By Request Collection April-June 2016. Оливия Гейтс
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foal was moving and there was no sign of excessive distress. With luck, there would be little to do but observe and clean up after the birth. As she left the stall, everything was quiet except for the familiar sounds of horses. Snorts and breathing, shifting straw, a soft nicker from Cocoa, who was waiting her turn to go into labor.
She walked to the open stable doors, knowing Tucker, Kathy and Levi would follow. As soon as they were far enough away to speak normally, Annie said, “You guys don’t have to stick around. It’s almost six.”
Kathy looked from Annie to Tucker, then back again. “You’re awfully stiff. Did you put something on your bruises?”
“I’m fine, Kathy. Thanks.”
“I brought you that liniment for a reason,” Kathy said. “You’ve got us here for a bit. Go fix yourself up, and stop being a stubborn mule. You might be up all night, for heaven’s sake.”
Annie wanted to shoo her friends on their way, but Kathy was right. The ointment would help. “All right.” She turned to Tucker. “Other than that cut, are you aching anywhere? Kathy makes up her own salve, which works wonders.”
“Nope, I’m fine. But I’ll watch out for Glory if you two want to get home.”
Kathy didn’t even respond to Tucker. Instead, she hustled Annie back to the path toward the cabin, which meant that she wanted to speak to Tucker without Annie hearing.
Resigned to her fate, Annie gave in to the ache in her hip as she headed for the jar of salve. It didn’t help that it was so easy to picture someone else applying the ointment, someone who looked mighty fine without a shirt on.
TUCKER COULD HAVE USED something to ease the minor aches that had cropped up in the past hour, but he was more interested in paying attention to the couple who were about to give him a heartfelt testimonial. He hadn’t gotten this far in business without being able to read people. In fact, that particular skill had been a primary factor in keeping the Rocking B strong through the recession and the drought.
Sure enough, Kathy, who looked tired but determined after the eventful day, approached him the moment she could. “Here’s the part that isn’t obvious, Mr. Brennan.”
That stalled Tucker’s arrogant assumptions in their tracks. An excellent reminder that he wasn’t the only one who could read people.
“That girl,” Kathy said, pointing in the direction Annie had disappeared, “has gone without basics so she could feed the horses. Not that she’d ever say a word. We didn’t know in the beginning. But things started to add up. So some of us decided to bring treats, meals, coffee, because she won’t take a penny for herself. Not a penny. Everything goes to the sanctuary.”
Glory was making some real noise, so they moved inside. Levi turned on the bank of red lights, bathing the space in an eerie kind of beauty, which allowed them to observe but wouldn’t disturb the mare. Her water hadn’t broken, but she was nesting again, rearranging the straw as she prepared for the birth.
“She hardly ever comes to town,” Levi said, his arms crossed over his broad chest, staring at the horse, not Tucker. “When she does, it’s to get supplies or to find help in one form or another. Not for her, mind you, but for the animals.”
“Any idea why?” Tucker asked.
“Why she gives so much, you mean?”
He nodded at Kathy.
“She doesn’t talk about herself. We don’t even know where she’s from, really. She just showed up one day, volunteered. It wasn’t two weeks later that Edgar, the man who built Safe Haven, went back to Idaho to be near his grandkids.”
“Thanks for letting me know.” Tucker gave her a nod. “But I’ll warn you, as I’ve warned Annie. I can’t make any promises. I have a board of directors myself, and I have strict criteria that has to be met before we can offer funding or grants.”
“Oh, we know that,” Levi said. “But we couldn’t let you leave without telling you that you’ll never spend a wiser dollar. It’s not just the animals who benefit. You should see how much the high school kids are learning. Everyone who comes to volunteer at Annie’s sanctuary is the better for it.”
“I believe you,” Tucker said. He had no reason not to. For whatever reason, Annie had decided to play her role to the hilt. She clearly needed these people to be on her side. Just like Christian had been so enthusiastic about her before the money went missing.
Now that he’d found that account number, Tucker was even more certain that whatever Safe Haven was, it was also a cover for Leanna. Or a stepping stone to something bigger. He had some theories about the account number and the license in the coffee can. It had to be an exit strategy, but why hadn’t she used it yet? Was access to the stolen money contingent on some future date? Was someone else holding the key? Another kind of partner, perhaps?
He needed to find time tonight to send the pictures to George, get him working on making connections, putting the pieces together. In the meantime, he had to keep his wits about him and look beyond his physical attraction. He’d run across some smooth operators before, but Annie was in her own league. She confused him. He couldn’t nail down her motives or predict her next move. He felt as if he was missing one vital piece of information that would unravel all the mysteries.
Levi and Kathy shook his hand and made sure he knew where the birthing kit was. He watched them meet Annie halfway to their truck. Huh. He’d expected Kathy to touch Annie. A hug maybe, or at least a friendly hand on her shoulder. But they kept to their own personal spaces, and said their goodbyes with nods.
When Annie returned to the stable, the first thing she did was hand him a couple of pills and a bottle of water. “Ibuprofen.”
“Thanks.”
With a nod, she went to check on Glory, but from outside her stall. Tucker followed until he was close enough to smell a hint of liniment, which he didn’t mind at all. He supposed it had a lot to do with his own history. The scents of a ranch were home to him, including the one that overshadowed the sweet peaches that lay beneath….
At the thought a bolt a lust shot through him, making him reel. It was crazy. Maybe he was too tired to be sticking around when everyone else was gone. He’d like to think he was made of stronger stuff, but his reactions were off. Just to get some distance, he went to check on the other pregnant mare.
The two empty birthing stalls still had shavings instead of pure straw. He walked deeper into the stable, really looking at the other horses. A sturdy-looking mustang had a bandage over one eye. Then there was a buckskin Appaloosa who seemed unaffected by the human comings and goings, but had some bandages on her flank. She reminded Tucker of a horse he’d ridden for five years, a great palomino who’d been so good-looking, no woman for miles could resist her.
“You can’t see it from here, but Pretty Girl was quite a mess when she arrived,” Annie said, indicating the Appaloosa. She’d come close, and Tucker kept his gaze on the mare. “She’d tangled with some barbed wire, and it took a lot to patch her up.”
“You do it well.”
“Nothing like on-the-job training. I put another pot of coffee on while I was at the cabin. I’m going to make us a couple of thermoses. How do you like yours?”
“Black is fine. If you tell me where things are, I could do that for you.”
“That’s okay. I think we have a wait. I’ll be back in plenty of time.” Annie started walking, but stopped before she stepped outside. “You promise you’ve done this before?”
“I swear.” He put his hand up, and she sighed.
When she had rounded the path out of his sight, he let himself breathe again as he got out his cell to speed-dial George. Tucker updated him on the attached photographs, what he’d found under the bed, and then asked him to look for evidence that Annie might have been working with someone else. Maybe someone who was