Chapter Thirty-Six
JULIETTE AWOKE EARLY Monday morning to Seeley’s harsh whispers.
“Jesus. No fucking way. Bring her here.” He was sitting on the edge of the bed talking on the phone, his body rigid.
She glanced at the clock, scooching closer to him. It wasn’t quite five. She put her hand on his back, rubbing gently. He looked at her, his face a mask of distress as he mouthed, Sorry .
She sat up, whispering, “It’s okay,” and kissed his shoulder.
“Yeah,” he said into the phone. “I’ll meet her at the clinic. Thanks, man.”
As he ended the call, she said, “Did something happen?”
“Some asshole’s dogs attacked his horse, and he dumped the horse in a field.” He pushed to his feet, pacing angrily as he navigated on his phone. “I’ve got to call the service and see who’s filling in for Hannah while she’s away.”
Juliette climbed out of bed. “I’ve got a few hours before Lucas has to be at the hospital for his treatment. I’ll help you.”
“They said the horse is a fucking mess, darlin’,” he said sharply. “You don’t need to see that. You should get some sleep.”
“ Excuse me?” She knew he was tired. They all were. They’d had a wonderful, low-key weekend, but they hadn’t slept well in weeks. It probably didn’t help that they still couldn’t keep their hands off each other, and they’d stayed up late last night making love. Although in a broader, more important sense, being intimate helped them both tremendously. They worked hard and worried twenty-four-seven. They were each other’s sounding boards and comfort zones, and sometimes, like now, as she reminded herself to use a kinder tone, they had to work harder to find that balance. But when they came together, everything else ceased to exist, and there was only the two of them and the love they shared.
“I’m a vet, Seeley. There’s nothing I haven’t seen.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I just… fuck . I’m sorry.” He scrubbed a hand down his face, looking at her apologetically. “I’m tired and edgy, and I was trying to protect you. But you’re right. You don’t need that kind of protecting.”
“It’s hard to turn off those protective instincts, isn’t it?”
“Harder than you know. Sorry, darlin’.” He pulled her into a hug. “I kept you up late last night, and I figured you’d want to rest.”
“And give up a chance to live out my teenage dream of working with you to save horses?” She smiled up at him. “No way, Whiskey.”
“No wonder I love you.” He kissed her, then smacked her butt. “Now, get your pretty little ass in gear. We’ve got to go. I’ll text Tiny, and we can leave a note for Lucas.”
They quickly dressed, and she pulled her hair up in a ponytail as they headed downstairs. They found Lucas standing at the kitchen island eating, with all three dogs sitting at his feet. He hadn’t eaten much dinner last night.
“You’re up early,” she said, eyeing his plate. “Are those pizza rolls ?”
“Yeah. I was hungry.” He held up his plate. “Want one?”
Seeley snagged one and popped it into his mouth. “Ugh.”
“More for me.” Lucas grinned. “Mom, do you want one?”
“No. Thanks,” Juliette said, and turned on the coffee maker. “I’m glad you found something you could eat.”
“They taste weird, but I woke up starving. Why are you guys up so early?”
“We’ve got a rescue coming in,” Seeley said.
“Can I help?” Lucas asked with wide-eyed hope.
Seeley looked at Juliette and arched a brow. “What do you think, babe?”
She remembered what he’d said about the horse being a mess.
“Please, Mom? I want to help. I won’t get in the way, and I’ll do whatever you say.”
“The horse is in bad shape,” she cautioned. “It was attacked by dogs.”
“I can handle it,” Lucas said confidently. “You’re both vets. It’s in my blood. Tell her, Doc. I’ve been fine with the rehab horses.” He’d been joining Seeley every morning and evening when he did rounds since Thanksgiving.
She had to smile at his in-his-blood comment. He’d definitely learned to use that to his advantage. She looked at Seeley, silently asking for his two cents.
He shrugged. “If it’s too much for him, he doesn’t have to stay.”
“Yeah. I can walk home,” Lucas said fervently.
Home. This really had become their home. “Okay. But dress warm.” It had snowed last night, and several inches blanketed the ground.
“Awesome. Thank you!” He shoved the last two pizza rolls in his mouth and put his plate in the dishwasher before running upstairs.
THE POOR MARE was in heart-wrenching shape. The dogs had viciously attacked her, shredding part of her leg and the flesh at her elbow and leaving multiple bite wounds on her body. She was in shock, but they managed to get her off the trailer and into the hospital, where they worked quickly to check her vitals, hang an IV bag, and give her pain relief and mild sedation, so they could begin the arduous and painful process of cleaning her up.
Tiny had been waiting at the clinic when they’d arrived. He stood by the horse’s head, petting her, quietly telling her she was safe and loved. The tortured emotions in his eyes and voice mirrored the ones Juliette was wrestling with.
“It’s like she doesn’t know we’re here,” Lucas said as Juliette and Seeley assessed her wounds.
“She’s in shock. When a horse is in a lot of pain, they turn everything inward,” Seeley explained. “It’s taking all her energy to fight through the pain and the fear.”
“Is that why she’s grinding her teeth so loud?” Lucas asked.
“Yes,” Juliette answered. “That’s how you know a horse is in severe physical and/or emotional pain.”
“Our girl’s been fightin’ for her life for who knows how long,” Tiny said.
“Is she going to make it?” Lucas asked.
“We hope so,” Juliette said.
“She’s a fighter. She’s not giving up,” Tiny said.
“Whose dogs were they?” Lucas asked. “How did that guy find her?”
“The dogs belonged to the bastard who owned her,” Seeley said. “And she was found by sheer luck. A neighbor had been on his way to pick up a horse for his daughter when he saw the guy’s truck and trailer pulling out of a dead-end dirt road that he knew led nowhere. On a hunch, he went down that road and found the horse.”
“Did he call the police?” Lucas asked. “They should arrest her owner and do something with the dogs so they don’t do it again.”
Seeley nodded. “He called the police and animal control. They’ll get their due.”
“The sad thing is, dogs aren’t vicious like this by nature,” Tiny said. “Whatever he did to those dogs was probably equally cruel as the things this girl’s endured.”
“I hate the guy who did this to her,” Lucas said angrily.
“Me too, buddy,” Seeley said. “But our girl needs to feel safe. She needs hope and love, so why don’t you go walk off that anger.”
“Come on, Rodeo,” Tiny said. “Let’s go check on the other horses.” He and Lucas took off the sterile gloves they’d worn to pet the horse and walked out together.
“Do you think this is too much for him?” Juliette asked.
“No. He cares a great deal, and he’s really good with the rehab horses. He connects with them, and he wants to know their stories, start to finish. He’s trying to understand the process, which is a good thing, and he’s connecting with the wounded horses. Falling for them the same way we do. But as the pieces are starting to fall into place, he’s realizing some people do horrible things, and he’s getting angry about it. That’s not a bad thing.”
“Like I did when I first came here,” she said, remembering the first time she’d seen Romeo, how quickly she’d fallen in love with him and how angry she’d been at the people who had neglected him.
“Exactly. It’s a whole different experience when you see a horse suffering and get to be part of its healing.”
They were flushing out and debriding the horse’s wounds when Lucas returned, and the horse was quaking from the pain.
“Tiny had to go take care of something. Can I pet her?” Lucas asked, reaching for gloves.
“Sure, honey,” Juliette said. “But steer clear from the wounds on her jaw.”
“You’re okay, girl. You’re doing great.” Lucas gently petted her, his voice soft and loving. “I know it hurts, and you’re scared, but you’re safe now. Nobody will ever hurt you again.”
Juliette and Seeley shared a knowing smile from opposite sides of the horse.
Over the next couple of hours, Lucas was a big help, supplying them with fresh cotton gauze to scrub the horse’s wounds with antiseptic, helping to refill the buckets, discarding trash, and whatever else they asked him to do, while telling the horse how brave and strong she was.
While they finished tending her wounds, Lucas went to prepare a clean stall and hang a hay net for her. “He’s pretty fucking amazing,” Seeley said.
“He is, isn’t he?”
“You’re amazing too, darlin’. I love working with you.”
“Me too. It’s even better than my teenage dreams.”
He leaned in and kissed her. “What would I have to do to convince you to come work with me instead of Jade?”
Her heart skipped. “Are you joking?”
“No. We make a good team. Our dreams might have been obliterated when we were teenagers. But every day, every minute, every damn second is a chance to restart those dreams, and I want that with you. What I want more than anything in this world is for Lucas to be healthy. Second to that is for the three of us to have the life we’d always hoped for. If you worked here, you’d have flexibility for whatever you and Lucas need, and there’s the added bonus of working with me every day.”
She laughed. “You’re serious?”
“Yes, darlin’. I’m serious.”
She got goose bumps.
“You don’t have to answer now. I know that beautiful brain of yours will pick it apart with what-ifs. What if we don’t work out? What if it’s too much togetherness? ”
“You’re not wrong,” she admitted.
“We have sixteen years to make up for. I have no qualms about this. We’ve been talking about bringing in someone permanently, and there’s no one I’d rather work with than you. But I don’t need an answer now. Take some time and think about it,” he said as Lucas walked back into the room.
“She’s all set,” Lucas said. “Can we stay here again this week, so we can spend time with her?”
Juliette was still processing all that Seeley had said. “ Um . That’s up to Seeley.”
“My house is your house,” Seeley said. “You never have to ask.”
“Awesome.” Lucas petted the horse. “What’s her name?”
“I don’t know that she’s ever had one,” Seeley said.
Lucas looked thoughtfully at the horse. “Can I name her?”
“Sure,” he said.
Juliette looked at the time and realized they had to get going to get ready for his treatment. “I’m really sorry, but Lucas and I need to get showered and get ready to go.”
“That’s okay. I’ll finish up here and bring Sasha and Tiny up to date, so they can watch her while we’re gone. I’m going to call the service and get someone in to handle the night shift, and then I’ll meet you at the hospital.” He looked at Lucas. “You were an incredible help, bud. Thank you. Do you want to think on her name for a while?”
“Nope. I want to name her Brave Heart.”
“Like the movie?” Seeley asked.
“No. Two words, because she has a brave heart.”
“I love that,” Juliette said.
“Me too.”
Lucas moved in front of the horse and said, “Welcome to the family, Brave Heart. You’ll never be alone again.”