He nodded as our gazes met before turning away and striding out over the yard.
‘What the hell are you doin’?’ yelled the guy with the stick, his expression darkening as I strode towards him. ‘Like I said, this ain’t your—’
‘Itismy fucking business, because I want to buy that horse, right now. But only if you back the fuck away from it with that pole. Touch that horse again, and it won’t be money I’ll be giving you. Believe me.’
The bemused smirk on the other man’s face turned dark as he fought against the horse, now throwing her head up in fear as I approached.
‘You? Want this piece of shit?’ he said, eyebrow raised.
I’d heard some of the prices thrown around in the sale ring, but even so, I had no idea what would swing it here or the implications of what I was doing.
‘I’ll give you five hundred dollars and you’ll hand her over right now,’ I demanded, coming to a stop in striking distance of the pole.
He grunted, shaking his head in disgust.
‘Who the fuck even are you—’
‘Five hundred,’ I repeated, cutting him off. ‘And your worst fucking nightmare, if you want me to be.’
Eyes narrowed, he glanced down at me, his gaze lingering on my face.
‘A thousand,’ he countered. Even though I knew he was full of shit, the relief that he was engaging with my offer was so overwhelming that tears almost welled again.
‘Seven fifty. Final offer.’
The other guy looked over at him, acknowledgement passing between them.
‘Fine. I want it in cash,’ he said, finally throwing the damn pole to the ground, the horse flinching as he did so. ‘We ain’t letting her go until we got it.’
My stomach dropped. I only had cards on me, no easy way of getting hold of cash.
‘Hestia?’
I turned to see Jesse and Bailey at the gate, Jesse registering my expression. Without hesitation, he hooked his leg up on the gate and vaulted over, striding right towards me. The urge to meet him in the middle was unbearable.
‘What the fuck?’ he said as he reached me, taking one look at my face, his hands on my shoulders for a moment. ‘What did they do?’
He turned to face them, his jaw hardening as he took in their stance, the horse pressed against the fence and the pole in the dirt.
‘Fucking assholes,’ he growled, starting towards them. I caught his hand, pulling him to a stop.
‘I need cash – seven hundred and fifty. I bought her, the horse. I have the money, I just need to get it from an ATM, or a bank.’ He looked back at me, stunned. ‘Please, Jesse. I need your help.’
Staring, his forehead creasing as his eyes flicked between mine, he took a breath and reached out with his spare hand, gently wiping my cheek. Then, without a word, he let go of my other hand and reached into his jeans pocket, pulling out a thick roll of notes.
Before I could say anything, he turned and walked over to the guy holding the horse’s head.
‘It’s five hundred,’ he said, holding up the cash. ‘Or, it’s five hundred and my fist in your face, followed by a call to the livestock board to report this shit. Your choice.’
The man shook his head, but handed over the horse’s reins as he snatched the money.
‘Congratulations,’ he spat. ‘You just bought the biggest pain-in-the-ass mule in the state. Looks like they’re made for each other.’
He gestured towards me with a flick of his head and I saw Jesse’s stance change, his fist curling and back tensing.
‘Jesse, you bring that poor girl here. I’ll help ya load up.’
I turned at the steel in Bailey’s voice. She was jogging across the dirt towards us, her forehead drawn into a grim line.
