“Do you need to go outside?” I rasped out the question to my dog, and he barked in response. I cringed at the high-pitched sound but pushed him off me and slowly rolled out of bed.
WhatIneeded was a bottle of ibuprofen and a tall glass of water, but Pancho had the audacity to play games and wouldn’t follow me out to the living room.
“Come on, then. Out,” I commanded, and he woofed happily before leaping off the bed and prancing out the bedroom door.
The harsh sunlight filtering through the windows had me squinting, still groggy from sleep and very much hungover.
While the dog was outside doing his business, I poured myself a glass of water, swallowing down a couple of pain pills for the headache.
I had let Pancho back inside—he immediately ran back into the bedroom—and settled down on the couch when my phone started ringing.
I looked at the time. Seven thirty.
Who would be calling me at this hour?
My brows pinched together as I answered the call, croaking out a, “Hello?”
“Hello, is this Sierra Bayley?” a masculine voice asked from the other end.
“This is she.” I suppressed a yawn.
“Hi, this is Deputy Grey with the Gulch County Sheriff’s Department. I’m calling in regard to the fire investigation conducted a month ago. From our findings, we determined the fire as an accident, most likely due to the negligence of someone attending the rodeo. Unfortunately, with the damage done to the trailer and what evidence was left, we were unable to track down who it was. But the good news is that we don’t need your vehicle anymore, so you’re free to come pick it up at any time.”
“Okay, thank you, Deputy Grey. I’ll be over in Goldfinch later today or tomorrow to pick it up.” I hung up the phone, taking a deep breath.
As much as I wanted to be relieved that I’d have my pickup back again, I wasn’t. My trailer was still gone, and since they weren’t able to track down whoever threw the cigarette, I’d have to cover most of the costs of buying a new one myself. Horse trailers weren’t cheap, especially in this economy.
“Who was that?” Hayden stepped out of his bedroom,walking into the living room where I was sitting on the couch.
“A deputy from GCSO.”
He took a seat next to me. “Good news or bad news?”
I shrugged. “Both, I guess. The good news is they told me I can come get my vehicle, but the bad news is that they’re sure the fire was accidental, and they’re unable to track down whoever threw the cigarette. I’ll have to buy a new trailer on my own.”
“Damn.” Hayden pouted. “I don’t know, Skip. I find it hard to believe someone would be that careless around horses. Who just throws a cigarette butt into the window of a horse trailer?”
“I don’t know, but it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
It wasn’t fine, but it was my problem to deal with.
Changing the subject, I asked, “Do you think you’d be able to drive me? To Goldfinch, that is.”
“Of course. When are you wanting to go?”
“Today, if that’s okay. Or we can go tomorrow. I don’t want to throw off your schedule if you have something planned.”
“My schedule’s free. We can go now if you want.”
I hesitated, lifting an eyebrow and cocking my head. “Are you sure?”
He stood, moving in front of me to place his hands on my shoulders, and leaned down so we were at eye level with each other. “Sierra, have I ever lied to you? We don’t do that, remember?” He went as far as to take one hand off my shoulder and stick out his pinky finger, extending his hand toward me. “Want me to swear on it? I will.”
My heart lurched in my chest as my vision darted down to his hand, memories of us as kids threatening to resurface. All the times we’d sworn on pinky fingers.
I pushed it down, though, and huffed out a breath, finally conceding. “Fine. Let me get dressed, and we can go. Is Pancho okay to come? I don’t really want to leave him here by himself.”
All he did was nod, grabbing his keys off the counter to toss and catch them in his hand. “Whatever you need.”
