Page 17 of No Bones About It

He nodded. “I grew up on a horse ranch in Oklahoma. I trained horses there and in Tennessee after we got back from overseas. I’ve worked with abused horses in both places.”

She nodded, too. “You have a good manner with the animals and I’m not surprised. You’ll do a good job with them.”

His chest swelled at her confident tone. His parents had died when he was a teen. He’d lost his grandfather when Garrett was nineteen and his grandmother a few short years later. Having someone believe in him was a big deal. The Army wasn’t big on warm and fuzzy moments. He hadn’t known he’d needed that until this very moment.

“I brought a lot of supplies with me from Tennessee because the center was closing up. I need to order feed and a few other things. Do you have local suppliers up here? I’d rather support local when I can.”

Her easy smile returned. “You’re going to fit right in up here. We’re all about the local and saving the world. I’m going to put in an order this morning because I need specific things for the pigs. Want to come into my office, and I’ll show you who I deal with?”

He nodded and followed her in. This time, he was prepared for theGotcha Wall Of Fameso it wouldn’t knock him flat. And he’d keep his eyes open for any clues as to what his neighbor had been up to in the middle of the night.

Kimi knew Garrett had questions about her outing the previous night. She didn’t need anyone noticing her comings and goings. Just her luck that he’d been sleeping outside to keep his horse company.

He was a good guy, and she didn’t want to lie to him. But she was at the beginning stages of her investigation, and she wasn’t sure what lines she’d have to cross to get the dogs away from John Mead and his fighting ring.

She would do a lot of things if it would save the dogs and shut down the ring, but she wasn’t willing to put anyone else at risk.

Tonight would be a good night to do more recon. Garrett would be exhausted after his own lack of solid sleep for two nights and the arrival of new horses.

But Kimi was exhausted as well. She’d trained herself to manage onlittle sleep during emergencies, but her body and brain had to play catch up at some point. Like tonight. If she was too tired, she would make mistakes. Getting spotted or captured was not an option.

After lunch, she loaded up the cows and returned them to the MacKay farm. The infection from one cow’s run-in with the barbed-wire fence had healed nicely, and she wouldn’t need any more special care. The second cow hadn’t been injured, but cows were happier with a friend nearby, so she’d taken both.

Jim MacKay was a fourth-generation dairy farmer and knew more about cows than anyone Kimi had ever met. His wife, Navya, had been Kimi’s accountant for years.

After the cow was back with her herd, Navya waved at Kimi to follow her. Inside the milking barn, she led her to a quiet corner where a momma cat was guarding her litter in a large box lined with cozy blankets. “Any chance you know anyone looking for kittens?”

Well, that was handy. “I actually do. They look almost ready to be away from their mom. How old are they?”

“About nine weeks. We came in for milking one morning and found her with the babies. We made sure they were cozy, but I think they’d be happier where they’ll get more attention. The cows keep us busy enough.”

Kimi found kittens did better if they stayed with their mom for four months. These little ones would be happy to be barn cats, especially if the mama had grown up wild, so she loaded the box into her truck.

Once she’d backed the trailer in, she unhooked the truck and parked it. Then she took the box full of felines into her office in the barn. The current barn cats might not take to the kittens just yet. She’d give them another few weeks of growth before introducing them to the others or to the ones in Garrett’s barn. The man didn’t need to be overwhelmed with kittens, but he could have as many as he wanted once they were old enough. She set out water and cat food for the mama and whichever kittens were curious enough.

Several of her barn cats sat on posts around the paddock where Onigis rested, and she stroked them on the way over. Because she fed them treats and food when they needed it, they all allowed her to touchthem. She’d bet Garrett wouldn’t need any coaching to do the same. The cats would be happy to wander the two properties.

The familiar rattle and clanking of a horse trailer sounded from next door, along with the whinny of a nervous horse. She didn’t have any appointments or chores that needed immediate attention, so she headed to his property to see if she could help.

And, if she was being honest with herself, just to see the man himself. It had been a long time since any man had caught her interest. She’d sensed his innate goodness in their first encounter. Assholes didn’t deal well with animals. Knowing he was a friend of her friends made him more appealing. She’d heard stories about Scooby, his bravery, and his compassion for animals and people alike.

Kimi found Garrett standing at the back of the trailer. The gates were opened, and the ramp was down. The driver stood to the side while Garrett stood at the base of the ramp, talking quietly, getting the horses used to his scent and his voice.

She acknowledged the driver with a nod but kept walking until she was next to Garrett. He smiled at her. “Hey, boys. This is Kimi. She’s your new vet and next-door neighbor. She’s got a pretty mare named Onigis over at her property, just like I have Kitty right here. I bet you’re going to be good friends one day.”

But his gaze was on her when he said those words, and she knew he was talking about the two of them and not just the horses. A happy shiver ran over her skin at the thought.

“Why don’t you introduce yourself, Kimi?”

She wasn’t sure if it was a challenge or simply an invitation, but either way, she was up for it. “Hi, boys. As Garrett said, I’m Kimi. I’m a veterinarian, and I’m going to help make sure you’re healthy and happy here. If someone has hurt you before, we’re going to take care of that and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Do you have names you love, or are they associated with bad memories?”

Garrett frowned at that. “I don’t have much information. Dale here picked them up from an intermediary who knows CC, my former boss. I think we should start fresh with names in case they’ve got bad memories.”

The two horses faced the front of the trailer, so she couldn’t seetheir faces. Both were shades of brown with almost black tails. She couldn’t see any obvious injuries.

Garrett climbed the ramp. “I’m going to touch you now. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m going to run my hand over your flank to see how you react. Once we get a good look at you both, we’ll figure out some names for you.”

He stroked both horses with gentle touches and the soft voice that was a caress all on its own. Kimi’s imagination zipped over to how those gentle hands would feel on her skin, and she hauled it back to focus on the horses and their well-being.

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