Page 22 of Wild and Unruly (Three Rivers Trevors Ranch #3)

bonnie

I can hear the heavy breath of a horse galloping from outside the arena as I enter Smith Performance Horses again.

There were a few days where I debated this whole situation, where I wondered if I should just let it go and be done with it.

But then I thought of my brother, who wasn’t even answering my texts, who was worrying our mother to death, and now wasn’t leaving their apartment.

It made me more upset than I care to admit.

He used to be so full of life, so fun. He used to have goals and ambitions and the heart to go out and get whatever he desired.

That Mason left us when he woke up and could hardly feel his legs again.

I got the sense that while he was polite about it, Stetson didn’t love how my brother was currently treating me. Who would? No one liked being a doormat, and for all intents and purposes, that’s what my mother and I have become to try and make his life easier.

I felt it in my bones that I could find out Smith’s secret, that he was still pulling the same bullshit with his current clients, and I was intent on finding out what it was he was up to. Even if it meant putting myself in a situation I wasn’t thrilled about.

As I enter, several people who work for Tommy are up and down the alleyway, some cleaning out stalls, some brushing horses, or using a hose to fill the water buckets.

I noted all the staff wore a specific shirt and wanted to snort at the sight.

It was a far cry from Three Rivers, where everyone who worked there was family and not just by blood but by choice, where their employees were welcome at any event, where they were allowed to be themselves.

This seemed like an impersonal staff that just worked for the money. Which, don’t get me wrong, was important too. But my experience was you need passion and a love for horses to do a job like this one.

I step up to the fence that separates the arena from the alleyway and look over, seeing Tommy loping his horse around the arena at a fast pace.

The horse is already wet with sweat, and I crinkle my nose, trying not to be pessimistic or biased because I don’t like Tommy, but I have to wonder how long has he been riding?

He spots me and grins. A chill skitters over my spine at the look, and I fake a smile, nodding at him. Finally, he slows his horse to a walk, making his way over to me before getting off and handing the poor horse off to someone else who starts to walk him out.

“I didn’t realize you were coming today,” Tommy starts, walking through the gate of the arena. He was sweating as well, his eyes moving over me in a way I didn’t like at all.

Clutching my bag, I keep that fake grin pasted on my face and shrug. “Well, I wanted to get some photo ops for the article.”

Tommy clicks his tongue, his brows meeting in the middle and says, “You know, I heard you were working over at the Trevors’ place.”

I work to keep my expression neutral and feign confusion. “Oh, I am. Do you know them too?”

Of course, I know this. Not because it’s worldwide news, but it’s pretty easy to connect that he would be familiar with the Trevors family given that they all show in the same discipline, that they live and train out of Colorado. The training world wasn’t that big when you really thought about it.

He takes a moment to watch me, maybe deciding if he can trust me or if I am lying, but I keep my face in its genuinely confused facade and wait. “We’ve been acquainted over the years.”

“Oh, that’s nice. So, what’s on the agenda for today? Could I grab some shots?” I lift the camera that’s attached to the holster on my shoulders.

“Of course.” Tommy’s grin is as fake as mine, and we both hold out until someone calls for his attention. He nods to me. “My facility is at your disposal, Ms. Helix.”

I watch him walk away, wondering if this is actually happening. Did he really just give me full access to his place without being watched?

I take the chance to wander, taking snapshots of different gorgeous horses in their pens, and nod at the employees, keeping my eyes peeled for anything of interest .

Watching people work here is fascinating. I don’t know if it’s my experience in this world or if it’s always this obvious, but there’s a clear difference between the people who know what they’re doing and the ones who don’t.

Thankfully, from what I can tell, the ones that don’t aren’t just lazy and uncaring. They’re trying.

One pulls a horse out of its stall, and I watch from ten feet away as the horse neighs, rearing back on its hind legs and scaring the poor girl who led him out bad enough that she lets go of his lead. I take stock of what’s happening and step quickly toward the stallion who’s acting out.

Grabbing hold of his lead, I give a strong tug, getting his attention back.

“Whoa, boy. Whoa,” I say, keeping my voice calm but firm.

He yanks against me again, still neighing, his focus on the mare that’s tied to crossties in the alleyway, and I turn the stallion, taking large strides to get him back to his stall.

He hollers as we go, drawing the attention of everyone around us and making sure everyone knows what a stud he is.

I lead him on, turning him to face the door and taking his halter off, lifting a hand in front of his face as I step out so he doesn’t bum-rush the door.

“Good boy,” I say, keeping my voice calm as I exit and shut the door behind me, keeping my eyes on the stallion as I do. “There, no mares for you today.”

I turn and blush as everyone stares me down. Tommy rushes toward the scene the stallion just caused and assesses the situation. “What the hell just happened?”

His eyes scan the area and land on the girl who’s now crying as she holds her arms across her stomach. “Did you do this?” His finger points to the horse I just put away.

“He’s fine now,” I say, stepping forward and shrugging, a fake smile on my face. Seems being fake is the only thing I’m able to be when I’m at this facility. “He just got a little excited, is all.”

“He shouldn’t have been out at all.” He looks to the girl. “If you can’t handle this job, it’s best you let me know now.”

Sheesh, was he going to fire this poor girl right in front of everyone? It was now a show, and everyone was watching. Not only was it unprofessional, but it was just a bad look.

She nods and turns, heading for one of the outside doors. Tommy turns to look at me and gives a nod. “Thanks for that. You always were good with the horses.”

I almost scoff but just nod back, turning to pretend I’m checking on the stallion, and Tommy walks away. Once he’s far enough off, I go to the same door the girl left through and walk outside. The summer sun was high in the sky, making it the hottest part of the day.

Squinting, I look around the outside and see the girl sitting at one of the picnic tables. There’s an umbrella on it, giving her shade.

“Okay if I sit?” I ask, resting my camera on the table and taking the strap of my bag off.

The girl shrugs, and I sit, sighing with relief at the coolness under the shade. She ducks her head, her cheeks slightly pink, and when she locks eyes with me, her eyes are glossy with unshed tears. “Thanks for helping me.” Her voice is hoarse with emotion, and I nod.

“It’s really no problem.” I shrug, giving her a soft smile. “Those big guys get pushy when they see the ladies.”

The girl smiles, and I realize this girl can’t be more than sixteen. Sheesh, her parents let her come here alone? “What’s your name? ”

“Aesha.” She sniffs, looking at her cell phone and setting it down.

“That’s a really nice name. I’m Bonnie,” I introduce myself. I glance around, wondering if she is waiting on someone. “Are you okay, Aesha?”

“No.” Her voice wobbles as she says the words. “I’ve wanted to learn about horses for a long time, and I finally convinced my mom to let me try, and I’ve already messed up. I’m fired.”

He didn’t explicitly say the words, but I got her point. Plus, if I were her or her parents, I wouldn’t want her anywhere near Tommy Smith.

“And my mom already drives an hour to come here to drop me off.”

“I see.” I take a moment, letting her deal with her emotions for a moment, then I take a bit of a risk, considering that I have no idea if they’d be interested in teaching a young girl, but…

“I know this ranch, up in Acton, near Fall Springs. They’re a really great family-run place.”

Aesha looks to me with hope in her eyes, and I push forward. “I can get you a number, and maybe they’d be willing to show you the ropes.” I glance at the large barn behind her. “This isn’t really that great of a place to learn.”

She gets a contemplative look on her face as if weighing her own thoughts and possibly wondering if I was a psychopath. That’s fair, honestly.

“I don’t know if my mom would go for it, but I guess I can try.” She bites her lip, looking up at me. “He kind of gave me the creeps anyway.”

I freeze. Was Tommy hitting on his employees?

He drugs his horses, Bonnie. What makes you think he’s not doing other stupid shit ?

“Oh, he did?”

She nods, picking up her phone and texting on it. Hopefully, her mom so she can get the hell out of here. “Yeah.” She sets the phone back down and looks at me. “He never hit on me, but he was singling out this other girl in there a lot, and I could tell it made her uncomfortable.”

Rage boiled in my gut at the words. How dare he. How dare he put these girls in this situation where they think he’s going to mentor them, teach them something they’ve all been dying to know, and then use the facade to hit on them.

A silver car pulls onto the gravel, and Aesha stands. “Thanks for your help, Bonnie.”

“No problem,” I say, then as she turns, I call out again. “Look up Three Rivers Ranch. They really are a great place.”

She smiles, and for the first time, I see a sweet sixteen-year-old girl staring back at me. “I will. Thanks.” Running to her mom’s car, she hops in, and they take off.

In the dust of their car, I stand, gathering my things again, when I hear yelling. It’s coming from the propped door of the barn, and I take tentative steps toward it, hoping the crunch of gravel under my shoes isn’t obvious.

“—proper dosages are okay, but?—”

“I don’t give a shit what the bottle says, Eugene. I tell you what dosages to give and if you go around telling the interns what you’re doing, fired will be the least of your worries.”

A huff from someone, I’m assuming Eugene, then, “Tommy, I’ve worked for your father for fifteen years. You were just a kid when I met you.”

“Yeah? Well, my father doesn’t run this barn anymore. I do.” There’s a pause, then Tommy’s hard voice again. “You heard me. Don’t go behind my back again. ”

Clinking spurs indicate someone walking away, and I hear a heavy breath exhaled nearby. I slink against the wall of the barn, inching away slowly just in case someone comes out. My breath is uneven. I keep holding it and letting it go, not very stealthily.

Eventually, I realize whoever Eugene was is gone too, and I’m in the clear.

I rest against the barn, its warm metal hot against my skin, but I don’t care.

So, he was still using performance-enhancing drugs on his horses, still breaking the rules at the expense of those around him.

And someone was trying to tell him to cool it.

I heard what Tommy said to Eugene, someone who has been in his life for a long time. I don’t remember everyone who worked with the Smiths back then, but I can only assume that I knew him at some point.

But his threat…

Worse than fired? Tommy couldn’t be that crazy.

Could he?