“Thank you,” she mouthed silently to Ryan, who smiled and indicated he was returning outside.

While the phone rang, Amy heard a noise from another room. Through a gap in a door she glimpsed a man seated at a table in the kitchen. Wearing corduroy pants, an oversized polo shirt, and a misshapen baseball cap, the man staggered to his feet, gripped a cane, and hobbled out of sight. She assumed he was Ryan’s father, though by the way he was moving he seemed a little too old and frail.

“Thank you for calling Seabrook Taxis,” a rehearsed voice said. “Please leave your name and number, and we’ll return your call as soon as we can.”

Amy relayed her name and circumstances into the machine and said she would start walking back in the direction of town. “If you could have the driver return along the same road he brought me in on, that would be appreciated, thanks.”

After hanging up, Amy returned outside and found Ryan escorting a horse toward the field. The exquisite animal, striking with its mocha-colored coat and inky-black mane, warmed her spirits and instantly made her forget about her drama with the disappearing taxi.

“She’s gorgeous!” Amy called out.

“Don’t say that too loud, might inflate her ego.”

She laughed. “May I?”

“Sure. Go right ahead.”

Amy stepped up to the horse and ran her hand down the animal’s silky neck. “She looks young?”

“Just gone three, which for her breed is pretty much a baby.”

“What’s her name?”

“Bella. There’s more in the barn. You’re more than welcome to take a look?”

Amy nodded enthusiastically.

“Come on, then, follow me.”

The shade of the barn was a pleasant respite from the midday sun. Freshly cut hay made the air inside smell lush and sweet, and the sounds of the horses, who were composing their own brand of music with their steel shoes and playful whinnies, created an ambience that made Amy’s heart sing.

She listened with interest as Ryan took her on a tour of the stalls. There were eight in total, four on either side of a wide central alley, with horses inside all but two. Ryan reeled off each of their names, ages, breeds, some other statistics, and even shared a few anecdotes. He did, however, face a stiff challenge when it came time to introduce the horse in stall number seven—the stubborn animal was ensconced in the corner and in no mood to come forward.

“Is she feeling okay?” Amy asked.

“Oh yeah, she’s fine. Just not what you’d call a people horse.” Ryan started making clicking noises with his mouth, trying to coax the horse out. “Come here, Lil’ Dip, come say hi to our new friend,” he said, but the horse wasn’t budging.

“Maybe she doesn’t like me.”