As long as Prairie Creek was a safe place to raise her kid.
Right now, she knew that Debra and Jeremy Donovan did not believe it was safe, and she couldn’t blame them. But she would do her best to help them through this difficult time. And any information she could extract from them would come in handy in her profile of Addie’s kidnapper. No, Kat and the sheriff’s office hadn’t asked her to be involved, but she had been pulled in fifteen years ago when a monster pinned her to the ground.
*
“Hurry, Mom! Can you drive a little faster? I can’t wait to meet my horse!” Penny was bobbing in the car seat as the car trundled down the long road leading to the Dillinger barn.
“Yeah,” Jessica seconded, craning her neck to look out the front window.
“Patience. We’re almost there.” Ruth had budgeted an hour between sessions to deliver the girls to the ranch and get them started on their lessons, and she was glad to be able to be a part of the process instead of handing the task off to her mother.
As they walked up to the barn, the place seemed fairly deserted but for a black Lab resting in the shade and two horses that seemed to get taller and taller as Ruth approached them. “These don’t look like ponies,” Ruth said aloud.
“Wow!” Penny exclaimed. “They’re ginormous!”
Enjoying her daughter’s amazement, Ruth looked for their instructor. “Hello?” she called through the barn as the girls stood on the rail of the fence, admiring the horses. “Anyone here?”
“I’m here.” A lean, twentyish woman with ginger hair emerged from the shadows and strode to the horses without looking at Ruth. She went to one of the horses, checked the saddle and tightened the belt under its belly.
“We’re here for a lesson. That’s Jessica and this”—she placed her hands on Penny’s shoulders—“is my daughter Penny.”
“I’m Kit.”
“We’re really excited to learn how to ride,” Penny said.
When Kit didn’t respond, Jessica asked if the horses had names.
“Kaspar and Strawberry.”
“Strawberry!” Jessica rolled her eyes. “What kind of name is that?”
Again, Kit didn’t answer, and Ruth realized that small talk was not her thing. Kit had a wild, edgy look about her. With a smattering of freckles across her face and fiery red hair braided behind her back, she had a youthful body that seemed honed by hard work and time outdoors. Judging by the way she avoided eye contact, Ruth wondered if she was on the spectrum for autism, which would not prohibit her from being an effective teacher, in any case.
“I assume you’ll bring the girls back here when the lesson is over,” Ruth said.
“You’ll have to ask Rafe. He’s their teacher.”
Ruth glanced past the saddled horses to the paddock area. “Where is he?”
“On his way over. He just ran up to the bunkhouse for a minute.”
“Okay. I guess we’ll wait,” Ruth said, heading over to the corral to keep the girls company.
Ten minutes later, there was still no sign of the teacher. “You know, it’s getting late, and this is cutting into their session time.”
“Yeah, I know.” Kit stared at the horse she was grooming. “Just tell Rafe.”
“I would if he were here. I’ll take the girls to find him.”
“Suit yourself.”
“What does he look like?”
Kit shrugged. “A little older than you. A Dillinger cousin.”
“Wait. Rafe Dillinger?”
“Yes. You can talk to him direct. You pay him too.”
The image of a nasty, spitting cowboy seared Ruth’s mind as she tried to remember the young man who had blazed a trail of trouble back in high school. He’d been a few years ahead of her, but everyone knew of Rafe. He’d been questioned by investigators when Courtney disappeared because he’d been her boyfriend at the time. With numerous arrests and a rowdy reputation, Rafe was not an appropriate choice for an instructor of two eight-year-old girls.
And now Courtney was dead, held prisoner for fifteen years!
Ruth took a deep breath to calm down. She didn’t want to give Kit a hard time, but Rafe was not going near her daughter, and she didn’t want to disappoint the girls. “Is there someone else who can do the lessons?”
“Rafe’s gonna be their teacher.”
“What about you?” Ruth asked. “I’ll bet you’re an excellent rider.”
“I don’t teach. Rafe’s on his way from the bunkhouse.”
The sound of approaching horses had them both turn toward the trail that led from the foothills, where three riders were coming in.
“Is that Rafe?” Ruth asked.
“No. That’s another lesson.”
When Ruth held up a hand against the glare of the sun to see the riders, she let out a laugh. “You’re kidding me.”
The other teacher was Ethan Starr.
“Okay, Kit. I’ll need to talk to your boss, or whoever oversees the lessons because we need another teacher. Rafe Dillinger is not an appropriate teacher for eight-year-old girls—or any kids, for that matter.”
“Davis went in to town. He’s the boss. He’ll be back this afternoon.”
“Well, maybe we’ll have to reschedule this lesson for tomorrow until we can get everything straightened out.”
“Mom?” Crestfallen, Penny shook her head so hard her ponytail whipped around. “No!”
“Pumpkin, I’m trying to work this out, but if that doesn’t happen, there’s always tomorrow.”
The little girls moaned at the possible disappointment and went over to watch Kit untether Kaspar and move him out of the sun. This time, Kit answered their questions, and Ruth was glad to see her engage, even if bluntly. The dog shook itself from sleep, took a few licks from the watering trough, and joined the girls.
Ruth watched as Ethan and his students rode in. The students were teenaged boys, and they were laughing together as they approached the stables. She waited in the shade of the barn as he finished with the guys, then ambushed him as he headed away smiling.
“Okay, Starr. I’m throwing myself and two eight-year-old girls at your mercy.”
“Ruth.” He paused to take her in, his blue eyes glimmering. “I knew you couldn’t be serious when you blew me off yesterday.”
“I didn’t blow you off, and watch out for big ears. I’m here with my daughter and her friend, who’ve been promised riding lessons. But it turns out their teacher is supposed to be Rafe Dillinger.”
“I see.” He tipped back his Stetson. “Is Rafe giving you a hard time about switching?”
“He’s a no-show. But Kit doesn’t give lessons, and Davis is in town. I’m wondering if—” Just then the pounding of horse hooves indicated that someone was coming. They both turned to see a gray gelding galloping in at breakneck speed.
With broad shoulders and head held high, Rafe cut a fine figure on his horse.
Until he slouched to the side and nearly fell out of the saddle, catching himself at the last minute. Drunk, Ruth realized.
“Aw, man. Rafe.” Ethan moved toward the listing cowboy. “You’re in bad shape.”
“I’m fine and dandy.” Rafe’s words came out in a low, slow drawl.