My Favorite Cowboy

by Donna Grant

  Caleb followed his brother into the office, the cool air from the A/C washing over them. He came to stand beside Brice, both of them noticing how distracted David was since the man didn’t seem to take note of either of them.

  They exchanged a look. Caleb shrugged.

  Brice cleared his throat. When that didn’t work, he called out David’s name.

  The older man turned his head to them, his narrow-set eyes widening when he spotted them. “Gentlemen,” he said, though his smile was forced. “I forgot about your appointment this morning.”

  “Is this a bad time? We can come back,” Caleb said.

  David looked down at his desk covered with a variety of papers. He splayed his hands on them and pushed to his feet. “Actually, I was about to call your brother-in-law.”

  “Clayton?” Brice asked.

  Caleb’s attention sharpened as he crossed his arms over his chest. “What’s going on?”

  David Warner was one of those people who couldn’t hide their emotions even if their life depended on it. The creases of worry on his forehead accentuated the lines of strain around his mouth. He was nervous and fearful.

  “You can tell us,” Brice urged.

  David squeezed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “My security cameras are down. Do you think Clayton could come take a look?”

  Neither Caleb nor Brice pushed David to tell them what was really going on. While Clayton had one of the best security systems in the three surrounding counties, he hadn’t installed it, even though he knew enough about them to do it himself.

  Brice pulled out his phone. “Sure. I’ll give him a call.”

  He turned on his heel, shooting Caleb a quick look before walking out of the building to make the call.

  Caleb waited until Brice was gone before he moved to the coffee machine to the left of David‘s desk and poured some of the brew into two paper cups. He handed one to David and noticed the tremor in the man’s hands as he reached for it.

  “You know that Brice and I use the same security system on our ranch, right? We’d be happy to take a look,” Caleb offered.

  David lowered himself back into his chair and removed his hat. “You might as well since you two are here.”

  “Do you know what the problem is, exactly?”

  David shook his head and met Caleb’s gaze. “I can barely operate my computer, and I still have an old flip phone. I’ve never understood electronics.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of it.”

  For the first time, the beginning of a genuine smile appeared on David’s face. His relief was palpable. “Thank you.” Then, he shook his head in frustration. “You and Brice came to look at that filly.”

  Caleb held up his hand to stop David. “It can wait. I’ll grab Brice, and we’ll have a look at the cameras while we wait for Clayton.”

  “Your family is good people, Caleb.”

  He gave a nod of thanks and walked from the building. Caleb couldn’t help but wonder if the feeling he’d been having had something to do with whatever was going on with David. Regardless, he was going to find out. There was only so much someone could hide. He and Brice knew just how and where to look to find answers.

  Just as he was about to take a drink of his coffee, Brice took it from his hand.

  Caleb raised a brow. “That was mine.”

  “It’s mine now.”

  And just like that, they were five and seven again. “What did Clayton say?”

  Brice glanced at the office as he sipped the hot liquid. “He was in town running some errands. He’ll be here in about ten minutes.”

  “That will give us time to have a look around.”

  They turned as one and headed to the back of the office where the security system was routed. An initial look confirmed that no wires had been cut. Next, they moved from camera to camera.

  “These haven’t worked in over a year,” Brice said in disgust as he looked at a set of disconnected wires that were covered in dirt and grime.

  Caleb nodded. “Exactly. What has David so wound up that he wants these cameras working now?”

  “Do you think someone stole something?”

  Caleb looked over the corrals of cattle, sheep, goats, and the stables of horses. “The only thing David cares about is the animals. If one was stolen, he would’ve called Danny immediately.”

  “You’re right. David wouldn’t have hesitated to bring in the sheriff’s department. That leaves … what?”

  Caleb put his hands on his hips as he jerked his chin to the animals. “Them.”

  “You go left. I’ll take the right.”

  They each went their separate ways. While they continued checking cameras, they also looked for any other signs that could indicate what had David so worked up.

  Just as Caleb thought that there might not be anything to find, he saw the chestnut gelding. The lethargic way the horse had its head lowered and the way his eyes were glazed over let Caleb know that the animal wasn’t well. It didn’t take Caleb long to discover three other horses in the same barn that looked similar.

  Caleb’s mind immediately went to the woman he’d seen. The bag she carried, and the SUV all made sense now. She was a vet.

  “There you are,” Brice said as he walked up. “Did you find something?”

  “Unfortunately.”

  His brother shot him a look of concern before his eyes swung to the sick animals. “Well, hell.”

  Caleb grunted. “Exactly.”

  “David’s reaction makes sense now.”

  “Not entirely. That woman I saw was a vet, and I bet she was here to look at these horses.”

  Brice’s brow furrowed. “I wonder what’s wrong with them.”

  “I don’t know, but it would explain why David is in such a hurry to get the cameras up. Whether it’s to keep an eye on the animals or someone doesn’t matter.”

  “I should’ve known you’d figure out about the horses,” David said from behind them.

  Caleb and Brice turned to find him standing with their brother-in-law, Clayton East, who happened to own the East Ranch—the biggest in the county.

  The auction house owner shrugged, twisting his lips. “I noticed something wrong with the chestnut three days ago. I thought it might be colic at first, but it soon became apparent that wasn’t the case. The next day, two more horses exhibited the same symptoms. When I got here this morning and saw the roan, I called Audrey.”

  “Audrey Martinez?” Caleb asked in surprise.

  Clayton jerked his gaze to him. “You know her?”

  “We know of her,” Brice explained. “She’s a well-known and highly coveted equine veterinarian. We thought about bringing her on to work with us, but we learned she was already taken.”

  David walked to the stall and leaned against it. “Audrey’s dad and I were friends. I’ve known her and her sister Maddy since they were born.”

  “And you knew you could trust her,” Caleb guessed.

  David nodded slowly. “She’s the one who said I had to get the cameras working again.”

  “She’s right,” Clayton said. “Whether someone is doing this to the animals or it’s some contagion, you need to figure it out. Otherwise, this could ruin you.”

  David opened the stall door and walked inside to run his hand down the chestnut’s back. “I don’t care about that. I care about these animals.”

  “But we care about you,” Clayton said and motioned for Brice and Caleb to follow him.

  Chapter 3

  The ache in her neck caused Audrey to tilt her head from side to side, stretching the tight muscles. She leaned back from the microscope and squeezed her eyes closed in an effort to stop the burning.

  After stifling a yawn, she grabbed the pen and wrote down the results. Finally, she was done looking at all eight samples. She was in the process of running a few more tests, but it would be several hours before she had the results. She really hoped that she wouldn’t have to send the sam
ples off to a lab for more extensive testing.

  But if she didn’t find anything conclusive, she wouldn’t have a choice.

  Audrey slid off the stool and gave in to the yawn. She hadn’t slept well the night before. Then again, she rarely slept through the night. When she finally did drift off last night, her phone had soon woken her.

  No matter how tired she was, she wasn’t going to ignore a call from one of her father’s oldest friends. She’d gotten up and gone straight to the auction house, never imagining that she might stumble upon something that she couldn’t sort out easily.

  This was Karma laughing at her. At least that’s what Maddy would say. How many times had Audrey said that she wished for something more than the regular checkups, colic, and deworming of the horses?

  Audrey sank back onto the stool and leaned an elbow on the table before dropping her head into her hand. How could she ever wish for such a thing? She loved animals, especially horses.

  She worked tirelessly—and free of charge—at a horse rescue to help the abused animals. She never wanted any of them to hurt, but it seemed that lamenting the fact that things had been easy may have done just that.

  Audrey didn’t really believe in Fate or Karma, but when things like this happened, it made her pause and take stock of what she had said or done.

  Or hoped for.

  It was Maddy who always harped on Audrey to make sure to do good so no bad Karma could pile up. Why then did it feel as if that were exactly what had happened?

  Audrey raised her head and took several deep breaths. She knew from experience that she would have to be the calm one, especially in an unknown situation like this. If she freaked out—like she was currently doing on the inside—so would everyone else.

  It was best, especially for the horses, if everyone remained composed and unruffled.

  She put her hands on her lower back and arched backward, popping her spine. After closing her iPad, she stuffed it into her bag, gathered a few other items she might need, and checked on the last blood test she was running.

  “Three more hours,” she murmured, hating to wait.

  There was nothing else to do. She had to let it finish. But she wanted to get back to David and the horses. Audrey gathered her bag and flipped off the lights as she walked from the building.

  She only got a few steps when her cell rang. Thinking it was her sister, she didn’t look at the display before answering.

  “It’s not like you to not show up.”

  Audrey came to a halt, her eyes closing as she heard the voice of Robert Bremer. As the owner of Bremer Horse Farm and one of her employers, he wasn’t the type of man she wanted to anger.

  She didn’t particularly care for him. But he had some of the best horses around. She quite liked being involved with such highly sought after animals as those from the Bremer Horse Farm.

  She put up with Robert’s arrogance and brashness because he took care of his horses. It also helped that he paid her quite well. That extra money allowed her to give aid to more equines through her charity work.

  “Audrey.”

  She opened her eyes and adjusted her grip on her case. Sweat trickled down the side of her face from standing in the blazing afternoon sun. She continued on to her SUV and said, “I’m sorry, Robert. I had an emergency come up.”

  “More of your pro bono work?”

  She hated that his voice fairly dripped with distaste, as if helping those less fortunate somehow sullied her.

  Robert sighed loudly through the phone. “I know you feel as if you should help those poor animals, but if people can’t afford to take care of their horses, then they shouldn’t get them in the first place.”

  “I’m not going to have this argument with you again.” They’d already had it multiple times, and frankly, Audrey was tired of it. “Is there something that needs my attention?”

  “I have thirty horses here. There is always something that needs your attention. And,” Robert continued, deepening his voice to show his displeasure. “Per our arrangement, you are to be here on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and any day there is an emergency. Did you forget today is Wednesday?”

  She climbed into her SUV. The heat only added to her anger. She started the engine and turned the A/C on full-blast. “Of course, I didn’t. As I said, I had an emergency.”

  There was a long pause. “If you weren’t so damn good at what you do, I’d have replaced you years ago.”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that she quit, but she didn’t.

  Instead, she said, “I’ll be by later today.”

  “I sincerely hope so.”

  She ended the call and tossed her phone into the cup holder. “Smarmy asshole,” she murmured.

  Maddy asked her all the time why Audrey worked for someone she didn’t like. Audrey tried to explain why, but her sister just didn’t understand.

  Just as Robert would never comprehend why she spent hours of her free time helping neglected horses and those who didn’t have the means to pay for a vet.

  She put on her seatbelt and drove off. A glance at the clock in the truck told her that she’d been gone for over six hours. The fact that Maddy hadn’t called was a good sign. That meant the horses hadn’t worsened.

  It also meant they hadn’t gotten any better.

  All Audrey could hope for was that the cameras were fixed by the time night fell. Even if they weren’t, she was going to be there. She not only had a gun in her bag, but she also knew how to use it.

  Her father had been the one to push both her and Maddy to get weapons, but it was their mother who’d insisted that they learn how to defend themselves without a gun.

  At this point, Audrey was ready and willing to handle anyone who crossed her path that night.

  She came to the turn-off to the Bremer farm and decided to stop by now instead of later. Once she got to David’s, she knew she wouldn’t want to leave. Robert was already irritated with her. It was better to smooth his ruffled feathers now.

  She told her hands-free to call her sister and waited for Maddy to pick up.

  “You on your way?” her sister asked.

  “I have to stop at Bremer’s.”

  “Ugh.”

  Audrey grinned, practically hearing her sister’s eye-roll. “I won’t be long.”

  Maddy made a sound in the back of her throat. “He called you, didn’t he?”

  “I do work for him, and I not only didn’t show up, I didn’t call either.”

  “Whatever. You know how I feel about him,” Maddy said quickly, shifting her attention from the subject. “But you are coming here?”

  Audrey made a face at the dashboard. “Of course.”

  “Good. The quicker, the better.”

  Audrey slowed the SUV, ready to turn it around immediately if needed. “Why? Has one of the horses gotten worse?”

  “I swear. Do you think about anything other than horses?”

  “Yeah,” Audrey replied as she sped back up. “I think about putting Nair in your shampoo on a daily basis.”

  Maddy gasped loudly. Then there was a long pause. “You’re such a bitch.”

  “Back at ya, sis.”

  “And here I was going to tell you about a couple of cute guys. I think one’s married, though.”

  Audrey should’ve known where her sister’s mind had gone. “Do you ever think about anything but men?”

  “I think about food a lot.”

  Maddy could eat anything she wanted and not gain an ounce. It was maddening. If Audrey happened to eat a slice of cake, she could actually feel her jeans getting tighter within moments of swallowing it.

  “I’ve got to go.”

  Maddy laughed. “Love you, too.”

  The connection went dead, but Audrey had a smile on her face when she turned into the Bremer farm.

  She wanted to hurry her way through everything, but she stopped herself. She went to every horse, doing her usual check of the animals. A few needed vaccina
tions. One had to have a bandage changed, and the wound examined.

  Audrey was finalizing the last of her notes when she heard Robert’s voice at the other end of the stables. She was in no mood to talk to him, especially when she wanted to get back to the sick horses at the auction house.

  She waved to the trainer who was nearby and returned to her vehicle. As she drove away, she glanced in her rearview mirror and saw Robert watching her.

  There was no doubt that she would have to make up the hours she’d missed. Despite the fact that she always went over the time they had agreed upon, Robert wasn’t someone you shortchanged. Ever.

  Audrey half expected him to call again, and she was greatly relieved when he didn’t. It wasn’t long before she forgot all about Robert Bremer.

  She pulled up next to her sister’s bright red Mazda Miata and turned off the engine. Audrey gathered her bag and phone and hurried to the horses.

  The heat was stifling without any movement of the wind. Thankfully, David had fans installed in the stables and covered areas for the animals in the paddocks. She wiped her arm across her brow as she spotted her sister sitting outside the stalls, meditating.

  Audrey could only shake her head. At least the music Maddy played was soothing. Hopefully, that would help the animals.

  Audrey looked around for signs of anyone else, but so far, all she’d seen was Maddy. There had been another truck next to David’s when she arrived. It must be someone fixing the cameras.

  Audrey set down her bag and looked in on the roan. The horse hadn’t moved since morning. There was food and hay in the stalls, as well as water. None of the four ill horses had come near any of it. She wouldn’t let them get dehydrated, though.

  “You’re here.”

  She looked over her shoulder to find Maddy getting to her feet. “I’m here. Anything happen?”

  “Other than the cute guys? No.”

  Audrey turned to face her sister, who came to stand beside her. “Did you get their numbers?”

  “You act like I’m some kind of ho or something,” Maddy said, affronted.

  Audrey shot her sister a dry look. “You forget. I know you.”