by Leigh Hearon
Dan put one of his enormous hands on Annie’s arm. “Now, Annie, don’t be getting cantankerous on us now. Especially when you look so pretty.”
Annie glared at him, and Dan hastily resumed talking.
“Tony had a new idea about how to stock Travis’s farm with horses and couldn’t wait to tell you, could you, Tony?”
Annie glanced at the deputy. He looked about as happy at the way Dan’s conversation was going as she was. She noticed he was holding a thick manila envelope in his hands, nervously turning it over and over again.
“What’s the hurry, Tony? I thought we’d agreed to talk tomorrow afternoon.”
Tony cleared his throat. “We did, Annie. But my timeline shifted, and I really need to clear it with you now.”
Marcus glanced around the group.
“Why don’t we go into that coffee shop across the way to talk about it? The sun’s going to go down in another fifteen minutes, and I have a feeling this conversation will take longer than that.”
Dan immediately turned and made to set off, but Tony shook his head slightly and cleared his throat.
“I don’t think that’s necessary, Dan. Why don’t I just give Annie the broad strokes and let her review what I’ve brought, when she has time?”
Dan looked surprised. “Well, she’ll have to do it pretty darn quick, because as I understand it, you’re leaving tomorrow morning at oh-six hundred on your buddy Rick’s private plane. That doesn’t give Annie much time to weigh in.”
Annie looked at her friend Tony with amusement. He knows this isn’t exactly how Marcus and I intended to spend our one precious evening together. Unlike Dan, the doofus.
“I’ll be blunt, Annie. I’m suggesting that we first look at horses that are bound for the slaughterhouse. A lot of them end up in feedlots in eastern Washington before they’re shipped out. After I talked to you, I learned that transport’s arriving any day now, maybe even tomorrow, at the Loman feedlot. There are a lot of young, relatively healthy horses there that are ripe for training, as well as a lot of seasoned horses that still have years of riding left in them. But we have to act fast.”
Annie’s mouth was hanging open, not that she noticed or cared.
“Headed for the slaughterhouse? What are you talking about, Tony? Equine slaughterhouses were outlawed almost a decade ago. They’re not allowed anywhere in the U.S., the last time I looked.”
Tony sighed. “Yes, but you can still transport horses to countries where slaughtering them for human consumption is still legal. Too many good horses end up on transports to slaughterhouses in Canada or Mexico. I thought we could save a few.”
Tears sprang into Annie’s eyes, and she could feel a deep-burning rage begin to churn in her gut.
“That’s deplorable! Of course let’s save a few. Let’s save as many as we can!”
She felt Marcus’s hand on her arm, and looked down. Her hands were balled into fists. She slowly relaxed them.
“Sorry, Tony. I just had no idea. I . . . I know we’ve got a problem with too many unwanted horses, but the thought of killing them for food is just too . . .” Her voice wavered. She knew she was close to tears.
Tony thrust the manila envelope at her.
“Take this. It’s a printout of all the horses currently up for sale in the feedlot I’m visiting tomorrow. You don’t have to look at it now. I’ll call you when I’m there and give you a rundown on what I see and we can discuss everything then. It’ll be a pretty fast trip. All I’m hoping to do is zero in on the best horses we can save, make a deal with the feedlot owners, and come home. We can arrange for trailer transport from here. They’ll have to be quarantined at first, of course.”
Annie numbly took the envelope extended toward her.
“I’d really hoped that we could talk about this privately tomorrow. And I don’t want to ruin your time with Marcus,” Tony went on. “But I’ve got to get to eastern Washington before the transport vans do, and I wanted to consult with you—and Marcus—first. After all, you’re both members of Travis’s board, and you’re our resident horse expert.”
Annie half smiled at him.
“Thanks. Although I think Jessica ranks a bit higher than I do. Have you told her yet?”
“Our large-animal vet already has told me she’d be happy to thoroughly check any horses we buy. But she said we’d have to find separate accommodations for them for the first thirty days. Jessica can’t risk bringing any new viruses or diseases into her own clinic.”
“Understandable. I won’t be able to board them at my stables for the same reason. But we’ll find some place to quarantine them, I’m sure of it. How about Travis? How does he feel about this?”
“Just what you’d expect. He’s totally on board. He’s authorized me to bring back as many horses as I want.”
Now Annie gave Tony a real smile. “I second that, Deputy. Go get ’em.”
“Will do. But there’s no need to look inside that envelope until I call tomorrow. In the meantime, Annie, my humble suggestion is to get a room.”
And with that parting remark, Tony and Dan practically scuttled away, leaving Annie with a bright red face that lasted long after Dan’s police vehicle headed out of town.
* * *
Marcus’s gift to Annie was the latest smartphone. She didn’t know if she was disappointed or thrilled at uncovering the box that bore the familiar logo. Not that Annie had even thought of the idea of marrying Marcus, or anyone, for that matter. But buying an expensive smartphone also would never have occurred to her. Paying someone to help muck the stalls was one thing. Spending money on a device that did everything except walk the dog was another.
“Do you like it?” Marcus asked anxiously. They were seated in the bar of Marcus’s hotel, small snifters of brandy before them. Hordes of tourists were yakking it up in every available corner of the room. The noise level, bolstered by the high ceiling, was close to deafening, but Annie had tuned them all out. Her eyes eagerly took in all the brightly colored icons on the screen. She then gazed up at Marcus, beaming.
“It’s beautiful. But you’re going to have to teach me how to use it.”
“With pleasure. I took the liberty of signing you up under my plan and playing with a few of the apps.”
He looked a bit embarrassed as he admitted this.
“Like what?”
“Well, your list of contacts, for starters.” Marcus punched an icon that looked like an address book and a list of familiar names came up.
“I notice your name tops the list.”
“Only because my last name starts with C, and I couldn’t think of anyone you knew whose name starts with A or B. Or C, for that matter, other than your own.”
“Aha.” Actually, there was one person whose name would supersede Marcus’s—Lavender Carson, her nutty half sister. But so far, Annie had mentioned Lavender to Marcus only in passing and no opportunity for the twain to meet had occurred. May it ever be so, Annie fervently prayed to her Good Angel.
She glanced down at the list, and saw, in addition to Marcus’s name, Dan, Tony, Jessica, and Travis—every board member of “Alex’s Place,” named for Travis Latham’s late grandson.
“They were the only people whose phone numbers I knew,” Marcus said sheepishly. “I do realize your circle of friends and acquaintances extends far beyond this small group. Let me teach you how to add them to your list of contacts. I know you’re friends with Deputy Kim Williams, right? Let’s use her as an example.”
Annie put her hand over the screen and looked directly into Marcus’s blue eyes.
“Marcus, this is the best gift I’ve ever received. Besides Trooper, of course. But doesn’t your plane leave in just a few hours?” She tried her best to look seductive. “Isn’t there anything else you’d like to . . . show me?”
Marcus nodded, a slow grin creasing his face. Annie slipped the phone into her purse and stood up from the table, cognizant that her blue dress clung quite closely to the contours of he
r body. She accepted the hotel key that Marcus handed her and, hand in hand, they walked toward the elevator.
CHAPTER 3
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3
Annie smiled beatifically at every person she saw the next day, starting with the nice server who arrived at 7:30 AM with coffee and croissants. Her smile extended to all the people in the elevator with her on the ride down to the lobby, and continued as she walked down the street to the lot where her F-250 was lodged. Passersby might have described Annie as definitely having a spring in her step. In fact, it was all Annie could do to stop from skipping her way out of town and back to her stables. She couldn’t remember being this happy, ever.
Marcus had left before dawn in order to catch his early morning flight back to San Jose. Before leaving, he had awakened her, gently, and bestowed on her such a long, lingering kiss that she’d wanted to grab his lapels and hold him in place. She resisted the urge, but he got the message.
“I’ll be back before you know it” was his whispered good-bye. And then he gently shut the door behind him.
Marcus’s kiss had made sleep impossible. So Annie snuggled up in a very large, very comfortable wingback chair in the hotel suite and thought about her wonderful and totally unpredictable new relationship.
Annie had wanted Marcus from the very moment she’d seen him, and she suspected his ardor for her hadn’t been long in coming, either. During the first months after they’d met each other, circumstances, as well as geographic distance, had made it impossible for any relationship to develop, and while both had been acutely aware of how they’d felt about the other, there had been little either could do to hasten the process.
Now, however, the time was right for exploring just how well a Northwest horse gal and a California CEO of a multimillion-dollar software company could get along in a long-distance romance.
If Annie were perfectly honest with herself—which she tried to be, whenever possible—on the face of it, she and Marcus didn’t have much in common. She compared their backgrounds in her mind’s eye. Really, they could not have been more disparate. Annie had been raised by a single mother in a small, rural community, and had struggled for everything good in her life, from graduating from college to buying her first truck, then her ranch. Marcus hadn’t talked much about his childhood, but he’d said enough for Annie to know he came from a wealthy, privileged family in the Bay Area. He’d undoubtedly had his own private struggles growing up, but they were not the same as Annie’s.
And as far as professional paths, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out just how divergent Annie’s and Marcus’s careers really were. Annie spent most of her time with horses, and that was just fine by her. Horses had been her one constant solace growing up, and they would always be her constant companions in life. It was as simple as that. Marcus, on the other hand, was a corporate wizard, who knew how to foster innovation within his company and persuade investors to buy into it. He regularly spoke to the most powerful and successful CEOs in the world. Annie mostly spoke to horses, and she didn’t usually use words.
And it wasn’t just the fact that they pursued different careers. Neither of them knew the least bit about the other’s chosen field. Marcus couldn’t put a halter on a horse to save his life, and Annie wasn’t sure she knew how to turn on her new smartphone.
And then there were their lifestyles. Annie pulled on a pair of Levi’s every morning. Marcus put on an Armani suit. Annie lived in a 1930s farmhouse that didn’t have a dishwasher and not nearly enough closet space for even her meager wardrobe. Marcus lived in a home Annie could only imagine, and she suspected it wasn’t his only one. After all, Hilda had had her own McMansion right here in Suwana County.
Thinking about everything they didn’t share was starting to give her a headache. So she turned her mind to the one thing that she and Marcus definitely had in common. And remembering what had occurred just a few hours ago was enough to wipe out all her nagging concerns and put one smug smile on her face, which had no intention of going away anytime soon.
By the time she arrived back home, it was late morning, and, thankfully, Lisa had already departed. Annie wasn’t sure she could have handled the questions that Lisa was sure to pepper her with about her hot date with, as she called Marcus, “the sexy stallion from San Jose.” Her horses were far out in the pasture, enjoying the hot sun and warm grass. Her friend, Sarah, had mentioned coming over in late afternoon to pick up her Tennessee Walker, whom Annie been working with for the past four months, but that was many hours away.
For the first time that day, Annie wondered how Tony was getting along on his trip to the feedlot. She pulled out her old cell phone—which looked distinctly déclassé now—and flipped the cover. No message, but that hardly meant anything since the phone often delivered messages days after they were received. She realized she’d better figure out her new cell phone soon. Until it was up and running, no one knew her new phone number, which was amazingly easy to remember. She was convinced Marcus had played a part in making that happen.
Tucking the manila envelope Tony had given her into her overnight bag, she headed up the path to her farmhouse. There, on the top step, sat Hannah, looking exceptionally forlorn. The reason for the little girl’s unhappiness was readily apparent. Her left arm was swathed in a bright pink plaster cast, which extended from her wrist to just below her elbow.
Annie quickly sprinted up the steps and sat down next to her.
“Oh, Hannah! What happened?”
“I broke my arm.” That much was evident, but Annie said nothing. The despair in the child’s voice was palpable.
“I’m so sorry. How did it happen?”
“Mr. Bo Jangles was chasing our kitten, and I fell over him. I put out my arm to break the fall, but it didn’t help.”
“Oh, dear. That must have hurt.” Annie squelched her desire to ask if the kitten had survived the chase by a small Belgian Tervuren puppy.
“It did. A LOT. But Daddy said if I was brave and didn’t cry, he’d buy me new riding boots when the cast is gone.”
“Wonderful! How long do you have to have this thing on?”
“Three weeks.” Annie bit back a laugh. Hannah had made it sound as if were three years, although, to a just-turned-eight-year-old, three weeks probably did seem that long.
“Well, what are we going to do until then?” Annie was curious to see what the child would come up with.
“I don’t know,” Hannah said, spreading her short arms wide and nearly bonking Annie with her plastered arm in the process. “Mommy says I can’t be around horses because if one bumped into my cast, my arm might get worse. I can watch them, but not touch.” A long sigh followed.
This was tough, Annie realized. She fully understood why Judith Clare wouldn’t want Hannah to risk being injured further, but she also knew that Hannah needed her horse fix just as much as she had when she was her age.
“Want to see a new present I got yesterday?”
“I guess.”
Annie pulled out the smartphone from her saddlebag purse.
“Ever seen one of these before?”
“Wow! How cool, Annie! My mom has one of these.”
“Very cool, indeed. The only problem is I don’t know how to turn it on.”
Hannah grabbed the phone from Annie’s hand with her one good arm and pressed a button on the top.
“You did charge this last night, didn’t you?” she asked anxiously.
Amused, Annie nodded. Marcus had insisted, and had done the honors himself.
Instantly, Hannah’s sad mood vanished. Annie was dumbfounded to learn that Hannah knew more about smartphone operations and apps than she probably ever would. After five minutes of watching Hannah’s thumbs navigate at warp speed, Annie gently persuaded her to come inside and into a chair by her kitchen table. She let the little girl work her magic while she went about putting out milk and cookies. Even with a cast limiting her mobility, Hannah seemed remarkably proficient with Annie’s n
ew toy.
Two hours later, Hannah had shown Annie how to work all the features and insisted Annie try them herself to make sure she could use them. She also had told Annie she was perfectly fine to walk the quarter-mile path that separated their two homes—but Annie had insisted even more firmly that she would drive her. In just two hours, Annie had become far more conversant with her new phone than she’d ever expected and could hardly wait to call Marcus to tell him. However, the conversation she envisioned with him would not be suitable for small ears. Annie’s decision to make sure Hannah was delivered safely and quickly home was not entirely altruistic.
“Remember what I told you about using the burst,” Hannah instructed her as Annie dropped her off at her home. “And remember to send the photos we took today to my mom so she can put them on Facebook.”
“I will, I will,” replied Annie with good humor although she wasn’t sure she knew how to upload the photos onto her old computer—yet. Hannah had shown her several amazing features of the phone’s camera, including one that took rapid-fire images in a row. That, and the zoom lens, had enabled Hannah to take excellent shots of Annie’s horses, which she naturally wanted to share.
She’d also taken great care with selecting Annie’s ring tone. Her first choice—a hip-hop jingle—had been quickly nixed. Hannah’s second choice—a dog barking—had also been vetoed; Annie had explained that if her phone rang when her dogs were present, they might mistake it for a real dog and be confused. Hannah had understood that far more easily than she had Annie’s disdain for hip-hop. They finally compromised on the sound of a rotary phone—something that Hannah had never seen, and took on faith had once existed.
It tickled Annie that someone a fraction of her age, and with the use of only one good arm, had managed to train her so well. Actually, when she thought about it, it was downright scary.
As she headed home, her smartphone gave off its new old-fashioned trill in her purse. Annie scrambled to find it. Who could possibly be calling her this soon? No one even knew her number yet. That was, no one except the person who’d given her the phone.
