Free Healing Trace by Debra Kayn Page B

heard of anymore sales, have you?"
    With
his job as deputy brand inspector for the Lakota reservation, he had to report
every horse sale. Too many people were purchasing illegal stock, and having
this job meant he could protect the Lakota from allegations of illegal trading.
It'd take one bad rumor, or swindle, and too many families would suffer. His
people depended on the income that came from capturing wild horses, training
them, and selling them across the states.
    "Yeah,
I'll call Joe tomorrow and check in. I should be good enough to make the trip
in a week. James has one more truckload that he's transporting on the
sixteenth." Trace rubbed the thigh of his broken leg.
    "Do
you want me to send Thunderbolt back to the reservation, and call it finished with
that son-of-a-bitch?" Devon popped the top of a soda can. "He's a
lost cause, and only going to end up killing someone."
    A
few months ago, Trace would have sent Thunderbolt to the glue factory, but
before he'd busted his leg and had seen the possibilities, he believed he was
making headway with the horse. The stallion had turned from mean to shy and the
day of his accident, Thunderbolt had shown real signs of understanding what he
was asking of him. If he could spend time with the stallion, talk to him, gain
his trust, he'd have one of the strongest mounts on the ranch.
    He
understood pain and distrust, and he'd made it his personal ambition to heal the
distrust consuming the horse. It was his own fault for busting his leg. He'd
pushed too hard, before Thunderbolt was ready to accept him, and that lay
heavily on his shoulders, not Thunderbolts.
    "No.
He stays."
    "Jesus,
Trace. Are you suicidal? That horse isn't worth the sweat of training
him." Devon shook his head. "Count yourself lucky, and move on. Some
horses aren't trainable, and even you can't change their ways. It's inbred in
them to be mean."
    Trace
flinched. He'd heard the same thing about himself. He was inbred for meanness.
He wouldn't amount to much. His resolve to train Thunderbolt grew stronger.
Many folks had given up on him, including his father, but he was damn sure
Thunderbolt was deserving of his attention.
    "Thunderbolt
stays," he said.

Chapter Ten
    "I'm
coming." Joan hurried out of the bathroom, crossed the bedroom to open the
door. "Oh…hey, Brody. Does Trace need me?"
    She'd
returned to the house an hour ago, risking life and limb on the back of Red
Moon, to save her the energy of walking back to the house after spending a day
indulging in self-pity. She'd evaded Brody's questions of why she was upset,
and blamed it on hormones and not enough sleep last night.
    "No.
He's fine. In fact, he's outside sitting on the edge of the pool cooling off.
Don't worry though. We're making sure he doesn't get his cast wet." Brody
cocked his head to the side, studying her. "We were all wondering if you'd
like to go swimming. The water's nice, and the stars are out. There's really no
better way to cool off and relax after suffering through a hot summer
day."
    She
glanced behind her at the luggage stacked in the corner of the room. She was
positive she'd packed her swimsuit, and the exercise would lessen the tension
she was experiencing. Maybe she'd be able to get more sleep tonight if she wore
herself out first.
    "Thanks.
I think a swim sounds great. Let me change and I'll meet you outside." She
reached out and touched his arm. "Thanks again for giving me a ride back
to the ranch. I walked further than I thought I did."
    "Whenever
you want to get away, just tell one of us and we'd be happy to help out. It
should be easier now that calving season is behind us, and we have more free
time. We don't want you to burn out before Trace can get back on his feet and
working. Call us selfish, but none of us are too wild about being stuck inside
the house while Trace is healing." Brody reached out and squeezed her hand.
"We owe you our thanks. You've kept him down, giving his leg a chance to
heal. Last time he was laid up,