Page 85 of Bad Decisions & Back Roads

Her answer came instantly.She pointed at Hudson.“Dr.Raynes.”

Hudson shook his head.“Gia?—”

She stepped closer, eyes locked on his.“You’re the best equine surgeon around.This mare stands a better chance with you than Dr.Green.”

For the first time since I’d arrived, real emotion cracked through Hudson’s composure.Not arrogance, but pressure.Suddenly, everybody was looking at him like he was the last lifeline standing between that girl and heartbreak.Hudson looked back toward the mare fighting for her life in the dirt.Then he said quietly, “I don’t have an operating room.Would they let me do it at Vision?”

Gia cringed.“Dr.Green?I doubt it.Maybe we could get Josh to give permission?”She swung around to look at me.

“Josh is on a plane with his baseball team flying to New Mexico.We can’t reach him.Could call Erika, but she doesn’t have a lot of control over the equine facility.”I stepped forward out of the shadows.“We’ll get her into Vision with Dr.Raynes cutting.”

Every head turned toward me.My brain was already moving ahead, making plans.

“I don’t know if we can afford this,” Ken said hoarsely.“Besides, my horse trailer doesn’t have a floor in it right now.It’s in the shop.”

Shay made a strangled sound beside him and buried her face in the mare’s neck.

I looked at Gia.Bad mistake.The second our eyes met, my stomach dropped clean to the ground.

Help me.She didn’t say the words out loud, but they were there anyway.Written all over her face.Not for herself.For Shay.For the horse.For Hudson standing there carrying the weight of a death he hadn’t caused but might still have to deliver.

Gia looked devastated.And I couldn’t fucking stand it.

I squeezed Ken’s shoulder hard.“You’re about to sell a tractor.”

His head jerked toward me.

I looked around at all of them.“Give me a few minutes.I’ll take care of it.I’ll get it arranged at Vision.”

Because I would.I’d move heaven and earth to erase that look from Gia’s face.I pulled out my phone and dialed Coby as I walked away from the paddock.

He answered on the second ring.“Yeah?”

“I need you to hook up our horse trailer and get to the Almond farm now.”

“How bad?”

“Bad enough that if you speed, I won’t yell at you later.”

That got silence.

Then: “On my way.”

“It’s an emergency,” I added before hanging up.

I turned back toward the group and called out, “Coby will have our trailer here in ten to fifteen minutes.Get the horse ready to load.Wraps and whatever you think she needs.”

Relief flickered over Shay’s face.

But Hudson still looked grim.“What about the facility?Vision Veterinary isn’t going to let me walk into their surgical suite and start operating.”

I held up a finger.“Give me a minute.”

Then I walked farther away.I already knew exactly who I had to call.I hated it before she even answered.

Dr.Amanda Green picked up within two rings.“Well, well.To what do I owe the honor of the almighty Timothy Hurst calling me personally?”

Christ.