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The Parcelles’ Circle P Ranch was located on a gravel side road down the bayou and two miles west of Bayou Breaux. Twenty acres carved out of the scrub, a horse barn that hadn’t seen a coat of paint in a decade, a collection of pipe corrals, a riding arena with a rusty steel roof for shade, and a newer double-wide mobile home. A professionally done sign stood at the entrance depicting the Circle P logo and three silhouettes of horses performing different tasks. Beneath the horses in neat lettering:

TRAINING SALES LESSONS

CODY the weeds were cut. Two half whiskey barrels flanked the entrance to the barn, planted with well-tended red and white geraniums.

We’ve built this business together.

Even if her marriage wasn’t worth saving, all Tulsie’s hard work had gone into this place. She didn’t want to risk losing it, even if it meant risking her life. She no doubt believed she could work around her husband’s ego and his temper, stay under his rage radar, and keep riding her horses and living her dream, even if the other half of her life was a nightmare.

She might get half of what they owned in a divorce, Annie thought, but what did that amount to? The place was probably mortgaged to the hilt. Nonc Claude had always been fond of saying if you wanted to make a small fortune in the horse business, you had best start out with a large one. If Cody went to jail for assault, there went his income from his construction job, and where would Tulsie be? Selling up.

Those were her choices: a knuckle sandwich or a shit sandwich.

She was left starving either way.