Page 115 of Redeeming Harmony

The grin on Nathan’s face brought warmth to her entire body. “Perfect. But you should know, I don’t care how many blow jobs you offer, I’m not spoiling the surprise tomorrow.”

“We’ll see,” she said with an arched eyebrow. “I’m terribly good at getting my way.”

He laughed and held up his beer to her in a salute. “That may be, Ms. Brandt, but I am terribly good at keeping secrets.”

Chapter 26

“Happy Tails Horse Rescue,” Harper read the billboard size sign next to the long winding gravel driveway. “I love this place.”

“You’ve been here before?” Nathan glanced at her as he turned down the driveway. To their left was a large fenced in pasture with about half a dozen horses wandering through the grass.

“Yep. Lots. This is where I took riding lessons as a kid. They offer lessons to kids and adults as a way to make money for the rescue.”

“Right,” he said, “I read about that on their website.”

He parked in the gravel lot and turned off the engine. This early on a Sunday morning, they were the only vehicle. Harper studied the rescue. She hadn’t been here since she was a teenager, but not much had changed. The property had an older looking farmhouse, two large barns, and a covered arena where they taught riding lessons. She could see part of a second larger fenced pasture with a cross-fenced section with a three-sided shed and a couple of horses.

“So, what are we doing here?” she asked.

“I’m looking at a horse.” Nathan’s face was a mixture of excitement and trepidation. “I talked to the owner of the rescue, Royce, about adopting a horse for Tammy.”

She stared at him. “What? Seriously?”

“Yeah. King was a rescue from here, and I know that Tammy is passionate about helping rescue horses.”

“She is,” Harper said.

“Wyatt said Tammy has been talking to people the last week or so about how she’s ready to find a new horse. She’s determined to have a new horse to pull Santa’s sleigh in the Christmas parade.” He grimaced. “Of course, she’s also mentioned that the new horse can never replace King or make her forget I murdered him, but at least she’s ready to move on even a little, right?”

She nodded as he scanned her face. “You think this is a bad idea, don’t you?”

“No,” she said, “I think it’s a great idea, and you finding a new town Christmas horse will work to get folks back on your side. But I do have a couple of questions.”

“Hit me with them,” he said.

“How are you getting the horse to Tammy? We don’t have a horse trailer.”

“Wyatt should be here any minute with a horse trailer,” Nathan said.

“What if Tammy doesn’t want the horse?”

“Wyatt’s employer, Solomon Whitaker, has already agreed to adopt the horse if Tammy doesn’t want him. Royce is fine with that because he and Solomon have known each other for years, and Solomon’s adopted a few horses from Royce in the past. Wyatt also helps the rescue with some of the wilder horses they take in,” Nathan said.

Harper stared admiringly at him. “You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”

“When the fate of your clinic is on the line, you cover all your bases,” Nathan said.

She reached out and took his hand. “This will work. I know it.”

“Thanks, Harper.”

They climbed out of Nathan’s truck as an older man with a thick head of silver hair, skin permanently brown from the sun, and wearing a bright orange western shirt walked out of the biggest barn. He headed in their direction, and Nathan stuck out his hand when he joined them.

“Royce Bergen? I’m Nathan Henshaw. We spoke on the phone.”

Royce shook his hand with two hard pumps. “Nice to meet you, Doc. Heard some good stuff about you from a few of our volunteers.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Nathan said.

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