Raylen sighed. “I guess so if it’s Colleen.”

“Looks like her red hair.”

Colleen stopped when Liz drove up beside her and opened the truck door. “I’ll ride with you the rest of the way.”

“Got a passenger and a guide. See you in a minute,” Liz told Raylen and ended the call.

“The vet said we didn’t have to sit up with Danny Boy, but Mama says different,” Colleen said.

“Maddie loves that horse, doesn’t she?” Liz asked.

“Yes, she does. She raised him from a newborn colt and always said he would be a winner, and she was right. We’re more worried about her than the horse,” Colleen said. “Mama is a strong woman, but…”

“But losing Danny Boy would crush her, right?” Liz asked.

Colleen nodded. “Mama and I will be in and out all night to check on him. Mostly she’ll be keeping watch on the horse, and I’ll be here for her. Gemma will take over at noon tomorrow since she doesn’t have to work on Mondays. Dewar said he’ll do a stint in the middle of the afternoon. By late tomorrow night, Mama says if he’s doing well, we can stop baby-sitting. The vet will be here three times a day until we’re sure his leg is healing right.”

Liz nosed the truck in beside Raylen’s vehicle. Before her hand reached the door handle, Raylen opened it.

“I’m so glad to see you.” He leaned inside and kissed her right in front of Colleen.

“Hello to you too, Brother,” Colleen said.

“Don’t get snippy with me,” Raylen said. “If Danny Boy gets an infection or—God forbid—that we have to put him down, I sure don’t want to deal with Mama. Right now he is doing fine. Vet said he could eat whatever he wanted, so he’s getting spoiled. I’ve already fed him three carrots and two apples, so don’t believe him when he gives you that ‘poor pitiful me’ look.”

He laced his fingers in Liz’s hand and led her into the barn with Colleen right behind them. “The vet put in six stitches and gave him a healthy dose of antibiotics, which he gets three times a day for three days, along with dressing changes. He assures us Danny Boy will be good as new and doesn’t think he was out more than a couple of hours. The blood wasn’t dried on his wound and he didn’t have any scratches anywhere else.”

Liz let go of Raylen’s hand and opened the gate to Danny Boy’s stall. She went inside, rubbed his nose, and whispered, “Poor baby boy. Now you have to stay in the stall, and you won’t get to see the Rocky Mountains and flirt with my girls. I’ve got a carrot in my pocket that was left over when we loaded the Vanner ladies into the horse wagon. Would you like to have it?” She offered it to him and he nuzzled her face before he accepted it.

“You’re good with him,” Colleen said.