At Riverbend Ranch, he found a note from Zach Littletrees. Ben frowned as he tried to decipher his horse manager’s chicken-scratch-inspired scrawl. He finally figured out that Zach was saying he’d gone to Ft. Smith, Arkansas, for the day, but would be back that night. Ben chuckled and shook his head. Maybe he had a hot date with one of those classic car ladies. Ft. Smith was a long drive from Fayetteville, but those ladies were obviously willing to follow Zach anywhere.
On the other side of Zach’s note, he could make out the name Carl Bodie and something about horses, some illegible words and an amount of money. Ben had no idea what that was about.
He tucked the note into his pocket and was headed for the house when he spotted a truck and horse trailer coming up his lane. He didn’t recognize the rig, but he saw that the truck was old and the whine of the engine told him it wasn’t well maintained. The engine knocked for a full fifteen seconds after the driver turned it off and stepped from the truck’s cab. He was an older man with flowing white hair, a crooked nose and few teeth.
“Got hold of some bad gas,” the driver said, gesturing toward his truck. “Gotta go get my tank flushed out.” He held out his hand. “Hello. Name’s Carl Bodie.”
“Oh, yes.” Ben took the note from his pocket. “My manager, Zach Littletrees, left me a note.”
Carl went very still. “He did?”
“Something about some horses. Can’t read it too well. There’s a price here.” Ben looked up. “Did you bring me some more mustangs? Is this the amount Zach agreed to pay you?”
“Yes.” Carl’s gaze shifted to the trailer and then back to Ben. “That’s exactly the price we agreed on. Why don’t I unload them? If you’ve got cash, even better.”
Ben looked down at the note, suddenly uneasy. “I’m not sure I’ve got that much cash on hand. Anyway, I’ll need a receipt from you.”
“Of course.” Bodie flashed his sparse teeth in a grin. “Everything honest and aboveboard.”
“I’ll call Zach and make sure this is the correct amount.”
“Now why do you want to do that? It’s written down right there.”
“Because he’s the manager,” Ben said, puzzled by the man’s objections. “I’m only the guy who writes the checks.”
“Well, all right. You want them in the pasture with the others?”
“Sure.” Ben hit the speed dial button for Zach, but there was no answer. “Probably too involved with Cinnamon or Ginger,” he muttered.
Ben opened the gate to the pasture and held it open for Bodie to pull the truck and trailer through, then hurried into the house to see if he had enough cash on hand to pay the man. As it happened, he did. He usually kept quite a bit in a safe in his office. Even though money transfers could be done almost instantly online, there were many old horse traders like Bodie who preferred doing business in cash.
When he got back, he saw that Bodie was starting to unload the horses, but Ben noticed that he continually craned his neck around to see what Ben was doing. When he saw Ben walking toward him with a well-stuffed envelope, he picked up the pace of his unloading.
This guy seemed a little shifty-eyed, but if Zach was willing to do business with him, Ben should trust him. The mustangs he was leading into the pasture were a sorry-looking lot, skinny and dull-eyed, with mangy coats. One was coughing.
“Are these horses sick?” Ben asked. “That one looks pretty bad.” In fact, they all stood with their heads down, having barely moved five feet from where Bodie had unloaded them.
“I’m what you’d call a...broker,” the other man said. “These ponies belonged to a guy who wasn’t taking care of them. He’s old and sick himself and didn’t notice what bad shape they’re in. I wanted to do the guy a favor, so I bought ’em to sell on to someone who can take better care of them. When I heard Zach Littletrees was working for you, and that you’re building up a reputation as someone working to save these Choctaw mustangs, I knew this was the right outfit to take them to.”
Ben nodded, feeling a spark of pride in his growing reputation as someone who cared about preserving the lineage. He quickly handed over the envelope, and Carl Bodie just as quickly counted it, stuck it in his pocket, then scribbled out an illegible receipt on the envelope, which he handed back to Ben. With a hurried goodbye, he hopped into his rig and drove away.
Ben closed the gate, although the additions to his herd showed no interest in trying to escape. In fact, they didn’t show much interest in anything.
If ever there was a collection of horses that needed saving, these four were it. Zach had probably looked at them and decided the grass and water on the Riverbend would help them get well. Still, when the coughing horse lifted its head and Ben saw white matter around its nose, he decided to call Zach again.
This time Zach answered. Ben could hear voices, music and the rattle of dishes and cutlery, which told him Zach was in a restaurant.
“Zach, it’s Ben. Did you get my message?” Ben shouted over the din.
“Nah. Didn’t hear the phone. What’s up?”
“That guy, Carl Bodie, stopped by with those horses he said you wanted.”
“Wait a minute, Ben. I gotta go outside. I thought you said Carl Bodie stopped by with some horses.”
“That is what I said.” Ben was beginning to have a bad feeling about this.
“You didn’t buy them, did you?”
“Um, well, yeah.” Defensively he added, “If we’re going to build up this herd, don’t we need to be actually buying stock?”
“Oh, for cryin’ out loud, Ben. I hadn’t looked at them yet.”
“You left me a note with his name and how much he was asking for the horses.”
“Yeah, how much he was asking, not how much they were worth. I’d never heard of this guy before, so I was going to check him out. I should have called you instead of leaving you that note. How do the horses look?”
“Not good,” Ben admitted. “They don’t seem to have much energy, standing with their heads down. One of them has moved over to the water trough, but one’s coughing and has white matter coming from his nose.”
“What?” Zach shrieked into the phone. “Call the vet. Tell him you just bought some horses that might have the strangles.”
“Strangles?” Ben looked at his new horses in alarm. “That sounds bad.”
“It is. Keep them away from the rest of the herd, and drain that trough so the water goes away from the pasture, then turn it upside down so the other horses will stay away from it. Strangles bacteria can survive for weeks. We’ve got to protect the rest of the herd. Call the vet. I’ll be there as fast as I can.”
Ben immediately called the veterinarian, who said he would have to travel nearly an hour to get there. Then he took the new arrivals out of the pasture and tied the docile animals to the porch posts. He wasn’t sure why he bothered. They were so lethargic, they couldn’t have run away if they’d wanted to.
As it turned out, the vet and Zach arrived at almost the same time. Both men, who had actual knowledge of horses, looked at the animals then at Ben with twin expressions that questioned his sanity.
“It’s strangles, all right,” Dr. Colvin said. “But they’re not beyond saving. They’ll have to stay quarantined from the rest of the herd until they’re well.”
“We can set up a temporary corral,” Zach said. “I noticed all the pieces are out behind the barn. While you treat them, Ben and I will get it ready.”
The vet nodded and set to work while Ben sheepishly followed Zach to the barn.
They silently pulled on gloves and set to work freeing the metal fence parts from years of impossibly tangled undergrowth while keeping an eye out for snakes. Ben had never been back here, but it was obvious that Zach had. In fact, he’d probably walked the entire property, doing his job of looking after the herd.
<
br /> Zach didn’t speak for a long time.
Finally, Ben said, “So, is this the Riverbend Ranch version of being taken to the woodshed?”
“It oughta be.” Zach shook his head. “I don’t get you, Ben. You hire me to manage your herd, but you don’t wait to hear my advice? I was trying to find out some information on that Bodie character...”
“Was that before or after you took off for Ft. Smith?”
“That was personal business.”
“I’ll bet it was.”
“Never mind that. If you’d waited for me to get back to you, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Ben couldn’t argue with that. He knew he’d rushed into the purchase based on flimsy information and his own egotistical belief that he knew more than he did about buying and raising stock.
“Between the horses and the treatment, this is gonna cost you a small fortune, Ben.”
“I’m beginning to realize that.”
“So my question is, are you really interested in raising horses, preserving these mustangs, or do you only want to play at it?”
Zach picked up the first fence section they had freed, signaled for Ben to lift the other end, then led the way to an open area close to the house and Zach’s Airstream.
“Raising these animals, training them to be cow ponies—or riding horses even, since they’re the perfect size for little kids—is a huge commitment of time and money. If you don’t get that, then maybe you shouldn’t be in this business at all.”
They didn’t talk much during the construction. Stung by Zach’s criticism, it took Ben a while to process it.
Ben had been on the receiving end of criticism before from reporters who had never actually played a down of football. He had received harsh bawling outs from coaches and had deserved them much of the time because he hadn’t been keeping his head in the game.
This was different. As important as football had been to him, he’d always known his years in the game would be limited. That was simply the nature of the sport. Raising these horses was a much longer commitment, one that could affect generations of the mustangs.
Like raising kids, he thought, remembering the wisdom Lisa had quoted to him about nothing much mattering if you bungle raising your children.
Ben smiled, his heart warming at the thought. There was no way she would fail at raising their children. She was such a careful planner, so thoughtful and competent, she was certain to succeed.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
WITHIN MINUTES OF Lisa’s arrival back at the mayor’s office, Gemma and Carly had appeared with champagne glasses and sparkling grape juice.
“I’d hoped these glasses would come in handy,” Carly said, proudly turning the crystal flutes to admire the play of light through them. “I bought them for my wedding, but figured I’d never use them again. It didn’t occur to me that we’d have cause for another celebration so soon.” She grinned at Lisa. “I hadn’t counted on you having twins.”
“That makes two of us.” Lisa took a sip of juice and looked down at her growing belly. No wonder she had suddenly popped out of her clothes. “I’m going to keep this quiet for a while, although I’ll have to swear Ben’s parents to secrecy. They’re pretty excited at the idea of one baby. They’re going to explode when they learn there’s two.”
Gemma smiled. “It’s nice to have someone so thrilled about it. Are you going to tell Maureen?”
“If she ever returns my phone calls. I’ve only received one text saying she’s okay.”
“Any idea where she is?”
“No. I have to give her time, have patience.” She smiled. “Now that I know more about her, it’s not so hard to do.”
Gemma lifted her hand and made a gesture to encompass the mayor’s office. “What are you going to do about all of this?”
“Keep at it as long as I can. The group building the resort will be ready to start soon. They want to open in the spring of next year. Trent Sanderson will be their liaison.”
“Good. That will take one load off your shoulders,” Carly said. “I’m handling the county-wide yard sale and it’s going well. Frances Sanderson is a whirlwind of organization, influence, inspiration. I want to be exactly like her when I grow up.”
Lisa laughed. “Sounds like a worthy goal.”
Uncomfortably, she shifted as one, or both, of the babies began moving. She waited until they settled down again. “Then there’s the issue of the Founder’s Day street festival and parade. Bunky wants to be in charge, and it looks like the other council members will let him.”
“All day and night dancing, right?” Gemma asked. “I wonder if I can talk Nate into going on a trip that weekend.”
“Except with that much craziness going on, along with the end-of-July heat, we’ll need every medical professional to be available. Plus, the hospital will probably want to do a health fair, check blood pressures and so forth.”
“Ugh,” Gemma said, resting her hand on her palm. “I’m going to have to spend the day in hiking boots to protect my toes from Bunky’s two-step.”
Carly grinned. “It’s the price you pay for being such a great dancer. Too bad he isn’t.”
Lisa smiled even as her thoughts raced ahead to everything that needed to be done.
“Have you heard from Brenda about how Harley is doing?” Gemma asked. “The Sunshine Birthing Center is limping along with temporary reception help. I don’t want to add any worry for her, but I’m hoping Brenda can return soon.”
“Yes, I’ve talked to her. Harley insists he can return to office. She’s equally determined that he won’t. I’ll have the job until they make up their minds. That’s another reason I’m keeping it quiet about having twins. If they know, they might feel forced into making a decision.”
“That’s hardly fair to you, Lisa,” Carly pointed out.
“I’ll be fine. I just need to stay organized.”
Her friends exchanged a look and Gemma said, “You’re not still thinking of running for mayor this fall, are you?”
“It’s always at the back of my mind.”
“Leave it there,” Carly advised. “You’ll have years and years to think about running for office.”
Lisa shrugged. “Maybe.”
“We’ll help you all we can, but this is going to be harder than you think. How did Ben react to learning he’s about to be the father of two instead of one?” Gemma asked.
“Twice as reluctant to do anything except send money. It was...disappointing. Also, he thinks I’ve taken on too much, as well. I told him I don’t need pressure from him.”
“You’re right. You don’t.” Carly looked at Gemma, who stood to begin gathering the glasses and juice bottle.
She packed them away in a canvas bag as she said, “We’re available to help anytime, but right now we’ve both got to get back to work. And I think we have something else to take care of.”
“Oh, what’s that?” Lisa asked, but the phone rang, and as she answered it, her friends waved goodbye.
She took care of the phone call and then dug into the numerous other projects on her desk. She needed to get finished and over to the real-estate office by four o’clock so she could take a couple to see a house for sale. The advantage of being this busy was that she didn’t have time to worry about how she was going to handle being the mother of twins.
* * *
BY EARLY EVENING the horses had been doctored and isolated from the rest of the herd. Ben and Zach had taken care of all the other chores. Zach had disappeared into his Airstream and Ben sat on the porch staring out at his pasture.
He’d called the sheriff and reported Carl Bodie as someone who was selling sick and contagious horses, probably fully aware of their condition. Ben doubted the man would be caught.
Zach was annoye
d with him, and Ben didn’t blame him. This whole day had been one surprise after another. He didn’t see how it could get any worse.
When a pair of headlights turned up his driveway, Ben wondered cynically if another grifter had heard what an easy target he was and come to sell him some more sick horses. But when he squinted into the darkness, he saw that it was the old Land Rover he’d seen Gemma Whitmire driving around town. She was behind the wheel, and Carly Joslin sat beside her.
The day just got worse.
When Gemma stopped the car, he stood, wondering what they wanted. He had no doubt it involved Lisa.
“Evening, ladies,” he said, nodding as they stepped out of the vehicle and walked over to him. “I’m guessing this looks like a good time to tear a strip off me.”
They looked at each other then at him. “Oh, we wouldn’t go that far,” Carly said. “We only want to make it clear, in the nicest possible way, that Lisa doesn’t need any hassle from you.”
“She’s taking on too much, and you both know it.”
“But it’s her decision,” Gemma added. “Ben, you can’t have it both ways.”
“What do you mean?”
“You can either be present in the lives of your children or you can be the absent father who sends a check every month.”
“I can still have an opinion about how much Lisa takes on.”
“No,” Carly said. “You really can’t. It’s her decision.”
That appeared to be their last word on the subject because they turned on their heels, returned to the Land Rover and drove away.
He would feel annoyed at their interference if he hadn’t known them both all his life, and if he didn’t know they had Lisa’s best interests at heart.
Ready to be done with this day, he turned to the house as he pulled out his cell phone. It was time to call his parents and tell them they were going to be grandparents of twins. In spite of the day’s surprises and his own stupid mistake, he was looking forward to his parents’ excitement.
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