“You sure are, Ricky. You sure are.”
“G’up!” Ricky shouted. Sundown turned his head and looked at Callen with what Bodine could only call a grin. “G’up, horsie!” Ricky craned around, looking pleadingly at Callen. “G’up.”
“Oh God.” Kasey blew out a breath. “Maybe, just walking a few steps. Is that okay?”
“Sure is.”
“Kasey, get pictures. I’m switching to video. This is great.”
“Put your hand right here.” Callen guided the boy’s right hand, laid it on top of his own on the reins. “Say, giddyup, Sundown.”
“G’up, Thundow!”
When Sundown walked forward, the boy stopped squealing. For a moment, his sweet little face was awestruck, his eyes were filled with shocked joy. “Mama, Mama, Mama, I ride horsie!”
Callen walked Sundown in a couple slow circles while the boy bounced, grinned, and even hooted up at the sky. On the final return trip, Callen sent Bodine a quick wink.
“Gotta say adios, partner.”
“More, more, more!” Ricky insisted when Callen started to lift him out of the saddle.
“That’s enough for today, Ricky. The horsie has to go home.” As Kasey reached up, Ricky leaned away.
“You’re a real cowboy now, Ricky,” Callen said. “Real cowboys always listen to their mas. It’s the cowboy code.”
“I a cowboy.” And with some reluctance, Ricky went to his mother. “Kiss horsie.”
“Sundown likes kisses.”
Ricky planted wet kisses on Sundown’s neck, then pointed to the patient Leo. “Kiss horsie.”
“Leo likes kisses, too.” Bodine stepped up. “Some horses are shy about kissing, but not these two.”
Kasey shifted so Ricky could smack his lips on Leo’s neck.
“Ride this horsie. Please. Now. Please.”
“I have to take him home now and get him his dinner. But … Are y’all going to be here tomorrow?”
“Two more days,” the father told her.
“If you bring Ricky down to the Activity Center tomorrow, we’ll see what we can do.”
“We’ll do that. Hear that, Ricky? You’re going to see more horses tomorrow. Say thank you to Mr. Skinner,” his father instructed.
“Thank you! Thank you, cowboy. Thank you, horsie.”
“Anytime, partner.”
Bodine mounted, turned Leo around.
“Adios,” Callen said, flicking the brim of his cap as they walked the horses away.
“Adios,” Bodine echoed.
“Gotta play to the crowd.”
“I’m not even going to mention insurance, waivers, liability.”
“Good. Don’t.”
“Since I’m not, I’m going to say that’s just what I’m looking for, that interest, in having the horses around Bodine Town now and then. And why doing a little show for kids and families is going to work. I didn’t expect you to be here, with the horses.”
“I called up. Guy at the desk said you were heading out ’round five.”
“I’d arranged for transportation home. Canceled that while you were giving young Ricky the biggest moment of his life. I appreciate it. I appreciate it because it was an unexpected antidote to a horrible day.”
He took a study of her. “You got through it.”
“And I’ll get through tomorrow. I’m going to warn you, Garrett Clintok’s tried to lay some trouble at your door.”
“I already know it.”
“He twisted my words. I want you to know he twisted my words. I never said—”
“Bo.” Callen cut off the building rant with quiet. “You don’t have to explain to me.”
“I need to say it. I never said things he said I did, and it pisses me off he’d try using me, and worse, so much worse, Billy Jean to cause you trouble. I straightened it out with Sheriff Tate, but if—”
“Tate knows what’s what. I’m fine with Sheriff Tate.”
Fire sparked in her eyes. “Because the sheriff’s not an idiot, but it pisses me off. It pisses me off, and Clintok’s getting an earful next time I see him.”
“Just let it go.”
“Let it go?” Shocked, outraged, she shifted in the saddle. “I don’t let things go with liars and bullies. With people who say I said what I didn’t. With people who ambush my brother and his friend, and have that friend held down so he can try to beat the shit out of him.”
Callen pulled Sundown to a stop. “Where’d you hear about that?”
“Chase told us today, and he should’ve—”
“He broke a spit oath.” With the look of a man disillusioned, Callen shook his head, walked on.
“I’ll say he was riled to boiling at the time—as I know spit oaths are sacred. To twelve-year-old boys.”
“Age doesn’t have a thing to do with it. An oath’s an oath. And the past is the past.”
Men, Bodine thought. How could she have grown up surrounded by them and still have them irritate the living crap out of her?
“You can skin Chase for sticking up for you, for providing evidence of what a snake Garrett Clintok is, if that’s your stand on it. But if the past was the damn past, Clintok wouldn’t still be trying to ambush you.”
“That’d be his issue, not mine.”
“Oh, for—” Disgusted with anything approaching reason, Bodine kicked into a canter.
Callen paced her easily, and couldn’t seem to leave reason behind. “I don’t see why you’re pissed at me.”
“Oh, just shut the hell up. Men.” Riding her own temper, Bodine urged Leo into a gallop.
“Women,” Callen said under his breath, and let her take the distance she needed even as he kept her in sight all the way back to the ranch.
*
He hadn’t meant to kill her. When he looked at it clear, thought long and hard, he understood she’d really killed herself.
She shouldn’t’ve run like that. Shouldn’t’ve tried yelling like that. If she hadn’t tried kicking at him that way, he wouldn’t have had to shove at her. She wouldn’t have gone down so hard, hit her head so hard.
If she’d come along quiet, he’d have taken her on home, and she’d’ve been right as rain.
His mistake? Not smacking her down right off. Just smacking her down, loading her in the truck. He’d wanted a quick taste of her first, that was all. To make sure she’d do for him.
He needed a wife of childbearing age. A young, good-looking woman who’d give him a good ride, and strong sons.
Maybe he’d decided on her too quick, but he’d sure wanted that ride.
He’d done the rest right, he reminded himself. Siphoned the gas out of her tank, left her just enough to get good and away from the center of things. Followed her with his lights off, then gone to the rescue when he saw her car stop.
Got her out of the car just fine, kept it all nice and easy.
Then he’d gotten himself too excited—that’s where he’d gone from right to mistake. Shouldn’t’ve grabbed her, tried to get that taste of her. Should’ve waited on that.
He’d learned his lesson there.