Horse Gods: The Dressage Rider’s Betrayal

When we get back from dinner, Wade’s car is in the driveway. He gets out and meets us at the front door.

“I’ve been waiting forty minutes for you to get home. Where were you?” He doesn’t ask if it’s okay to come in, he just walks through the door first.

Even Aunt Sophia looks a little upset about him being here, and takes her time hanging up her Dallas Cowboys parka before she answers. “We went to dinner. We weren’t expecting anyone to be waiting on us.”

Wade sits on the arm of the couch. “Listen, we’re all going tomorrow, and I wanted to make sure we have our story straight.” He looks pointedly at me. “I don’t want to upset Angela with this police business. More than that, I want to make sure you’re going to behave and not do anything that would call attention to us.”

Aunt Sophia remains standing in the middle of the room. “What do you imagine Regina would do, Wade?” Her nose scrunches like she’s smelling the stink in this place for the first time. A hand goes to her hip. I don’t know who this new Aunt Sophia is, but I’m glad she finally showed up.

Wade blows off her question with a wave of his hand. “I don’t know what she’d do. She’s a teenager. She’s likely to pull anything for attention.”

“Hey. I’m right here in the room.”

Wade takes a step in my direction, towering over me. His voice is a low rumble. “Don’t pull another scene like last time. Remember our talk.”