“I’m a field agent. That means going out in the field.”
“Yeah, well, takes a good man to know when he can’t have an animal, too. That’s the problem, people picking up cute kittens or pups and not realizing the little critters are going to get big. So they dump them. Or the dog messes in the house. Or they get the pet and then have kids and forget they have the pet. But all the animals lucky enough to come here, well, they’ll still be taken care of.”
“No surprises in the will, huh?” Dustin asked.
Drew shook his head, adjusting the saddle on Shiloh. “Not really. Oh, yeah, there was one. Marcus left his home and the property it’s on to Olivia.”
“That was a surprise, then?”
“We thought it would go to Aaron. Aaron loves this place and manages it really well. It would’ve been easy for him to live there, and go back and forth to the Horse Farm.”
“Actually, couldn’t he just live here if he chose? You and Sydney do, right?”
“Yeah, but...we’re not management types. We keep our places pretty nice, but hey...this is a stable, and it smells like a stable. But...”
“I’m sure your living arrangements are fine,” Dustin said. “So where does Aaron live now?”
“Oh, he rents a house down the road. He should’ve bought a house when the buying was good. Guess he figured maybe he didn’t have to,” Drew said with another shrug. “I doubt it’s a problem. The Horse Farm being nonprofit doesn’t mean he doesn’t get a nice salary.”
“What about you guys?” Dustin asked.
Andrew laughed. “I like my life just fine. I have a comfortable place to lay my head at night. I love my work. I enjoy working with kids. I wake up every morning to fresh air and beautiful country. No rush hour. Yeah, I’m pretty happy with my life.”
“Good to hear,” Dustin said.
He saw that Olivia was coming out of the office. He’d gotten a brief text from her, saying that she planned to stay at the office where there’d be several people around until her afternoon sessions.
But now she was headed his way. “Hi, Dustin. And thanks, Andrew.” She patted Shiloh’s neck. “I could have saddled him.”
“I get restless with nothing to do,” Andrew told her. “So, things have changed a bit. Are you going to keep Shiloh here? Or do you plan on building a barn?”
“I’m here most of the time, and you and Sydney are always here,” she said. “I’m happier having him stabled where someone’s on duty 24/7.”
“That makes sense.” Andrew looked at Dustin. “You never know with a horse. I had some friends who lost two of their horses a few years back. No one was home. Somehow a pasture gate was left open. The horses got onto the road and were hit by a semi and they had to be put down. You just never know.”
“Have you seen Joey yet?” Olivia asked.
“On his way right now,” Dustin said.
Joey had been let out of a van that had the words Parsonage House written in script on the side. Two other boys stepped out—Matt and Sean, Dustin saw. They headed into the office, while Joey walked toward them, smiling.
“We get to ride today, right?” he asked Olivia. “Oh, hello, Dustin, Drew.”
“We’re still riding today,” Olivia said. “Joey, I have you on Trickster, and Andrew, I see you’ve gotten Chapparal saddled. He’ll be perfect for Dustin, unless he was saddled for someone else?”
“He’s all yours. In fact, Dustin brought him in. He’s been here helping me.”
“Thanks.” Olivia nodded. “Well, then, shall we?”
Ten minutes later, they were mounted and striking out beyond the pastures. The hills rose and fell until they reached a stretch of relatively flat land. Olivia said, “Okay, Joey, we’ll run them for a minute here, but we’re not racing. Remember that everything we’ve learned about trust and boundaries works when you’re riding, too. Don’t let Trickster take you. You’re taking her.”
Joey nodded, flushing with pleasure. Olivia glanced at him and Dustin nodded; she was going to head out first. He’d bring up the rear.
It wasn’t a wild ride. It was a pleasant canter and then a brief gallop across the flat land. Olivia reined in first, waiting for the other two. Joey slipped sideways when Trickster reverted to a trot, but he gripped the horn of his western saddle for a moment, regaining his balance. He beamed at Olivia.
“We’re doing okay,” he said.
Olivia smiled at him but her smile faded. Dustin saw that she was gazing past Joey—back up to the hill that rose between them and the Horse Farm.
He followed her line of vision. The sun was high; it seemed to cast shadows on the mound.
But Dustin saw someone there.
There, but not really there.