Page 141 of Love, Lies, and Whiskey

Seeley looked at Juliette and arched a brow. “What do you think, babe?”

She remembered what he’d said about the horse being a mess.

“Please, Mom? I want to help. I won’t get in the way, and I’ll do whatever you say.”

“The horse is in bad shape,” she cautioned. “It was attacked by dogs.”

“I can handle it,” Lucas said confidently. “You’re both vets. It’s in my blood. Tell her, Doc. I’ve been fine with the rehab horses.” He’d been joining Seeley every morning and evening when he did rounds since Thanksgiving.

She had to smile at his in-his-blood comment. He’d definitely learned to use that to his advantage. She looked at Seeley, silently asking for his two cents.

He shrugged. “If it’s too much for him, he doesn’t have to stay.”

“Yeah. I can walk home,” Lucas said fervently.

Home. This really had become their home. “Okay. But dress warm.” It had snowed last night, and several inches blanketed the ground.

“Awesome. Thank you!” He shoved the last two pizza rolls in his mouth and put his plate in the dishwasher before running upstairs.

THE POOR MARE was in heart-wrenching shape. The dogs had viciously attacked her, shredding part of her leg and the flesh at her elbow and leaving multiple bite wounds on her body. She was in shock, but they managed to get her off the trailer and into the hospital, where they worked quickly to check her vitals, hang an IV bag, and give her pain relief and mild sedation, so they could begin the arduous and painful process of cleaning her up.

Tiny had been waiting at the clinic when they’d arrived. He stood by the horse’s head, petting her, quietly telling her she was safe and loved. The tortured emotions in his eyes and voice mirrored the ones Juliette was wrestling with.

“It’s like she doesn’t know we’re here,” Lucas said as Juliette and Seeley assessed her wounds.

“She’s in shock. When a horse is in a lot of pain, they turn everything inward,” Seeley explained. “It’s taking all her energy to fight through the pain and the fear.”

“Is that why she’s grinding her teeth so loud?” Lucas asked.

“Yes,” Juliette answered. “That’s how you know a horse is in severe physical and/or emotional pain.”

“Our girl’s been fightin’ for her life for who knows how long,” Tiny said.

“Is she going to make it?” Lucas asked.

“We hope so,” Juliette said.

“She’s a fighter. She’s not giving up,” Tiny said.

“Whose dogs were they?” Lucas asked. “How did that guy find her?”

“The dogs belonged to the bastard who owned her,” Seeley said. “And she was found by sheer luck. A neighbor had been on his way to pick up a horse for his daughter when he saw the guy’s truck and trailer pulling out of a dead-end dirt road that he knew led nowhere. On a hunch, he went down that road and found the horse.”

“Did he call the police?” Lucas asked. “They should arrest her owner and do something with the dogs so they don’t do it again.”

Seeley nodded. “He called the police and animal control. They’ll get their due.”

“The sad thing is, dogs aren’t vicious like this by nature,” Tiny said. “Whatever he did to those dogs was probably equally cruel as the things this girl’s endured.”

“I hate the guy who did this to her,” Lucas said angrily.

“Me too, buddy,” Seeley said. “But our girl needs to feel safe. She needs hope and love, so why don’t you go walk off that anger.”

“Come on, Rodeo,” Tiny said. “Let’s go check on the other horses.” He and Lucas took off the sterile gloves they’d worn to pet the horse and walked out together.

“Do you think this is too much for him?” Juliette asked.

“No. He cares a great deal, and he’s really good with the rehab horses. He connects with them, and he wants to know their stories, start to finish. He’s trying to understand the process, which is a good thing, and he’s connecting with the wounded horses. Falling for them the same way we do. But as the pieces are starting to fall into place, he’s realizing some people do horrible things, and he’s getting angry about it. That’s not a bad thing.”