Barry had made miracles happen while we were gone, and there was enough room for all the new horses inside the stable. He’d moved—with Poppy’s help, apparently—Ursula and Izzy into one of the new corrals, and a couple of others had gone to the one next to them.
With that figured out, I could organize the newcomers exactly how I liked them. Barry had even made sure they were sort of contained in one part of the stable, in case there were health concerns.
There weren’t any, other than the usual stuff. Other than being skinny, dirty, and having neglected hooves, they seemed healthy. Seb took blood samples from them all, and promised to come back tomorrow night after his workday to give any potential medications they might need and deworm them with me. Then, after a few days or so, he’d come and vaccinate them. I could’ve done the deworming myself, but I let Seb have his hands-on approach since he’d been there to rescue these animals.
“Let’s swap the truck so we can head home,” Penny said, nodding toward the trailer.
“Right, that’s a good idea.” I was definitely starting to drag a little.
“We can drop Seb off on the way,” Poppy promised.
The sisters lived in a farmhouse in Seb’s neck of the woods.
After I’d backed the trailer into a more accessible spot and unhooked it from my truck, I frowned. “I should at least clean the trailer for you—”
“Nonsense. I’ll do that tomorrow,” Penny said firmly. “You’ve done enough for today, Theo.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Okay, if you say so.”
“I do. I’ll let you know about the favor at some point.” She grinned, bumped her fist against my shoulder, and left with her sister and Seb.
The ladies left next, but not before thanking Lake and me for letting them come help and to “witness the beginning of these horses’ new lives.”
Barry told us he’d make sure all the horses were fed and watered, and to go relax. Before I could tell him so, he gave me a pointed look. “I’ll call you if there’s a problem.”
Grinning sheepishly, I took Lake’s offered hand and let him tug me toward the house.
“I fed the dogs half an hour before you got here,” he said, squeezing my fingers. “Everything is settled for the night. There’s food and then I’m going to make you stay with me tonight.”
I glanced at him. “Oh?” I hadn’t slept in his room yet.
“Yeah. I am going to pamper you and then tuck you in.”
I moaned, I couldn’t help it. At his amused, loving gaze, I tugged him close and kissed him, then we continued on our way.
After freshening up a little and making sure my hands were as clean as they could be, I went to the kitchen.
River, Ben, and Rey were sitting around one table, about to finish their dinner. The other one was set up for two, with an actual lit candle in the center.
I chuckled, and the guys looked amused, too.
Lake pulled out a chair and stared at me pointedly. I smiled and shook my head as I went to sit.
“Thank you,” I said softly. I was starting to feel a bit moved and I didn’t want to show it too obviously. Was I feeling shy?
“So, there’s Cook’s chicken casserole and a salad. What do you want to drink?”
“Water would be great, thanks.” I eyed the casserole dish on the table and felt my mouth water. It was my favorite food. The salad looked good, too and I said as much.
“Thanks, I remember you saying you liked the watermelon in that salad I made a while back, so I put it in this one, too,” Rey said, appearing a bit shy but pleased.
“It all looks amazing, Rey.” I smiled at him. “Thank you so much for making it.”
“Hey, I could’ve made the casserole,” Lake protested as he carried a pitcher of water to the table.
“Or me,” River, who was getting up to collect their plates added.
“Definitely not me,” Ben said quietly, but he was smiling so I took that as a win. He was coming out of his shell around the rest of us and not just Lake.
