“I’M GOING TO PULL YOUR RIG into the barn. You’ll need all your equipment, right?” Cole asked.
Maia nodded as she climbed into the backseat. “Keep looking straight ahead while I change into my scrubs. I don’t have a lot of clothes with me and I don’t want to get everything filthy.”
“I do have a washing machine.”
“Since I only have what I’m wearing and my scrubs, I’m not taking any chances,” she said.
He glanced at her in the rearview mirror. She was shocked to see humor creeping into his eyes. It wasn’t much, and it faded fast, but it was there. “I managed to keep this thing on the road through animals running out in front of me and a blizzard, but now you’re asking just a little too much. I’m not exactly a saint.”
Maia wiggled out of her jeans and dragged her familiar soft cotton, drawstring pants over her hips. “You will get us into an accident if you don’t watch what you’re doing.” She tossed her shirt aside and pulled her loose top over her head, showing the minimum amount of skin. “And I’ll bet no one has ever accused you of being a saint.” She whistled as Cole honked the horn in front of a large building. “Nice setup.”
The doors swung open to allow him to drive inside. The barn was huge and very clean, obviously used as a hospital for the animals on the ranch when needed.
Jase Steele waited anxiously as they parked the Cruiser in the huge barn. Maia saw his face, puffy and swollen from shedding tears he thought no one would see. The boy was unable to hide his relief as Cole unfolded his large frame from the Land Cruiser. “It’s bad, Cole,” he greeted.
“Let the vet take a look, Jase,” Cole advised. For one moment he thought about hugging the kid, but he couldn’t quite find a way to do it. Instead, he handed the teenager one of the packs. “We’ll need your help.”
“I would have put the horse down, Mr. Steele,” Al Benton said, “but the boy refused to let me.”
“Were you able to tell how this happened?” Cole asked, choosing his words carefully.
Al scowled. “Someone had to have run him into the fence, Mr. Steele. His rump had a couple of welts on it.”
“Who was around?”
“All the hands were already gone when Jase called me.”
Cole let his breath out slowly. Al hadn’t been with Jase. That didn’t sit well with him. Doubt tickled at his brain, even though he didn’t want to think the boy could have done such a thing. It made him feel like a monster even to entertain such a notion. He ticked suspects off in his mind. Al, the ranch hands, Jase. The ranch hands were working away from the main house and shouldn’t have been there. He shook his head to rid himself of the persistent doubt about his younger brother. If he was lucky, it was a legitimate accident. Maia was already walking briskly toward the horse, and he trailed after her, grateful for the distraction.
“The wounds are down to the bone, Mr. Steele. The horse isn’t going to be any good for work,” Al said.
Maia flashed a brief smile in the foreman’s general direction “Let’s not draw any hasty conclusions. I haven’t had a chance to assess the damage yet.” She glanced at Jase. “You did great getting him in out of the snow and putting him in the stocks so he can’t move.”
“Al helped me,” Jase said. “He’s been quiet.” He patted the horse’s neck, his hand trembling. “He didn’t give us any trouble at all.”
“What’s his name?”
“His official name is Celtic High, but I call him Wally.” His gaze shifted toward Cole, then away.
“Let me see what I can do for him.” Maia put her hand on the horse’s neck as she moved around to look into its eyes. Her stomach somersaulted. Images crowded in fast and ugly. Brutal, mean memories of an animal watching helplessly as a boy was beaten and taunted and cruelly punished for nonexistent crimes. The images were harsh and jumbled together. The animal’s sorrow and pain, both physical and emotional, beat at her.
She saw through the horse’s eyes, memories of young Jase hiding repeatedly in his stall, only to be dragged out again and again while the animal could do nothing to help him. She felt the familiar lurching in her stomach, the sweat beading on her body and the strange dizziness that always accompanied revelations the animals passed to her. It was her greatest gift, and a terrible curse. She could do nothing to help the children and animals she saw coming through her practice. She could only remain silent, just as the animal was forced to do, and move on, move away.
“Maia?” Cole’s hand went to her back to steady her. “Put your head down.”