"We're just grabbing lunch."I could see the wheels turning in Ruby's head and wanted to put a stop to any ideas she might come up with before she even started.I'd been around Mustang Mountain long enough to know she thought of herself as a bit of a matchmaker.The last thing I wanted or needed was to have her set her sights on me.
"Mm-hmm."Ruby's gaze flicked back and forth between us.Then she focused on Lilah."How's the training schedule working out?Are you getting what you need from Dawson?"
Lilah winced slightly as she sat up straighter."Rio's solid.He's got a steady temperament and good instincts.I'm working him and Mesa and having success with both."
"Good.And the timeline?"
"I need at least two more weeks at a minimum.Three if I want to refine the routine for circuit standards."
Ruby dipped her chin."You know how to figure out what an animal can give you.That's not something you can fake, sugar."
Something changed in the way Lilah held herself.She sat up a little straighter, like Ruby’s compliment made her feel seen."I've worked enough bad horses to know the difference."
"I imagine you have."Ruby glanced at me, then back to Lilah."People who do the work usually find their footing.Even when the ground's unfamiliar."She patted the table."I'll leave you to it.Dawson, tell Slade I've got those permit forms he asked about.He can pick them up tomorrow at the merc."
Ashley called out that her order was ready.Ruby gave us one last smile before turning, collecting her takeout, and sweeping back out into the cold.
Lilah let out a slow exhale."She's something."
"She's the reason this town still exists."I set my mug down."She's the mayor's wife, runs the mercantile, and keeps track of everyone's business whether they want her to or not."
"When does she sleep?"
"I’m not sure she does."
Lilah smiled like I'd just shared a secret and damn if my heart didn't warm all the way through.I picked up my menu and stared at it without seeing a word.
I needed to stop whatever the hell I was doing before it got away from me.No good would come from trying to start something with Lilah.I was too old, too cranky, and too damn set in my ways.
Ashley stopped by and took our order.Silence filled the space between us as soon as she walked away.I wasn't good at small talk.Seemed like a waste of time and a waste of breath, but I was curious about what had brought Lilah to Mustang Mountain.
"Are you ready to tell me about that horse you lost?"I asked.
Lilah’s fingers tightened around her mug."Calla.She's tied up in a contract dispute."
"I figured that much."
She met my gaze and the hurt buried deep in the depths of her brown eyes made me sorry I'd asked.
"I've been working with her for six years.Built the whole partnership from scratch… trust, timing, all of it."Her jaw tightened and she looked down at her hands."The promoter who hired me claimed usage rights extended to ownership clauses buried in the contract."
"And you walked away?"
"I refused to ride under those terms.Their set up isn't safe, they've got outdated equipment, and they're willing to cut corners."She shrugged."So I left.Calla stayed."
My hands curled into fists under the table.She deserved better than that.So did the horse."Are you fighting it?"
"I've got a lawyer, but it's expensive and slow."Her voice stayed level, but I could tell how much losing that horse had cost her."I'm not naïve about how contracts work.I just didn't think someone would twist language so far."
I studied her face.She wasn't making excuses.Just accepting the hard truth of someone who'd made a choice and lived with the cost.Some folks lived their entire lives without learning how to do that.
"Ownership's complicated," I said."Especially when someone's willing to use the law as a weapon."
"Yeah."She picked up her coffee."It is."
“How about you?How did you end up running the ranch?”
I didn’t like talking about myself, so I kept my answer short.“Cancer took my mom and my dad passed a few months later from a broken heart.I’d been on the circuit riding broncs and came home to take over the ranch.”
