Page 71 of Lorcan
Her husband, Will, was in perpetual panic. He’d lost his first wife to sepsis during a miscarriage and he was never two feet away from Avery unless he was at work leading horseback riders on the trails on their property. He intended to shut the business down over the winter to take care of the baby and his wife.
Seeing how independent Avery was, I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d chafe under the constant attention.
“I wonder if Will’s going to even allow you near the baby.” Denise grinned. She and Avery had the same blonde hair and blue eyes. They were also about the same age, although Denise had a son who was nearly ten years old. She had Adam when she’d been just a teenager herself.
“Why don’t we hang up coats?” Rainbow made her way into the great room from the kitchen.
The space was a waiting room during the day and the family room for Rainbow and Kennedy at night. Warm, inviting, and a soaring two-stories with massive windows on one side that faced the riding ring.
The four therapy horses were ensconced in the barn on this snowy day.
I might’ve visited them on my lunch hour.
Kennedy stepped into the hallway.
Tiffany stood by her side.
“Doggie!” Malika pointed with a huge grin on her face.
All the adults exchanged quick glances and, I was certain, tamped down our enthusiasm. Her excitement was a good sign.
Foster crouched.
I didn’t miss his knees cracking.
Lorcan’s sometimes did the same thing.
“Do you like doggies? We haven’t seen many.”
She nodded. “Yes, I like doggies.”
Slowly, Denise approached. “If you like, Tiffany can join us while we talk. Would you like that?”
Malika bit her lower lip. Slowly, she nodded.
Foster met my gaze and offered a small smile.
I gave him an even bigger one in return. I didn’t know his foster daughter’s story. The wordtragichad been whispered. Naturally, I hoped Denise could help the young girl. God knew, the child had lucked out with Foster and Arnav.
As he stood, Foster’s phone beeped. His expression changed. “That’s Arnav.”
“Tiffany, would you like to meet Malika?” Kennedy petted the dog on the head.
I’d have sworn the golden retriever smiled. Her presence on the ranch was truly a blessing, and I’d borrowed her on more than one occasion with patients who expressed interest.
“Sorry.” Foster stepped toward the kitchen. “Hey, what’s up? We’re at Healing Horses—” He stopped abruptly. “Yeah, Cody’s here.”
Instantly, I was upright and moving toward him.
He handed me his phone.
“Arnav? What’s up?” I wanted to demand what was wrong, but I didn’t want to panic anyone. Why he was calling Foster instead of me directly had me baffled, but now wasn’t the time.
“I’m about to go into an interrogation room down at the RCMP detachment.”
“Lorcan?” A guess. It might’ve been several of my clients…but I had a feeling in my gut.
“Yeah. He mentioned you.” He clicked his tongue. “Sort of likeI hope Cody doesn’t find out, but he’ll notice if I miss dinner. At that point, I suggested he let me call you. Look, I’ve got to go. I have no idea how long we’ll be here.”
