Page 12 of Respect

He’d asked if Phoebe knew his sister, Kelsey, and the name maybe seemed a little familiar, but no. Phoebe probably knew all the large-animal rescue folks in the state, and a good handful of the veterinarians who donated time and resources to caring for those big babies, but that was because they were a pretty small group. A whole lot more people focused on rescuing puppies and kittens.

So no, Phoebe didn’t know his sister. But the connection point of rescue work was nice.

He’d also told her he was a Brazen Bull. That was less nice.

She didn’t have a problem with motorcycles, or with motorcycle clubs. Though she didn’t think she’d ever broken more than the speed limit—not even shoplifting a candy bar as a kid—she didn’t necessarily have a philosophical problem with breaking the law. She’d been poor or close to it all her life, and she lived in a community where most people were like her. She’d seen plenty of evidence that laws pretty much only applied to regular people; rich fuckers could do most anything they wanted and get away with it. She didn’t hold much stock in rules that applied only to the powerless.

However, the Bulls were professional outlaws. One-percenters. Clubs like theirs considered themselves soldiers in some kind of war, and Phoebe had seen all she could stomach of war. So she wasn’t thrilled Duncan was one of those outlaws who thought they were soldiers.

Not that it really mattered. She hadn’t been in a relationship since high school, and she hadn’t been interested in another since she’d come home from a real war. Her Hitachi handled her needs just fine. And she had all the family she needed right here on Ragamuffin Ranch.

Still, she found herself disappointed that her new friend Duncan wasn’t perfect.

“There on the right—the big oak? That’s my road.”

Duncan followed her directions. He was good pulling the trailer. Probably he’d done some time driving the wrecker at his station.

“Road is a pretty ambitious term here,” Duncan snarked as they bounced over the rutted gravel lane.

Phoebe laughed. “Yeah, I need to get it graded. I will when then cold weather ends.” If she could scrounge up the funds. “Thanks for being careful for Smoky.”

“Is there weed for horses? Because that poor guy is gonna need to smoke a bowl after this night. You, too.”

“Actually, yes, there is weed for horses. It’s CBD, not THC, but yeah, there’s some calming benefits. But refeeding a starved horse is a delicate balance, so weed’s not a good idea until I understand his bigger issues.”

They crested the last rise; in the shallow valley before them lay her family home, bathed in the sickly yellow light of three dusk-to-dawns.

“Pretty,” Duncan said, half under his breath.

To Phoebe this was simply home. She knew of the stable roof that was well past its prime, the leaky basement, the rotting back porch with the ancient wringer washer rusting away in the corner. The tractor she was keeping running with hope and enthusiasm. The fences that needed a new coat of sealant. And now she could add a truck with no engine to her list of derelicts and rejects.

But Duncan’s quiet, single word conjured a spell to brighten her vision. Setting aside her list of things she struggled to afford to replace or repair, Phoebe saw the cheerful red of the house, the bright white trim, the twinkle of Christmas lights she was always slow to pull down. She saw the dormant strawberry pyramid, and the big oaks that sheltered the picnic tables and the brick barbecue pit. The tidy stable full of animals she’d made whole and happy.

This was home, and she loved it. Yes, it was pretty.

“Thanks. The stable’s off to the right there. If you pull up at the doors, I’ll get Smoky out, and we can free you up.”

He nodded and turned toward the stable.

When he parked outside the double doors, Phoebe climbed out at once and headed to Smoky. She was only slightly surprised to find Duncan right there at the back of the trailer, ready to keep helping. Together they got Smoky out—he was much happier to leave the trailer than to enter it, and his opinion of Duncan had improved from terror to suspicion—and she walked him into the stable.

As soon as she stepped in and turned on the center lights, every occupied stall suddenly had a head over the door—or, in the cases of Klaxon and Daisy, a burro and a miniature horse, a head through the door—and the air filled with nickers and yawns.

“Sorry, babies,” Phoebe cooed. “Didn’t mean to wake you. But this is your new brother Smoky. You’ll get to meet him real soon.”

Titan, a twenty-eight-year-old Percheron who’d done decades of hard time as a carriage horse for tourists, kicked his stall door and sent the whole stable shaking.

“Fuck, he’s huge,” Duncan said behind her.

“Yeah, he is. But he’s a teddy bear and our best ambassador. That kick was just for attention. Here, take this.” She handed Smoky’s lead to Duncan and walked over to her big boy. “Hey, fella.” He dropped his head over her shoulder and leaned in hard enough to make her sidestep. She reached up and gave him a good scritch in the special place behind his ears he liked best. “That’s Smoky, and I’m gonna need you to show him the ropes when he’s ready. Look—you two are practically twins.”

They were both dapples, but Titan was about twice Smoky’s size, if Smoky were at a healthy weight. The bigger horse stretched his neck and tipped his head, letting Smoky know not to be afraid. Smoky tossed his head back, not sure he believed it. Then Titan nickered, soft and long, and Smoky cocked his head.

Phoebe went back and took the lead from Duncan. “They can’t get any closer yet. But as soon as he’s out of quarantine, I’m gonna put him right next door, so they can get to know each other.” She walked Smoky through the stable, to the stalls behind the tack room, which led to a small turn-out and was their quarantine zone. She walked him into an empty stall and got the halter off with only a single head-toss to slow her down.

Smoky wasn’t mean or feral. What this poor boy had needed was one person to be kind.

The night was cold and he had no fat on him, so she left the blanket on. Then she went out to get him fresh hay and water.

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