Page 4 of The Edge of Intensity

I shake my head. “Whatever. I retrieved one traumatized horse this week because the new owners fucked up. For damn sure I’m not handing over a horse to a person who can’t even be fucking nice to the former owner for two damn seconds.”

Her jaw drops and I’m about to turn away when Cosima steps up next to me. “East, go and check on the new mare.”

“No need, I’m taking the mare back with me,” I snap at both women, but keep my gaze locked on East who follows her sister’s order and stomps away.

“No, you’re not,” Cosima states and fills my line of sight. “I apologize for my sister’s fierce reaction. I overheard something about getting in her personal space. I hope you didn’t try to get handsy or anything.”

“What?” I grunt. “Fuck, no. She was fucking sad when she explained why she was searching for the same bloodline of Fletch and I–”

“Let me guess, you tried to comfort her.” Cosima sighs. “I warned you about East being eccentric.”

My frustration goes down a notch, realizing she’s right. I guess meeting the woman made me want to get to know her a bit more and having her reject me the way she did? Something that never happens, especially not to me? Yeah, this fuck-up is all me.

I rub the back of my neck and admit, “She’s eccentric all right, and I guess her reaction was mostly my fault.”

Cosima looks thoughtful for a heartbeat or two before she says, “She shouldn’t have snapped at you. Normally she saves the grumpy for me and simply walks away without a word if she’s annoyed or confronted with something that triggers something.”

“Triggers something?” I muse and before I can catch myself, I wonder out loud, “Was she raped or something? Is that why she doesn’t like men in her personal space?”

“No, no, nothing like that. She just doesn’t like anyone getting in her personal space.” Cosima gives me a hint of a smile. “Sorry. I can’t explain the why and how. Medical conditions are personal, and I don’t feel comfortable sharing details about my sister.”

I bob my head. “I understand. Good to know she didn’t suffer any bad shit.”

“I consider a week-long migraine bad shit. So, I guess bad shit holds different kinds of levels. Come on, let’s go find my sister before she escapes. It’s something she’d rather do than muddle through something to get what she wants.” Cosima winces. “Let’s just go before I do share too many details. Sorry. I want her to have this horse, it’s something that gives her happiness and she deserves it. We’re going to take on some traumatized horses, and also buy some other breeds. For one I’d like a gypsy cob ’cause I’ve always loved the breed, but East would love to own a diverse herd. Also, something her line of work would benefit from if she has different horses for different jobs.”

“The traumatized horses, do you mean rescue, foster, save from the kill pen, or help owners with their horses?” I question.

Cosima shrugs. “Some? All? It’s the reason East bought this ranch. She’s a sucker when it comes to staring into the eyes of a traumatized horse, wanting to take away their pain.”

“I might have to bring the one I just retrieved,” I murmur and come to a stop in front of the stables. “Hey, if you’re looking for a Gypsy Cob, you might want to check out The Clyden’s Ranch. Besides making damn fine whiskey, they also breed Gypsy Cobs. I could reach out to Hixon or Shepherd if you know what you’re looking for.”

Cosima holds up her phone. “Let me research them real quick and I’ll let you know.”

When we enter the stable, we see Eastlynne with her back to us as she instantly announces, “She’s so freaking perfect, Cosima. I’d buy a stallion of this bloodline if they had one.”

“The sire is not for sale, but your sister just mentioned you’re gonna take on traumatized horses. Any chance you can help me with a stallion that’s about a year older than this one?”

East pops her head out of the stable and stares at me with her curious blue eyes. “Same sire and dam?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I affirm. “Though, it might not be a good plan to move him just yet. Maybe you could come out to my place and see if it’s something you can work with.”

She visibly winces as if I offered her to swallow nails or something.

“I recently picked him up and I could tell returning to the stable he grew up in settled him down some. He still needs a lot of TLC, but you can imagine I’m a bit hesitant to pull him out of his safe environment so soon.”

East glances at her sister and releases a deep breath. “Fine. I’ll come by your place tomorrow afternoon.”

I check my watch and see that I have another hour to spare. “We could go now.”

“No. Tomorrow at two,” East insists.

Cosima leans in and whispers, “Surprises or a change in plans is a no-go.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow at two,” I concede. “Shall we get the paperwork in order for Breeze?”

We all head in the direction of the house. Once inside we take a seat at the kitchen table and I pull the paperwork from the inside of my cut. East accepts the contract and starts to glance it over.

Cosima draws my attention when she says, “Thanks for the tip. The Clyden’s Ranch looks very promising. Bone, beautiful head, feather, their Cobs tick every box. Would you mind reaching out to ask if they have any yearling fillies for sale?”

---