Chapter 33 #2
“Corners get cut. And here’s the most concerning part,” I clicked on another flagged result.
“Forum discussions about their training timelines suggest they’re pushing young horses harder than industry standards recommend.
Multiple mentions of horses being started in competition earlier than most trainers would consider safe. ”
Nolan’s expression darkened as he absorbed the implications. “Those are two-year-olds they’re talkin’ about. That’s... that’s not right.”
“It’s not,” I agreed, feeling the familiar protective anger that always surfaced when I discovered people taking advantage of others, whether people or animals. “Someone should probably report this to the appropriate authorities.”
“You think so?” Nolan asked, considering a moment. “Actually, who would even handle something like this?”
I was already typing another request into Sherlock.
“Let’s find out. Equestrian sport governing bodies, animal welfare organizations, competition oversight.
..” The results populated quickly. “Okay, looks like the American Quarter Horse Association has a welfare committee, and there’s also the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s animal welfare guidelines. ”
“Can this thing actually help with filing a complaint?”
“Sure can,” I pulled up a new interface. “Sherlock can draft documentation with all the evidence it found, properly formatted for submission. All we’d need to do is review it and send it along.”
Nolan sat back in his chair, staring at my laptop screen with something approaching wonder. “In twenty minutes, you just uncovered what would have taken me... I don’t even know how long. If I’d even figured it out at all.”
“You know what this means, though?” I turned to face him directly. “You dodged a bullet. Your instincts were probably telling you something was off about their approach, even if you couldn’t put your finger on what.”
“I did feel like somethin’ wasn’t quite right during our conversations,” he admitted. “They seemed more focused on immediate results than long-term horse welfare.”
“Always trust that feeling first,” I nodded. “We went through something similar at Catalyst recently. Big company trying to acquire us, everything seemed legitimate on the surface, but something felt wrong. Sherlock helped us uncover industrial espionage, corporate theft, the whole nine yards.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously. Turned out they had a history of acquiring smaller studios and shutting them down in under a year. Sherlock helped us find the evidence. They were most likely going to steal our technology and gut my team. The FBI is involved now.” I gestured at the screen where Sherlock’s analysis of Thunder Ridge was still displayed.
“Point is, your instincts were protecting your horses and your reputation. You should listen to them.”
Nolan was quiet for a moment, processing both the near miss and the scope of what I’d just shared. “This tool of yours... it’s remarkable. What would somethin’ like this cost?”
“For you? Nothing,” I didn’t even hesitate. “Let me set you up with access. Think of it as a thank you for letting me crash in your office while we’re here.”
“Alex, I can’t—” Nolan started, but I held up a hand.
“I insist. Besides, I’m not done showing off yet,” I grinned and opened another application. “That was Sherlock. Want to see what it can do about organizing all this?” I gestured at his scattered papers and the leather-bound lineage book.
Nolan’s eyes lit up with excitement. “There’s more?”
“Sherlock really shines in problem-solving and systems building. What if I told you we could digitize those lineage records, cross-reference them with training data, and create a searchable database that would make client matching automatic?”
“That would change everything,” he said slowly. “I could actually track patterns, see which bloodlines perform best in different disciplines, identify the perfect matches for each client’s needs.”
“And it doesn’t just organize existing data; it spots patterns you might not have noticed and suggests improvements.
” I pulled up some examples from Catalyst’s project management system.
“See this? Sherlock built our entire game development pipeline, tracks character progression, identifies bottlenecks before they become problems. Your breeding program would be a perfect fit.”
Nolan leaned forward, studying the interface. “If Sherlock can do this for horse breeding records, what about guest services? Lou’s been struggling with booking optimization, trying to figure out which room assignments work best, and what activities guests actually want.”
“Now you’re thinking big picture,” I grinned, already closing my laptop. “Want to go show her? I bet we could solve her booking headaches in about ten minutes.”
The walk to guest services took us through the main lodge, past the restaurant where lunch prep was already underway and tourists lingered over coffee at window tables with views of the Tetons. Maggie trotted beside us like she owned the place, tail wagging happily.
We found Lou behind the guest services desk, surrounded by printed booking confirmations, her computer screen displaying what looked like a complex spreadsheet with too many highlighted cells. She glanced up when we approached, her expression shifting to mild wariness when she saw me.
“Hey Lou,” Nolan smiled. “Alex has something that might help with your booking optimization challenges.”
Lou’s eyebrows rose slightly. “Oh?”
“I know this might sound strange,” I began, opening my laptop again, “but I have some tools that are really good at pattern analysis and system optimization. Nolan mentioned you’ve been struggling with room assignments and activity scheduling, and I thought maybe we could take a look?”
“You want to help with our booking system?” I didn’t miss the slight emphasis on “our.”
“If you’re interested,” I smiled gently. “No strings attached, just one businesswoman offering to help another figure out a complicated logistics problem.”
Lou studied me, curiosity and caution flickering across her face. “What kind of tools?”
“Sherlock is specifically designed for system optimization and pattern recognition,” I explained, settling into the chair next to her, preparing for another demonstration.
“It can analyze booking data, identify trends you might not have noticed, suggest improvements to workflow efficiency. Want me to show you what I mean?”
“I suppose it couldn’t hurt to take a look,” her tone remained carefully neutral.
I angled my laptop so she could see the screen and pulled up Sherlock’s interface. “Can you walk me through what you’re dealing with? What makes the booking assignments so challenging?”
Lou gestured at her computer screen. “Room preferences versus availability, coordinating activity schedules with guest interests, trying to predict which amenities get used when. Some weeks everything flows perfectly, other weeks it’s chaos and I can’t figure out why.”
“Okay, that’s exactly the kind of pattern analysis Sherlock excels at.
” I began inputting parameters, my fingers moving quickly across the keyboard.
“If you’re comfortable sharing some booking data, Sherlock can identify correlations between guest demographics, room assignments, activity choices, even seasonal patterns that might not be obvious from looking at individual reservations. ”
“You can really do that?” Lou leaned forward slightly.
“Let me show you,” I replied, pulling up Sherlock’s analysis interface.
With her help, I uploaded guest data, activity preferences, and timing variables while Penny appeared at the edge of my peripheral vision, her coloring book tucked under one arm. She settled cross-legged on the floor near Maggie and pulled out her crayons.
“Okay, watch this,” I continued. “Sherlock is analyzing activity timing patterns based on guest demographics and preferences.” Sherlock began generating results almost immediately, colorful charts appearing on screen that mapped optimal scheduling windows.
“Oh my goodness,” Lou breathed, leaning closer to read the analysis. “It’s showing that families with young children prefer to book trail rides in mid-morning, but couples prefer late afternoon slots.”
“Right. And look at this,” I pointed to another correlation Sherlock had identified. “Spa services have higher satisfaction ratings when scheduled at least two hours after outdoor activities, and guests who book helicopter tours tend to skip afternoon ranch activities the same day.”
Lou’s eyes widened as she absorbed the implications. “This explains so much. The weeks that feel chaotic are when I’m trying to pack too much into single days or scheduling activities too close together.”
“And the weeks that flow smoothly?” I pulled up Sherlock’s successful pattern analysis.
“… Are when activities are naturally spaced according to these patterns,” Lou finished, staring at the screen in wonder. “I’ve been doing some of this intuitively, but I never realized there was such a clear system to it.”
“Your intuition was absolutely right,” I smiled. “You’ve been making smart decisions based on guest feedback and experience. Sherlock just helps you see the patterns more clearly and saves you time figuring out why some combinations work better than others.”
Lou nodded slowly, still studying the analysis. “This could streamline everything. Instead of spending hours trying to optimize each week’s schedule...”
“You could focus on the parts of hospitality that actually need your attention,” I finished. “That’s what we’ve found at Catalyst too. AI doesn’t replace expertise, it amplifies it. Lets you spend time on the things that matter most.”
“This is incredible, Alex. What would access to something like this cost?”
I was already shaking my head. “Nothing. Let me set you up with access to Sherlock for North Star’s business operations, same as I’m doing for Nolan. Consider it a business partnership, one company supporting another.”
Lou hesitated. “I couldn’t possibly—”
“Mommy,” Penny interrupted from the floor where she’d been coloring quietly, not looking up from her picture of what appeared to be a blue and teal unicorn this time. “If the computer helps you not work so much, we could go see the baby horses more often.”
Lou’s expression softened as she looked down at her daughter, then back at me with something that might have been the beginning of genuine warmth.
“When you put it like that,” Lou said quietly, “how can I say no?”
Setting up access for both Lou and Nolan took the better part of two hours, walking them through Sherlock’s investigative capabilities and optimization tools, creating secure login credentials, and explaining the basic interface navigation.
Lou caught on quickly, her questions becoming more sophisticated as she grasped the scope of what the AIs could accomplish.
Nolan seemed almost giddy with the possibilities, already planning how to digitize the lineage records and cross-reference bloodline data.
Penny had finished her picture and shyly approached my chair as I completed the final setup steps.
“Thank you for helping Mommy with the computer,” she said seriously, pushing her unicorn masterpiece toward me before wrapping her small arms around me in a quick, fierce hug and darting back to gather her coloring supplies.
“Thank you,” Lou said as I closed my laptop, the warmth in her voice unmistakable now. “This is going to change everything.”
“Genuinely my pleasure,” I nodded. “I’m just happy I could help.”
The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the property while Maggie trotted between Nolan and me as we walked back toward the main house so I could retrieve my things from the office.
“I don’t know how to thank you properly for what you just did,” Nolan smiled wistfully. “Lou’s been struggling with those scheduling challenges for months, and you solved it in twenty minutes.”
“It felt good to help,” I admitted, realizing how true it was. “Your whole family has been so welcoming, making room for Finn and me, letting me crash in your office, making space for my work needs. This was the least I could do.”
“Speaking of my prodigal son,” he smiled we approached the house, “you and Finn joining us for dinner tonight? Bridget’s making pot roast, and I’m sure Móraí would love to get to know you more.
She’s got a soft spot for self-made women and probably wants to know about your intentions towards her favorite grandchild. ”
I laughed, feeling better than I had in weeks, maybe months. “I’ll check, but I’m sure we’d love to.”
“Don’t worry, she likes you already,” Nolan winked. “Anyone who can make Finn smile the way he has been these past few days gets automatic approval.”
As if summoned by his name, Finn appeared around the corner of the main house, dusty from whatever work had occupied his day. His face lit up when he saw us, but his eyes immediately found mine with an intensity that made my stomach flutter.
“Perfect timing,” Nolan called out as he approached. “You need to hear what Alex just did for us.”
Finn’s attention shifted between us, taking in Nolan’s barely contained excitement and what was probably my slightly smug expression.
“Should I be worried?” He lifted an eyebrow, his hand finding the small of my back. Warm, possessive, grounding. I leaned into him.
“Your girlfriend just revolutionized our entire operation,” Nolan announced with obvious pride.
“Set up AI systems for both horse breeding records and guest services, helped Lou solve scheduling problems that have been driving her crazy for months, and oh, probably saved us from doing business with some questionable competitors.”
“Sherlock?” His lips hitched to the side, eyes sparkling. I felt his fingers spread wider against my back.
“Sherlock,” I confirmed, grinning.
“All in one afternoon?” The pride in his voice was unmistakable, and when I nodded, his free hand came up to cup my face briefly.
“I might have gotten a little carried away,” I lifted a shoulder, but Finn was already moving closer.
“That’s my girl. Using her beautiful brain to make the world better,” he murmured before leaning down to move his lips across mine. The kiss was longer than appropriate for present company and heated enough that I felt my cheeks warm.
When we broke apart, Nolan was grinning at both of us. “And that’s why Móraí already approves.”