Page 22

“I want to start offering sessions specifically for military vets,” I said with no preamble. “Low or no cost. Maybe start by including vets that already have horses, but I’ll probably need to collect a herd myself. Eventually. And I’ll still do regular sessions, because that was the whole point. And those, of course, will subsidize the cost of the vets’ session.”

Hawk simply stared at me but Carter let out a low whistle. He looked me straight in the eye and said, “That’s a big undertaking.”

I nodded. “I’ve done so much research in the past day I can barely wrap my head around it. I probably won’t be able to start until next spring, but I want to get moving on it.”

Hawk leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “I can find good horses.”

“I was hoping you would say that.” I offered my brother a smile. He had connections the rest of us could only envy, and he always used his power for good. “This is important to me.”

Hawk went still, catching my tone. He liked to say he read horses better than people, and that was true, but he read people just fine. He studied me for a long moment and then, “Bo?”

I took a breath, let it out slowly, and then told my brother and the man he loved about PFC Alvarez. They listened without interrupting, and I didn’t go into detail. I hadn’t planned on spilling my guts when they showed up this morning. My only goal has been to get them on board with the plan because I couldn’t do it without them. But with my little brother looking at me, and having told Wren breaking the seal on what I was carrying, it seemed right. On top of that, I knew without a doubt that these men would never say a word, and I could continue to tell people in my own time.

When I was done, Hawk stood slowly, crossed the few feet to me, leaned down, and hugged me hard. It didn’t last longer than half a minute, but it didn’t need to. I heard everything Hawk wasn’t saying. When he resumed his seat, I looked over at Carter to gauge his reaction, but he’d pulled out his phone.

“What?” a female voice said, and I realized he had it on speaker.

“Marielle, my angel, how are you this fine day?” Carter’s voice was half sarcasm, half affection.

“Hello, Mr. Cahill,” his assistant responded, false sweetness in her voice. “What a pleasure to hear from you.”

Carter barked out a laugh, and then locked gazes with me. “I need you to plan a trip to Colorado. Plan on a week, but be prepared for two. We have a charity to set up.”

“What?” she squawked at the same time I said, “Carter. No.”

“Yes,” he said, clearly to both of us. As he continued to speak, his voice was firm. “Bodhi is starting a veteran’s outreach program and we’re helping to fund it. Part of it will be subsidized by proceeds from the Yellow Ribbon, we’ll handle the rest.”

“Carter,” I tried again, but he just shook his head.

Through the speaker, I heard Marielle make some grumbling noises and click on her keyboard. She had one of those that made the satisfying clacking noises, so it was easy to hear. After a minute or two, she let out a sigh.

“All right. I have to do research on laws and regulations, and retain the appropriate council. How’s the first week of November?”

Carter raised a brow at me, and my gut reaction was to turn down the help. That hadn’t been my intent. But Carter knew that. I hadn’t been asking him to fund the endeavor, just help with logistics. It was just like the man to take it a step further. And really, I’d be an idiot to turn down the financial piece. If I wanted to get this off the ground as soon as possible, I would need it.

So I gave a single nod instead.

Carter’s grin took over his face, and he stood, tapping at his screen and then holding his phone to his ear. He stepped off the porch and walked a few feet away to finish his call. I wasn’t sure if it was so he could have privacy or he was giving it to me and my brother.

Hawk and I sat in silence for several long moments before he cleared his throat. When he spoke, his voice was soft. “We all knew something happened. I’m sorry, Bodhi.”

My stomach squirmed, uncomfortable with the topic, but none of the spiraling anxiety, grief, and anger was there. Okay, that wasn’t true. But it was muted, a background noise in my head, and I filed that away to share with Chandra at our next appointment.

“Thanks. It’s….” I had to take a second. “It’s not about me, but it did affect me. And if I can help someone else not get to that dark place….”

I couldn’t say more, but I didn’t need to. Hawk simply nodded, picked up his coffee, took a generous sip, and then stared off into the middle distance.

“Wren paid off your loan, I heard.”

It wasn’t a question but I answered it anyway. “Yeah.”

Hawk glanced at me, then back out to the landscape. “You looking to hire a full-time trainer? You said that was the eventual plan.”

I was grateful for the subject change. “Yes. That’s next on my agenda. I’ve got to crunch numbers and all that, but I figure board for their horses will be part of the compensation, and that’ll be enticing.”

“Yep.” Hawk took another drink.

I finally picked up my own coffee, which made Gremlin grumble, since I jostled her. She shot me the stink eye cats were so good at and hopped off the chair, then the porch. She sauntered away with her tail in the air. I turned my attention back to my brother.