Page 20 of Operation: Integrity

“In a few days, she will feel soft to you. And when you touch a cat or dog next, in comparison, they will feel like the softest animal you’ve ever encountered. That’s what horses do for you. At least, one of the things.”

Kelly looked at the saddle Sam had put on the horse in preparation, in case she changed her mind and decided to ride. When she’d come to the barn, she was sure she wanted nothing to do with actually getting on a horse’s back. Now, she couldn’t wait to try.

“Can I?” the question slipped past her lips before she could pull them back.

“Of course.” Sam grinned. “Let me find a mounting stool for you. Wait here and get to know him a little better. I’ll only be a second.” He jogged off in the direction she’d come.

Alone with Bella, she stroked the mare’s neck. Bella leaned into her slightly and she was sure she heard the horse grunt in approval. Sam came back with a sturdy step stool and set it up near the horse.

“Now, it’s important to mount on the correct side. Thehorse’s head should be facing your left. Put your left foot in the stirrup, straighten up to distribute your weight, then swing your leg over. At first, you’ll feel like a robot, uncomfortable, but soon the action will be so fluid that you won’t hesitate at all.” He took hold of Bella’s bridle.

Kelly glanced at him. “Do I hold the saddle to get on?”

Sam pointed to where she could grip for stability where the horse wouldn’t by annoyed by it. She held back. What if she did this wrong? What if Bella hated her once she was in the saddle?

“Stop worrying about the unknown in this circumstance. I’m right here to do the worrying for you,” Sam whispered.

She hated that he could practically read her mind. Why couldn’t she do that with him? It was like he was friendly but hiding his true feelings. She steadied her grip and did what she needed to do. All of a sudden, she found herself on Bella’s back high above Sam. He moved the mounting stool away and she thrust her feet into the stirrups. Oddly, they seemed perfect for her legs. “How did you know to fix the saddle for me?” She knew they were adjustable, but not how.

He shrugged slightly and handed her the reins. “I guessed.” With that, he turned and led her outside the barn and back into the cold.

Kelly shivered against the wind, but oddly, having Sam and the horse direct her steps left her mind free to enjoy her surroundings. Zeus sniffed the ground a few feet ahead of Sam, then took off running like he’d caught the scent of a rabbit. Sam didn’t whistle for him to come back but watched his progress.

“What do you think?” he asked, angling his glance back to her.

Whatdidshe think? That was a good question.

Sam’s mindraced with questions surrounding Kelly’s watch. Connor didn’t like those. The ability to track a person was built into the device. He wasn’t sure on the particulars, if it only tracked where someone was going when they turned on certain features or all the time, but either way, it violated the rule that the halfway house had set. No tracking. How could she have had that watch with her there if they’d had that same rule?

Something was off. Kelly hadn’t looked him in the eye until he’d waited for her to meet his gaze. Now, that wasn’t a foolproof way of measuring dishonesty. Guests at Wayside often had difficulty looking anyone in the eye for a long time. But this was Kelly. He knew her. Or he thought he’d known her. That’s where his trust failed.

He led her around in a wide circle in one of the fences near the barn. Though they could’ve roamed for acres, he didn’t want to go off too far. If Nathan could follow them with a drone, he could find them out on those trails. Connor had told him at breakfast that Dominic and Spenser were still working on the security system, but they were making progress. Until that was sealed up tight, he wanted to stay within sight of the barn.

The drone had been a great idea if he was going to give props to the enemy. It wouldn’t have been seen on the cameras unless it literally hovered in front of one of them. It had been small and moved like a bug.

Anyone watching the cameras would’ve thought it was a stray hummingbird. Why would anyone consider movement like that to be a drone? They’d never had anyonetake such a successful yet hands-off approach. Yet the method had worked.

Someone had to have been directing the device and been in communication with Nathan, who waited for the signal that Kelly was there. Once he was sure, all he had to do was drive up the driveway and try to take what he wanted.

The brazenness of Nathan’s request made it all the worse. He clearly didn’t see any issue with human slavery. He expected Kelly to do exactly as he said without question. So, they had to make sure Nathan never came on the property.

Bella tugged on the bridle, wanting to do her own leading. He grinned at the horse, not that she would understand. The horse was smart and could read people pretty well, but he doubted she was as good as being able to understand his facial movements.

He loosened his grip a little since Bella was behaving so well. “Be sure to grab the reins. She would like you to drive.” Sam hoped he’d kept his voice light, and that Kelly wouldn’t be frightened by that.

“And how do I drive?” Kelly’s tone rose an octave.

“Pull to the right if you want to go left and vice versa. If you want her to slow or stop, tug straight back.”

“Oh, I see.” She twisted her whole body to the right, dragging the reins tightly and pulling Bella’s head to the left.

Sam’s loose grip wasn’t enough to hold onto the bridle as Kelly’s movement jerked it from him. Bella assumed Kelly wanted to go fast with the quick and forceful movement. Bella reared slightly then took off at a gallop for some trees in the distance.

He whistled, but the only thing that responded to hiscall was Zeus. The dog shot after the horse like a cannon, racing to catch up.

“Bella, hold!” He’d tried to verbally train the horses, but all of them were better at bodily cues because all of them had learned those first and they were used the most often.

Sam ran but Kelly was now many yards ahead of him and gaining ground by the second. Ahead, he saw the area of new fence they’d had to put in when horse thieves had attempted to steal their whole herd. But would Bella make it to the fence, or would she come around before then?

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