Page 22

“Close to a thousand for some restorations, but the finished project can sell for hundreds of thousands. There was an Aston Martin found in some woods in Massachusetts after forty years, and it sold for half a million dollars.” Ellery nudged her gently. “It’s not an Aston Martin, is it?”

“That doesn’t sound familiar,” she said. “Gabe did say, but she could’ve said blueberry marshmallow truck bike for all I know. She did seem unreasonably animated about it though.” Lori thought about how adorable Gabe’s excitement had been and smiled. “I’m only interested in cars that can get me from A to B, and they mostly look alike to me.”

Ellery stood and pulled Lori to her feet. “Could you take me down so I can have a quick look?”

“Sure. I’ll follow you on the ATV. I had no idea you were into this stuff.”

“That’s because when we talk, it’s usually about your animals,” Ellery said.

There was no judgment in her tone, but her expression said more than a few words could: Lori was married to her work, which left little time for anything else. It mirrored the lawyer’s constant accusation, but Lori was sure it hadn’t always been that way, and that she only buried herself in the Sanctuary when the lawyer’s occasional late nights turned into every night and all weekend. She sighed deeply. One year on, and she still couldn’t rid herself of self-doubt and recriminations.

Lori walked across to her horse. “Are you and Fran okay to handle Cash from here?”

Beth smiled and nodded, the sadness still clear in her eyes. “We’ve got him.” She looked over Lori’s shoulder to Ellery. “Will you be at the clinic when we get there?”

“I have a farm visit to make, but Mark knows you’re coming, and he’ll get Cash on some intravenous fluids. As soon as I return, we’ll begin the fluid removal and start some tests.” She wandered over to the tack bench and retrieved the ice cream carton. “Starting with this.”

Beth’s jaw clenched repeatedly, and she looked up to the stable ceiling, blinking.

Ellery patted her on the shoulder. “I’ll keep Lori apprised of the situation. You know I’ll do everything I can.”

Beth nodded. “I know,” she managed to say before turning away abruptly to busy herself with Cash’s preparations.

“Remember that horses are very attuned to the people they’re close to, Beth.” Ellery picked up her vet bag and slung it over her shoulder. “Don’t give him anything else to cope with.”

Lori leaned close to Cash’s ear. “Don’t forget you’re a fighter.”

The horse groaned quietly and pushed his head against her. She rubbed his neck and walked away, praying that it wouldn’t be the last time she saw him.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Gabe took the key from her pocket and offered it to Solo.

Solo stuffed her hands in her jeans and shook her head. “This is all you, Jack-in-a-box.”

“Now that we’re out of the Army, maybe you could just call me Gabe?”

Solo laughed. “And then you’ll call me Hannah?”

“And I go back to being Carol,” Woodchuck said and shook her head. “I would’ve preferred that in the service, but I’m sort of married to Woodchuck now.”

“Even though it comes from a place of meanness?” Gabe gestured to Woodchuck’s pronounced overbite.

“Even so.” Woodchuck shrugged. “Our nicknames are a big part of who we are, who we’ve always been.”

RB tapped her ever-present Ray-Bans. “I’ve always preferred it to my real name. I mean, do I look like a Felicity?”

Gabe and the rest of them chuckled. “It does go against your stereotype, I guess, although we could shorten it to Flick.”

RB frowned. “That’d just be another nickname.”

Lightning rubbed her shoulder. “I wasn’t a fan of the way I got mine, but it makes a great story. And it has the added bonus of getting me laid most of the time.”

“Okay, okay. I didn’t mean to start a political debate.” Gabe approached the door beside the shutters and stuck the key in the lock. “Are you ready?”

They responded with jeers of “get on with it” and expletives.

Gabe sighed and shrugged. “I thought it’d be nice to give the whole thing a bit of ceremony, you ungrateful bunch of?—”