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“Every time he looks at me, I see that he’s angry.”
“Yet he hasn’t said one word about you leaving.”
Max came into view, cantering ever closer to the barn, the calf in his arms as he held the reins and guided the horse to a stop outside the barn.
Chase walked over to take the calf, so Max could dismount.
She hung back.
Max turned to her. “Hey, you busy?”
She shook her head.
“Do you want to cool down Ziggy while I tend to the calf? If you don’t want to, I’ll find someone else.”
“No,” she said quickly. “I’ll do it.” Mike would have a fit, but she desperately wanted to be helpful to Max, and she loved to ride and hardly ever got the chance anymore.
He nodded and rushed into the barn.
She didn’t mind the abrupt dismissal, because she got to be with the horse. “Hello, Ziggy,” she greeted him and took the reins, giving him a pat down his long face, noting his still heavy breathing from his ride. “Okay, big guy, let’s walk until you cool down.”
“Where do you think you’re going?” Mike asked.
“Just into that pasture to walk him in circles. Mind giving me a leg up?”
Ziggy stood a good seventeen hands tall. Getting her foot in the stirrup wouldn’t be easy on her own. She’d need to find something tall to stand on to mount. But an FBI agent would do the trick, too.
“This is not a good idea.”
“Please. It’s the least I can do, since I’m staying here.”
Mike pressed his lips tight. “Only because the last report I received from our undercover agent indicates the threat is far away from here.”
Good to know they had that much information. It eased her concerns about going out into the open pasture, too.
Mike cupped his hands.
She put her foot in them and up she went.
“In the pasture. Right there, where I can see you. That’s all. I saycomeback, you ride like hell back to me.”
She nodded, then gently kicked Ziggy to get him moving. He happily followed her lead and walked back to the pasture. She let her body move with the horse and felt the sun on her face and breathed in the fresh air.
For the first time in days, she breathed easy and relaxed into the saddle and the quiet moment.
Chapter Ten
Max watched Kenna from the barn. She looked calm and content for the first time since she got here, and it eased the tightness in his chest.
“I thought you said you were going to drop the calf with me, then go back and get the mama.” Chase wrapped the calf in a blanket to keep it warm. Remmy, Chase’s service dog, who helped Chase with his PTSD symptoms, lay next to the poor dehydrated calf.
“Jessie’s on his way with the cow.”
Chase stood and joined him. “You knew getting her up on that horse would make her feel better.”
One look at her and he’d known she needed an escape. “She loves to ride. I thought it would cheer her up.”
“Looks like you were right.”
