6

 

Rori closed the gate and took care to latch it properly. She didn’t want these newcomers to escape. They were frightened enough without adding to their stress.

“There you go, lady. That takes care of the lot.” The animal hauler tugged off his gloves and slid them in his back pocket, doing a little two-step with his boots, one leg longer than the other.

“Thank you.”

“Thanks go to you and this animal sanctuary. It’d be a crying shame for these beauties to be destroyed.”

“Yeah. I know.” Four horses, all mangy and skittish, stood stiff and nervous, surveying their new home. Briars tangled their manes and scars speckled their flanks. Ribs protruded from gaunt bellies. Poor things. They may not look so beautiful now, but they would after she got them cleaned up and fed.

She sighed. Taking in these four would cost her dearly, though. She couldn’t handle any more animals, no matter their horrible circumstances, until she received more funding. She would not jeopardize the animals she was already responsible for.

“Well, you have a good day now, ya hear? God bless, and keep up the good work you’re doing here.” The old man turned and hobbled back to his truck. The engine roared, and dust flumed behind the trailer as it pulled away.

Do you hear that, God? Could you bless me with a way to take care of these precious animals? She was amazed at how quickly she turned to God these days.

Graham Decker.

What? The voice sounded like it came from behind her. She angled her head, looking over a shoulder. Nobody was there.

Graham.

She glanced over her shoulder again, just to be sure. She shook her head, speared the horses with one last look, and headed for the house. Her brain was playing tricks with her, that’s all. She missed catching a glimpse of Graham outside the window, Goliath trotting along beside him as he moved from one chore to the next. She longed for that sudden jolt of energy, of awareness, as she recognized the roar of his truck pulling into the parking lot. OK. So she missed him, the man. But missing him wouldn’t pay the bills or feed the animals. Enough already. If she could help every animal headed to the chopping block, she would. She’d opened her email inbox earlier to six grant rejections. It was time to get serious.

Graham Decker wasn’t the answer to her prayer for money.

 

****

 

“When do you come home?”

Rori’s sweet voice broke through Graham’s melancholy like sunshine blasting through steel gray clouds on a blustery winter day. She sounded like she sat next to him in the RV instead of hundreds of miles separating them by phone.

Graham stretched his legs on the couch and leaned his head back against the pillow he’d tucked against the wall. He’d told himself he wouldn’t call until practice was out of the way. It had made for a long day, waiting, anticipating. He should have just given in and called her during one of the breaks, but then their conversation might have been interrupted. He’d elected not to take that chance and hoped for a longer opportunity to talk.

“Is that your way of saying you miss me?” A smile curled his lips while tenderness for this woman settled in his heart.

Rori sputtered. “You’re putting words in my mouth.”

“Somebody has to do it.”

Silence on the other end.

“So maybe you didn’t miss me, but I’ll bet Jumbo did.”

Her laughter warmed his belly. “OK. I’ll admit it. Jumbo has been a bit on the sulky side. Nobody to spit at for a few days.”

Translation. She missed him.

That was a good thing because he literally ached to see her again. How could that be? He hadn’t known her that long to develop such a strong attraction.

“So what’s new at the sanctuary?” He changed the subject, fearing he was treading on weak ice.

“We’re the proud parents of four horses that would have been destroyed if we hadn’t volunteered to take them.”

We? He liked the sound of that.

She coughed. “I mean the sanctuary.”

He liked the first way better. “That’s awesome. What’s their story?”

“Abandonment.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah. Poor things. They’re so skinny.”

“They won’t be for long. You’ll take good care of them.”

“I plan to, but if I can’t—” her voice broke off, and after a second’s hesitation, she cleared her throat.

“If you can’t what, Rori?”

“I didn’t mean to bore you with my problems, Graham. How was your day?”

That was an abrupt change of subject. So what didn’t she want him to know? He sat up straight, the pillow falling behind his back. He tugged it out and tossed it on the other end of the couch. “You could never bore me with your problems, Rori. Especially not with the sanctuary. You’re doing such great work there.” Doubt clouded his thinking. Why hadn’t he written that check yet? He might have thought he was helping Rori out by volunteering…well, maybe he had other things on his mind, like getting to know her better, but what if she desperately needed the money?

Her silence told him he’d heard the end of that subject.

“Today was practice. We didn’t wreck any of our cars, so that was good.”

“Any of your cars?” She repeated then paused. “How many cars do you have?”

If he was a cursing man, he’d have cursed his choice of words. But he was never that kind of man, so instead, he prayed for the right ones. Words that encouraged, that didn’t defeat. Words that wouldn’t be a stumbling block to a relationship with this woman he was growing to admire more every day. “Three of us are racing this weekend.”

“Oh.”

What did ‘oh’ mean?

“So that makes three cars you didn’t wreck?”

“Yep. Not today.” No need to tell her they brought a backup car to every race. Not yet, anyway. She’d learn soon enough. That is, if he could ever convince her to come see him race. “There’s always tomorrow.”

“What happens tomorrow?”

“Qualifying.”

“So more chances to wreck the cars.”

“Well, there is that, but the goal is to get the fastest time without wrecking.”

“I hope you don’t.” Her voice came out small, as if on the wings of a prayer.

“Thank you, Rori. Sure I can’t talk you into coming this way?”

She laughed, but it was more of a nervous sound than from enjoyment. “You’re already out there.”

“I could get you here if you wanted to come.” He’d move heaven and earth—

“Thanks for asking, Graham, but I can’t right now. Not after taking in four new sweeties today.” Was that relief he heard in her voice? Or regret?

“I hear ya. Well, I guess I’ll see you Tuesday then.” Oy. How much it hurt to say that.

He waited for her to disconnect, feeling a lot like a love struck teenager. He swiped and tapped the cellphone screen a few times until Angela’s picture appeared, and then clicked the call icon.

“Hey, Graham. How was practice today?”

“Great. We survived another round. No casualties.”

“What’s up?”

“I need you to write a check.”