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.
* * *
T UCKER 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
“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.
* * *
T UCKER 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
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