Page 17 of Wild and Unruly
“Your horse is gorgeous, by the way,” I say, not even realizing my gaze was drawn to him. He was fully black with a big, thick mane and powerful legs.
“Thank you.” She smiles fondly at the horse, and I watch as she lovingly runs her hand over him. “He’s a rescue.”
I feel my eyes bulge slightly. “Really? He looks like he comes from a strong lineage.”
Celina looks over at me and nods. “He does. But the owners couldn’t afford him anymore and he was sent to a farm that promised to care for him, but unfortunately, that farm promised that to many people and then sent the horses to a slaughterhouse.” Her accent, which was faint before, grows stronger with each word.
“That’s horrible.” My hand lays over my heart as I think of the poor babies that have to be put through that because of horrible human beings. “I’m so glad you found him.”
“He found me,” she replies, a small smile on her lips. “I wasn’t supposed to be there, but I had been driving down the highway and saw a crowd of cars in the barn’s lot. I thought it was a show, so I pulled over and went in. What I saw was…” Her eyes get a distant look in them, and I can only imagine what horrible things she saw that day in that place. “Well, anyway…” Clearing her throat, she continues. “I had to have him. So, I went in, offered what I could, and took him out to my car before calling a friend to bring a trailer.”
“Wow, that’s an incredible story.” I pull out my phone, making a note for potential future story ideas.
“Well, his, thankfully, has a happy ending. But it was not an easy road to get here.”
Her words spark an opening, and I say, “Well, thankfully, you came to the right trainer for him.”
Her mouth twists. “Not quite. It took a few to find a good fit.”
“Oh?” I ask, pretending I have no idea what she’s talking about. “Did you have a trainer before CT?”
“Oh yes, I had one by where I live.” She bends to pick up her horse’s foot, using a hoof pick to clean it out.
“Interesting, so you drive a bit to come here?”
“I do.”
“You find that worth it? That this facility is just that good you’re willing to drive that far?”
She lets the foot drop and stands, looking at me over the horse. “That trainer I came from, he was no good.” Her accent peeks through again, and I keep my face neutral. “I had to find out the hard way that he was not an ethical trainer.”
My eyes widen of their own accord, and I try to tamp down my excitement. “Oh really? That’s horrible.”
“It is what it is,” she starts, reaching for the back leg. “He was a bad man, and I was grateful I was able to get out when I could.”
“And this trainer.” I bite my lip, hoping that I wasn’t aboutto push too hard but unable to stop the question from coming out. “Was this Tommy Smith? The man you spoke of the other day?”
She freezes, dropping the horse’s foot and walking around his hind end, standing on the same side as I am now. Celina eyes me like she’s unsure of what I’m asking and why. “Yes, it was.”
My heart hammers in my chest at the confirmation. It told me that he was still up to the same bullshit. Was his dad too? Or was it all him now? I couldn’t ask that question because I didn’t know this woman. And she clearly didn’t know who I was or my connection to the Smith family.
I look her in the eye, a layer of steel in my tone as I reach out and grasp her arm. “I am so sorry you ever had to deal with a man like that.”
For a moment, she looks at me in confused surprise, then she gives a nod as if understanding what I’m saying.
She couldn’t know, not really.
But there was no way I couldn’t investigate further and find enough evidence to get justice, not just for my brother, but for Celina too.
7
stetson
It was becoming ratherevident that my cousin was purposefully keeping me away from the reporter.
Bonnie fucking Helix.
I’ve had a handful of conversations with the woman, and she was already stuck in my head, joining me in every fantasy, and each time my mind tended to wander, she was right there alongside it.
