The Mighty Quinns: Logan (12 page)

When they finally reached the campervan, parked a few blocks away, Logan opened the passenger door for her and helped her inside. “Your carriage awaits,” he teased.

As she settled into her seat, Sunny couldn’t help but feel a sense of optimism. She had the money to buy back Logan’s horse. For now, that was enough. And once Tally was hers, the rest of it would sort itself out.

“Where are we headed today?” Sunny asked as Logan got behind the wheel.

“I don’t know. Let’s just drive west and see where the road takes us.”

Sunny smiled to herself. After a few rocky moments, things were back to normal now. She and Logan were together in a place that had always been comfortable for them both. All was right with the world.

7

T
HE
LAST
THIRD
of the trip was the most difficult, spent crossing the Nullarbor Plain, a swath of land that was nothing more than a giant slab of limestone, unable to support any vegetation beyond scrub brush. It was the epitome of Australian outback, desolate and remote.

At times, looking out to the horizon, it seemed as if they were on another planet. There were no houses, no towns, nothing but the straight strip of sealed road in front of them, a thousand kilometers long.

Every two or three hundred kilometers, they’d come upon a roadhouse where they could buy food and get petrol and spend the night if they chose. But Logan had wanted to put that part of the trip behind them as quickly as possible so they did the crossing in two very long days of driving, spending their only night on the border between the two states in Eucla.

Since the road was so straight and virtually void of traffic, Sunny finally got her chance to drive the campervan. Though Logan was reluctant to relinquish control to her, she turned out to be a very good driver, patient while she learned and very careful once she felt comfortable.

After pulling into the Eucla caravan park at almost midnight, they took Tally for a short ride and then got her fed and bedded down for the night. They were back on the road again early the next morning, this time hugging the coast and spending the night near Albany.

It was their last night with Tally, and Logan had decided that the final four-hour drive to Perth could wait until the afternoon. He was determined to spend the morning riding and taking his last chance to say goodbye to his favorite filly.

They found a caravan park near a small beach and left the campervan and trailer, leading Tally to the long stretch of white sand. She seemed to sense that something was wrong and, as they walked, continued to nudge at Logan’s shoulder.

“I think she knows,” Sunny said, looking up at him.

He held her hand, clasped in his, and gave it a squeeze. “I think she does, too,” he said. “But I have to believe she’ll be fine.”

“Of course she will,” Sunny said.

“I hope they’ll appreciate what they have. I mean, she was the most beautiful horse in my stable. I always liked walking in every morning and seeing her head peeking over the stall door, looking for her morning biscuit.”

“And she’ll be the most beautiful horse in their stable.”

When they reached the beach, Logan gave Sunny a knee up and then jumped up behind her, settling Sunny against him. They rode without a saddle, the two of them as comfortable riding together as they were riding alone.

After two long days on the road, Tally was full of energy and ready to run. Logan urged her into a gallop and they ran along the edge of the surf, the horse’s hooves sending spray up all around them.

They rode until they were both exhausted, then walked along the beach as Tally cooled down. There was nothing to say, and Logan was grateful that Sunny hadn’t tried to brighten his mood. In truth, she seemed almost as sad as he was.

He always thought he might take the option of selling the horse to Sunny. It was a last-minute escape clause in case he couldn’t go through with the sale. But now that she’d cut off ties with her father, that was impossible. The sale would go as originally planned.

“So, are we ready to turn around and go home?” Sunny asked.

Logan nodded. “Yeah. I think we can get back a lot faster. We can put in longer days, maybe just pull off the road when we need sleep. If I can keep this trip to two weeks, it would probably be a good idea.”

“We’ll have to stop and get Padma,” Sunny said. “And pick up my things.”

“Sunny, are you sure you want to do this? Maybe you should go home and try to smooth things over with your dad. We’ll just keep to our plan of taking a holiday every now and then.”

She stopped walking and turned to face him. “Don’t you want me to live with you?”

“Of course I do. That’s not the point. The point is, are you going to want to live with me? I don’t have anywhere for you to train. And it takes hours to get to the closest equestrian park. I don’t even know where the closest one is.”

“We can build some fences. It’s not that difficult.”

“Sunny, come on. I just want you to understand what you’d be giving up. If you’re really serious about riding at Worlds in a couple years, you’re not going to get there living on my ranch.”

She stared at him for a long moment, then sighed softly. “I know.” Sunny pushed up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “But thank you for offering to take me in. If I ever feel like running away, I might show up on your doorstep.”

“I could handle that,” he said.

“We will see each other after this is over,” she said. “I’m not even sure I’m going to be able to sleep all alone again. I’ve gotten used to having you there.”

Logan chuckled, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. “You have managed to wiggle your way into my life. I don’t think there’s any getting rid of you now.”

“Absolutely not,” she said.

He handed her the reins. “Here. Take her for one last ride. I want to watch you.”

“Should I take off all my clothes like Lady Godiva?” Sunny asked, looking up and down the beach. “We’re all alone here.”

“Only if you’re determined to make me cry,” Logan teased. He held his linked hands out and gave her a boost and Sunny gathered the reins in her fingers.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come along?” she asked.

“No, I just want to look at my two favorite girls for a little bit longer.”

Sunny clucked her tongue as she gave the horse a gentle nudge with her heels. Logan stepped back and sat down in the sand, resting his arms across his knees.

He wished he’d had a camera with him so he could keep a memory of this moment in time. He reached into his pocket and looked at his mobile phone, then realized that he did have a camera.

He pointed it at Sunny and Tally and snapped a picture, then squinted to see it on the phone’s display. After he saved it, Logan noticed that he’d had a call from Billy at the ranch. Logan had promised that he was going to contact him when he got to Perth, but there was obviously something Billy needed and wasn’t willing to wait.

Logan punched in the number for the ranch, then listened as the phone rang six times before the voice mail kicked in. “Hey, Billy. I noticed that you called. I’m in mobile range right now, so ring me back. I hope everything is all right. I just got to Perth and will be dropping Tally off this afternoon. All right, then. Get back to me when you can.”

With a frown, he hung up and stared at his mobile, wondering what Billy wanted. He’d worked for Logan for three years and had always been trustworthy and responsible. Logan also had a couple of local boys who were working the place in return for using a couple of horses for amateur camp drafting competitions.

Sunny approached him, Tally at a brisk walk. “Hey, I thought you were going to watch me. You’re playing with your mobile.”

Logan held it up and snapped another photo of her. “That was a nice one,” he said.

“Take one of us together,” she said.

Logan got to his feet and Sunny bent over Tally’s neck. He held out his arm and snapped the picture, then showed it to her. “I like that one,” she said. “You’ll have to send me that so I have a copy.”

“I will,” he said.

“What is it? You look worried.”

“No. Billy called and I guess I must have turned off my phone, because I didn’t hear him ring. He wouldn’t call unless there was some type of emergency.”

“Did you ring him back?”

Logan nodded. “Yeah. He didn’t answer. I’m thinking I should try one of the other boys, but they only come by after they’re done with school. They might not know what’s going on.”

He frowned. “He’s got a mobile. Maybe I should text him. I’ll just tell him to call me.” Logan typed in a quick text then waited, hoping that he’d ring right back. But as they stood there, staring at the phone, he realized, even if there was an emergency, he was at least five days away from being able to help.

“Maybe we should get going,” he said. “If there’s something wrong, I’m going to have to head back right away.”

“All right,” she said. “But hop up on Tally. I want to take a photo of you.”

Logan did as she asked and Sunny stood back and snapped the picture. “There,” she murmured. “That’s perfect.”

She turned the phone to him and Logan nodded. “That is nice. I think I might have to frame that one and put it up in my stable.”

“I’ll frame it for you,” Sunny said. “And the one of us together. It will be a good memory of our trip.”

“I don’t think I’m going to be forgetting this trip anytime soon.”

Sunny grinned as he slipped off Tally’s back and drew her into a slow heated kiss. “Good. I don’t want you to forget a single moment.”

* * *

T
HOUGH
S
UNNY
HAD
BEEN
happy to delay the inevitable, she knew they were due to deliver the filly to the equine vet by three that afternoon. The new owner would be waiting to pick her up and the sale would be finalized.

Since her fight with her father, she’d stopped trying to convince Logan that she’d be a better owner. The closer they got to Perth, the gloomier his mood seemed to become. So she’d dropped the subject and, instead, Sunny had decided to bide her time, the blank check from her father tucked securely in her pocket. If Logan was so determined to go through with the sale, then she’d have to work around him.

Years of getting her way with her father had trained her to look for every available option, and she still had plenty. In the worst case, her blank check would be turned down. Then she’d go home, have Ed call and make another offer for Tally and keep negotiating until they finally said yes. Tally wasn’t going anywhere, and Sunny had enough money to keep tempting them with better offers.

They found the equine vet without any trouble. His practice was located about thirty kilometers outside of Perth, not far off the coast highway.

Logan slowed to pull into the car park. “I feel like I should just keep driving. Make a big circle around Oz and end up back at home.”

“We could do that,” she said. “Just keep going, I won’t talk you out of it.”

Logan shook his head. “Nope. I breed horses. And I sell horses. I’m all right with that.”

They followed a driveway around to the back of the equine clinic and found a small barn with a white-fenced paddock attached to it. Logan pulled the campervan to a stop and turned off the ignition, then reached down for the envelope that contained the horse’s medical information and breeding papers.

“Do you want me to come with you?” she asked.

He opened his mouth to answer, then sighed softly and closed it. His hand rested on the steering wheel, and Sunny watched as his fingers clenched and unclenched. “You take her in,” Logan finally said.

“Me?”

He nodded. “I can’t do it. Once the vet has looked her over, you’ll get the check and then we’ll be on our way. I don’t need to be there.”

“Are you sure?” she asked.

He drew another deep breath. “I’ve never been surer of anything in my life. I want my last memory of Tally to be on that beach, watching the two of you ride through the surf. I’d be happy with that.”

Sunny leaned over and gently kissed him. “You’ll be all right. I promise.”

He gave her a weak smile. “I know. I’m going to have to get used to this.” Logan handed her the envelope. “Say goodbye for me, will you?”

“I will,” she murmured. She gave him another long, sweet kiss before she hopped out of the campervan. She walked around to the back of the trailer and lowered the ramp, then unlatched the door.

“Hey, sweetheart,” she crooned as she moved beside the horse, stroking her back. “Come on, you and I have some business to take care of.” The horse looked at her with a quizzical gaze. “I know. It’s been a long trip. But if you’re willing to travel just a little bit farther, then you and I are both going to get exactly what we want.”

Gripping the halter, she slowly nudged Tally back, guiding her out of the trailer onto firm ground. After over a week on the road, the horse seemed to take the travel in stride. Her ears perked up and she sniffed the air, getting her bearings again before walking beside Sunny to the gate.

She rang a bell on the gatepost, and a few minutes later, the equine vet came out, tugging his hat on his head against the afternoon sun. He was followed by an older man, dressed in jeans and a cotton shirt.

“Hello,” the vet said. “Is this Tally?”

Sunny nodded. “It is. I understand you’re going to look her over and I’m supposed to give these to the new owner and collect a check.”

“I’m here for Mr. Morton,” the man in the plaid shirt said. “Beck Crenshaw. I’m his stable manager.”

“Then you’re the man I need to talk to,” Sunny said, grabbing his arm. “Will you excuse us?”

The vet nodded and started his examination, running his hands over the horse’s front legs.

“Is there something wrong?” Crenshaw asked.

“There is. I want to buy the horse,” Sunny said.

“That horse?”

She nodded. “Yep. I know what you’re paying for the horse. I’ll give you that and twenty thousand more to buy her back.”

Crenshaw laughed. “You have to be joking. You just drove that horse across country and now you want to turn around and take her right back?”

“No, I’m going to board her on your farm for a week and then we’re going to put her on a plane and send her back to Brisbane.”

“And you’re going to pay me almost twice as much as she’s worth.” Crenshaw stared at her for a long moment, shaking his head. “Wait a second. You’re Sunny Grant, aren’t you?”

“I am. But don’t hold that against me.”

“And you want to buy
this
horse?”

“I do. I think I’m offering you a very fair price. Can we come to an agreement?”

He chuckled. “Hell, yeah, I think we can make a deal,” he said. “I’m in the business of buying and selling horses. If there’s a profit to be made, I’ll take it.”