turned to the family. “I’ll have you stay here on this side of the fence, and we’ll bring ’em round one at a time. I’ll help you get on, and Chrissy will join us in just a few minutes.”
I took Percy inside the gate with me, his little hand gripping tight to mine as I scoped the yard where we had a dozen horses, saddled and ready to take to the trails. “Let’s get Grover first. I think the little girl out there will like him. What do you think?”
“Yup. Good choice,” Percy said, making his voice as deep as possible and jumbling his words together like I had a bad habit of doing.
I chuckled as we approached the grazing horse, who was attached to the fence by a long lead.
School was out for the summer, and Percy had been showing up at the stables more and more. His pop didn’t care or notice that he was gone most days, and his older half-brother had gone away to camp for the summer—courtesy of his mother. I hated that Percy was alone so much, so when he appeared at the stables, I knew it was a combination of loneliness and hunger that drew him to me.
I fed him, cleaned him up, and called Windsor each and every time so someone knew where the kid was, then I let him help out while I worked. He was getting good at mucking out the stalls—despite the bitching and moaning. As a reward, I took him out riding when he was finished. He was getting good in a saddle, and I was proud.
In the evening, I took the kid home and made sure his father was there and sober before I left him. If he wasn’t, Percy spent the night in the little guest room.
We were three weeks into summer break, and he’d been with me at least three or four days a week. I didn’t mind. The kid had dug out a little piece of my heart. If he went too many days without showing up, I called Windsor to check on him.
When we got to Grover, I lifted Percy to my hip, and we gave the horse some attention before leading him toward the mounting block. I set Percy down and instructed him to head outside the fenced area.
The mounting block was nothing more than a raised platform with stairs that less experienced riders could use to help get on the horse. We used them for the majority of the kids who came to the stables for rides and plenty of adults too who didn’t ride regularly or felt uncomfortable mounting a horse without assistance.
I helped the youngest girl get herself situated and took the reins, guiding Grover in a few small circles so the kid got the feel of the saddle. I gave her instructions about how to keep her feet in the stirrups and how to sit tall and not lean forward.
Once she was comfortable, Chrissy appeared from the equipment barn, geared up and ready to take the family on the trails. She pulled her riding gloves on as she approached with a frown.
“What’s up?”
“Just got a call from Matthew. He has a group out on the Outlook Trail. Apparently, as they were crossing the one area that rounds out along the ridge on the north side above the storage barn, he said he heard Logan losing his head, barking. He stopped the group and tried to make out where it was coming from, and that’s when he saw the barn.” Chrissy’s face turned pained. “He said you might wanna call the chief. Someone’s been spray painting. It’s not good.”
“Son of a—” I cut off my words, knowing I had a family within earshot. “Is he sure?”
“Said you can’t miss it. It was clear as mud and … vulgar.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, seeking strength so I could deal with this reoccurring issue. “Can you get the rest of these guys mounted?”
“Yeah. No problem.”
“Do you need a hand? I can find … someone.” Although I didn’t know who. We were already overlapping staff on all duties, and there wasn’t anyone extra.
“I’m fine, East. Go.” Chrissy touched my arm with sympathy in her eyes. “I’ll call your dad. He can come and register anyone else who shows up before you’re back. Tammy’s group should be in soon.”
I nodded and tugged my phone from my pocket as I headed out the gate. “Chrissy is gonna help y’all get situated,” I