“I can’t thank you enough. I thought for sure I was a goner.” The paramedics had cleared her, and Holly sat in her office.
Mr. Gibson tipped his straw hat and waved off her appreciation. “It wasn’t like I could just let her choke you to death. Besides, I had a good feeling it was her. That girl came from a poor family from the wrong side of the tracks, and most of them have ended up serving time for one thing or another. It sounds like she was using Erin just as much as Erin was using her.”
“I guess so. I guess that also means I won’t be getting their big boarding fees anymore. I might still have to shut down the stable.” Her throat hurt, and it only made it worse to talk, but she needed to talk. This was all so much to process.
The farmer shook his head. “Don’t start thinking like that. Trust me. I’ve been farming for a long time, and I know there are some years that just make it seem like you’ll never be okay again. But it usually works out, some way or another. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, and I can tell you really care about this stable. Don’t give it up yet.”
A soft knock sounded on the doorway. Holly looked up to see a man in a business suit standing just outside her office. His graying hair was slicked back perfectly, and his green eyes were the same catlike shape as Erin’s. He cleared his throat. “Miss Bridges? I’d like to speak with you for a moment, if I could.”
Mr. Gibson studied the newcomer for a long moment before turning back to Holly. “I’ll be outside if you need me.” He stood and walked slowly from the barn.
“Mr. Bosworth, I presume?” Holly was in no mood to talk about legalities. If Erin’s father was determined to sue her, then so be it. “I can’t say that I’m in any shape to set a court date.”
“That’s exactly what I wanted to speak to you about. May I?” He gestured at the seat Mr. Gibson had just vacated.
Holly waved him into it, wishing McKenzie was there. She would know all the right things to say.
“I want to start off by apologizing to you. I was angry about my daughter’s death, and I wanted someone I could blame. Since the incident technically took place on the land you rent, I immediately drew up the paperwork to sue you.”
This was not at all what Holly had been expecting. “But?”
Mr. Bosworth sighed. “But, I know now what really happened, and I also know that I was being rash. It’s my own fault, really. I indulged Erin too much because I was always gone. Anything she asked for, I gave her. She grew to expect the same from other people, and that wasn’t fair. The bottom line is that I’m dropping the lawsuit.”
Holly breathed a sigh of relief, painful as it was. “Thank you. That’s very good to hear.” After everything else, this was the one thing that really did make her feel better. “I imagine you’ll be picking King up soon, then?”
He shook his head. “Actually, no. I don’t really like horses. That was Erin’s thing. I was wondering if you would like to keep him.”
“I really can’t afford to buy a horse like—”
“No, no. I’m not asking you to buy him. I’m giving him to you. I have no use for him, and he would only bring about bad memories for me.”
Holly doubted that Mr. Bosworth was ever so honest or generous in the courtroom. “But, you could get a high price for a horse like that. Wouldn’t you rather sell him?”
“Erin put you through enough. You deserve some sort of compensation, whether you sell him to fund your stable or keep him as a schooling horse. I’ll have a transfer of ownership drawn up right away.” He extended his hand across the desk.
Flabbergasted, Holly nodded and reached out to shake his hand. “Okay. Thank you.”
“It’s the least I can do. And I hope that if you ever find yourself needing an attorney, you think of me first.” Mr. Bosworth pulled a business card out of his pocket and laid it on the desk. “Have a good evening, Miss Bridges.”
Holly waited until he was gone before she left her office and stumbled down the aisle to King’s stall. The big horse was calmer than usual, nibbling his hay and watching her with a soft eye. “What do you think, big guy? Do you want to stay here?”
King raised his dark nose to the bars of his stall and whinnied softly.
“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking, too.”
THE END