Page 31 of Smoky Mountain K-9
When they reached the arena door, she pushed through and made a beeline for the stables. Mara opened every stall and checked the condition of every horse. All of them looked fine.
Passing the stalls, she entered the feed room, where they stored all the hay, grain, and supplements for the animals. As soon as she stepped inside, she came to a quick halt. Carter put his hands on her shoulders to keep from knocking her down as he almost plowed into her.
“What’s wrong?”
“Don’t you smell it?”
He sniffed. “It just smells like hay.”
“Exactly. Too much like hay.” She walked over to the bales piled against the wall and touched one. “They’re wet.”
Carter frowned. “So?”
“So, wet hay grows mold. And mold is toxic to the horses.” She groaned and covered her face. “This is a nightmare. I hope it’s not all wet.”
He walked closer and touched the hay. It was definitely damp. “Someone broke in and soaked your hay? Why?”
She dropped her hands. “I have no idea. But if we hadn’t caught this, it could have been very, very bad. I could have a boatload of sick animals.” She turned away. “I better check the grain too. And the supplements.”
Moving toward the large drums along another wall, she pulled the top off one and stuck her hand inside. It came out covered in grain. She looked at him with tears shimmering in her eyes. “It’s soaked.”
Carter went to another barrel and took the lid off. He didn’t have to put his hand in to see the light reflecting off the water inside. The grain was swimming in this one.
“What am I going to do? All their feed is ruined. I have ten horses who will demand breakfast in just a few hours. Forget that I don’t have the money on hand to replace all this. Where would I find it on such short notice?” She swept an arm out to encompass the room.
“Call Gemma. If anyone can find feed, it’s her. She knows everyone. Your insurance should cover the replacement cost.”
“Yeah, eventually. But in the meantime? I’m going to have to put it all on the business credit card and hope it doesn’t max it out before they pay me back.” She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes.
He reached out and squeezed her shoulder. Her bottom lip quivered, but she sucked in a breath and looked at him, steely determination in her pretty blue eyes.
Carter smiled. There was the fire he knew she had. He ran his hand down her arm and took her hand. “Come on. Let’s go call Gemma. Get you some fresh feed.”
Spine straightening, she nodded and followed him from the room.
Seventeen
Phone tucked between her shoulder and ear, Mara rolled her eyes as the number she just dialed went to voicemail. She wasn’t really surprised. It was Saturday. But that didn’t change the fact that she needed grain for her horses.
A knock sounded on her office door, and she glanced up.
Brooke poked her head in. “Can I come in?” she mouthed.
Mara nodded and pointed to the chair in front of her desk as she hung up the phone with a disgusted sigh. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself. Gemma called. What the heck?”
“I know.” She groaned and sat back, scrubbing her hands over her face. Her eyes were gritty, and she felt grungy. She hadn’t been home yet to shower and change. Carter had to go into work, so he left her here to deal with the aftermath, promising to either get her vehicle to her as soon as he could or to find her a ride. To top it all off, a headache pounded behind her temples.
She sighed. “This is unbelievable. The police were here within five minutes of the alarm going off. And it’s not like the perpetrator knew we had an alarm, or that it triggered. It doesn’t sound in the building because of the horses. The only way they’d know is if they saw the control panels. Granted, they’re right by the doors, but without the noise when it’s tripped, I would think most people would believe the alarm wasn’t armed.” She shook her head. “How does someone do so much damage and get out of the building in less than five minutes?”
Brooke’s nose wrinkled. “I don’t know, hon. At least it was only the feed. They could have gone after the animals.”
“Yeah. That’s what I keep telling myself. It could have been worse. I just don’t get why someone would want to do this. I buy all my feed local, so it’s not like it’s some farmer who’s butt-hurt that I turned him down in favor of some online feed store. I’m just glad we found a few bales buried deep that didn’t get soaked. It was enough to feed them this morning. I need the grain, though.”
“That’s why I’m here. Daddy’s got some he can spare. It’ll be here in an hour.”
“What?” Mara sat up, wide-eyed. “Are you serious?”