Ch. 11: Deliberations
He hadn't expected to hear from Zeke again so soon. Judging by the look on Vic's face when she checked her phone, neither did she. She glanced at the screen then looked up at him with a look of surprise.
"It's Zeke."
Walt waited, not speaking, while she answered the phone and started to wander around the living room. She'd always been a restless person. This situation wasn't helping. The thought of her being locked up in a jail cell was not one he wanted to conjure up. Unfortunately, the thought came against his will.
The call was short and when Vic turned to him, slipping her phone into her back pocket.
"He wants to meet us. Suggested the Red Pony."
Walt nodded.
Maybe Zeke had something already. It seemed unlikely, but the man was good at his job. It was Saturday and they would need someone to watch the kids while they went. Vic seemed to think about that after the fact and pulled her phone from her pocket all over again while she put on shoes and pulled on a jacket. Walt did the same as Vic called Cady.
"He did?"
Her voice took on a different tone, almost edgy and that drew Walt's attention. Vic looked at him as she continued to speak to Cady. She ended the call with a "thanks."
"Cady says that Zeke called Cooper and wants him there, too."
Walt thought about that.
Cooper.
Interesting.
That time, she didn't put the phone in her jeans pocket. Instead, she tucked it away in the pocket of her jacket as they quickly interrupted Julian and Anna's play and prepped them for the trip into town. Julian protested mildly, but gave up when Vic hushed him.
For some reason, his preference would have been to take the Bronco. He liked the familiarity of his old vehicle. But, practicality dictated that with children in tow, they took Vic's SUV. There was no discussion about who would drive. She simply slipped behind the wheel once they had both kids secured in the back seat.
It was a stark turnaround from their days riding in the Bronco with him driving and Vic in the passenger. He could admit from time to time that he occasionally missed that life.
Sometimes.
The ride into town was quiet except for the babbling of Anna in the backseat. Vic pulled up in front of Cady and Cooper's house and got out. Walt started to release his seatbelt, but Vic waved him off.
"I got it."
He nodded and let his eyes roam the street while she worked behind him. Once the door closed, Walt reached out and adjusted the vent nearest him. He turned his eyes to the house just in time to see Vic and both kids disappear inside. He caught the briefest glimpse of Cady as she ushered them in, then closed the door.
A minute or so later, Vic opened the door and was walking down the sidewalk back in his direction. She slid in, pulling the door closed behind her.
"Damn, it's cold."
She was right. It was. He wouldn't be at all surprised to see snow in the forecast soon.
"Yep. Cooper already gone?"
Vic nodded as she checked her mirrors and pulled out, aiming the car for the Red Pony.
"Yeah. We're a few minutes behind him."
"Does Cady know what's going on?"
"Not any more than we do."
Vic pulled out and started for the bar. There was a feeling ramping up in his stomach that he wasn't going to like what Zeke had to say. The feeling wasn't entirely new, but it was becoming steadily worse as the minutes ticked by.
In the passenger seat, he sensed a familiar feeling coming from Vic. She was quiet. Too quiet for him to be comfortable. It was never good when she got like that. It only increased his sense of uneasiness. Her hands were tight on the steering wheel and there was a tight set to her shoulders. It was easy to read body language.
Walt almost asked her if she was okay. He opted not to. The answer was obvious. She wasn't. Nor would she be until this was resolved. He recognized that whatever he was feeling would be multiplied in Vic. She was, after all, the one who was facing the prospect of being locked up.
He stole quick looks in her direction as she drove, returning his eyes to the road almost as quickly. She was focused intensely on the road that stretched out in front of them. Walt alternated between looking at her and glancing out the window at the passing landscape that he didn't really see. She seemed just as lost in her thoughts as he was. Maybe more.
She hadn't said anything since they left Cady's.
The fact that she didn't seem to notice him looking at her was telling. It normally drove her crazy when he watched her for any length of time when they weren't talking. Not tonight. She simply kept her eyes on the road and her posture remained tense.
The nurturing part of him wanted to tell her that everything would be okay. That they would figure all of this out and it would be nothing more than a bump in the road. He couldn't do that, though. He didn't know if any of that was true. He knew it wouldn't sound as reassuring as intended. So, like her, he kept his own peace.
The ride seemed unusually long, but also not long enough. Vic pulled in to the familiar parking lot and cut the engine. For a few seconds, they sat there looking towards the building. Vic moved and opened her door. Walt pulled his own door handle and stepped out, pushing the door closed behind him as Vic came around the front of the SUV. Her expression was pensive.
"What?"
Vic looked up at him.
"What I said before…about this being your home…I didn't mean it like that. You know I like it here. I love it here. It's just that…sometimes…this small town mentality gets to me. But…this…"
She gestured around them.
"…is my home, too. You understand?"
He did understand. He knew that she liked it here. He knew what their home meant to her. She'd made it abundantly clear that leaving was not in her plans.
"Yeah. I understand."
Without even thinking about it, he reached out and took her arm, stopping her as she passed him. Vic peered up at him with questions in her eyes. Not giving her time to form a verbal response, he leaned in and kissed her lightly on the mouth. Breaking the contact, he tilted his forehead and pressed it to hers. He closed his eyes for the briefest of moments before he lifted his head and stepped away.
Vic was still looking at him with some level of confusion.
"What was that for?"
It was the first time she'd spoken since they left Cady's. Walt shrugged, unable to come up with a response that made any sense. Instead, he took her hand and they started for the door.
xxx
Zeke and Cooper were already in the bar when they walked in. Both men looked up as they approached. Zeke gave Vic a curious look.
"You're not gonna get in trouble for being here are you?"
She resisted the urge to sigh. Just hearing the question brought about a host of emotions that she would rather not get in to. Vic pulled out a seat and shook her head.
"No, they serve enough food to pass as a restaurant. I just can't drink."
Zeke grimaced as she lowered herself into the chair.
"I know. I would very much like to drink."
"Understandable."
Cooper was watching her with a hawkish look. He didn't miss much.
"How're you doing?"
"Okay."
She wasn't getting into all of her problems with both Cooper and Zeke sitting there. They were here for a reason and she wanted to stick to that. Cooper didn't press her any further. Both he and Zeke had beers. A waitress walked over and asked Vic what she wanted as well as Walt. She ordered water and Walt did the same. Vic knew it was a show of support where she was concerned. She could certainly use a beer just then. But, it would be stupid to go back to jail over something so trivial. So, she would play by the rules of court as long as she was out in public.
Their waters were brought over and they declined an offer of ordering food. Once the waitress was gone, Vic placed her hands on the table and leaned in slightly.
"So, what's going on?"
Zeke gave her a look that bordered on amusement.
"Always right to the point."
Vic shrugged off the comment. He wasn't wrong.
"Well, I assume you didn't call to have a chat."
"No, I didn't."
Zeke leaned back in his chair and took a drink from the bottle in front of him. He placed it back on the table and swiped his hand across his mouth.
"I did some digging on your former mayor, Sawyer Crane."
He kept talking, not really giving them time to respond or ask any questions.
"He's got his hands in a lot of pots. A run for state office that he lost and some other political causes. He's moved and is living in Cheyenne now. No surprise there since he's looking to step up from small town mayor to something bigger. To really get anywhere in politics, you got to know the right people. The ones with influence and money."
He paused and looked around the room before returning his attention to the table.
"I suppose it's possible he's got something to do with this. But…he seems awfully busy on other fronts. I can't find anything connecting him to this. So…"
He paused again and dropped his voice.
"…I checked out Jim Wilkins."
The tone of his voice changed and Vic's curiosity was piqued. Walt's was as well as Cooper's. Zeke turned his eyes to Cooper.
"What do you know about your predecessor?"
Cooper's expression didn't change. He was as collected as always, his expression a mask that didn't let you in on anything that he was thinking.
"What I learned about before and after the election. I've met him, of course. We had a couple of debates and I met him during the course of the campaign. I don't really know the man on a personal level. What I do know has never impressed me. I haven't heard much about him since he left office. Just…what a few of my deputies have mentioned in passing. He's single at this point. He moved from my understanding. Couldn't tell you where, though. I believe he's still in the county."
Zeke nodded.
"He is."
It was obvious from Zeke's words that he knew more than any of them. For her part and Walt's, they didn't know much of anything about Wilkins. That was fine with her. She never liked the man and the feeling was mutual. Outside of the investigation into Walt back when Tucker Baggett was killed, she didn't have much in the way of interaction with him since. There was no reason to. It was just fine with her to never think about the man. She was satisfied when Cooper unseated Wilkins as Sheriff. Cooper was certainly a better man and a better Sheriff.
Zeke cleared his throat. He wasn't bothering with any files or papers. This was all coming from memory.
"He moved because he faced some lawsuits of his own. Drained the money he saved up over the years defending himself. Hard to sustain a certain kind of lifestyle when your finances dry up."
"What kind of lawsuits?"
The question came from Walt.
"Nothing major. Wrongful arrest. That sort of thing. Nothing stuck. But…it took a toll. He's still living in Cumberland County in a much smaller house. He bought it about six months after he lost the election."
"Seems…fitting."
She looks toward Walt, then turned her eyes back to Zeke.
"He working?"
Zeke nodded.
"He's had a few jobs. Security mostly. Seasonal and short term."
Walt was right. It felt like a fitting end to a man who was a thorn in their side on more than one occasion. She knew that Walt hadn't always disliked Wilkins so strongly. Over the years, Wilkins started to care less about his constituents and more about how he could make a profit and bring more money into the county. Somewhere along the path, he lost his way as an honest law enforcement officer. It wasn't unheard of. Especially with an elected position. It wasn't as hard as you might think to get pulled into the darker side of politics. Walt learned first hand what happened when you came down on the wrong side of those in charge and refused to give in.
It nearly cost him his career.
Vic drummed her fingers on the table and looked at the water glass in front of her. She lifted the glass and sipped it. The water was cold as was the slick, condensation covered surface. She set the glass back down with a soft thump and eyed Zeke.
"So?"
He looked at her for a long moment. Everyone who knew her was well aware of her lack of patience. Zeke was no exception. He wasn't put off by it at all. On the contrary, it was something he always seemed to appreciate about her. He willingness to get right to the point.
"So…he's got a lot of motive. His entanglement with Sawyer Crane and everything that went down after that cost him a lot. His job…"
He glanced at Cooper.
"…his home. His…place in society. I don't know Wilkins, but based on what I've heard, he sounds like an arrogant son of a bitch."
"He was."
Vic spoke up immediately. She tossed a quick look at Walt, who met her gaze, then turned her eyes back to Zeke.
"You think Wilkins could be responsible for this?"
Again, it was Walt's quiet voice.
"I think it's a strong possibility. Like I said, he's got motive. As a former Sheriff, he has the know-how. If someone broke into your house in order to frame you…"
"They did."
Vic cut in before she could stop herself. It was his use of the word "if" that stoked a fire in her gut. Zeke went quiet and gave her a conciliatory look.
"I know that Vic."
His voice was low when he responded. Vic shifted around in her seat and sighed.
"Sorry."
She mumbled the apology. She could feel Walt's eyes on her, but he didn't say anything. Cooper, too, sat quietly. In many ways, those two were a lot alike. Vic had pointed out that Cady had married a slightly more laid-back version of her father who shared some of his stronger traits. Zeke raised his hand and waved it at her slightly.
"He understands crime scenes. He's the kind of person that we're looking for."
The comment hung between all of them. Vic considered the thought. She and Walt weren't strangers to revenge. She knew the force with which someone could come back from the past and wreak havoc in your life. She knew how hatred could sit underneath the surface and grow like a volcano waking up from a state of dormancy.
She shook her head slightly and rubbed her hands over her face.
"God."
Vic leaned back in her seat suddenly feeling drained.
"What do we do?"
It was a question that had no clear answer. Zeke inhaled deeply.
"I'm gonna keep digging into this. If either of you…"
He looked between her and Walt.
"…think of anything that might be helpful, let me know. I don't care what time it is. Let me know while it's fresh."
She nodded slowly and Walt's chin dipped slightly.
"Sure."
He turned his attention to Cooper. Cooper didn't wait for any kind of instruction. There was already a plan forming in his mind.
"I'll see what I can come up with on my end."
Zeke nodded.
"Be careful. You don't know who on your staff might still have a relationship with Wilkins."
It was a sobering thought that someone who worked for Cooper might be giving Jim Wilkins some insight into their current lives. It was also something she really hadn't thought of before. Like Walt, she had put all of that in the past as much as was possible.
Maybe she should have known better. Maybe they both should have.
xxx
"What are you thinking?"
The ride back to Cady's to pick up the kids was quiet. The ride home was punctuated with Julian talking and Anna chirping away as well. Vic didn't say anything to him about the meeting with Zeke and Cooper. She wouldn't. Not in front of the kids. His own mind was swirling with thoughts and possibilities.
Once they got home, there wasn't much time for discussion and no privacy. Walt did chores and worked with the horses. He didn't see Vic for a while. He sent Eli home early in order to be alone with his thoughts. In spite of his family life, there were still times that he needed to be alone in order to process what he was going through.
He knew there would be a conversation later.
For the time being, though, he busied himself down by the barn as he worked through the information that Zeke passed along to them. Right now, this was all theory, of course. But, that was the nature of investigative work. You looked for evidence and suspects. You formulated theories based off of that information.
They all had backgrounds in law enforcement. They all had some level of training and experience. The differing perspectives could only be helpful in Walt's mind. As much of a lone wolf as he tended to be. There was something to be said for brainstorming. He was thankful for both Zeke and Cooper for offering that.
The reality was that he knew Jim Wilkins better than anyone else who was involved right now. Not necessarily on a truly personal level. Certainly on a professional one. They butted heads for years having different styles. It felt like at this point, he should be better at accepting the lengths at which people would go to in order to achieve their own agenda.
The rest of the day slipped by as he finished up with the horses and put them all securely into their stalls for the night. Once that was done, he left the barn and stepped outside. It was colder now as the sun dipped from the sky and shadows started to spread across the land. He tucked his hands into his pockets and dipped his chin into the collar of his coat.
He started a slow trek to the cabin. From outside, it looked warm and inviting. The porch light was on, casting a yellowish glow over the wooden planks and stepped. The living room light was also on, illuminating the interior through the front curtains. He paused and took it in. Almost everything in his life that was important was contained in this small space. Only Cady was absent from the scene.
Walt took the steps up to the door. He opened it and stepped inside. His first thought was how much warmer it was inside. There was a healthy fire going. Walt hung up his hat and removed his coat. He hung up the coat and toed off his boots, leaving them by the door. Reaching up, he smoothed his hair back and crossed the room. It was empty.
He checked the time.
It was past the kids' bedtime. He'd stayed in the barn for longer than he thought. He cast a look in their empty bedroom as he passed by. He found Anna already in her crib, singing to herself in a low voice. He smiled as he paused to listen. It was a habit she developed more recently as her speech matured into more comprehensible words and less as baby babble.
He could hear Vic talking in a low tone. It was coming from Julian's room. She was reading to him. He recognized the cadence of her voice. The quiet softness of her words as she attempted to help Julian relax and lull him to sleep.
He retreated to the bedroom and started to unsnap his shirt. He heard Vic come out of Julian's room and pull the door partially closed. There was the sound of her walking down the hall and she appeared in the doorway. Walt stood shirtless as she came in and stopped, obviously not expecting to see him there.
"Thought maybe you got lost out there."
Walt gave her an apologetic look that didn't seem necessary.
"Lost track of time."
She was already dressed for bed having apparently showered while he was outside at the barn. She didn't respond to his answer, giving her head a slight shake at his explanation. She walked around the bed and pulled the blankets back while Walt continued to undress. She was watching him with a slight furrow between her brows. Walt gestured at the bathroom.
"I'm gonna get a shower."
Vic nodded and picked up her phone from the beside table.
Walt disappeared into the bathroom and took a quick shower. He washed off the small of horses and his hair before stepping out and grabbing a towel. He emerged from the bathroom to find Vic still in the bed. She had put her phone aside, but was still sitting up with her back propped up against the headboard.
He paused just outside the bathroom door and studied her.
"Something wrong?"
Vic shrugged.
"No."
He started moving again and crossed over to the bed. He lay down and tugged the blanket up and over his long legs. She was watching him. He didn't need to turn his head to see that.
"What are you thinking?"
Walt took a breath. Truthfully, he didn't expect her to broach the topic. He was fully prepared to do that himself.
"I…"
Vic broke in before he got started.
"And don't tell me nothing. You were out in the barn for a long time. You lost track of the time because you were thinking. So…what are you thinking about?"
Sometimes, it felt as though she knew him a little too well.
"I don't understand the kind of hatred that would drive a man to do something like this. Assuming that it is…Jim Wilkins or someone else that we might know."
Vic's expression didn't change and her response came almost immediately.
"Sure you do. You've harbored that kind of hatred."
It was another unexpected response. She wasn't wrong. He hadn't thought of it in those terms.
"I know. But…that was different."
"Why? Because it was justified in your case?"
It was one of those times when it felt like she was inside of his head. He could admit that made him uncomfortable. Moments like these where she pegged him perfectly. She didn't give him time to answer.
"Walt, whoever this is…believes it's justified. That's what we do, isn't it? We work things over in our mind so that they make sense even when they don't. We hold grudges and we hold on to hatred."
"Yes, that's what we do."
He knew that she was speaking from experience. Much like him, she had a past that was riddled with mistakes and the hatred that she spoke of. Ed Gorski following her to Wyoming, wanted to ruin her life the way he perceived she ruined his. Her own inability to move on from her run in with Chance Gilbert. That encounter bred a hostility between the two of them that very nearly cost Vic her life.
She wasn't shooting from the hip here.
Up to this point, it hadn't crossed his mind to compare himself to whoever this was.
"It never ends well."
She sighed just after she said it.
"No, it doesn't. But…if this is Wilkins, we didn't ruin his life. He did that all on his own."
She shrugged.
"I don't think he would agree with you."
"Guess not."
"That's what you were out there thinking about?"
"Mostly."
"Mostly? What else?"
Walt looked down at the quilt and the stitching that held it together.
"If it is Wilkins…and I'm not sure about that…he's going after you in order to get to me."
Vic gave him a long look before she replied.
"Yeah."
The acknowledgement surprised him on some level. He'd expected her to launch into a lecture about how this wasn't his fault. She didn't. She simply continued to sit there as the quiet spread out between them. He heard her inhale, taking a breath.
"But…we can't control what other people do. Only ourselves."
She was right. That seemed to be a theme in this conversation. Were he to say that out loud, she would likely make some comment about him actually admitting that to her. The mood was too heavy for that, though.
"Yep."
She sat for another moment, then she leaned forward, scooted down, and lay back. Walt's eyes followed her down.
"Are you alright?"
Vic looked up at him and met his gaze.
"I've been better. You?"
"Same."
Walt stretched out beside her and rolled onto his side. This wasn't the conversation he expected to have with her. That seemed to be the way of it, though. Life was unpredictable as it was. It seemed their combined lives were more unpredictable than was normal.
Vic turned her head slightly, breaking the eye contact and closed her eyes. She shifted around a little, then stilled. The talk felt unfinished, but the conversation seemed to have reached a natural conclusion.
Did that even make sense?
Walt moved his hand and laid it on Vic's stomach. He could feel her abdomen rise and fall with each breath. She was warm. She wasn't asleep, but kept her eyes closed. Walt allowed his own eyes to drift shut.
xxx
"When did you first meet him?"
The question seemed to come out of nowhere. They weren't really talking when she posed it. They were out in the smaller barn with the kids having already been dropped off at school and preschool. Eli was out exercising horses, leaving them alone.
It was another cold morning with a sharp wind blowing out of the mountains. Thankfully, inside the barn, it was somewhat warmer with the doors closed against the weather and the wind. Vic was in Lady's stall with a brush in her hand. With long strokes, she brushed the horse methodically. Lady stood patiently with her tail swishing.
Walt leaned in the doorway of the stall watching as she brushed the horse. She'd come out before him. As a matter of fact, Vic had been out here when he came home from dropping off Julian and Anna. He never made it into the cabin. He walked down to the barn to speak to Eli. It was Eli who told him that Vic was in the smaller of the two barns. Walt stepped into the barn, pulling the door closed behind him. He removed his hat and ran his hand along his hair. Replacing his hat, he approached the stall where he found Vic.
She looked up when she heard his boots on the barn floor. At first, she didn't say anything. She simply met his gaze, then returned her attention to the horse, continuing to move the brush over the animal's coat.
The silence existed for a series of minutes before she spoke with no preamble.
"When did you first meet him?"
Walt's brow creased with questions, his mind shifting gears in order to catch up.
"What?"
She raised her eyes again and looked his way, their gazes connecting.
"Wilkins. When did you first meet him?"
She could see him thinking. Whenever that first meeting occurred, it must not have been all that memorable. That was easy enough to understand. Unless there was a reason to remember, it wasn't hard to lose the mundane to memory.
"Long time ago I guess."
Vic glanced over her shoulder at him.
"You guess?"
Walt entered the stall and moved over to the wall so that he could see her face. Vic gave him a look before returning to her task. She waited with not as much patience as she would like to have had with him. He must have sensed her mood because he shifted on his feet and dipped his chin.
"I don't really remember when I first met him. I worked in Absaroka and he worked in Cumberland. Our paths crossed, but we didn't really get acquainted until we were both Sheriff."
"Were you ever friends?"
"No. Jim has always been…driven. Ambitious."
Vic stopped brushing Lady again and set the brush aside. Giving the horse a pat on the neck, she walked over to Walt and they both left the stall. Vic closed and latched it as soon as they both cleared it. Lady stomped one foot and turned so that she could stick her head out in hopes that there was some food to be given. She'd already been given her breakfast. So, Vic simply ran her hand down the nose and withdrew her hand.
"You say ambitious like it's a bad thing."
Walt looked at the horse, obviously considering his opinion of Jim Wilkins.
"It's not always. But…when you're an elected official and you want more than you should have, that's not good."
She took in his words and nodded slightly. She understood what he was saying. In her opinion, Wilkins was an arrogant man who was more concerned with his own place in the community than the true well being of his community. It was one of the ways that her thoughts coincided with Walt's.
"You don't get rich being a Sheriff. You shouldn't. Money and prestige shouldn't be the reason why you take the job. Making a difference should be. Jim has always…wanted to be the top dog in more ways than one. He wants power and credit. His image and lifestyle are his motivation."
"He ever do anything illegal?"
Walt inhaled, his chest expanding.
"Not outright that I know of."
"But…?"
She prompted him, knowing that there was more.
"He's been known to look the other way where businesses are concerned. Bend laws so to speak."
Vic bit her bottom lip.
"What does your gut tell you about all this?"
The question wasn't exactly crystal clear, but he seemed to understand what she was asking him.
His expression was one of conflict. She knew why. These thoughts could be hard to reconcile. She certainly had her own experience with someone you thought you knew turning on you. Hating you beyond what was imaginable.
Finally, he merely shook his head.
"I don't know."
Vic sighed. She was hoping for more than that. She didn't like Wilkins. She never had. But, that didn't make him guilty of this. It wouldn't necessarily surprise her. Not after everything else they had been through. Still, assuming guilt and refusing to hear any other evidence was exactly the mindset of Wilkins when he was called in by Sawyer Crane to oversee the murder investigation of Tucker Baggett.
She didn't have any desire to be compared to Jim Wilkins. That was for damn sure.
"It's a hard call, Vic."
"I know."
Her voice was matter of fact. Walt pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and thought for a long, quiet moment. She thought about her question, then rephrased it.
"When Zeke first brought this up, what was your first instinct?"
She pushed him as she always did. She wanted to know. She needed to know. She trusted Walt's instincts and his gut. Over the years, she'd relied on it both professionally and personally. It had saved Walt's life as well as her own. It had protected their children. She didn't have reason to doubt it now.
Before there was time for him to answer, she pressed on even more.
"Don't think about it either. Just tell me exactly what your first thought was when he tossed out Wilkins' name."
She still expected him to stall, to overthink. That was Walt. So, she was surprised in a good way when he spoke almost immediately in response.
"It seems wrong."
Vic looked at him, not bothering to hide the feelings and thoughts on her face.
"Really?"
Walt shrugged his shoulder slightly. She could see the hesitance in him. What she was asking him was not as clear as they would have liked. Either of them. That was one of the problems here. Everything was so damn murky.
It was endlessly frustrating.
"That's just it. I don't know."
She pushed out a breath and looked away. Her eyes drifted to the door. Beyond it, Horse and Blaze were out in the pasture. Walt gave her an uneasy look, but didn't say anything. Vic grabbed a lead rope and clipped it on Lady, leading her outside.
At first, Walt stayed where he was. After a moment, though, he followed along behind her.
Outside, Vic turned Lady loose in the pasture. Draping the lead over one shoulder, she scaled the fence, and started across the pasture. Her target was Blaze, the horse they'd gotten primarily for Julian to ride. The horse's gentle nature gave Vic an affinity for riding him over Horse, who was much more spirited.
Blaze lifted his head and watched her. When she was halfway to him, the horse pushed out a breath through his nose and started her way. Once she reached him, Vic reached up and clipped the rope onto his halter. Vic started leading him back towards the barn and Blaze went quietly. His affection for humans was one of the things that made him an ideal horse for a beginner, or a child.
Walt was still watching her wordlessly as she led him out and over to the barn where she tied off the rope and retrieved a brush. Walt reached out and patted the horse as Vic worked quicker than she had with Lady. This was a task that possessed intent.
Walt saw that.
"Going riding?"
"Yep."
Vic switched sides and continued brushing. Leaving her alone, Walt disappeared into the barn and returned with the horse tack.
"Want me to saddle him?"
Vic shook her head.
"No, I got it."
Walt gave her an uneasy look.
"You sure?"
"Yes. You should…help Eli. He's taken on a lot lately."
She was trying to tell him that she wanted to be alone without actually coming out and saying it. Vic didn't have any desire to set off concern in him or start any kind of argument. She just needed some time and some space to process. It felt like she needed that a lot lately. Maybe more than Walt was comfortable with. But, to his credit, he usually complied with her request.
He scuffled one boot over the ground and let out an audible sigh. He wasn't happy. Thankfully, he didn't push the topic or her.
"Yeah, I should."
He reached up and ran his hand over Blaze's neck one more time just as Vic tossed the brush aside and looked over the horse's back at him. Walt let his hand slip away and she could see the concession in his face.
"Let me know if you need anything."
Walt didn't wait for an answer. He tucked his hands into his pockets, turned, and started for the larger barn that was used to board houses. Vic stood for a minute and watched him go. His shoulders were set tight and tense. He wasn't happy or satisfied with their conversation. There wasn't anything she could do about that just now.
Vic set about saddling the horse. The dependable animal stood patiently as she worked. Walt frequent did saddle horses for her. He was much quicker and adept at the task. He taught her how to do it herself so that she could ride even when he wasn't available. She didn't trust her horse skill as much as Walt's, but she was getting better every time she did it.
Vic's relationship with horses and riding them was complicated. She wasn't a natural in the saddle. It took work and patience that didn't come naturally to her. Still, she had a strong affinity for the big animals and could spend more time than most in their company simply brushing or caring for them.
It was therapeutic in unexpected ways.
Vic finished up and double checked to ensure that everything was secure. Then, she hoisted herself up into the saddle and settled in. She gave Walt one final look as he disappeared into the large barn.
Vic turned her attention away from Walt and to the horse that carried her. She nudged him with her boots and Blaze started forward at a predictably easy pace.