Read Online Wild Horses by Claire McEwen - Free Book Online Page B

gate was still latched, but they were gone.”
    â€œIs a fence broken?” She was pathetic at pretending. She just hoped this discussion ended soon.
    â€œNope.” Lee looked at her carefully. “So you didn’t see anything?”
    â€œNo, I didn’t.” Was her protest too strong? Nora’s stomach was in knots.
    â€œIt’s just that I’ve checked with everyone else, and they all say your Jeep was the last car in the parking lot that evening.”
    â€œThey’re right about that. I got back really late Friday. I’d stayed down in Johnson’s Wash way too long, lost the light and hiked back here after dark.” Had she said too much? Did she sound as if she was trying to give an alibi?
    â€œAnd you didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary?”
    â€œHonestly, everything seemed quiet. And it didn’t occur to me to go look at the horses. I was exhausted. I just wanted to get home.” Honestly. She couldn’t believe she’d used that word. And she couldn’t believe she was lying outright, for Todd Williams.
    Lee sighed. “Look, while you’re out there today, just try to think about that night and whether you remember anything. You’re kind of my last hope here. Trent Nixon called and he’s pissed as hell. I’d love to offer him some kind of explanation. 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.”
    â€œHe’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.”
    â€œThanks, 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.”
    â€œI 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.
    * * *
    T HE 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