Chapter1

Tom Sparks sat slumped in the saddle on a wind-scoured hilltop, his eyes on a band of wild horses grazing in a basin below. A gray stallion looked up to observe him but must have decided he was not a threat because he turned away and dipped his mouth to nibble on more grass. Wind ruffled their manes and tails, and they stepped forward every few seconds as if pushed by an invisible hand. Something caught their attention because they all raised their heads and sniffed the air. The stallion’s nostrils quivered. He bobbed his head slightly and trotted a few steps before breaking into a canter. The others followed, running across the empty plain that stretched for miles before rising into a line of roundedhills.

Tom watched until they had dwindled to mere dots in the distance. He caught a whiff of sage and dust mixed with rain, the first sign of an approaching thunderstorm. A gust tugged at his coat and caused his mare to take a step forward. That’s what the mustangs must have smelled, he thought, and why they took off. Another gust, stronger this time, was followed by a rumble of thunder. He turned up his collar to shield his neck from the wind and coming rain. Rosa shifted under him again, a signal she’d had enough and wanted to go. A blue heeler lying nearby pricked his ears forward and stared at him, silently asking him if they wereleaving.

Tom pressed Rosa with his knee, and she turned and began walking away from thebluff.

He whistled softly. “Up,Brillo.”

He patted his leg, and the dog, named for the rough fur around his neck, trotted over and leapt up. Tom grabbed him around the stomach and pulled him onto his lap. When he had settled, Tom let the reins droop and allowed Rosa to pick her own way home. She’d done it countless times before and knew the route. She headed down the back side of the rise just as the first drops spattered the dust. By the time they got down into the trees, the clouds had opened up and the rain poured down. Thick branches offered minimal protection, but that ended when the forest gave way to a long rectangular field. A wire fence split it in two, a natural meadow on one side and a grazed pasture on the other where cattle huddled together. At the far end, lights shone from a barn and a ranchhouse.

Tom tipped the brim of his hat lower over his forehead to keep the rain off his face. Partway through the mead