Page 10 of Repentance and Absolution
I lifted the latch and went in through the gate, approaching Oscar and the mare. She regarded me warily, then lifted her head and blew a snort my way.
Oscar laughed. “I agree, pretty girl. You tell ’im.”
I rolled my eyes and extended a hand to the mare. “Lookit. You gotta get along with me, too, if you wanna come home with us. Not just him.”
The mare considered that, then stepped toward me and nibbled at my shirt as if she might find a treat in my pocket. She did seem friendly and good-natured. I figured we wouldn’t find a better horse in this town, but I had to keep those feelings to myself.
I turned back to Peter. “You say you’re wantin’ a hundred for her?”
Peter leaned against the fence. “She’s a Morgan horse. A good one. They ain’t cheap.”
“I know it,” I said, frowning. I looked at the horse, and at Oscar. “I wasn’t plannin’ to spend more than seventy, to be fair. We gotta lot of work to do on the property still. That’s gonna cost a pretty penny.”
Peter grunted. “She can pull a plow or a wagon, e’en though she’s on the small side. That’s the breed, though. They’re sturdy and tough little horses.”
“Yes, sir, that’s true.” I walked beside the mare, taking off my glove and running my hand along her flank, although I could already see she was a fine horse. I didn’t truly care that she was so young. In fact, that just made her a better option. She had lots of good years left.
Oscar was being quiet, stroking the mare’s broad forehead and whispering his secrets in her ear.
“Hmm,” I said, as though I were having a hard time deciding. “Would you take seventy-five?”
Peter frowned. “I don’t know if I can go that low,” he said. “The wife would be upset with me if I let her go for less than ninety.”
I nodded, squinting at the horse and looking at Oscar. Acting like I didn’t have a wad of cash in my satchel back home that could have paid for three horses. Fact was, we did need to save that money for living until we could find ourselves a means of a regular income. But I’d already got him down ten dollars. Maybe he’d come down more.
“Yes, sir, I understand. I just don’t know if I can go as high as ninety.”
Oscar glanced at me and seemed to understand what I was trying to do. As much as it must have killed him, he stepped back from the mare and stayed quiet.
But Peter wasn’t stupid. “Seems like young Oscar’s already got a bond with her.”
Oscar gave Peter a measured glance. “She’s a fine horse, sir. But now that I think about it, I was hopin’ for a bay with white socks.”
I had to work hard to school my features. I knew there was nothing Oscar wanted more than this midnight black horse right now, only he was playing the game and I was thankful for it.
“That a fact,” Peter said, sounding a little put out.
I turned to Carson, hoping he’d play along. He knew I wasn’t trying to scam a crazy deal, only to bargain in a gentlemanly way. I reckon Peter would have thought less of me if I’d simply handed o’er a hundred, anyway. No doubt he was hoping for eighty or so and had started high.
“Didn’t you say there was someone with a bay for sale, Carson? I can’t remember.”
Carson grinned. “Yeah, I thought I heard of one—fella lives down by the harbor. We can go see it this afternoon if you want.”
“Now hold on,” Peter said. “Could you give me eighty-five?”
I scrunched up my face as if that was still just a bit too much. I thought for a long moment.
“Would you take eighty?” I said. “I can’t go higher than that.”
Peter took off his hat and swiped it against his thigh, and for a second, I thought he was getting mad. But then he laughed, and his eyes twinkled.
“You drive a hard bargain, Mr. Downing,” he said. “Eighty, then. You give me another five, and I’ll throw in all her tack.”
I grinned, more than happy with that deal.
“Done.”
I walked o’er to Peter and counted the money out, handing the bills to him—and Oscar had himself a horse.
