The humorous gleam in his eyes winked out. “Then I contacted the toy’s manufacturer and read them the riot act about putting such a small part in a cat toy.”
“Did anyone seem to care?”
“Well, with a little persistence, I got transferred to the CEO, so at least he heard my complaint.”
“I know you can be very persistent,” Claire said, harking back to their conversation at the gallery.
She enjoyed the deep bass of his chuckle. Then she glanced at Holly and found her watching the two of them intently. Claire was embarrassed to realize that she’d almost forgotten her sister’s presence. Tim seemed to fill her entire field of vision.
She looked back at Willow, only to see the vet’s fingers absently combing through the horse’s scraggly mane. His touchwas so gentle it barely moved the loose skin at the crest of the mare’s neck.
“Tim came into the gallery to inquire about buying the Castillo,” Claire explained, both to distract herself and to include Holly in the conversation.
“It’s a pretty picture,” her sister said in a colorless tone.
“Definitely pretty,” Tim said, “and it matches my sofa, so I’m planning to purchase it.”
Holly looked startled. “Claire hates it when people say that about her art.”
“I imagine so,” Tim said.
“You’re pulling my leg, aren’t you?”
“You caught me,” he said with a glinting smile that invited her to join his joke.
That won an answering smile from Holly. “Shame on you.”
Claire was delighted to see her sister shed the dazed look she’d been wearing since the night before. Evidently, Dr. Tim hadn’t become a vet because he couldn’t deal with humans.
“I—” Tim began and then reached into his jeans pocket to pull out a cell phone. “Excuse me, my office is calling.”
Claire signaled that she would take Willow. Tim nodded his thanks before he turned and walked away, holding the phone to his ear.
“Can I be honest?” Holly asked, her eyes tracking Tim as he moved away.
“About what?” Claire braced herself for a comment on the subject of Tim.
“This horse. She looks terrible. She’s all skin and bones. What does it mean that she’s your whisper horse?”
“It means I can whisper my troubles into her ear and she’ll share them with me.”
“Why would you pick her?”
“I didn’t. She picked me.” Claire turned Willow’s head toward Holly. “Look at her eyes. After all that she’s suffered, there’s no meanness, no bitterness there. And she trusted me the first day she arrived. Me! I have no idea why.”
“Horses have good instincts.” Tim’s deep voice startled her. She spun around to find her nose almost touching one of his shirt buttons. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise you. Generally, folks hear me coming,” he said, moving toward the horse. “I’ve got an emergency call, so I’ll say good-bye. See you Friday at six thirty.”
He gave Willow a scratch behind the ears and, with a polite nod, strode off toward the opposite end of the barn.
“He’s scary,” Holly said as Tim vanished through the barn door. “And what did he mean about Friday?”
“Tim? Scary? Why would you say that?” Claire ignored her sister’s question.
“Did you see his face when he was talking about the cat toy manufacturer? His eyes got all flinty, and his jaw muscles were twitching. You have to watch the quiet ones. They hold in a lot and then blow up. You don’t want a boyfriend who goes ballistic.”
“This is only the third time I’ve talked to him, so he’s not even close to a boyfriend,” Claire said. “Come on, Willow, let’s put you in your stall.”
As she swung the door open, she warned Holly to step back to avoid any new bruises. When the mare didn’t immediately follow her, Claire tugged gently on the halter.
“She wants to know what the vet meant about Friday too,” Holly said. “A whisper horse needs to know all your secrets.”
“I’ll explain it to her another
“Did anyone seem to care?”
“Well, with a little persistence, I got transferred to the CEO, so at least he heard my complaint.”
“I know you can be very persistent,” Claire said, harking back to their conversation at the gallery.
She enjoyed the deep bass of his chuckle. Then she glanced at Holly and found her watching the two of them intently. Claire was embarrassed to realize that she’d almost forgotten her sister’s presence. Tim seemed to fill her entire field of vision.
She looked back at Willow, only to see the vet’s fingers absently combing through the horse’s scraggly mane. His touchwas so gentle it barely moved the loose skin at the crest of the mare’s neck.
“Tim came into the gallery to inquire about buying the Castillo,” Claire explained, both to distract herself and to include Holly in the conversation.
“It’s a pretty picture,” her sister said in a colorless tone.
“Definitely pretty,” Tim said, “and it matches my sofa, so I’m planning to purchase it.”
Holly looked startled. “Claire hates it when people say that about her art.”
“I imagine so,” Tim said.
“You’re pulling my leg, aren’t you?”
“You caught me,” he said with a glinting smile that invited her to join his joke.
That won an answering smile from Holly. “Shame on you.”
Claire was delighted to see her sister shed the dazed look she’d been wearing since the night before. Evidently, Dr. Tim hadn’t become a vet because he couldn’t deal with humans.
“I—” Tim began and then reached into his jeans pocket to pull out a cell phone. “Excuse me, my office is calling.”
Claire signaled that she would take Willow. Tim nodded his thanks before he turned and walked away, holding the phone to his ear.
“Can I be honest?” Holly asked, her eyes tracking Tim as he moved away.
“About what?” Claire braced herself for a comment on the subject of Tim.
“This horse. She looks terrible. She’s all skin and bones. What does it mean that she’s your whisper horse?”
“It means I can whisper my troubles into her ear and she’ll share them with me.”
“Why would you pick her?”
“I didn’t. She picked me.” Claire turned Willow’s head toward Holly. “Look at her eyes. After all that she’s suffered, there’s no meanness, no bitterness there. And she trusted me the first day she arrived. Me! I have no idea why.”
“Horses have good instincts.” Tim’s deep voice startled her. She spun around to find her nose almost touching one of his shirt buttons. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise you. Generally, folks hear me coming,” he said, moving toward the horse. “I’ve got an emergency call, so I’ll say good-bye. See you Friday at six thirty.”
He gave Willow a scratch behind the ears and, with a polite nod, strode off toward the opposite end of the barn.
“He’s scary,” Holly said as Tim vanished through the barn door. “And what did he mean about Friday?”
“Tim? Scary? Why would you say that?” Claire ignored her sister’s question.
“Did you see his face when he was talking about the cat toy manufacturer? His eyes got all flinty, and his jaw muscles were twitching. You have to watch the quiet ones. They hold in a lot and then blow up. You don’t want a boyfriend who goes ballistic.”
“This is only the third time I’ve talked to him, so he’s not even close to a boyfriend,” Claire said. “Come on, Willow, let’s put you in your stall.”
As she swung the door open, she warned Holly to step back to avoid any new bruises. When the mare didn’t immediately follow her, Claire tugged gently on the halter.
“She wants to know what the vet meant about Friday too,” Holly said. “A whisper horse needs to know all your secrets.”
“I’ll explain it to her another
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