“That’s the one. He told me to give you a message.” The boy pulls himself up on the stall wall, swinging a leg over to sit on the edge like a bold mouse. “Said I should make sure you get it. That it’s important, but he didn’t want to wake you.”
“Okay, and it is…?” I prompt, hoping to God it’s not something inappropriate.
“He said to tell you that you ought to start riding No Name down to the saloon.”
I frown, not having expected that to be the message he deemed so important that he’d leave a note and send the boy. “He say why?”
“No, he just said he was going to ride Cerberus down there and you should do the same with your horse. Just in case.”
“Just in case of—wait, did you sayCerberus?”
The boy nods, the black horse also whickering in what I can only assume to be an acknowledgement as he hangs his head over the stall door and starts nudging the boy’s hand in hope of treats.
“Is that…” The name sounds familiar, but I come up empty when I search my brain for information, for any bits of education from the orphanage that I’ve shoved aside because I hadn’t needed it to survive. Until now, possibly. “He named for something?”
The boy shrugs. “I dunno. Neat though, huh?”
“Certainly distinctive.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Hard to ignore.” I drag a hand down my face. “So, that’s all he said? That I ought to ride my horse to the saloon? He didn’t saywhy?”
“Not really,” the boy says, his face screwing up as he thinks hard. “Just that you should, too, cause then you could ride together after.”
I shake my head as I stare at the ground, regretting letting Cypress stay since it’s apparently given him new ideas. I need to put an end to this. Now. Whateverthisis. “Listen, you tell him if you see him that he can do what he wants, but I’m fine walkin’.”
“You sure?” the boy asks. “He really seemed to think it’d be a good idea.”
“I’ll bet he did,” I say, reaching over the stall door for the latch, only to find it once again secured with the quick knot. I roll my eyes before slipping the tail end through the loop and tugging it loose.
“Hey,” the boy says, seeming genuinely excited. “You got the hang of it.”
I let out a laugh, even while discovering my coat and hat to still be damp after hanging out overnight. “Suppose I’m not as dumb as I look.”
“Suppose not.”
Little shit.I turn to the boy, who is currently eye level with me up on his perch. “There something else you need?”
“I’m just waiting for you to take your horse out.”
I sigh. “Because?”
“Because I need to know where to put Cerberus,” he says, looking at me likeI’mthe one asking stupid questions. “He really wants them to get to know each other.”
I open my mouth to reply, then close it, only willing to try again when I’m sure that the words that come out of it will be suitable for a child’s ears.
“Look, uh—”
“Simon.”
“Right, how much is he paying you?”
“A lot.”
“How much is a lot?”
“He gave me a whole dollar for bringing the message.”