“Might be a slow morning while Viper makes a call.”
“Any requests for lunch?”
“How hard would it be to make your famous chili?” Law asked.
Cookie snorted. “How hard is it to eat whatever I put in front of you and pretend it’s the best damn thing you’ve ever had?”
Law laughed and lifted the mugs.
The investigation into the lost boys files was on a short hold while Viper made a call to the Secretary of Defense and set a search in motion for Rook. No photo, but Sage knew of him. That would have to be enough.
He lifted the mugs. Soon enough, they’d be back in the thick of it, but for now, it was quiet.
Carrying the coffee, Law stepped out of the main ranch house and onto the porch just as the first pale line of sunlight broke across the Nevada valley. The air carried the cool bite of early morning—June in the high desert still held onto the night a littlelonger before the sun burned it away. Most of the ranch was still asleep.
A few horses shifted lazily in the distant pasture. Near the barracks, a screen door creaked. Otherwise, the property sat in that rare pocket of stillness before the day began moving.
Law headed toward the corral.
Horses snorted as he approached, hooves stirring dust that lifted in slow spirals through the early light before settling again.
His attention settled on the slender blond at the fence.
Sage stood with his arms folded over the top rail, chin resting on one hand while the other hand reached out to rub slowly along the neck of a mare pressed against the boards.
After a moment, he climbed up onto the top rail instead of standing on the ground like a normal person.
One boot hooked the lower board while the other dangled loose as he leaned forward to run his fingers through the mare’s mane. A couple more horses crowded the rail around him, bumping his shoulder and nosing at his jacket like they owned him.
Sage nudged one impatient muzzle away with an absent hand. “Don’t worry,” he murmured. “I brought enough for everybody.”
The horse huffed directly into his hair.
Sage laughed and pushed curls out of his eyes.
Law stopped a few feet away, watching the quiet chaos for a moment before stepping forward.
“You look comfortable.”
Sage glanced over his shoulder, green eyes bright even this early. “From this height, it’s easier to tell a thousand-pound animal to wait its turn.”
He dug into his pockets and produced a handful of whole carrots, breaking them and handing pieces out one at a time to the four horses crowding him.
Law waited until the last carrot disappeared before holding out the second cup of coffee.
Sage blinked at him, green eyes widening slightly, then accepted it with a small nod. “You’re my favorite person today.”
“It’s early.”
“Still counts.”
Sage took a cautious sip, then settled back onto the fence rail again like gravity didn’t apply to him the same way it did everyone else.
A few of the horses nudged him again, completely unconcerned about personal space.
“They like you,” Law said.
“They like my carrots,” Sage corrected.
