Saddle Up(57)

Although Keith was able to get clearance for her to go inside, the invasive and humiliating body search was unavoidable. Miranda endured it with stoicism. For the next hour she remained inside the truck, while Keith oversaw the loading of twenty-some horses onto the trailer, a process that moved quickly and without incident.

“I’m sorry, Aiwattsi,” Keith apologized when he climbed back into the cab.

“It’s all right. You warned me how it would be.”

“Do you regret that you came?” he asked, glancing her way. He posed the question casually, but his shoulders were square and rigid.

“No,” she replied. She knew he referred to more than the prison experience. “I don’t. Are you sorry you brought me?”

“No, I’m not.” His shoulders eased, and his lips curved slightly at the corners, the first hint of a smile she’d seen all day. It was enough to break the remaining tension. “But I am sorry I’ve been bad company. I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

“It’s okay. I understand. Don’t feel you have to entertain me. How far is it to Rock Springs?” she asked.

“Less than five hours,” he replied, dropping his hat behind the seat.

“What happens after we drop them off?” Keith had told her the horses that had been handled by the inmates had already been shipped to adoption centers. She wondered about the fate of the mares they now transported.

“I’ll drive you back to Montana and then return here for another load.”

“Another one?”

He shook his head with a sigh. “I wish it was only one more.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mitch texted me early this morning, asking if I can trailer a load to Colorado and then another one to Arizona. I expected as much when I heard about this situation, but it’s still put me in a pissy mood.”

“Is that why you’ve been so aloof?”

“Yes. I really don’t like this situation.”

“Are you going to do it?” she asked.

“I have to,” he replied. “It sucks, but it’s my job.”

“How long do you think it will take to find places to put them all?”

“Weeks? Months?” He shrugged. “Who knows?”

“What about your horse?” she asked. “You never said what you’re going to do with the one you adopted. Where is he?”

“My cousin Tonya is looking after him, but it’s only temporary. As soon as we’ve settled the Gunnison horses, I’ll probably take him back to the BLM. He’ll never be adoptable, so I’m hoping he’ll find a permanent home on one of the long-term pastures.”

“And then what?” she asked.

“And then nothing. He’ll live out his life.”

“That sounds so…empty. Aren’t you even going to try to gentle him?”

“No. His needs will be met.”

“His physical needs,” she stated, once more vividly reminded of Keith.

“What else is there? He’s only a horse.”

“You don’t believe that any more than I do. Wasn’t it you who told me they have emotions? Doesn’t he deserve more from life?” She couldn’t believe he’d just give up on the creature like that. Once more his negative outlook had let her down.

“Maybe we all do, but that doesn’t mean we’ll get it.”

“Why are you so cynical?” she asked.

“I have good reason to be. Why does that horse matter so much to you?” he snapped.

“I don’t know. He just does. Why do I need a reason?”

He didn’t answer. Just stared at the road. She knew he was growing annoyed, but she pressed on. “What are your plans after all this?”

“I know nothing more about my future today than I did yesterday, Miranda. Nothing has changed.”

“But it doesn’t have to be that way,” she insisted. “You could change things if you really wanted to.”

“How?” he demanded. “I see no path forward, and I can’t go back. I’m stuck in this situation whether I like it or not.”

“No you aren’t. You just refuse to open your mind to new opportunities.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

She’d been chewing on the idea for hours and now saw her chance. “I’ve been talking to my grandmother about turning the ranch into a mustang sanctuary. She’s giving it serious thought and has already made inquiries with the BLM.”

“She told me. It’s a crazy notion, Miranda.”

“Why?”

“Because you know next to nothing about handling those horses.”

“Then we’ll have to hire someone who does. You said you were interested in ranch work—”

“I’m not going to work for you, Miranda.”

“Why not? It would be full time, and you wouldn’t have to travel anymore.”

“Because we’re lovers, that’s why not. Business and pleasure mix about as well as oil and water. It could only lead to trouble.”

“You’re being completely unreasonable,” she said. “The horses need a home, and Jo-Jo has twenty-six hundred acres of pasture that’s going to waste. She’d like to keep the ranch, and I’m willing to do whatever I can to make that happen, but I need help. You know these horses better than anyone except maybe the West family. Please tell me what I’m missing here.”