Chapter Twenty-Three – Mallory
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Mallory
I was fascinated by everything that happened on the ranch.
There were so many moving parts, and everyone seemed to have their own role.
I wanted to learn how everything worked so I could be knowledgeable when I worked for Liam.
I was beyond excited to start this new journey of my life, even with the looming reality that whoever kidnapped me was still walking free.
I trusted Randy and Jonathon, though, and I knew Liam would never allow anything to happen to me.
After my ride with Liam, I found myself in the stalls with Larson, learning how to muck them out and take care of the horses’ daily needs.
I also got to meet Brandon and Kara, two of the stable hands who only worked with the horses.
I loved the smell of the barn. The mixture of hay, leather, and horses was my new favorite scent.
While Larson taught me about horses and how to care for them, Liam and Billy reviewed the fall harvest plan.
After that meeting, he and Larson planned to discuss the upcoming breeding schedule, which was set to start in a couple of weeks.
The plan was to breed some of the mares with stallions they had here on the ranch, and with a few owned by other nearby ranchers.
Leaning on my rake to take a break, I asked Larson, “Why do you breed some of the horses with animals that aren’t from your own ranch?”
He stopped raking new hay into the stall and looked up with a wide smile on his face. Okay, I’d clearly found a subject Larson enjoyed.
“It’s all about why you’re breeding the horse. For instance, Spirit is from a line of championship barrel racers. We want to breed her with a horse who has a similar bloodline. Hopefully, her foal will also have the genes to make a great barrel racer someday—or even a better barrel racer.”
“Do you have rodeos here on the ranch?”
He laughed. “No. Horse breeding is…well, it’s like a side gig for Liam. He raises mainly quarter horses, but he also has a few thoroughbreds he’s bought and bred. As a matter of fact, he owns a colt right now named Jumping Joy, who’s a pretty good contender for the Triple Crown.”
“As in, the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes?”
His brows flew up. “You know your horse races.”
“My grandmother knew her horse races. She loved them and would watch them every year. We used to dream about attending the Kentucky Derby, all dressed up in fancy clothes and hats.”
Larson smiled. “Well, that dream may just come true for you, Mallory.”
I was certain my eyes nearly popped out of my head, and I could hardly contain my excitement at the idea of going to the Kentucky Derby.
“Let’s get this finished, and I’ll take you to the other barn and pasture.”
“Other barn?”
He winked. “The one where the expensive horses are kept.”
“Ooh!” I said with excitement as we got back to work.
##
Larson and I sat on the fence that overlooked a large pasture. It was dotted with beautiful horses—not that the quarter horses weren’t just as lovely, but there was something special about these animals.
“My goodness, they’re so gorgeous.”
“They are,” Larson said, beaming with pride. “That chestnut over there, that’s Jumping Joy. Liam’s pride and joy.”
“He’s stunning.”
“That he is. And that dapple rose gray over there, that’s Rose Ma Bella, named after her coloring. Liam and I think next year she’s going to be the horse to beat.”
“Really? I’d like to see that, since it seems like males dominate the sport.”
He nodded. “They do, simply because they have more speed and power, but Rose…she gives Jumping Joy a run for his money every single time. Give her a year, and she’ll be leaving him in the dust.”
“I’d love to watch when you train her. Or any of the horses, really.”
Larson grinned. “No problem. I’ll be sure to let you know next time we do a training session.”
The sound of a truck pulling up caused Larson and me to turn. I smiled when I saw it was Liam. When he got out of the truck, my heart did a little spin in my chest. He was so handsome, dressed in jeans, cowboy boots, and a black cowboy hat.
“You’re going to catch flies if you keep your mouth open like that, Mallory,” Larson whispered, laughing as he jumped down and offered his hand. I took it, laughing when I stumbled slightly after my not-so-gracious dismount.
“I see Larson has been showing you around,” Liam said as he walked up and kissed me soundly on the lips. My knees went weak for a moment, and I had to steady myself by grabbing hold of his arms. “What do you think of the horses?”
“Oh, Liam, they’re all so beautiful. The quarter horses and the thoroughbreds—all of them are stunning.”
He grinned and looked over my shoulder to the pasture. “The racehorses are more of a passion project for me and Larson.”
“I’ve learned so much about them today.”
“Good, I’m glad. I need to run into town to order some feed, feel like you might want to go?”
A part of me screamed no, but the other side that was dying to get out replied, “I’d love to go. Grass Range or Lewistown?”
“Lewistown. I thought maybe we could grab some lunch while we were there.”
“I’d love that.” Turning to Larson, I said, “Thank you so much for letting me tag along with you this morning. I appreciate it.”
He tipped his cowboy hat and replied, “Anytime, Mallory. Enjoy your lunch.”
“Thanks, Larson,” Liam said as he took my hand and we walked toward his truck.
“I think we need to get you a pair of cowboy boots if you’re going to be exploring the ranch like this.”
“Really?” I asked with a small leap of joy, then frowned. “I need to see about getting my ID now that I have my birth certificate. Thank goodness it was in all those boxes you had sent here.”
“I can ask Randy what we need to do to get that taken care of.”
As Liam held open the truck door and helped me in, his phone rang. He pulled it out and looked at me. “Speak of the devil.”
I tried to keep my breathing even as I waited in the truck while Liam walked around the front and got in.
Liam raised his brows. “Wow, you found that out. Do you have a name of the guy?”
I sat nervously in the truck, wondering what they had found out and who the guy they were talking about was.
Leaning up against the truck, Liam listened to whatever it was Randy said. “Okay, I’ll be sure and let you know if it rings a bell for her. Okay, thanks, Randy.”
He ended the call and looked at me. “They found a rental car that was returned to Billings about the time you disappeared. It left Chicago, and three days later was returned to Billings. The guy’s name on the rental contract was Donald Henly.”
Frowning, I repeated the name. “Donald Henly?”
“Yeah, does it sound familiar at all?”
I thought for a moment, then shook my head. “No, I’m sorry. It doesn’t ring a bell at all. I would have to have known him since he was in the picture of my going-away party at the restaurant.”
“Maybe he used a fake name.”
Chewing on my thumbnail, all I could do was nod. “Maybe. I don’t know if he feels so familiar because of seeing him at the deli and then in my hotel, or if I truly saw him before.”
He leaned over, put his hand behind my neck, drew me close, and kissed me. “Please don’t stress about it, Mallory. We’re going to figure this all out.”
I smiled the best I could to reassure him I wasn’t worried, but I was. Nothing seemed to make sense. We knew how I got to Montana, but who was this Donald guy, and why did he bring me here?
We decided to skip going into town and drove to Billy and MaryAnne’s house in silence.
I stared out the window of his truck and took in the vast rolling pastures that were dotted with cows.
I had fallen in love with both the ranch and with Liam…
and after our conversation about Donald, I felt a strange sensation inside of me, almost like a warning.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I refused to believe that this Donald guy and the man in the basement could harm me any more than he already had.
But the warning in my gut came with the sinking feeling that I was still in danger, and now I had dragged Liam and the rest of the guys into this mess, and it scared me.