Page 59 of No Bones About It

“Or she could take the shortcut.” Garrett’s arms wrapped around her from behind, and he ran one hand over Bill. “Is it moving day for all of them?”

She grinned. “Bill’s my guinea pig. I want to see how he reacts to the horses and to your barn.”

“Glad we got the shortcut finished in time, then.”

“What shortcut?”

With his arms still around her, he turned so that she was facing his property. Sean, Marcus, Levi, Troy, and Heath all stood at the fence, grinning broadly. Olaf sat beside Animosh, both looking pleased as well. “What have you guys been up to? I thought you were working on the brewery today.”

Garrett moved to her side, but kept his arm around her. “We will be, but first we had to finish the shortcut.”

As they moved forward, the guys shifted so that she could see they’d made a gate in the fence separating their two properties. Joy lit her up. Ifshe needed further proof that Garrett was thinking long-term, this was it. He’d connected their lands.

She reached up and pulled him down for a kiss, careful not to release the curious cat. When the guys started cheering, she pulled back. “Great idea.”

Troy called out. “We helped too. Scooby shouldn’t get all the credit.”

Grinning, she crossed and gave Troy a big smacking kiss on the lips, making them all laugh. The gate had two sections. If they needed to drive a trailer through, they could open both, but for people and individual animals, they would only need one.

Garrett grabbed a halter and then led Onigis out of her paddock and across the yard, with Olaf walking on his other side. The mare looked over the other men but didn’t panic. Their friends were in and out of each other’s places enough that they were familiar. She didn’t mind Olaf’s presence either, as the dog was always in Garrett’s shadow.

Onigis held her head up, and her ears flickered with interest. She didn’t shy away from the people or the new place. Kimi swallowed the lump in her throat at the change in the mare. She was confident in herself and in the humans around her. And when her three goats bounced through the fence to follow her, Kimi laughed. Onigis had her very own menagerie.

Garrett smiled. “Do you want to try her in the barn or out in the field with the others?”

“Let’s head to the field and see how she copes with more space and freedom. Her leg is good, and if she wants to run, she can. Hopefully, the open area doesn’t freak her out.”

Heath opened the gate to the backfield where Kitty stood across the yard, not far from the geldings. She was another horse who was much happier these days. Garrett slipped off the halter and stroked Onigis while talking to her softly. Heath latched the gate, and they all watched over the fence.

Onigis turned her head in all directions but kept returning her gaze to Kitty. The two mares had become good friends with the time they’d spent together.

When Onigis whinnied and shook out her mane, Garrett laughed and patted her flank. “Go on, girl. Play with your friends.”

Kitty turned her head and ambled across the field toward them while Onigis moved more slowly into the field, stopping often to check out her surroundings.

When they reached each other, the two horses bumped noses and nuzzled each other. Then they stood and grazed, side by side.

Garrett leapt the fence and pulled Kimi into a hug. Laughing, he wiped her face, brushing away tears she hadn’t realized she’d shed. “You did it.”

She hugged him with the arm not holding Bill. “We did it.”

They watched the horses for a while when Levi turned to them. “When are you getting a horse to ride, Scooby? I’d like to get back on a horse once in a while.”

Levi had grown up on a farm and was another one who pulled off the whole sexy cowboy look. Not as well as Garrett, obviously, but she figured Isla wouldn’t agree with that.

Garrett grinned. “I’m looking for a couple. For a few ponies, too.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow. “You going to have a whole zoo going on here?”

Kimi laughed. “That’s the idea. We want to have a place where people can come and check out all kinds of animals. It’s easier to care about them once you get to know them.”

Garrett nodded. “I plan to get in some horses that would be good for people with disabilities as well.”

This was the first time they’d shared their whole vision with others, and she was gratified that these men all approved of the plan and were willing to help.

Troy tapped on the fence. “Piper’s going to love this idea. You’re going to get a couple of new pages for the town’s website. I bet you could even get some school visits once you’re set up. You’re going to need a name for the place.”

She smiled. “I’ve got that covered.”

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