren’t telling me?”
“It’s nothing you should have to worry about. Just...keep doing what you’re doing.” He jammed his hat back on his head. “I need to get back. Stay if you want to. I can get the gates.”
She started to say it was fine, that she’d be right behind him, but he’d made it pretty clear he didn’t want company. Besides, whatever was eating at him most likely had something to do with the feud, and she was beyond frustrated with the whole thing.
* * *
Spencer didn’t like secrets. He especially didn’t like keeping from Lindsey his grandfather’s obsession with gaining possession of the McClement land.
Back home after mowing the trail and checking on Cinnamon and Ash, he’d started down the hall toward the bathroom to wash up for lunch when Tito stopped him.
“I need you to drive me into town this afternoon,” his grandfather stated. He thrust a crumpled slip of paper at Spencer. “You can pick up these supplies while I attend to my business.”
He examined the list, noting several items he’d already stocked up on last week. Rather than start an argument, he said, “I’m happy to take you to town, Tito. But first I should make sure Dad doesn’t need me for something.”