Dale stood on the front porch of his father’s Craftsman-style house, watching Sadie back out of her driveway. She’d transformed from a cute teenager to a beautiful woman. Oh, he’d definitely noticed her when he was a senior, but with his sights set on the Navy, he’d kept clear of any type of entanglements. The timing was all wrong back then.
Now?
Exhaling, he scratched his jaw. The woman was a beautiful contradiction of capability and vulnerability, and he was a sucker for the combination.
But the timing wasn’t much better.
His father was his priority.
The warmth of the mid-day sun did little to ease the chill of unease that settled in his chest. He glanced at the lush green lawn stretching out before him, its tranquility a stark contrast to the storm of thoughts swirling in his mind. The events leading up to his father’s accident didn’t sit right with him, and he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the story.
Pulling out his phone, Dale scrolled through his recent calls and found Gabe’s number. He hesitated for a moment, staring at the screen. Gabe was the sheriff and no doubt busy. Dale hated to waste the guy’s time if his hunch amounted to nothing.
But what if it didn’t?
In the teams, Gabe had been a reliable, steadfast ally, someone he could count on. Always. If anyone could help him get to the bottom of this, it was Gabe.
Dale hit the call button and listened to the ringing. It felt like an eternity before his buddy’s familiar voice answered, slightly breathless as if he had just finished a run.
“How’s your dad doing?” Gabe’s voice was warm with concern, tinged with the casual camaraderie that came from years of alliance. “Any change?”
“He’s hanging in there,” Dale replied. “Look, I need a favor. I hate to bother you during work, but can you meet me at the ranch? I want to check out the field where the accident happened.”
There was no hesitation on the other end. “Yeah, sure. I can be there in about twenty minutes. You okay?”
He blew out a breath, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, it’s probably nothing, but something doesn’t feel right about this whole situation. Since you were there when my dad was found, I’d like to see the exact spot and have you walk me through the scene.”
“Roger that,” Gabe said, his tone shifting to serious. “See you soon.”
After the call ended, Dale slipped his phone back into his pocket and made the short ten-minute trip to the house where he’d grown up.
He drove his pickup down the familiar dusty driveway, taking a deep breath to brace himself for the changes he knew he would find. The sun blazed over the sprawling fields, barn, and house. After years of combat and chaos, it felt strange to be back on the property where he’d grown up.
Parking in front of the two-story ranch house, he stared at the wide wraparound porch where he’d spent countless evenings watching the sun set over the horizon.
The peace that used to settle over him was absent. The home, once full of life and activity, now seemed quieter, almost as if it had aged along with its former occupants.
He climbed out and stared at Orion and Triton grazing peacefully in the pasture, oblivious to the tension hanging in the air. The latter was his brother’s twenty-year-old quarter horse with a beautiful sorrel coat. A stark contrast to his father’s brown and white Paint horse.
Dale took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind. The past few days had been a whirlwind, and the feeling that something was off gnawed at him, refusing to be ignored.
It could be the exhaustion he was fending off. Horses spooked and threw their riders all the time. Didn’t mean his father’s accident wasn’t an accident.
Either way, he aimed to find out, then develop a plan to move forward.
True to his word, Gabe arrived within minutes, his SUV kicking up a small cloud of dust as it rolled up the driveway. He stepped out, his expression a mixture of curiosity and concern. The man had a way of carrying himself that always seemed to bring a sense of calm, a trait Dale greatly appreciated right now.
“Hey,” Gabe greeted, walking over to him. “You look like you’ve been chewing on something heavy. Spit it out.”
Dale gestured toward the field. “I don’t know, Chief…I mean, Gabe,” he corrected. It was going to take a while to remember to use civilian names instead of call names. Surprisingly, he’d done pretty good at the hospital earlier. “The more I think about my dad’s accident, the less it makes sense. He’s been around horses all his life. For one to suddenly get spooked and throw him like that? It doesn’t add up.”
The sheriff nodded, his brows furrowing as he listened. “You think it was more than just a freak accident?”
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “I want to take a look at the area. See it for myself.”
His buddy nodded. “Roger that. Follow me.”
The two men walked in silence, the only sounds the muffled thuds of their boots and the distant calls of birds. As they hopped the fence, Dale pictured his father riding his horse hard across the field.
