A bark cut through the air, and I caught sight of a blur of fur. I couldn’t help my smile as Kai charged towards me. I set my coffee behind me and greeted him with a full hug. As my arms wrapped around his massive form, sinking into his fur, the first sense of peace swept over me.
I burrowed my face in Kai’s neck. “Needed this.”
He let out a whine and pushed harder against me.
“I missed you, too.”
I let myself stay like that for a few moments, soaking in Kai’s warmth. Then I forced myself to straighten, scratching behind his ears. As I did, my eyes locked with onyx ones that stole my breath. So much swirled in those depths. Secrets I wanted to know but had no business asking about.
Ramsey didn’t say a word for a minute. He simply stared at his dog and me. Then, he nodded. “Lor’s bringing a new horse in a few minutes.”
The foreign feeling was back. I struggled to identify it. It carried with it a bit of nausea and hints of anger. Jealousy?
“It’s one of Kenny Chambers’.”
All thoughts of jealousy fled at that. “How did she get it?”
“Lor has a relationship with the sheriff’s department and the humane society. I’m approved to take the more difficult cases.”
Difficult.Because someone had broken the horse so badly. I swallowed hard and pushed to my feet. “What can I do?”
“Help us get her in the round pen. Then we need to muck out the stalls in the barn.”
I nodded, picking up my mug and chugging the contents, then I set it back down on the porch.
Ramsey’s lips twitched. “Thirsty?”
“I need the caffeine.”
All hints of humor dropped away. “Didn’t sleep well?”
“New place. It’ll take some time.”
Ramsey’s jaw worked back and forth. I wasn’t sure why my not sleeping well annoyed him, but it clearly did. “If you’re not up for—”
“I’m fine.” The words came out a bit more harshly than I’d intended. But the last thing I wanted was to be coddled in my new home. I didn’t want to be treated as if I were broken.
Ramsey jerked his head in a nod but didn’t say a word. Sounds of an engine cut through the morning quiet, and he started for the round pen. I followed behind. Ramsey unlatched the gate, and I pulled it open. He lifted his gaze to mine. “You’ll work the gate once the trailer’s in place.”
I nodded as a truck with a trailer appeared. It pulled past the round pen and then backed up. The ease with which Lor maneuvered the vehicle told me she’d done this countless times before. As soon as she shifted into park, I moved the gate so it was flush with the trailer. A terrified horse that got loose would be a disaster.
As I moved close to the trailer, the horse inside kicked at the walls. The metal bowed at the contact. The horse let out a loud whinny and kicked again.
“She’s not a fan of the trailer,” Lor said as she climbed out of the truck.
I’d been expecting young. I didn’t know why. This woman was in her sixties or early seventies with gray running through her hair. The relief that swept through me had no roots in logic, but I welcomed the sensation all the same.
Lor’s eyes hardened a fraction as she took me in, then she shifted her focus to Ramsey. “New helper?”
“Lor, this is Shiloh. She’s going to be working here and living in the guest cabin.”
Lor stilled and then swallowed, shaking her head. “Nice to meet you, Shiloh.”
“You, too.”
She didn’t seem all that happy at my presence, which made zero sense. The horse gave the trailer wall another kick.
“Let’s get her out of there,” Ramsey said, moving to unlatch the door. “She tied?”