Wild Horses. Claire McEwen

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СКАЧАТЬ I just hope he doesn’t fire me over this.”

      Nora stared at the dust around her feet. It would be awful if Lee got fired. He had three kids, two already at college and one heading there soon. Losing his job would be catastrophic for his entire family. “He can’t fire you for something that happened when you weren’t even here.”

      “He’ll find a reason,” Lee said. “It’s not as if I’m the shining star of the DRM.”

      It broke her heart to hear him talk that way. He was a good guy, which was a lot more than she could say for many of the redneck yahoos she’d met at this field station. “I really don’t remember anything unusual.” That final lie was extra icing on all the layers of deceit. It was too much and it made her sick. She stood up, self-hatred, anger and guilt all roiling around inside. “But I promise I’ll rack my brain and see if I can recall anything that seemed off.”

      “Thanks, Nora. I’d appreciate it.” Lee stood up, too, straightening the tie that never looked quite right on him. “I’d better get back inside. Have a good day out there.”

      His kindness just made everything worse. She swallowed the lump growing in her throat. “I will, Lee. You have a good day, too. Try not to worry. Trent would be crazy to fire you over this.”

      “I hope so,” he said. And Nora watched him shuffle back to the building, shoulders dipped, looking even more discouraged than usual.

      Nora grabbed her pack and swung it over her shoulder, her anger making her strides longer. Todd might justify his actions with bold statements about the rights of the horses, but what about the rights of someone like Lee? The right to do his job and to bring home his paycheck and to not have to take the blame for other people’s stupid deeds? What about Nora’s right to live her life without telling lies to protect her stupid ex-boyfriend?

      Her feet hit the trail so hard that dust swirled around her legs. It was going to be a long, hot day and she had to focus on her work. But when she was done she was heading straight into town to give Todd a dose of reality. It was time that he realized how much his single-minded devotion to his causes affected other people’s lives.

      * * *

      THE KID WHO’D been sweeping up the repair shop when Nora stopped by after work told her that Todd was down the street at the High Country Sports Bar. But he didn’t mention that Todd was there with a woman. A gorgeous woman with a fall of sleek blond hair—hair that cascaded over one shoulder when she looked up from some papers on the table. A woman whose lipsticked mouth showed perfect white teeth when she opened it to laugh at something Todd had said.

      She had big violet eyes and was showing an insane amount of cleavage, and all the outrage Nora had been saving up since her conversation with Lee this morning merged with the realization that Todd living in Benson meant Todd dating in Benson. The sick feeling that had been in her stomach all day got worse, and all Nora wanted to do was go home. But before she could, Todd’s date saw her standing there gaping at them like a jealous, dusty fish. The woman leaned her shiny head in and murmured something to Todd, who turned around and spotted Nora.

      “Hey,” he said, waving her over.

      She didn’t want to be waved over. She wanted to sink through the floorboards of the High Country and disappear into the beery mud below. Her hair was in pigtails that hung down from underneath her ball cap. Below her shorts, her legs were dirt smeared and scratched. Dusty, clunky hiking boots completed the look. In humiliating contrast, Todd’s date was wearing a minidress and heels.

      Outrage began building again, white-hot inside her. While his actions had Nora covering for him with lies and Lee frantically trying to salvage his job, Todd was here cuddling up with a date.

      Her anger eclipsed her embarrassment. “I was hoping to speak with you, but it looks as if you’re extremely busy.”

      “I am, but...”

      “And I’m sure whatever you’re doing in here is very important and urgent.” She bit the words out.

      “Well, I think so...” Todd’s brows were raised and he looked embarrassed. Probably for her. Which just made Nora angrier.

      “Because that’s what you do, right? You run around and try to save the world, and your lofty goals are so important that you couldn’t possibly consider the consequences for anyone else.” The anger felt good, wiping out the guilt from lying to Lee today and the irritating jealously she was feeling now.

      Todd glanced helplessly at his date, then back at her. He looked so bewildered, and that just made it all worse. He should know. He should have realized that after he let those horses out, the Department of Range Management would need to blame someone. And that someone was poor Lee.

      “Look, Nora, we’re almost done here. Let me just go ahead and finish up, and then you can tell me what’s got you so upset.”

      She hated his placating tone. As if she was some kind of crazy person he was trying to appease. And the worst thing was, she never got this mad. She was reserved. Famously reserved. She’d stayed calm almost her whole life. Except when Todd had left her. Except in the bar the other night. Except today.

      Anger mutated to blinding rage. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I realize that finishing your date is so much more important than talking about how I had to lie for you today. Or how you might have ruined a good man’s entire life.”

      Todd paled. She’d come close to spilling the secret he’d asked her to keep. But it served him right.

      “Nora, this is my friend Tess Cole. She’s putting together a few ads for me.”

      “Oh.” Great. She was his friend. To top everything off, now Nora had her filthy hiking boot stuck in her mouth. “An ad for the repair shop?” It was an inane question, but her mind was scrambled. Todd’s not-a-date was looking at her with a slight smile and the knowing eyes of a woman who could spot a big romantic mess. Except this mess wasn’t romantic. Far from it.

      “Some PR for his charitable organization, The Mustang Protection Fund,” Tess explained. She held out her hand and Nora spotted the enormous diamond on her ring finger. “So nice to meet you, Nora.”

      “Nice to meet you, too,” Nora mumbled, giving Tess’s hand a weak shake, trying to make sense of this new reality. Todd ran an organization to protect the mustangs? And she’d just accused him and his obviously married colleague of being on a date? It would be interesting to see if this day could possibly get worse.

      Tess stood up, gathering her folders and giving them a view of her outrageously long legs and tiny skirt. “Look, Todd, I’d better get going. I’m meeting Slaid for dinner. And it seems as though you have some things you need to take care of. Just give me a call once you’ve looked all this over. And thanks for the drink.”

      Nora could tell Todd’s face was red, even in the dim light of the bar. He stood up, as well. “Thanks for everything, Tess. I so appreciate it.”

      “Hey, it’s for a good cause.” Tess gave Nora a big smile and a small wink. Then she stepped closer and leaned in, surrounding Nora with a cloud of expensive perfume. “He’s all yours,” she murmured. “He’s a pretty good guy, most of the time. We’d miss him around here if you ripped him to shreds.”

      “I’m so sorry about the...misunderstanding.” Nora didn’t know what to call it. Her own temporary insanity?

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