Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
“Erin,” Duane said from the doorway to her office and didn’t enter until she looked up to acknowledge him.
“Duane, how are you?”
“Good. I still can’t thank you enough for hiring me months ago. I think I’ve settled into a nice pattern here.”
“Well, since I haven’t had any complaints, I like to think that too. What’s up?”
“I know you’re busy, but according to my notes, someone by the name of Laurie Gibson is due to arrive sometime today.”
“You did a background check, right?”
“I did, and she passed the criminal report.”
“Refresh my memory.”
“Laurie Gibson, forty-seven, business owner, divorced, brutally attacked by her ex, not sure of the reason why, but he took a baseball bat to her knee and pushed her down the stairs in her own home.”
“That’s right, and her doctors are saying there’s nothing more they can do, so he recommended horse therapy.”
“Correct. If her flight was on time, she should have landed in Denver about thirty minutes ago.”
“Do we have to pick her up?”
“No, she is renting a car and driving.”
“Okay, then be on the lookout for her. I’m thinking about two hours from now, possibly three.”
“Why that long?”
“If she’s walking with a cane and brace, she’s not walking very fast. I don’t know whether she’s in a chair or not, but by the time she gets to baggage claim, picks up the rental, possibly stopping for lunch, about three hours.”
“Got it, I’ll be around Erin’s Way then. I believe that Julie and Tom are out discussing Riceman Stallions, I want to see what that’s all about. Call if you need anything. Oh, and do you want me to bring her to you when she arrives?”
“Please,” Erin said, and watched the older man walk away. Since Duane started here permanently it seemed to make her life easier. She went back to recording the checks she’d received in the mail that day, and knew that the next day, Friday, Duane would take the week’s haul to the bank. She kept her head down until he returned with their guest.
Laurie sighed heavily as she sat in the seat behind the wheel and laid her head on the rest. She swore the airport literally stretched out longer as she walked from her gate to baggage claim. When she’d arrived only her bag and one other one had been left, then there was a long wait at the rental counter. She was exhausted, as well as starving, but knew she had a good hour-long drive ahead of her. Before she started the car, she dug her phone out of her purse, along with a small notebook and quickly made a call.
“Manchester,” came a strong, male voice that had Laurie shivering and dancing in her seat. “Hello?”
“Oh, hi, sorry. This is Laurie Gibson and I’m just calling the number I was given to tell you that I might be later than I thought.”
“Oh, hi. Flight delays?”
“No, I’m in Denver. I’m actually sitting in my rental car. I’m about to give you too much information, but I’m a nervous flyer, and I didn’t eat this morning. I find myself on solid ground and starving. I’m going to stop for a bite to eat, then I’ll be there.”
“That’s fine, thank you for letting me know. When you get here, I’ll be the one you’re meeting, then I can take you in to see Erin.”
“Is that Erin Riceman?”
“Yes, and take your time.”
“Thank you, Mr. Manchester. I’ll see you soon.” She hung up and did another little dance in her seat. It had been decades since she’d thought of a man as sexy. Because of how Peter had treated her for the entirety of their marriage, she’d shut off the sex part of her life. For some reason, listening to Mr. Manchester’s voice turned her on. She looked at the ceiling of the car, and whispered, “Please be around my age and not someone around Lorissa’s age, or Mom’s.” She giggled, shook her head, and started the car. She waited until she was on the right road on the outskirts of Denver before she pulled over at a restaurant. An hour later, full and satisfied with the service, she headed south and enjoyed the music and the scenery. With each mile she drove, she felt the tension leave her neck, shoulders, and the boulder on her chest seemed to lift. She couldn’t wait to get to her destination to see what life might have in store for her. She was only there for a three-day weekend to see if she wanted to use horse rehabilitation to help her be more mobile with her bum knee.
Two hours later Laurie slowed down to turn into the entrance to a driveway her GPS told her to turn at. She scowled when she drove beneath a sign that said she was entering Erin’s Way, thinking she’d made the wrong turn. Because there was no way to turn around, she continued forward and as she rounded a bend she slowed down to a crawl as she took in the sprawling barns, the horses in the fields, and the sheer beauty of her surroundings. She was going so slow and gawking at everything, she almost hit someone and had to slam on her brakes.
She looked up and felt her mouth hit her lap at the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on stood there looking at her with his hands on his hips. She didn’t know if it was his stance, his handsome face, the wide chest, broad shoulders, or the gun on this guy’s hip that impressed her the most. She gave herself a shake, closed her mouth and parked where he pointed to. After she shut off the rental car, she opened the door and looked up at him. “I’m so sorry I didn’t see you there.”
“Impressive, huh?” Duane asked as he swept his arm wide to show their surroundings.
“Very,” Laurie said, and reached for her cane. She answered with him in mind, not their surroundings. To save face, she turned away and reached in for her cane. She used that and the door to stand, then take a couple of steps away to close the car door.
“Hi, I’m Laurie Gibson.” She stuck out her hand for him to shake and when he did, she looked at him in shock at the zing that went up her arm on contact. She hoped it affected him because his grip tightened slightly, and his eyes flared. To break the rising tension, she gave a small chuckle. “I thought I was in the wrong place, the GPS told me where to turn, but the sign out at the road said ‘Erin’s Way’.”
“Yeah, it’s a little confusing, but I’m here to show you around. I’m Duane Manchester, by the way.” During the entire exchange, they still held the other’s hand, but slowly dropped them. Duane stood back and held his arm out in a grand gesture. “Erin would like to meet you before I take you over to Broken.”
“Broken?”
“That’s what we call it. Officially, it’s The Broken Wheel Ranch, but it’s easier and faster to just say Broken.”
“That sounds nice.” She liked the fact that he slowed his gait to match hers, and when they reached the back door, he did the gentlemanly thing and held the door open for her. They walked down a hall and directly into a kitchen where Laurie saw a woman about her daughter’s age there.
“Hi, are you Laurie?”
“I am.”
“I’m Julie Truman, Erin’s assistant. I’m here to refill our drinks, would you like something? I have coffee, hot and cold tea, and lemonade.”
“An iced tea would be great, thanks.”
“I’ll bring it in, Duane, Erin said to bring Laurie back.”
“This way,” Duane said as he held his arm out again, and then told her which room to enter. Duane rapped his knuckles on the doorjamb and the woman with her head bent looked up, then grinned as she jumped to her feet and came around the desk. She held out her left hand to shake, and Laurie was so shocked she was missing her right hand, she automatically shook the one offered. Just then Julie entered carrying a tray, and Duane helped her and that was when Laurie noticed Julie wore a prosthetic. She sat down in shock.
Erin didn’t say anything until she returned to her seat, and picked up a cup of coffee. With it cradled in her hand and close to her chest, she looked at Laurie.
“I’ll get right to the point, Laurie, but I’ll also be brief. I lost my hand in the accident that took my parents. I have a brother, but he was deployed with his military unit. Because of his military career, I inherited everything. Instead of sitting around feeling sorry for myself because I lost my hand, I decided to do something about it. I don’t feel as if I have a disability, I have a challenge. Over the years, it’s been five or six now, I made improvements around here.” She paused to sip her coffee, and Laurie looked at Duane, who had taken a seat beside her, then back at Erin. She didn’t know whether she was supposed to say anything or not, so she remained silent.
“One day, I had a thought. I love horses, and thought what about the horses that are treated badly, who will stick up for them? Erin’s Way is a stallion, or a stud farm. That’s all we did. I reached out to several people and it turned out that I was able to obtain some abused horses, ones that had been left to starve, or sent to slaughter. It took some time, but with the right people in place, I was able to start The Broken Wheel Ranch. It is not a requirement, but every employee on Broken are former military and have a challenge. Not a disability.”
“Not Naomi,” Julie said with a laugh. “It’s complicated and if you decide to return after this weekend for your rehabilitation, then we can tell you our stories. I served in the Navy, I was my ship’s communication officer. We were attacked by pirates, and in the explosion, I was trapped, and ended up losing my lower leg.”
“Oh, wow.”
“Yes, see I started Broken first and foremost for the horses, then I thought about what if there were some people out there that needed someone to help them too. Because I wanted to turn Broken into a rehabilitation center for people like you, or kids, or anyone who wanted to try horse therapy, I wanted to employ people who also had challenges.”
“Is that so any client you had wouldn’t feel like they would be mocked or be talked down to by someone who wasn’t challenged?”
“Exactly. I’m more than ready to take clients, however, I’m in the process of having bunktels built for said clients to stay in. Otherwise they’d have to go into Fool’s Gold or Colorado Springs to get a hotel room. Part of the fee for our services will include staying right here on the ranch. For you, I have a four-bedroom cabin that you can stay in since it’s only for the weekend. I’ll have Duane take you over to Broken, and introduce you to everyone. They will explain the entire process for you, and tonight, we’ll have a BBQ for dinner so you can get to know everyone, and ask any questions you might have. I’m going to apologize to you right now, though.”
“Why?”
Erin grinned as she put her cup down, looked at Julie then Duane, and the three of them put their fingers to their temples and moved their hands away from their heads in the ‘mind blown’ gesture. “What you’re about to see will blow your mind. I know you’re only here for three days, but you’ll get the idea of what you will go through if you decide to return to use horse therapy.”
“How long do you think it will take before it works, or I see any improvement?”
“I can’t answer that.” Erin looked at her and shrugged, then shook her head. “I didn’t say that to be mean, I said it because it will totally depend on you. You will be working with and riding a horse every day you are here. Even on the weekends. If you come in with the mindset that this will work, and you will improve, then it will go faster than if you come in with the attitude that nothing will help you.”
“Mind over matter.”
“Correct. I don’t have a doctor or physical therapist on the payroll yet, but once I do, I think if you work with them, then you’ll know your progress. Can you tell me why you reached out to The Broken Wheel Ranch for your rehabilitation?”
“My doctor recommended it. He was honest and said he had no clue what it meant, and he didn’t mention any names, but he said that a friend of a friend of a friend told him about it. He had to look you up on the web to give me the website.” She paused when Erin looked at Julie in shock.
“Can we have fliers made up to give to doctor offices?”
“I’ll put it on the list and look into it.” Julie nodded as she jotted it down, then looked at Laurie with a frown. “Where are you from?”
“The East Coast, not the city, but the state of New York.”
Everyone nodded, then Erin asked quietly. “Do you want to tell us how you became injured?”
“I do, however, can I wait until the BBQ tonight when I’m getting to know everyone? I’m not being difficult, but it’s a complicated tale and I don’t want to keep repeating myself.”
“I totally understand that, and I agree. Can you at least tell us what you do for a living?”
“I’m a financial investor. People from all walks of life, the CEOs of gigantic companies to the little old grandmother come to me wanting financial planning and how to make good investments on their money. I own the company, Gibson Associates. My daughter, mother, and I are the major shareholders.”
“How old is your daughter?” Duane asked in shock.
Laurie turned to him with a smile. “Twenty-six.”
“You are not old enough to have a child that old,” he said in shock.
Laurie couldn’t help it, she laughed and laid her hand on his forearm. “Thank you, but I will be forty-seven on my next birthday. I had her when I was twenty-one.”
“And your husband?” he asked, and everyone saw her change immediately.
“Is not in the picture. He is a low life scum that needs to be wiped from the face of the earth.”
“Wow, so tell us how you really feel,” Erin joked to break the sudden tension.
“I’m sorry, but my ex-husband is the one that did this to my knee. I’ll explain it all tonight. Let me just say it’s an ongoing case and the FBI are even involved.”
“Holy shit,” Duane said, and stared at her in shock. “I worked for the FBI for twenty-five years before I retired four months ago. Is it a white-collar crime?”
“Yes.” Laurie opened her purse and pulled out a business card. “This is the person working on the case.” Their fingers touched when he took the card, and they both jerked, and didn’t see Erin and Julie exchange smirks as they watched the two of them interact. Erin cleared her throat several times to get their attention.
“I’ll have Duane take you over to Broken now to introduce you to everyone. I just need you to keep an open mind.”
“About?”
Erin held up her stump, and pointed to Julie. “As I told you earlier, I do not believe in calling what we have a disability. I strongly believe we have challenges. The women of Broken are former military, and all have challenges. Some you can see on the outside, some you can’t.”
“Okay, thanks for the heads up. Though I don’t judge people after first meeting them, I will keep it in mind.” She stood and waited for Duane to lead the way, then she climbed into her car to follow Duane, when he told her to stop beside his truck when he did, she was confused, but did as he said.