“You missed breakfast,” Mom said, and then did a double take at Brady, who extended a hand to Tanya and helped her down.
Brady returned his arm to around her shoulders, and Tanya wanted to close her eyes, shut out the world, and bask in the comfort as they awaited the vet’s arrival. If she could do that without crying again, she’d consider it a win. She supposed she had to experience mushy emotions here and there, but why didn’t they ever hit at a convenient time?
“Had to see a guy about a horse,” she said to Mom. True. Sort of. No reason to delay the inevitable, so she broke free of Brady’s grasp and rounded the horse trailer. Metal screeched against metal as she swung open the door.
Dark eyes that held very little life greeted her, but there, way down deep, was a flicker. Tanya planned on taking hold of that spark and pouring love and affection on the mare until she was healthy, happy, and fat as could be.
Brady helped her assist the injured horse out of the trailer. It wasn’t like the mare could run, and Tanya didn’t want to move her far, so they guided her to a patch of grass where she could rest and munch.
Several of the guests at the dude ranch had come out to see what the ruckus was about, including Eric. He cautiously approached, the expression on his face portraying he was as appalled by the animal abuse as Tanya. “Is there anything I can do?”
“We don’t want to spook her, so just stay back,” Brady said a bit harshly as he waved him and the other guests away. A fair point, although he could at least pretend to be cordial. She supposed after this morning’s hectic venture, a discussion on proper manners could wait.
The screen door opened, and Pops pounded down the steps. “Where is everybody? We’ve got a lot to get done today, and we’re already a half hour behind.” The commotion drew his attention, and he charged over, already in one of his moods.
Tanya winced but kept her poker face in place as Pops glanced from her to the horse to her again. “What in the Sam Hill is going on?”
“I got a call about an emaciated horse that was stuck in a fence and needed to be rescued,” Tanya said. “Doc Mullens is on his way to check her out now.”
Pops ran a hand through his thinning hair, his lips parting with a lecture, no doubt.
“I’ll pay for it,” Tanya said through gritted teeth. “I’ll handle everything, I promise.”
Pops sighed, nice and loud so everyone in the vicinity could hear. “I thought you were gonna stop making impulsive decisions. We can’t afford to take in every hurt animal in the county. When are you going to learn to think things through?”
The frustration that’d been simmering under the surface rushed forward, bringing years of repression along for the ride. She had thought things through. Which was why she’d called Brady for backup.
“Pops, this is different than dyeing my hair or challenging strangers to race for money.” She’d lost a couple hundred dollars she didn’t have that way, but she’d also been seventeen at the time. And sure, she’d made other errors in judgment, enough so he could probably stand there and list them off until her past mistakes crushed her. But this was different, and it killed her that he didn’t see that. “I heard a horse was in trouble, and I acted. Sometimes you have to make an executive decision.”
“You’re hardly an executive.” His loud voice carried over their audience and across to her, where it struck her square in the chest.
“Yeah, because you treat me like a child,” she snapped, speaking words she’d only thought before.
“Listen here—” Pops started, but Mom stepped between them.
Finally. It was about seven years too late, but Mom was actually going to intervene. “That’s enough.” It was as stern as Tanya had ever heard her mother talk to her father, and by some miracle, Pops listened. Then she turned her scowl on Tanya. “Both of you.”
Okay, so she was in hot water, too, and maybe even deserved to be. Still it’d felt good to get that out.
The sound of an engine cut through the tension hanging in the air, and Tanya caught sight of the shiny grill of Doc Mullens’s truck. She dropped down next to the injured horse, putting her energy into keeping the mare calm. Then she looked to Brady, not caring that it made her a bit of a hypocrite to criticize him for his lack of tact with their audience and implore him to use it on them minutes later.
Without her having to speak her wishes aloud, he understood. In a low yet firm voice, Brady asked everyone to head to their cabins so the vet would have plenty of room to work.
While Doc Mullens and Brady hooked a horse sled up to a four-wheeler, Tanya quickly cleaned a stall. Once the guys delivered the mare to the stables, she helped them get the horse off the sled and settled in her new quarters.
Doc Mullens immediately started an IV, and as he doctored the cuts, Tanya lightly brushed the horse’s coat, removing the tangles of hair she’d shed due to lack of food.
“You need a name, don’t you, baby,” Tanya said. “A brand-new start.”
The horse weakly nickered and turned her nose to Tanya’s cheek. There were certain animals she’d instantly clicked with, and right then and there, that connection snapped into place. Just like that, Tanya’s heart nearly burst.
Names flitted through her mind, but none of them seemed to fit.
Shiloh, Banjo, Arizona…
That last one wasn’t quite right, but it led her to the perfect name. “How about Phoenix? It’s a mythological bird that goes through fire, regenerates, and rises again. How do you like that?”
The horse rested her head on Tanya’s lap and loudly exhaled, which incontestably meant she was happy with the new moniker. Tanya’s neck prickled with awareness, and she glanced up to see Brady grinning down at her. “Go ahead and tease me about being a softie if you must, but this horse is my new baby.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Brady said, although the quirk of his lips said otherwise. The type of tenderness he didn’t normally show came along for the ride, and that made it safer for her to go all-in on the horsey cuddling.
After Doc Mullens had finished his ministrations, Brady extended a hand and helped Tanya to her feet. The doctor told her to start with grass hay and move up to grain and then alfalfa. He gave them directions for the bandages, topical ointment, and how often to change out the IV bag.
With that, the doctor wished them a good day, and then it was just her, Brady, Phoenix, and the rest of the horses.
Exhaustion set in as the impact of everything that’d happened—not just rescuing the horse but also with her father—hit Tanya. As nice as crawling back in bed sounded, she was already behind on her day and wouldn’t get a chance to flop onto her mattress until late tonight.