I did my bit, dashing around and herding them toward him.
My work was done, all of the horses near the house were in the paddock and Gray was galloping off toward a couple that were further away when I heard the sirens.
But I didn’t look to the sirens. I looked to the still burning barn, the flames dancing high, licking the air. Another section had collapsed.
Then I looked to the paddock and counted.
Ten horses.
Numbly, my head turned and I watched Gray driving the two other horses toward the paddock.
With his horse and those two, that made thirteen.
Thirteen.
Thirteen.
Listlessly, I turned back to the barn.
Seven horses were dying in there or already dead.
Seven.
The sirens got closer, I heard shouts, men working and the red, blue and white of emergency vehicle lights flashed through the dancing light of the flames.
“Ivey!” I heard my name shouted but I stared at Gray’s barn burning knowing which horses were in those back stalls, stalls Gray and I didn’t have time to get to. I’d fed them. I’d moved them to the paddocks. I’d even ridden two of them.
Two hands clasped my arms and pulled me away ten feet but I didn’t tear my eyes from the barn.
Then I was shaken and heard, “Talk to me, Ivey. Gray’s seein’ to business and I gotta know what went down.”
I turned and looked up at Captain Lenny.
Then I told him everything he needed to know.
“Gray’s shotgun blasted.”
Lenny’s entire face went hard in a way that if I wasn’t numb with shock and sadness would have scared me.
Then his eyes shifted to the dancing flames.
* * * * *
One hour, forty-five minutes later…
“I know what I saw, Len,” Gray rumbled and Lenny stared at him as uniformed officers shuffled around and, far away, in the smoldering remains of the decimated barn, firefighters cautiously circled, beat out, stomped out and sprayed their hoses to dampen the embers and keep any sparks from catching something else.
I knew this was happening but I only had eyes for Lenny and Gray.
And this was because Gray had seen something this time.
And what he’d seen was Lenny’s nephew Pete running to his pickup and racing away.
“You saw him get in it?” Lenny asked quietly.
“Saw him runnin’ to the lane and jumpin’ in the truck,” Gray confirmed.
“You sure it was Pete?”
“Went to grade school with him, Len. Shared first grade, fourth grade and I reckon two dozen classes all through high school with him. Seen him in that truck at least a hundred times in the three years he’s had it.” Gray’s voice was low, rough and really, really pissed. “I know Pete when I see him, Lenny.”
“Fuck,” Lenny whispered.
“He burned down my barn and killed seven of my horses,” Gray stated, his voice starting with the same qualities but degenerating with every word. “Ivey didn’t help, twelve horses would have gone down. And, I’ll add, my woman was in there helpin’.”
Gray paused and a muscle jumped in Lenny’s cheek.
“You bring his ass in,” Gray whispered. “You get him in the tank, Len. You know what I’m sayin’ to you.”
Lenny stared at Gray and he knew what Gray was saying. The safest place for Pete to be was in jail.
Lenny turned his head to an officer and jerked up his chin.
That officer jogged to a cruiser.
Then Lenny avoided Gray’s eyes and mine as his went to the smoldering destruction.
Then he whispered, “Christ, boy’s got shit for brains. Always has.”
“This isn’t shit for brains,” Gray ground out and Lenny flinched. “Ivey was in that barn with me and I got seven horses down. Me and my woman are breathin’ but half the f**kin’ thing collapsed while we were in it.” Lenny looked back at Gray. “This shit’s gotta stop, Len. You got this one last chance to make it stop. You don’t, I’m takin’ measures.”
“Keep calm, Gray,” Lenny whispered.
“Fuck calm!” Gray suddenly exploded and I got closer to him as Lenny’s officers got closer to Lenny. “Did you not f**kin’ hear me?” Gray asked. “Half the goddamned barn collapsed with me and Ivey in it!”
“I hear you son, but let me do my work,” Lenny replied.
“Yeah, you do your work,” Gray shot back. “You got one last f**kin’ chance to do your f**kin’ work.”
As he was saying this, headlights bounced up the drive and all eyes turned to look.
Earlier, even though they had motion sensors, I had run into the house to turn on all the outside lights. We were on a ranch in the middle of nowhere but Cody men weren’t stupid. The middle of nowhere could still hold dangers, evidenced by a now destroyed barn. There were a lot of outside lights that shown all around the house so the space close to the house and then some was brightly illuminated. Therefore, as the shiny, long-cab pickup stopped close and the engine died, I saw it.
I also saw a man get out of it and I knew instantly he was a rancher seeing as it was the dead of night and he was still in a western-style shirt, Wranglers, cowboy boots with his own tattered baseball hat on his head.
“Fuck me,” Lenny muttered and the officers and him all moved fast as I belatedly felt the vibes rolling off Gray.
Really bad vibes had been rolling off him but now they burned so hot they scorched.
I got closer, took his hand and the minute I did his fingers closed around mine tight. It could be they did this because he was glad I had fingers to hold onto. It could be, from what I was getting from him, he did this because he needed to hold onto me so he didn’t wail on the newcomer.
“Who’s that?” I whispered, getting closer and pressing to his side.
“Jeb Sharp,” Gray answered tersely, I sucked in breath and I saw Lenny get up close to Jeb Sharp as the remaining three officers staggered themselves between Sharp and Gray, preparing, should Gray lose it, to lock him down.
Lenny and Sharp had words I couldn’t hear even if they weren’t that far away. Lenny shook his head then moved his body as if to block Sharp but Sharp shook his head too and rounded Lenny.
“Not a good idea, Jeb,” Lenny called after him as Sharp approached Gray and me.
Gray, already tense, went so solid I feared touching him would make him shatter. Still, I curled into him and put my other hand on his abs.
Sharp, astutely, stopped outside arm’s reach.
He was like his son, good-looking. But he was that way in the way Gray was. He’d be that way until he died. There were lines on his face that came from hard work in the sun and hard laughing often in his life. There was a burn in his eyes that came from not a small amount of anger and a hint of shame he couldn’t quite hide but he was trying. I knew he was Buddy’s Dad and, one look at him, I still couldn’t help but like him.