By Chance (2 page)

Suddenly, a guy Vince recognized as Mark’s lead groom appeared and tapped Mark’s arm. “That kid who was hanging around last week is back. What do you want me to do?”

Mark sighed and shrugged. “Tell him I don’t take charity cases. I told him that last week.”

The groom nodded and turned away.

“What’s going on?” Wes asked, and Vince could hear concern in his voice.

Mark shrugged again. “Some kid looking for work. Came around last week, said he just wanted something to do so he could have someplace to stay. But I don’t do charity. I don’t risk the law by taking on illegals, I sure as hell won’t risk being accused of kidnapping or exploiting underage workers if parents found out I was employing their runaway problem child. Plus, he’d split the moment he had enough money for drugs anyway. Told him I’d call the cops and get him back to his parents if I saw him around the track again. Claimed he was nineteen and his parents didn’t want him, but I bet that’s what they all say.”

“Wouldn’t give the kid a chance to prove himself?” Wes questioned. “Maybe he was being honest.”

Vince stepped away from the stall to watch as the groom stopped twenty feet away to talk to a guy in dirty clothes, whose long brown hair was tied back in a short ponytail, and who had a short scruffy beard. He looked like he was probably pretty underweight beneath his tattered clothing, and the way he stood slumped against the wall with his head down suggested that he wasn’t expecting to be welcomed with open arms. When the groom talked to him, the guy nodded and started to walk away, grabbing a backpack off the floor as he did so.

Before Vince even thought about what he was doing, he’d taken two steps forward and called, “Hey, kid!”

The guy turned around to look at him wearily, and Vince realized everyone around him was staring at him. He motioned to the kid anyway. “Have you ever handled a horse before?”

The kid shook his head as he walked up. “I’ve watched, though.”

Vince took a step back and grabbed Justin’s halter off the wall. He held it out to the kid, who took it, and he pointed toward the horse. “Put that halter on that horse.”

After looking at the leather contraption for a moment, the kid nodded and moved toward the stall. Vince let him in and watched as the guy greeted the horse by petting his neck. He got the halter on easily and looked back at Vince.

“What’s your name?” Wes asked from beside Vince.

“Dustin O’Brien.”

“Your real name?”

Dustin nodded and pulled a small plastic bag from the side pocket of his backpack. Wes accepted it, and Vince watched as he took the expired learner’s permit and flimsy Social Security card out to look them over.

“I thought, if someone ever found me dead somewhere, maybe if they knew who I was, they could tell my parents,” Dustin explained, clearly nervous.

“Did you run away from them?” Wes asked, looking up at him.

Dustin shook his head. “They kicked me out when I was seventeen—two years ago.”

“Drug problems?”

Again, he shook his head. “It wasn’t an issue like that. And not now, either. I’d rather use what little money I get for things that really help me live.”

“Where have you been living?” Vince asked.

Dustin shrugged. “The woods lately. The city had too many people.”

Vince was stunned. This kid had been living in the wilderness all winter? Winters in New York weren’t exactly good camping weather. He looked at his dad and gave him the look he usually reserved for when he really
needed
a specific horse.

Wes glanced at him and sighed, putting the identification cards back in the bag. “We’ll keep you on through the end of August. After that, we’ll see. We’re short one hand, and the summer is our busy time.” He handed the bag back to Dustin, who looked pleasantly surprised by this. “My name is Wesley Anderson. I own a place where we retrain horses who can’t race anymore so they have other uses. This is Vincent, my son. He’s my barn manager. He’ll get you settled in when we get home. And he’ll be your boss.”

Dustin nodded. “Thank you.”

Vince smiled at his dad, who just rolled his eyes. He took a lead rope from the wall and handed it to Dustin, still smiling. “Lead him out. You’ll help me get him in the trailer.”

Dustin had definitely been watching, because he barely hesitated before slipping the chain end of the lead through the ring on the halter, over the horse’s nose, and through the other side. Most people Vince knew who hadn’t been around horses wouldn’t have figured that out without his help. Dustin glanced at the men outside the stall for approval, and Vince grinned as he opened the door. Dustin smiled slightly as he walked Justin out of the stall.

Vince walked beside him toward the trailer, smiling when he heard Mark behind them mutter, “You’re crazy.”

The kid looked like he was happy for the first time in a long time, so Vince asked, “Did you want to work here because you thought it would be easy to get a job here, or do you like the horses?”

“Both, I guess,” Dustin answered with a shrug. “Seemed like someone would take me in. I mean, I hear more Spanish around here than English, and I doubt that’s a coincidence. But I like the horses, too. I’ve always liked watching them move, and I wondered what riding one would be like.”

“Well, we’ll get you on one soon enough,” Vince promised. “Thoroughbreds aren’t usually my idea of a beginner’s horse, but we have some who are super laid-back. This guy’s pretty good actually. His name’s Justin.”

Dustin looked at the chestnut horse and asked, “Why can’t he race?”

“Here, watch.” Vince took the lead and led the gelding away, then back. “See how he’s moving? He’s lame right now. According to the vet, even if he’s moving normal later, racing will just make it harder and harder for him to move.” He handed the lead back. “He’ll be okay for light riding, but anything high-energy wouldn’t be good for him.”

Dustin nodded. “So you’ll train him for that?”

“Then find him a new home,” Vince agreed. They got to the trailer, and Dustin watched him unlatch the door and lower the ramp. “I can lead him in if you want.”

“I can do it,” Dustin said with a shrug.

Justin was a little antsy about the trailer, but Dustin wasn’t fazed. He led him in like he’d done it a hundred times, then waited for Vince to secure him.

“Are you sure you’ve never handled a horse before?” Vince asked as they shut the trailer. “You put that stud chain on him like you’d done it before and hardly cared that he was fussy about loading in the trailer.”

Dustin just shrugged. “Like I said, I’ve watched a lot.”

When Wes joined them a moment later, he shook his head at Vince. “Hope this kid works out for you,” he said quietly enough that Dustin, who was rubbing Justin’s face through the trailer window, couldn’t hear.

Vince smiled. He didn’t know why he had such a good feeling about this, but he wasn’t going to deny it. “He will. Just look at him.”

“I thought you were crazy when you begged me for Xander, but now I know you are. That kid is a runaway, whether he admits it or not.”

Vince shrugged. “If it doesn’t affect his work and he’s a legal adult, does it even matter?”

His father sighed. “All right, let’s get going,” he said, this time loud enough for Dustin, who turned away from the trailer.

“Can I ask a question?” Dustin asked as they pulled out of the racetrack’s back exit and onto the main road.

“Ask as many as you want,” Vince replied, turning to look back at him from the passenger’s seat.

“Okay. What does OTTB stand for?”

“Off-track thoroughbred,” Wes answered. “Racehorses are thoroughbreds, at least the ones we work with around here. So an OTTB is a retired racehorse.”

“What other horses race?” Dustin asked, and he sounded genuinely curious.

“Harness racing uses Standardbreds,” Vince explained. “Quarter horses also race in places. This track doesn’t have racing for those breeds.”

“Why do you take horses who can’t race?”

“Someone has to,” Wes answered seriously. “I used to be one of the top trainers in the country. I had at least one million-dollar earner every year and rarely had a horse who couldn’t place in almost every race. Then I had this one horse, we called him Onyx, who was on his way to the Kentucky Derby, but two months beforehand, he ran another race and ended up hurt. The vet said he’d never run again, but he still had a good quality of life if he was retired to a nice green pasture. They couldn’t breed him because he was a gelding, so instead of retiring him, they sent him to an auction for horses that no one wants. I wasn’t told what they were doing with him, and I didn’t find out until later what had happened to him. That horse, who was one of the sweetest thoroughbreds I had ever met, ended up at a slaughterhouse. All because he couldn’t run and he couldn’t breed.”

Wes took a deep breath. “I was devastated when I found out. I almost left racing altogether. But I started Anderson Stables that same year. Now I train a couple horses for racing every year, and I retrain the retired ones with the help of my son and my five stable hands.” They pulled in to the driveway of the farm, and he added, “Welcome to the family.”

Vince watched as Dustin looked out the window at the farm, which in the summer could be quite amazing. His sister insisted on landscaping, and it was made very affordable by the fact that she was engaged to a “landscaping professional.” In the first week of April, however, it was a muddy mess; the gravel on the winding driveway had been plowed away over the winter to leave gaping potholes, and the trees were still bare.

When they pulled up outside the barn, the other four hands appeared, and Vince grinned as he stepped out of the truck. “The trip was successful,” he announced, then introduced Dustin to everyone.

“I’m glad you found us some help,” Anna said as she shook Dustin’s hand. “We could use it.”

“You want me to take the horse?” Chris asked.

“I want Dustin to do it,” Vince replied, shaking his head. “Might as well start working now.”

He helped Dustin open the trailer and watched as he backed Justin out, again almost as if he’d done it before. Vince walked with Dustin into the barn, where he found the empty stall the others had prepared. When the horse was inside, investigating his new stall, Vince gave Dustin a quick tour of the barn, then walked him to the cabin he’d be living in.

“Basically, Dad doesn’t pay much, just a little more than minimum wage,” he explained as he unlocked the door with his master key. “But it’s because you live here for free. Each of these houses comes with heat, electricity, water, and even cable. You basically only need to buy your own food, clothes, and toiletries—but my sister always stocks these places after someone moves out. I’m sure you have enough soap and toilet paper to last a year.”

Dustin was standing in the middle of the little living room, looking around with wide eyes, taking in the clean, freshly painted space. “I get to live here for free?”

Vince smiled. “Basically, yes, that’s what I’m saying. You get this furniture, plus there’s a stove in that little kitchen over there, and a dishwasher. If you open that entertainment center, you have a small TV. I’m sure there are a couple of box fans in the closet somewhere, too. The only downside is that you don’t have air conditioning in the summer, so you need fans. Or we can get you a window air conditioner. There should be a washer and dryer off the kitchen, too. I’m sure you have some laundry soap and all that, too, so don’t worry about that.”

“These are the only clothes I have,” Dustin admitted quietly.

Vince nodded thoughtfully. “How about you hop in the shower, and I’ll go find you some clothes? After the evening feedings, Jane and I will take you to Walmart or something. You can get some clothes and some food. I’m buying,” he added when Dustin started to argue, probably that he didn’t have the money. “And don’t worry about paying me back. You can’t work if you don’t have clothes or food. But you’re on your own starting next week when you get paid. And if you ever need to go anywhere, I would be happy to take you.”

Dustin nodded, and Vince swore the kid was fighting tears. “Thanks.”

Vince just smiled. “Go on and take a long shower if you want. I’ll get you some clothes and leave them outside your bathroom door.”

“Thanks,” Dustin repeated, nodding. He walked in the direction of the bathroom, wiping his eyes with one hand when his back was to Vince.

“Y
OU
AND
your rescue missions.”

Vince jumped at the sound of Jane’s voice. She was standing in the doorway to their bedroom, watching him dig through his dresser for something he could give Dustin to wear—the kid was a good three inches shorter than him and much thinner, which was understandable given the fact that he had been living in the woods all winter.

“Is there something wrong with that?” he asked, finally deciding on a pair of sweatpants and a plain sweatshirt.

“No,” she answered. “I love you for it. So tell me about him.”

“I have to get him some clothes first.” He grabbed a pair of socks, then paused before shutting the dresser drawer. “Is it weird to give him my underwear?”

She laughed. “Kind of, yes.”

He shrugged and headed toward the door with the clothes he’d chosen. “Want to go shopping with us tonight? He needs food and clothes.”

“Sure,” she answered as she followed him. “Did I hear your dad say he was homeless?”

“Yeah,” Vince answered. “I couldn’t just watch him walk away and have nowhere to go. Mark basically told him to scram, and I didn’t want to think about what might happen to him. And I knew we were short a hand.”

They left the house and started on the short walk to the trailer Dustin was living in, and Jane asked, “Would he like to have dinner with us? I mean, if he doesn’t have food to eat on his own, he can eat with us. Then you can show him how to do the nighttime feeding, and we’ll go shopping.”

Vince nodded. “I’ll ask. I’m sure he’ll be glad of the offer.”

When they got to Dustin’s trailer, Vince unlocked the door again and was almost instantly hit by the warm air and scent of soap from the small bathroom down the hall. The kid must have taken the hottest shower he could possibly stand, and Vince didn’t blame him. He had smelled quite a bit, not that Vince was one to talk after spending as much time in a barn as he did.