"Those are her parents, it's also the first family photo my family took of us together after I was born," I tell her pointing at myself in the picture," The other baby is Gwen, now tell me where I can find her."
Connie's face goes from grim determination to a light sadness then finally she nods and I watch as she pulls out her phone and steps outside to make a call. I didn't bother to finish my meal as my appetite went right out when my anger came back. I finish my drink at least and after a few minutes Connie comes back in and sits down with a smile on her face.
"She's still in town, when your Aunt died your sister sold her stuff and that left a trail to one of the local ranches where she's living and working currently. Only problem is the Ranch is owned by the Burk family and they don't like you especially since Alvin finally got bailed out of jail," Connie informs me and I'm about to bolt out the door when she stops me," calm down, this will be a lot for her to take in if you just dump it on her it'll confuse her and she'll shut down, also I'm driving so let's put your bike back at the hotel and we'll take my truck over."
I agree and after parking my bike head over to Connie's truck and instead of hopping in the passenger side I open the driver door and pull her out and put her back against the truck before kissing her deep and pressing our bodies together. Connie is surprised but warms up to me and I break the kiss moving around to the passenger side and we both hop in and are off down the road. We actually leave the town and are in the hills when we pass the gate into the Burke Ranch. Plenty of people are out in fields working and there is a sign for where the main house is, the office and the stables. Connie drives us to the stables and I hop out while Connie stays in the truck, I have a little bit of the information and the picture with me as I start to look around.
"Hey you looking for lessons," I hear a man ask and I turn to see a taller older man in a ball cap and overalls with grease on him.
"Depends on who is the instructor, I'm looking for someone particular," I tell him and he smirks.
"Only one instructor on and she's in the barn, just head on in," he tells me heading back to a tractor.
The barn looks about like you'd expect except it's not painted. There are some stables and a few horses when I see a woman brushing down a very large gray horse with a white spot around the eyes. She has long blonde hair, blonde like the sun lives in it braided down her back. She's about 5'10" and well tanned skin shows on her arms from her flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Add jeans and cowboy boots to her and you've got a country girl through and through, sadly I see the little things that give me pause. Loretta's chin, the same blue eyes I have, Dad's cheek bones, the little things that make her Gwen. She sees me and smiles a little warily.
"Well hey there, you looking for something," she asks with a light accent.
"Actually I am," I tell her before remembering Connie's words," Riding lessons. I heard that I could get riding lessons here from a friend."
"Well you came to the right place," She says, dropping the accent," Sorry it makes locals feel better when you talk like they do. So any experience with a horse?"
"Not a bit, they're beautiful animals but I'm a city boy. Closest thing to a horse for me is my bike," I reply, trying to contain myself.
"Well I have to make someone go get a saddle so we can put you on an old mare so till you get used to something with a little more speed," She says heading past me out the barn," Just wait here and you can pay cash right?"
"Oh yes, I can pay," I reply and watch her smile widen.
I am left alone and I hear a hoof pawing at the ground, turning I see the horse she was brushing tied up to the post but it's pawing at the ground with one hoof. I am curious and get closer which causes the horse to stop and once I'm right next to him, I can tell it's a boy, he starts nibbling at my coat. I figure the pet wants to be pet and I rub a hand down his neck and across the bridge of his face. He's friendly as all hell when I hear Gwen's voice.
"Hey be careful he's not friendly with… other people…," Gwen says rushing to pull me back from danger before pausing," that's odd, Bandit don't like nobody but me, ain't that funny."
"I don't know he just pawed the ground and then started nibbling at my jacket till I pet him," I reply confused but Gwen is smiling shocked.
"Well I guess you have a thing for horses or they have a thing for you," She says with a smile.
I help her saddle up an older brown horse, by help I mean hold the saddle till she takes it out of my hands and belts it on herself. I stand and watch her work before she has me get in the saddle, that mercifully I actually do myself without help. I'm taken on a two hour ride on a slow trail on Daisy, my horse's name, while Gwen rides Bandit to make sure nothing weird happens. In between instructions she talked a little and I discovered how little bullshit she was fed over the years.
"So you lived here for five years now when your Aunt died," I ask as she speaks.
"Yeah, I called her Momma but after a while she couldn't shake my memory of my folks. They died in a car accident with my baby brother when I was little and she took care of me every day since. Never had much family growing up but she warned me that my folks' family was pretty nasty so I never cared enough to look into it," Gwen says and I frown a little," Saddle riding you wrong?"
"What? No, saddle's fine, drove here from Washington on my Harley so this is just fine. Granted Daisy is a sweetie but Pale Horse is one of my babies," I tell her, giving insight into my life a little.
"What brings you down here then," Gwen asks and I scramble.
"Family business, parents sent me down to handle something and it's not quite done but I'm hoping to resolve everything in the next day or so," I tell her pulling out of the fire on that one.