Page 22 of There I Find Rest

“Oh,” she said and visibly relaxed.

She stepped forward, keeping her heel by the door, holding it open for him.

He moved, her familiar scent almost making him hesitate, but he put one booted foot in front of the other, nodding at her before turning his eyes toward the counter area outside.

He knew Davis, although not well. They had spent a few evenings together at the diner, when Davis had been the only customer, and he’d sat at the counter, chatting through the window with Griff as he stood in the kitchen, nothing to do.

He didn’t like to be idle, didn’t like standing around, but he couldn’t invent customers or work.

Still, it had given him some time to get to know Davis, who had seemed like a straight-up kind of guy, even if he was a businessman. Griff didn’t trust those kinds of men. After all, he used to be one.

He walked to the table, his eyes on the couple. There was something between them. That much was obvious. He found, after he’d grown up a little, that when a person kept their mouth shut and their eyes open, they had a tendency to notice things that people who ran their mouth all the time didn’t.

Definitely there was some tension under the surface between Davis and Kim. He bet there was some history there. A relationship.

But Chi hadn’t said anything about them being married. Just that they were going into business together.

“I heard you’re starting a riding stable?”

“You heard right,” Davis said, standing up and offering his hand which Griff took and shook. “This is Kim. I don’t think you probably met her, since she just arrived in Strawberry Sands today.”

“Kim,” Griff said, nodding at the woman who nodded back at him. She didn’t get up to shake the hand he offered, taking it from her seat instead.

Davis settled himself back in his booth, and Griff said, “I know where there are some horses if you’re interested.”

“Really?” Kim said, her eyes widening with interest.

Davis seemed a little bit more reserved, but the openness of his face showed that he trusted Griff, which Griff appreciated.

“I have a buddy who doesn’t live too far from here, who rescues horses from the kill pen.”

“Kill pen?” Kim asked, looking confused.

“It’s where they’re sold as slaughter animals. Not for human consumption of course, but for slaughter nonetheless.”

It was just a fact of life, not one he liked, necessarily, but one that he would not be able to change.

“My buddy looks for horses that maybe have been abused or that he feels still have potential.”

“I see.”

“They’re usually very cheap. He takes them home, works with them.”

“And he has some for sale?” Davis asked, pushing his drink around, absentmindedly, like he was rolling all the business implications over in his head.

“He does. You can talk to him. I know he would have some that would work for you. Of course, not all the ones he has will work. I assume you’re looking for horses good for beginners?”

“I think so?” Kim sounded uncertain, and she worried her lip with her teeth before glancing at Davis.

“I don’t think that Kim has a business plan or anything like that, but maybe it’s something we can talk about?” He looked to Kim whenever he spoke, and his words caused relief to flow over her face as she nodded.

Griff bit back a smile. It was obvious that Davis cared very deeply about Kim, and he would guess that Kim felt the same way, although she was a little harder for him to read, emotionally.

“If you guys want to go yourselves, I can give you the directions and just let him know you’re coming. His name is George.”

“That would be wonderful,” Kim said immediately.

Davis pulled his phone out of his pocket, then leaned back in the booth seat. “How about you give me your number?”

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