She might have nodded again, but then again, maybe not. She watched Trent remove Gypsy’s lead before coming to lean against the inside of the rail. Quietly he asked, “You doing okay, kid?” His pretty storm gray eyes were soft in concern.
Somehow she found a word, a single word. At least it was the right one. “Yeah.”
“Good to hear it.” He pointed behind her and nodded like he wanted her to look at something.
She turned and froze. Kate was walking down the ramp with Dream, or Bonnie. Kate led her straight to Addie and handed her the lead. “I’m returning her to you.”
Lost, overwhelmed with emotion, she looked around floundering until she found Rick. He stood, arms crossed over his chest, watching her closely. “Pretty silly to have a horse farm without horses, huh? What do you think of your new chores?”
Her mouth opened and closed but nothing came out.
Kate patted Bonnie’s neck. “I thought, if it’s okay with you, that I could come by in the mornings and help. I can show you how we’ve been feeding them and help you get a routine started, if you want? Trent went through the barn with Rick and made sure everything was ready. Of course, Leigh has experience with horses, too, but if you need anything at all I can be here in less than fifteen minutes. Trent or I will be more than happy to take your phone calls or come out to help. Even if we aren’t available and something comes up, Trent always has stable hands on standby. And there’s Harlan, too. He taught Trent everything he knows. Is that okay?”
Finally, finally, her mouth worked. “Yes. Please. Oh. Please.” It wasn’t much more than a whisper, but she was happy to know that she hadn’t lost the ability to speak. She turned to Rick. “You bought them? They’re really yours? They’re staying here?”
He genuinely looked perplexed. “What would I do with horses?”
Trent rolled his eyes and pointed to Rick. “See? He’s clueless. What did I tell you? You’ve got your work cut out for you, honey. What kind of fool spends a fortune on a place like this when he doesn’t know one end of a horse from the other?”
A sudden image of Rick staring at a horse’s behind and scratching his head popped into her mind. Laughing, she looked back to Bonnie and Kate.
Oh, no. “I can’t take your horse! You took care of her and love her and…she’s yours.”
Kate met her gaze dead on, and Addie thought there might have been a hint of dampness there. “Nope. I loved her, still love her, but she’s always been your baby. I’m finding out the hard way that I can’t keep all the rescues. I have to send them on to their forever homes. I’m just a pit-stop.”
Trent came over to pull her into his side, where he spoke gruffly to the top of her head. “You’re not a pit-stop.”
“I don’t know what to say.” For a brief moment, she tried to stop the tears from falling. Then she gave up and let them fall.
Who the hell cares? These are my people, and they love me.
A Thank You
Thank you for purchasing and reading Finding Leigh. If you have a moment to leave a review I would appreciate it so very much. Without you, the reader, I wouldn’t be able to do what I love best.
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About the Author
About the author
As a teen, International Best Seller, Amy J. Hawthorn, fed her reading appetite with fantasy and horror stories. Then she stumbled upon a pretty book cover—complete with a bare-chested, sword-wielding, Highlander. That Highlander and his author showed her the magic of a Happily-Ever-After.
She has read her way through Kentucky, Arizona, Southern California, and then back home to Kentucky, where she’s living out her own Happily-Ever-After. The only person surprised by her Best Seller title? Amy. Her friends and family are laughing and saying I told you so.
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Also by Amy J. Hawthorn
Protecting Kate: Dark Horse Inc. Book 1
Catching Cara: Dark Horse Inc. Book 2
Azrael’s Light: Demon Runners of Unearth 1
Sunlight’s Kiss: Demon Runners of Unearth 2
Dillon’s Gift
Lacey Temptations: Crave 1
A Craving For Two: Crave 2
Finding Leigh: Dark Horse Inc. Book 3 Page 24
