an idiot,” she said, picking up Beckett’s lead rope and then snatching back the saddle pad that Matt still held. She settled it on the horse’s back. Matt put his hand over hers, stopping the motion, and she jerked it away, the pad slipping off again. He bent to pick it up, shook the dust off, but he didn’t hand it back. “I didn’t use you and I didn’t abuse Beckett. I’ve never abused an animal in my life.”
Liv’s blue eyes narrowed. “Well, something happened to him, and there’s no way Trena did it. She wouldn’t even go out into the corral to catch him for me when I came to look at him the first time. I had to catch him.”
Matt had to agree that didn’t make sense—if it were true. What was going on here? A regular injury he could understand, but injuries due to use?
Liv held out her hand for the saddle pad, a challenge in her eyes. Matt let go and she once again settled it on Beckett’s back and then turned to lift the saddle and settle it into place. She pointedly ignored him as she busied herself with cinches and the breast collar, checking for fit and tightness with quick automatic movements. When she bridled the horse, she held the bit and waited for him to take it, talking in a low voice as if Matt weren’t there. He thought he heard the word bastard.
What he’d just witnessed was habit; the actions of a person who knew how to handle a horse. But if Liv had not abused Beckett, that left him with a mystery to solve.
“I want to see those vet records.” It was a stab in the dark, a way to once and for all eliminate Liv as a suspect.
Liv’s eyebrows rose disdainfully. “I don’t have to prove anything to you,” she said. “I’m late.” She swung easily up into the saddle—a saddle that was too small to have made the marks on Beckett’s back. “Stay away from me, Matt.”
She urged Beckett forward, riding past him, her jaw set. Matt stepped back, then strode toward the parking lot, all thought of catching up with Pete and asking about his knee treatment long gone. He was going to find out what had happened to his horse, ask some questions about what Liv had seen at Trena’s. And if Willa ever called, he had questions for her, too.
* * *
ONCE PRACTICE STARTED, Liv had no choice but to pay attention to her riding—it was either that or possibly be smashed by an oncoming horse—but she couldn’t push Matt’s accusations out of her mind. She’d abused the horse. Right.
Fortunately, Beckett was learning the routine and anticipating moves, so Liv got away with being less than totally focused and the practice went far more smoothly than it should have, considering.
“Is everything all right?” Andie asked in a low voice during a brief break between runs.
“Fine,” Liv lied. Just as fine as things could be. Yeah.
“I thought I saw Matt over by your trailer.”
Linda called for attention, so Liv merely said, “No biggie.”
Andie frowned as she turned her horse to get into position, and Liv realized that she wasn’t ready to discuss her encounter with Matt. Not yet—not until she’d had a chance to work through it. There were so many questions. Who had abused the horse? Had she been wrong about Matt or was he a very, very good actor? And why, why oh, why, had she felt compelled to tell him about the crush?
As soon as practice ended, Liv rode back to her trailer at a trot, dismounted and started untacking the horse. She’d barely flipped the stirrup up over the seat of the saddle when she heard someone walking along the other side of her trailer. Great.
She turned, cinch strap in hand, ready to tell Andie that they’d talk tomorrow, but it was Margo, leading her horse by the reins.
“I want to apologize for eavesdropping earlier,” the older woman said matter-of-factly. “It wasn’t my intention.”
“I don’t see how you could have helped but hear us,” Liv said as she began undoing the cinch, grateful Margo hadn’t also heard the confession of her high school crush. Although, come to think of it, high school crushes were nothing to be embarrassed about. Being accused of abusing a horse? Now, that was embarrassing.
“I want you to know that I don’t for one minute believe that a daughter of Tim Bailey would ever mistreat an animal.”
Liv momentarily stopped