“What noise?”
“You didn’t hear Horse crying while I was gone? When I got home there was a deputy sheriff at my house and he said a neighbor called in about the noise?”
“Wasn’t me,” he said. “Didn’t have my hearing aids in yesterday. Only put them in today because my nephew is coming around. He’ll like this cake. Don’t hear much when I don’t have my hearing aids in. Good thing too or I’d never get any sleep, apparently.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
He took a bite of the cake. He ate several bites and she realized she was on tenterhooks, waiting to hear what he thought.
What was wrong with her? What did it matter if he liked it or not?
“This is good, girlie.”
“Thank you. What do you mean you wouldn’t get any sleep?”
“Oh, Val used to say that she could hear stuff at all times of night. Kept her awake. Hope you sleep deep.”
What were the noises?
“Was the deputy that idiot, Wane or Dane or what’s his name?”
“Zane,” she said.
He grunted. “That’s him. Idiot. Don’t know why Jake took him on.” He reached down and patted Horse’s head. “You can leave him with me when you go out. Seems like he’d be good protection.”
“I guess he would be. It’s pretty safe around here, though, right?” she asked.
“Ain’t nowhere that’s fully safe,” he replied. “The sheriff and his deputies try. But they can’t be everywhere at once.”
She guessed that was true. “If I get stuck that would be great if Horse could come over and stay with you. Although he’s not mine. I have to find his owners. I found him on the side of the road.” Horse came over and put his head on her lap.
“Seems like he’s pretty happy with you, girlie,” he replied.
After they finished their cake, she headed back to her place.
“Weird about those noises, huh, Horse?”
Horse let out a small chuff.
“I haven’t heard anything, have you?”
Horse chuffed again.
“Exactly. It’s a quiet, peaceful town. And other than the overly bossy men, it’s going to be a great place to live.”
12
Things were not great.
Stepping back from her cake, she turned off her recording equipment and stretched. Her back was killing her.
“My back is killing me, Horse. I need a proper bed.”
He let out a small woof that she took as sympathy.
She wished she’d been able to afford the custom furniture that one of the locals made, but her savings were depleted from the move here. She’d head into Freestown and see what she could find
Scrolling through her last few videos, she frowned as she saw several people had added negative comments. The weird thing was the comments all sounded similar.
