Page 88 of Kage

I don’t know who was more surprised he obeyed my command, me or the dog. Tank whined, but sat down on his haunches, huffing when he did.

The horse snorted, tapping her hoof in the grass in response.

“Don’t worry,” the man said. “We have several dogs. She’s used to them.”

“Who the hell are you and what is that?” Kage was even gruffer than he’d been with anyone else. What was his beef about?

The poor guy looked as if Kage had punched him in the nose. I wanted to warn the man that might be coming next. With something in his hand, he dared take two tentative steps toward us, looking back and forth from Kage’s vicious eyes to my surprised ones.

“I asked you a damn question,” Kage continued.

“Kage,” I growled. “Let the man talk.”

“And what are you doing outside?” He snapped his head toward me.

My immediate reaction was to ball my fist, but I remembered just in time we had company. “Just getting some fresh air. Like I told you I was doing.”

The unknown horseman swallowed and I noticed his hand was shaking. Poor guy. I bet we’d now be talk of the town.

“Look, sorry to bother you folks, but I’ve been caring for Sadie for several months, the mare purchased not too long ago and I wanted to bring her by since she’s finally ready for her new home. I’m Tom Whittaker.”

“I didn’t order a goddamn horse.”

I couldn’t believe how angry Kage was.

“No, sir. This is a gift. I was told to give you this as well. Maybe whatever is inside will explain it.” Tom held out the envelope, but it was obvious he didn’t want to come any closer.

When Kage didn’t budge, I took two long strides forward and took it from the poor guy, offering the kindest smile I had.

“Sadie. Beautiful name,” I said as I shoved the envelope into Kage’s unwilling hand.

“She’s been through a lot,” Tom said.

“What’s wrong with her?”

He scratched his head. “Let’s just say there are some pretty bad people out there, miss.”

“Someone did that to her on purpose?” I was horrified.

“‘Fraid so. Lucky she’s still alive. I’ve been working with her for a few months. At first, she wouldn’t eat, totally shut down. But it’s amazing what love and care can do for a horse’s spirit. Any animal, really.” He was still leery about what he’d gotten himself into.

“Like I said, I didn’t buy a horse.” Kage was insistent, not bothering to open the envelope.

“No, sir. Your uncle bought her from me a couple months back. I’m sorry about your loss, son. It’s funny though because it was like Henry knew he was about to die. He wanted to make certain Sadie went to a good home. Henry told me he built a barn special and had a corral built.That should do fine. He also said he had faith that you’d know how to care for her.”

Kage was obviously taken aback, but at least he’d stopped growling. He even decided to take a step closer to the horse then stopped. A flash of pain on his face almost instantly faded. “My uncle thought wrong. I can’t take care of a horse. I don’t have any feed or anything.”

“Oh, I figured you might not,” Tom said quickly. “I brought several bales of hay and the saddle and blanket I’ve been using on her. As you might imagine, being ridden again took a lot of time. Plus, I have some special food full of nutrients since she’s still healing. More mentally and emotionally, mind you, but it’ll get you started. Plus, I scribbled my number on the envelope in case you need any help.”

“Can I… touch her?” I asked.

“Of course,” Tom said, finally smiling. “I think she already likes you.”

“I don’t think I can keep this horse,” Kage insisted.

I threw him a hateful look before walking toward Sadie, making certain my steps were deliberate. As soon as I touched Sadie’s beautiful face, I felt a calm that I hadn’t experienced in a long time. The horse immediately made a sound that seemed so much like she knew I cared about her. Maybe I was crazy.

Tank sauntered over at that point and Sadie lowered her head until the two were nose to nose. All Tank did was swish his tail back and forth.

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