Page 42 of Wicked Healing

They clattered down the stairs and Luca shut the door behind them. And there, in the aisleway feeding one of the horses, was Erin. She grinned at him when she saw him. “Good morning, sleepy head."

Luca didn't understand why she was laughing at him until he looked out the front doors of the barn. The sun was well in the sky, almost directly overhead, actually. Had he really slept so long?

“I guess I was tired,” he told her, grinning. “I thought I would go take a walk, check out the area.”

Erin lifted her brows slightly at that. “Okay. It’s midday. You need sun protection and at least a bottle of water to take with you, plus one for Wicked. The sun is not to be taken for granted, here. She’ll fry you like bacon if you give her a chance.”

Luca nodded. “I’ve served in Afghanistan and Iraq. I’m aware of sun safety. I just wanted to scout the area and get a feeling for my surroundings. How many acres do you have here?”

“Five. Although there’s another ten next to mine, vacant. If you’re determined to do this at least grab a hat from the tack room.” She motioned toward a door a little further down from her stall. “I’ll be exercising Larry in the covered arena.”

“Larry?” Luca asked, brows quirked.

Erin grinned and pulled a horse from the depths of the stall. Larry was a tall, rangy horse, bay in color. There was not a speck of white on him, other than his crazy eyes. When he got spooked they rolled up into his head and all sense would leave his tiny pea brain.

As if he sensed prey, Wicked growled. That was all it took for Larry to freak. He lunged through the barn aisle, dragging Erin with him as he sought to escape the wild animal he thought was about to murder him. Luca winced and put a hand on Wicked’s head, but he dog didn’t move. His heart thudded in his throat as he watched Erin fight for control of the huge animal. At one point he tossed his head and her feet were lifted off the ground completely, only her tight grip on the bridle keeping her vertical.

She managed to control the horse and gave Luca an excited grin as she led him into a covered area and through to the other barn. Luca assumed that meant that she was enjoying what she was doing, but he worried for her safety. Erin was not that big, and the horse had to weigh well over a thousand pounds. For a moment he debated running Wicked back up the stairs to go check on her, but the dog hadn’t even been out to pee yet. He would assume that she was used to the horse’s behavior but he would check on her when he returned from his walk.

So, he headed out of the barn. The heat hit him like a fist when he left the shade, and he had a really strong memory of leaving a tent in Iraq when he was first deployed over there. It had been brutal, just like this. For two months he’d fought sun and wind burn, until he figured out the perfect coverage attire. He’d grown up on the beaches of California, but it had still been an adjustment. One of the local translators had sold him a black and dark green keffiyah, or scarf, and it had been one of the most important parts of his uniform over there. Good for sun as well as keeping the fine grain sand out of his face.

He wished he had one now. He’d grabbed a hat from the tack room, but it wasn’t going to be enough. Wicked headed for the side yard, marking his trail as he went. Luca grinned as he watched the dog gleefully water everything he could, his tongue lolling in happiness. And in spite of the heat he was happy too, he realized. They were both free to do what they wanted, with no one cracking orders or making demands.

They settled into a rhythm as they walked along the overgrown lane leading through the back pastures. Boss would range ahead of him, sweeping back and forth. Luca knew that the dog had settled into old security patterns, even though he hadn’t been given any commands. Luca doubted he would ever give it up. A couple of horses followed their progress for a while, before they retreated to their open air shade barns.

By the time they got back to what he assumed was the rear property line of the pasture, Luca was tired. Not drop-dead tired, but damn-what-did-i-get-myself-into tired. His water was almost gone and he was glad that he’d taken Erin’s advice about the second bottle for Wicked. The dog licked out of his cupped hand as soon as Luca offered it.

By the time they made it back to the barn, Luca’s thighs were quivering and his brain felt like it was boiling. He felt a little stupid for being so cavalier about the heat here. There was a large water trough at the corner of the barn and Wicked climbed into it without hesitation. Luca probably would have as well if it had been big enough.

“Want me to turn the hose on you?” Erin asked from the shade of the barn.

Luca walked inside, sighing at the immediate relief from the heat. “No, you can kick me in the ass, though. Damn it’s hot. Remind me not to do that again at the peak of day.”

Erin laughed again and handed him an ice cold bottle of fresh water. Luca tipped his head back and drank it down in a few long swallows.

“You will acclimatize, but the sun is an unrelenting bitch out here. The animals mostly stay in during the day. There are misters over the stalls, as well as fans. And the kennel is air conditioned. They can get outside to use the bathroom, then they go back inside to stay cool.”

Luca was impressed. “I’d love to see the kennel, if you don’t mind. Are you done training Larry?”

Erin laughed and nodded. “Yes. He just needed loosened up a little. I don’t train, per se, just maintain while the owners are away. I’ll work with Bianca and Speed this evening when it cools off a little.”

She cocked her head at him. “Are you sure you don’t want to go cool off in your apartment for a bit? Not to be a nag, but you did just get out of the rehab facility.”

Luca shook his head, scraping a hand through his sweaty hair. “I’m good. Really. Just trying to get back into the swing of moving all day. Living.”

She didn’t say anything else as she led him out of the barn and back into the sun. Wicked jumped out of the watering trough and shook. It wouldn’t be long before his coat was dry.

They angled to the right and through the gravel parking lot. The kennel building was a white metal commercial size expanse. “Did you build this?”

Erin shook her head as she led him into the cool inside.”I did not. The people that lived here before bred championship Bull Mastiffs, as well as Arabian horses. Their daughter was having twins, their first grandchildren, in New York so they moved closer to be with her. I happened to spot the property the day it went on the market. I talked to them and once they learned what I would be doing with the property, they sold it to me under asking price. I couldn’t have afforded it otherwise.”

Luca looked around. It actually looked like a veterinarian’s office, with a counter on one side and a few chairs in a waiting room. As soon as they’d entered, a cacophony started up in the back.

Wicked fussed when Luca fastened his lead outside in the shade of the porch, but he wasn’t going to allow him to drip through the building, or rile up the dogs any more than they already were. Erin watched him with the dog but didn’t comment.

Luca was impressed as she led him through the building. It was meticulously clean wall to wall tile. They went through a door with a glass window in the top. Luca expected to be hit with the smell of urine and feces. There were so many dogs in here. But it didn’t happen. Yes, there was a little smell, of course, but nothing like some of the kennels he’d been in over his life. Each animal had a tiled ‘room’ to themselves, with elevated beds.

“The tile allows me to hose out when I need to. There’s a trough drain in the back of the room, kinda like a urinal,” she grinned. “The owners bring in whatever bedding they want for their animal and it stays with them the entire time they’re here. The access door leads to a long patch of grass in the back, which they have access to all the time.”

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