Maris Soule - Paternity Lessons

Again, he shifted his position. “There’s a small problem,” he finally said.

Anytime someone said there was a “small problem,” she knew it wasn’t going to be small. “What kind of problem?”

“The horse is...that is...” He hesitated. “Perhaps I should explain a few things.”

He looked directly into her eyes, and she could practically see her reflection in those pools of blue. Though she’d classify him as overall good-looking, his eyes, she decided, were his best feature. And maybe his hair. It was a sandy-blond, thick and obviously cut by a barber who knew how to tame it into a proper business style. That kind of hair tempted a touch. Invited a little messing up.

Not that she was tempted.

“Explain away,” she said, determined to keep her mind on the horse and not his hair.

“Well, as I said on the phone, Lanie was in an accident six months ago, and—”

“Lanie’s your daughter?” She thought that was the name he’d said in their earlier conversation.

Her interruption seemed to catch him off guard, and he hesitated before going on. “Ah...yes. She was in a car accident with her mother and stepfather. It was a drunk driver. The guy drove head-on into the car. Lanie’s mother—my ex-wife—and Lanie’s stepfather were killed instantly. Lanie was in the back seat. For a while, we didn’t think she’d live. She had to stay in the hospital for a month. Since then, she’s been recuperating both physically and mentally.”

Shaunna nodded. Losing a mother and stepfather would be a traumatic event for a child. “You said you’ve boarded the horse during this time.”

“Yes.” He shook his head. “It was the only thing I could do. I know nothing about horses, except what I’ve been learning recently. I didn’t even know Lanie had a horse, not until my ex’s next-door neighbors came to the hospital and told me. No one was feeding or watering the horse and they were concerned about his welfare. They were the ones who suggested I board him somewhere until I decided what to do with him. So that’s what I did.”

“Sounds reasonable. And the place you chose is where he’s at now?”

“Yes.” He grimaced. “It’s a stable on the other side of Bakersfield. He’s been there for five and a half months now. I thought he’d be fine, be taken care of, so I didn’t really do anything about him except pay his board bill when it arrived each month. I just didn’t have time to check on him, not between the time I was spending with Lanie and my job.”

“But now you have seen him.” At least, that was what he’d said on the phone.

“Yes. Last week. Lanie and I went to visit the stable. Her doctor felt it would be a good idea if she spent some time with her horse, that it would help her deal with all that happened. But it wasn’t a good idea. Lanie got very upset when she saw him, and I was shocked. The horse is in terrible shape.”

“By terrible shape you mean—”

“Dirty. Filthy dirty.” Tyler’s tone held disgust, and he shook his head. “They said he kept breaking out of his paddock, so they put him in a stall. A stall built like a tomb. I don’t think he’s been out of it in months, or that they’ve cleaned it in months. It was a mess. And the smell...” He wrinkled his nose. “I couldn’t believe the condition that horse was in when I saw him.”

If the horse was being kept where she thought it might be, Shaunna could believe what he was saying. He’d picked a name out of a phone book and naively assumed the stable owners would do as they promised. And they should have. Problem was, not all did. “You say they haven’t let this horse out of that stall for months?”

“I don’t think so. The way it looked and smelled, he’s just been locked in there.”

“Can the horse even walk?” She’d seen some abused horses that couldn’t.

“Oh, he can walk,” Tyler said firmly, then stood and left the table, going toward the window in the kitchen that looked out at her barns and arenas. There he stopped and stared through it, and she heard him give a deep sigh before he turned back to her. “The horse can do more than walk. The moment we opened the door to take him out, he lunged for Lanie. Actually, he tried to attack her.”

“Attack?” Shaunna shook her head. “I’d say you do have a problem.” And it wasn’t a “small” one. “How old did you say your daughter is? Ten?”

“Just.”

“A child that young shouldn’t have a horse like that. A child needs a quiet horse. Something safe.”

“I know. And I’m all for getting rid of this horse, but Lanie insists he wasn’t this way before the accident... before he was sent to this stable. She says her mother had someone come to their place and break the horse. Before the accident, Lanie was riding him all the time and he was safe and gentle.”

Shaunna grimaced at the word “break.” So often, that was what happened. The trainer did break the horse’s spirit. Instead of a companion and partner, the rider had a slave.

And sometimes the slave rebelled.

“As I said,” Tyler continued, “no matter what the horse was like before, considering how he is now, I think we should get rid of him. Sell him or send him back to where he came from. The problem is, Lanie’s doctor feels it’s important for her to have this horse right now. The doctor says because Lanie’s mother got the horse for her, getting rid of him would adversely affect Lanie’s recovery, that she needs the horse both emotionally and physically. So on one hand, for Lanie’s sake, we need to keep the horse. But on the other hand, he’s too crazy to keep. I’m not sure what to do. I know the horse can’t be left where he is, but for anyone to handle him, he has to be tamed.”

Shaunna smiled. “So you called me hoping that I’d take him in and tame him?”

Tyler studied her for a moment, then walked back to his chair. “I must admit you’re younger than I expected, but since that day we went to see the horse, I’ve been asking around, and everyone I’ve talked to says you’re the best horse trainer in the area...in the state of California. That you can work miracles with a horse.”

She started to protest, but he went on. “They say that you have the touch... that what you do is pure magic. Lanie calls this horse Magic. I’d say he needs a little.”

“From what you’ve told me, I’d say he needs a lot.”

“He’s not getting it where he’s at,” Tyler said. “And I’m afraid if we leave him there, he’s not going to. The day after Lanie and I saw him, I went back to the stable and talked to the owner. She feels the best way to handle the horse is to starve him until he’s too weak to fight us. And, from the looks of him, I’d say that’s exactly what she’s been doing.” He shook his head. “But no more. I will not starve or abuse an animal, no matter how vicious he might be. I told her she’d better make sure Magic got his full ration of food from now on and that he’d be out of there within a week.” Tyler sighed, then smiled ruefully. “So, will you take him?”

Shaunna was now sure, from what he’d said, that she knew exactly where the horse was being kept She’d heard dozens of horror stories about that stable. As far as she was concerned, the place should be condemned and the owners put into cells and starved. It would serve them right to be treated the same way as they treated the horses.

And she appreciated Tyler’s desire to get his horse out of a bad situation, liked the firmness of his voice and admired his dogged determination to talk her into seeing him this afternoon, even though she’d said she was busy. He might not know anything about horses, but he was obviously a caring person. Not that that lessened her problem. “As I said on the phone when you called, I don’t have any free stalls or paddocks, and I won’t for another two months.”