Kate Sherwood - Dark Horse 01 - Dark Horse Read Online Free PDF

turns and heads up to his apartment, and Robyn calls after him, “Say ‘hi’ for me!” Dan waves to show that he heard but doesn’t turn around.
He gets changed into jeans and a button down and heads down the stairs. There’s still no sign of anyone but Robyn, so Dan scrawls a note on the chalkboard. Back around 2—D. It seems a little petty not to tell them where he’s going, but he expects they can figure it out, or Robyn will fill them in.
He pulls out of the long farm lane and heads for the highway. He knows that he puts in plenty of hours at the barn, but he feels a bit guilty all the same. Leaving early yesterday, taking a long lunch today—it feels decadent. Then he thinks of where he’s going, and his guilt subsides.
The drive takes about an hour, and then he’s pulling into the beautifully landscaped grounds that give the place its name. “Willowbrook” may sound like a cliché, but there’re a lot of willows and at least one brook, so it’s hard to argue with. He finds a parking spot and heads into the main building. He signs in at the desk, as usual, and heads down the familiar hall. A couple of the nurses nod hello, and he smiles back. He can’t imagine doing their jobs, dealing with all this every day.
When he reaches the door of the room, he pauses. He always needs a moment to prepare himself. After a deep breath, he puts a smile on his face and pushes the door open. He crosses the room to the bed and pulls up a chair. “Hey, Justin. Sorry I missed a couple days—your parents were having a bit of a fit, and I had to work some extra hours.”
Dan pauses and realizes that he’s waiting for a response. If Justin ever did say anything, Dan would be so freaked out he’d probably run screaming from the room, but it somehow just feels rude to assume that the man won’t contribute to the conversation.
Dan reaches out and takes Justin’s hand. “And Robyn says ‘hi’. She’s got a new boyfriend, I think, but she’s being pretty quiet about it—I wonder if that means she’s serious this time. And I went out with Chris last night. Just JP’s, of course. I’m still working a couple shifts there. Chris seems good. He won that case, the one with the tire factory. And his sister’s having another baby, he said—I think they’re still trying for a girl.” It feels strange to talk to Justin about new lives, so Dan changes the subject.
“We had some buyers in for Monty. Were your parents here yesterday? They might have already told you this.” Another pause for the non-response, then Dan continues. “Anyway, Monty was really good. Well, you know—he was Monty, but he was good on the flat, at least.”
Dan fills another ten minutes or so talking about horses, the successes and failures of life as a trainer. Then he pulls out the sandwich he’d picked up on the way. “None for you, man, sorry. This is from that place on Limestone, where we went that time with Kelly and Phil? They make good sandwiches, but, God, do you remember how nasty the soup was?”
He eats quietly and then tidily bundles up the wrappings and puts them in the trash. A nurse he hasn’t met before comes through the door and stops when she sees him. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone was in here.”
Dan resists the urge to point out that there’s always someone in there, since Justin never really gets to leave. “I was just on my way out.”
“Oh, don’t let me rush you.” Her smile is almost flirtatious. “I can come back later, if that’s better for you.”
“No, I really was just about to leave.” Dan leans over and brushes Justin’s bangs back, then kisses him on the forehead. “Bye, baby. I’ll see you in a couple days, probably.” Dan makes sure he doesn’t inhale when his face is near Justin. There’s no smell, but rather than making Justin seem clean, it just makes him seem… empty.
Dan nods to the nurse and heads outside. He’s always so happy to get out of that room, and then even happier