him. We’d ridden plenty together, so the kid knew the drill. Jasper was a good two kilometers from the stables, but it was a nice ride on a cool morning. I’d bundled Percy in an old coat of mine so he’d be warm.
I could have asked JR or Dad to take us into town, but I didn’t want to bother them when I knew how much Percy enjoyed riding.
Chief Elkhart bent the rules for me. He permitted the horses in town so long as we cleaned up after them. The town folks never complained. It gave character to our neck of the woods. The wagon rides on the weekends were hugely popular with tourists and residents alike.
Besides, riding made my life easier since losing my license.
The police station sat off the main road, so I steered Bella in the right direction once we hit the town. I’d called the police chief when we left the stables, so he knew we were on our way. He was waiting out in the parking lot when I veered in and called Bella to a stop. “Whoa, girl.”
Windsor grinned and tipped his hat at me, a gesture I returned. I was a world more comfortable back in my regular digs today.
He helped Percy down and waited while I dismounted too. Bella stayed put, patient as always.
“Any word on when they’ll reissue your license?” the chief asked.
“Not for a while. I have to be seizure-free for six months minimum, which is provin’ to be a pain in my ass.”
“It’s a bitch. Makes sense though. It’s for your own good.”
“I know. It is what it is. Did you get a hold of his old man?” I asked, changing the subject away from my health.
Percy clung to my leg, his eyes drooping and face sagging. He’d expressed countless times on our ride that he didn’t want to go home, and why couldn’t he spend the day with me?
“He’s home. I’m gonna take this little gaffer back. Have you got time to make a report? Melinda has the forms out.”
“Yeah. No problem.”
I bent down and took Percy’s frail shoulders, looking in the kid’s sad eyes. My old coat hung past his knees, and I didn’t have the heart to ask for it back. He’d been thrilled to wear something that had once belonged to me. “You’ll be all right, kiddo. You come find me again if you ain’t, you hear me?”
He nodded, but it lacked enthusiasm.
“Where’s that smile?”
“I don’t wanna smile. How come I can’t stay with you?”
I sighed. “Too many rules and red tape, and I know you don’t understand that. School’s almost out for the summer. Maybe if your daddy says it’s okay, you can come out and do some ridin’, huh? You like that idea?”
He nodded, and a faint smile tried to form on his face. Percy dove into my arms, and I hugged him tightly. “Chin up, buster. You’ll be okay.”
“How about you go hop in the cruiser and wait for me, buddy,” Windsor said, ruffling the kid’s hair when I released him.
A spark lit in Percy’s eyes, and his somberness vanished as he skipped off, calling behind him, “Can I flash the lights, chief?”
“Sure. Go for it. No sirens.”
Windsor waited until the door on the cruiser slammed with Percy in the driver’s seat. “Kid likes you.”
“And I like him, but I ain’t his pop.”
“Wish you were sometimes. That boy needs a positive role model.”
“What’re you doin’ about this, Windsor? I can’t stand findin’ him like I did last night. Breaks my heart.”
The chief got a distant look in his gray eyes. His squared shoulders and his tight jaw gave him an edge of authority he’d never had when he was in high school. He must have learned it in the academy. Windsor was an old friend of JR’s, a half a dozen years older than me. He’d hung out at the stables enough growing up, I felt like I knew him for the person behind the badge.
“I have to follow legal channels as much as it kills me. CAS will probably come and do another home inspection. We go from there. I have to take comfort that at least the kid knows where to go when he’s in trouble.”
“That’s not a solution. I’m two kilometers out of town. It makes me sick when I think of him wanderin’ that county road by himself. At night sometimes.”
“I know. Me too.” Windsor met my gaze, his was sharp and authoritative, but with an edge of