Riding Hard

“Oh, yes, ma’am, it could. I’ve heard that in the Wild West trespassers get shot at, especially if they’re considered villainous cads, which I am.”

Josie grinned. “I wish you and Jack could spend some time together without starting a family feud. I think you’d get along. Anyway, let me give you my cell number. If you decide to head out there, call me and I’ll make sure the coast is clear.”

“It’s a deal.”

When they were finished with their tea, they went out back to fetch Josie’s horse.

Drake walked outside with her. “It was mighty kind of you to come by,” he said.

“I mostly did it for Tracy.” She untied her horse, a large bay, and put on the hat she’d hung from the saddle horn. “I hoped to appeal to your better instincts.”

“You did, although I was already headed in that direction.”

She mounted up and gazed down at him. “That’s good to hear, Drake. I wish you well.”

“Sounds as if I have one more friend around here.”

“You do, but if you mess with Tracy, I’ll quickly become Enemy Number One.”

“I understand.”

“Call if you want a spiritual boost from the sacred rock.”

“I will.”

With a wave, she guided her horse to the front of the cabin and rode off. Drake followed and watched her dismount to lower the rail on the wooden fence marking the edge of Last Chance property. Then she led her horse across, replaced the rail and climbed back into the saddle before cantering across the meadow.

It struck him that although he’d devoted his life to horses, he hadn’t ridden much. His parents owned thoroughbreds destined for the track, and so did all his clients. He’d passed the weight limit for being a jockey when he was twelve, and besides, he’d never aspired to that career.

As a kid, he’d been given one of the thoroughbreds that balked at the starting gate. He’d ridden Black Velvet for a few years, but then school and girls had claimed most of his attention. His riding had become sporadic and mostly confined to summer vacations.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d ridden. He knew everything about the animal—skeletal structure, muscles, tendons, circulatory system...the list went on. But somewhere along the way he’d lost track of the riding part.

Back in Virginia he rented a town house. It had never really occurred to him to buy horse property. He could guess why. He had no desire to own a stable of racehorses, and that was the only model he’d known.

But there were other models. The Last Chance was one of them. Regan and Lily’s equine-rescue facility was another. He’d allowed his view to become very narrow, but a relationship with horses didn’t have to involve running them around a track or even caring for their medical needs.

He wouldn’t mind taking a ride now, but he couldn’t go over to the rescue facility and borrow a horse, and he wouldn’t be welcome at the Last Chance, either. He could try to find a riding stable in the area, but he probably was too spoiled to be satisfied with most stable ponies.

Still, he’d had another epiphany. Whatever his future held, he wanted it to involve riding horses. Good thing he’d made some wise investments, because horse property didn’t come cheap no matter where he ended up. He had a rough idea what his parents’ farm was worth, and the amount was staggering.

Eventually he chose a hike over spending the rest of the day in the cabin reading. He took an easy trail, one he could manage in hiking sandals and shorts. The afternoon was warm, so he wore a sleeveless T-shirt. Exercise was a great stress reliever and helped keep his mind off Tracy and his pesky libido. He pocketed his phone out of habit, and he was on the trail headed home when her call came.

“Dottie is leaking,” she said.

“Leaking what?” His heart pounded. He didn’t want anything leaking. He didn’t want anything going wrong with the mare—for several reasons.

“I think it’s milk, or something like milk. What does that mean?”

“It means I need to come over and check her out. Unlock Regan’s truck. I’ve been hiking, so I’m hot and sweaty. You’ll have to take me the way I am.”

“Don’t worry about that.” She sounded frightened. “Just get here.”

“I will, and don’t be scared. Everything will be fine.” He didn’t know that for sure, but it was a good thing to say when people were upset.

Although he didn’t shower, he pulled on jeans, boots and a long-sleeved Western shirt before hopping in the SUV. Shorts and hiking sandals weren’t the most practical thing to have on if he ended up delivering a foal. As he drove back to the rescue facility, he concentrated on his reasons for being there. This was all about the horse and her foal. Taking her in had been an act of mercy that could end up with everyone feeling warm and fuzzy, unless something went wrong.

If she was lactating, that was a sign that she was closer to giving birth than he’d thought. But the colostrum she’d produce at first was critical to the health of the foal and should be collected. Lactating early could also be a sign of serious trouble that could lead to fatalities, both the mare’s and the foal’s. He didn’t plan to let tragedy occur.

Tracy was standing in the yard, arms wrapped around her torso, when he drove through the gate she’d obviously left open for him. As he turned off the engine and climbed out, she hurried over, all hesitation swept away by panic. He was tempted to gather her in his arms to comfort her, but that wasn’t a good idea, and it wasn’t what she needed from him right now.

“It’s not just the leaking,” she said. “It’s her whole behavior. She’s pacing the stall. Sometimes she lies down, but then she gets up again. I drove Regan’s truck down to the barn so you’ll have whatever you need close by.”

“Thanks. Good idea. Let’s go see what our girl is up to.” He walked fast, Tracy skipping to keep up with him. Before this, she’d always maintained a certain physical distance between them, but that didn’t seem important to her anymore.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have taken her, but I don’t know what Jerry would have done if I hadn’t. If she needs veterinary care, he wouldn’t have been able to afford that, either. I’m so glad you’re here, Drake.”

His heart stuttered. He hadn’t realized how much he’d longed for someone—anyone—to say that to him. After being persona non grata for so long, those words sounded damned good.

She rattled on, obviously needing to vent. “I did some research online and found out she should have a bigger stall, but the stalls are all the same size. Do you think she’ll be okay in there? The way she’s been pacing, I thought maybe she needed more room, but I don’t know what we can do about that.”

“The one she’s in will be fine. All the stalls in this barn are a generous size.” He was touched by her anxiety. At Spirits and Spurs she was in complete control as she dispensed food and drink with flair. But now she was in unfamiliar territory. Fortunately it was familiar to him.

The July sun was drifting slowly toward the horizon, but it wouldn’t be dark for another couple of hours. The barn faced east and west, and she’d opened the back doors to let in the afternoon light. Drake was happy to have the sun. A crisis always loomed larger in the dark.

Sure enough, Dottie was pacing restlessly in her stall and ignoring her flake of hay while the other horses munched their dinner contentedly. Drake talked calmly to her as he entered and kept talking as he ran his hands over her warm coat. Gradually he made his way to her udder and swiped a finger over the liquid oozing from her teat. Apparently he’d misjudged how soon she’d deliver.

Tracy hovered at his elbow, her breathing shallow. “Well?”

He turned to look at her. Her face was pale with fright, and this close, he noticed little flecks of gold in her dark eyes. “The discharge is colostrum, which is extremely important for her foal’s immune system. It’s good that you noticed. I’ll get what I need from Regan’s truck so we can collect and freeze it until she goes into labor. Then we can bottle feed it to her foal in the first twelve hours.”

Her eyes widened. “When do you think she’ll go into labor?”

“Could be anytime, and I can teach you how to—”

“Did you say anytime?”

“Yes, but I can’t say for sure exactly when. Could be tonight, could be tomorrow, could be two days from now. In the meantime, you can—”

“Look, I hate to ask this of you, but I’m scared to death. I won’t have the faintest idea what to do if she goes into labor, and I could freak. I’m freaked now, in fact. She’s not safe with me.”

He had to admit she looked petrified, but he could talk her down. She could do this. “She’s perfectly safe with you, Tracy. I’m not far away, and all you have to do is call me. I’ll be here before you know it.”

She shook her head. “Not good enough. I can feed the animals, clean up after them and love on them, but I’m not fit to be a first responder when a mare delivers a foal. Besides, I have to work my shifts at the Spirits and Spurs, and Dottie would be alone for hours. That could be a problem, right?”

He’d forgotten about that. “Do you have to work tonight?”

“No, but I have to go in at eleven tomorrow morning. What if she waits to go into labor until then?”