“What?” the other three asked in concern at her expression.
“Gus stole my horse, that’s a major offense in the state of Colorado. I went and got her back. Could I be arrested for stealing my own horse back from the thief?”
“No,” Jason said. “Even if they tried to arrest you, you’d be out on bail before the gavel even hit down. You were retrieving your property, and it clearly showed where Gus broke into your barn and walked Sally out.”
“Thank you.” She nodded and when there wasn’t anything else to say, Ilsa gathered her notes, and they stood to leave.
“I will contact you when I have more about yougiving your deposition. Rest assured, I will be present during it, since I am representing you.”
“Thank you.”
They left, and when Myrna turned around, she sobbed and laughed at the same time as she threw herself into Pedro’s outstretched arms.
CHAPTER 21
Three weeks later,Myrna was beside the track laughing along with Faith as they watched as Shay and Pedro were running, trying to get away from the two horses that were chasing them. After Cole had read Sally’s file and did some background checks, it turned out that Ball Buster and Sally were brother and sister. They had been separated when Sally was two, and Buster was only one. Because of their relationship, and how well Buster ran on the track, they had decided to see if Sally was the same way. They weren’t disappointed.
When it was time for the horses to race, Buster was serious and he watched the first two horses intently and with a critical eye. When it came to his turn to run, he flew over the track. His numbers were the same as Champ and Diablo’s, sometimes better. Off the track, he was a fun-loving animal that likedto steal things from the workers. They had learned not to take anything into the stall when he was inside. At first, when Cole suggested taking Sally over to introduce them, to see if they remembered each other, it seemed like they did. It didn’t take long before they both tried their antics with everyone. However, when they tried to take her onto the track, Buster tried to stop them. They were finally able to figure out that Buster wanted Sally beside him as they watched first Champ, then Diablo run.
It had been a shock when Buster had refused to run, but kept nudging Sally forward with his nose until Pedro had Faith take Sally out onto the track. Everyone stood transfixed once the gun went off, and the humans watching swore that Sally’s feet never hit the ground as she ran. Pedro had been so shocked that he had forgotten to stop the watch, and had Faith go again. When Buster had finally gone for his run, the people stood and watched in awe, shaking their heads. No one said a word as each person took a horse back to the barn. Pedro went to the office to write down the numbers, while Myrna, Shay, and Faith unsaddled, and rubbed the horses down. Once they were calm from their run, Pedro rejoined them and turned them out into the pasture. As they turned to leave, both Buster and Sally stole a pair of gloves from the men’s back pockets, and took off running with them in their mouths. They stopped and neighed as if to tell them to come get them. The mentook the challenge, and had been running around the pasture for the last twenty minutes, trying to get their gloves back.
At one point, Sally trotted over to the two women, Faith and Myrna, and dropped the gloves at their feet. Myrna recognized them as Pedro’s, picked them up, and held onto them. When Sally neighed, Buster immediately joined her in front of the women, and dropped the gloves he held.
“Bastard,” Pedro said jokingly as he climbed out of the pasture, and looked back at the horses that were eating the grass like they hadn’t just played catch away with the two men.
The four of them headed back to the barn, and when they went to Pedro’s office, he stood before the whiteboard with his hands on his hips.
“What’s up?” Myrna asked.
“Look at Sally’s numbers.” He nodded toward the board, and she whipped back at him with a look of shock.
“Are you kidding me?”
“Hey, Kid,” Pedro called out to Faith before answering Myrna. “How did it feel on Sally’s back?”
“Like I was flying. I don’t think her feet even hit the ground. Why?”
“Did you see her numbers?” he asked as he pointed to the board.
“Holy shit,” Faith said.
“Is that good?” Myrna asked.
“Yes, it’s actually excellent. She’s right up there with the first three.” Faith looked at Myrna. “Are you going to enter her in any races?”
“Me, why are you asking me?”
“Because you’re her owner.”
“Oh.” She didn’t know what to say to that. She knew she owned Sally, but it hadn’t actually registered that sheownedher. She reached up and scrubbed her forehead, then looked at the three other people in the office. “Can I think about it?”
“Yes,” Pedro said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. He leaned in and kissed the side of her head. “You won’t get any pressure from us, and you don’t have to, but I would recommend that if you have any questions, reach out to Cole.”
Before she could answer, a phone rang, and Pedro answered his cell. He listened, all the while staring at her, he hung up, closed his eyes, and released a breath.
“What’s wrong?” Myrna asked when she saw his expression.
Pedro turned to her fully and took her hands in his. “That was Ilsa, the District Attorney for the cases against everyone has scheduled a meeting.”
