Page 46 of Kentucky Nights (Dead Man’s Ranch #1)
He hands me the clipboard to sign a few forms, the wind rustling them. His lips form a grim line. “He died yesterday. A stroke. There were too many injuries. I tried to give him my blood so many times, but he wouldn’t take it.”
“Damn, I’m so sorry to hear that. He was a great rider.” Knowing this information twinges my gut with guilt, knowing his teammate died at the hands of my son. Do I offer that information? What good would it do? “Do you need anything? You’re welcome to stay here and rest up. We have plenty of room.”
“Thank you, and I appreciate that, but I have to travel across the country for another pick up. Besides ridin’, this is my true love. Rescuing animals.”
On the side of his truck in big white letters, it says, “Oklahoma Rescue: bringing love to where storms are.”
“I appreciate you hiring us for a delivery this size. I’m outgrowing where I live at this point. I think I’ll need to look into a piece of property, but donations only go so far.”
“Get me out of this tin can!”
“I need to stretch my legs!”
“I hope this guy is nicer than the last owner.”
“Me too. I hope we can have water.”
“And food. Don’t forget the food.”
One by one, the horses and other animals sing their thoughts loud and clear.
“Don’t worry. You’re safe here. You have constant water, food, and shelter,” I tell them in hopes they calm down.
“Who was that? Who can hear us?”
“Apologies. My name is Kentucky. I rescued you from the slaughterhouse. I can speak to animals.”
They fall silent. I don’t blame them. They probably think I’m full of shit after all they have been through.
“There’s a piece of property in Oklahoma”—he chuckles at the irony —“that is perfect. It’s around two hundred and fifty acres.
It has one lake on it and smaller ponds scattered about.
It has one big house on the lake with separate living areas for employees.
A handful of barns. There’s so much I could do with it. ”
I don’t know what compels me. Maybe it’s that I’m feeling generous, or maybe it’s because I’ve been isolated for so long, I’m ready to do more with the life I have now. I have plenty of money from working on the ranch. Millions. Too much for me to spend by myself.
What if I decided to expand Dead Man’s Ranch into other states? A place where anyone can be saved. Whether it’s animals or paranormals. No humans unless they wander onto the property or a paranormal has a human mate like me.
It can be a ranch and a haven.
“Let’s unload the animals. I have an idea to run by you that I think would make both of us happy,” I say, tossing the clipboard through the open window of his truck.
“Alright.” He turns to the line of vehicles, inserts two fingers in his mouth, and whistles. “Let’s go!”
“Any horses, I want lined up outside the barn, please.”
“Sure. Whatever you want. They’re your animals.” He lifts the lock on the trailer, swinging the back door open. “Our first horse is Juliette. She’s a Grey Roan. Absolutely beautiful. She was sent to slaughter for being violent.”
“Did you just say her name is Juliette?” I must be living in daydreams because there is no way the universe is being this good to me.
My heart finds a new beat, pounding more than three beats a minute.
“Yeah, she’s around five years old. Still so young. Come girl. It’s okay. He won’t hurt you.”
She neighs, her hooves slamming onto the metal floor of the trailer.
“There you go. Good girl. You’re doing great, Juliette,” Oklahoma praises her, and when she has all four hooves on the ground, emotion lodges in my throat when I see the deep scars on her sides.
“She was whipped for not doing anything they wanted. She hates being attached to anything, so no carriages or plows or whatever else.”
My fangs lengthen at the senseless violence. I want to kill her previous owner. “Are they still alive?”
“They are,” he confirms, stroking Juliette’s neck.
I’ll have to change that one day.
Juliette’s dark eyes widen, darting her gaze over the pastures. Her attention lands on the barn, her black ears flickering forward, and her nose wiggles as she sniffs the air.
She rears up, kicking her front legs out.
“Whoa. Whoa. Juliette. It’s alright.”
With a high-pitched neigh, she bolts. Juliette runs straight for the barn. Her reddish black mane drifts in the breeze with every gallop. She’s gorgeous. She has some healing to do, but that’s alright. That’s what the ranch is for.
Oklahoma raises his hand to stop the other employees from coming forward with any animals, a silent signal that has them stop in their tracks. Both of us jog to the barn to see what she’s doing.
She’s kicking Romeo’s stall, whining to get to him.
“There’s no way I’m this lucky,” I say to myself. “My horse got turned to stone by Cemetery Ophids, and only his Beloved can bring him back.”
“Wait, the horse you were on at the rodeo? I just saw him. He was fine. Interesting, he’s a vampire.”
“Another story for another time. I’ve been devastated about him. I decided to save every animal I could, so he had a chance. I never thought it would be the very first horse I brought home.”
He slaps my shoulder. “Fate’s funny like that.”
I unlock Romeo’s stall, hoping Juliette is the answer.
“You want to meet Romeo?” I don’t open the door to his stall just yet.
She swings her head up and down.
“Be gentle with him. He’s stone.”
The hinges creak as I open the door.
“His name is Romeo? No wonder you were excited when you heard her name.”
I smirk. “Romeo and Juliette is the love story that’s always remembered, right?”
“If you want to call it a love story. It’s sad to me.” Oklahoma frowns.
“If anything happened to my mate, I’d make sure death was quick because living without her isn’t an option. Romeo and Juliette’s story is beautifully heartbreaking, and I hope these two”—I point to the horses—“don’t have the same ending.”
Juliette nips at Romeo’s jaw. When that doesn’t work, she rubs her face across his and licks his cheeks and nose, whimpering for him to awaken.
“Come on, Romeo. Come on,” I beg, staring at his statue without blinking for far too long.
The stone cracks and veins down his body.
“Yes! Come on, Romeo. Come on. You can do it. Come back for Juliette. She’s waiting on you like many others. Come on, come on.” I take my hat off, slinging it off to the side to run my fingers through my hair.
I’m anxious. I need this to work.
Another crack forms down his leg, small pieces of stone crumbling to the floor.
“Looks like it’s working,” Oklahoma says. “Congratulations. I’m glad you got your horse back. I’m going to start putting the others in the barn unless you have other directions.”
“That’s fine.” I stretch my arm out to shake his hand. “I hope to see you back on the circuit one day.”
“Afraid I’m not going back. My teammate and best friend died. I have no interest in competing again. I’m happy with rescues.”
“You’re doing a good thing. When you’re done, come get me. I still need to talk to you about something.”
Oklahoma nods, giving me a small two-finger salute. He jogs out of the barn to start helping the others.
The stone falls in big heavy chunks, showing his onyx hide. His coat changes by having life breathed into him again. From dull to pools of ink in the sunlight, he’s coming back to me. The stone veins down his back, breaking the curse that was cast upon him. Little by little, Romeo is breaking free.
More stone shatters onto the ground.
“Come on, Romeo.” I have tears in my eyes waiting for him to come back.
A few minutes pass with no cracks, no crumbles of stone—nothing. Hope begins to fade, and I wonder if Lorcan didn’t know the entire cure.
His ears flicker, and Juliette neighs with excitement, urging him on. Until she becomes impatient, nipping at his neck and pawing the ground.
More time passes without any movement.
Until burning cherry reds stare into mine.