While she’d been gone, Heath and Daisy arrived. “You two drive out here together?”
“Yeah. Heath offered to pick me up.” Daisy had left her hair down and the wavy locks reached her waist. That and her skinny pants and long tunic made Daisy look young, though she was eight years older than Scarlet.
Heath smiled. He wore his obviously expensive white gauzy shirt rolled up at the sleeves and finely tailored summer white pants. “That’s me, Mr. Nice Guy.”
Low rumbles from the group.
Heath handed her a bottle of champagne.
“Wow, thanks Heath.”
Daisy presented her with a second dessert.
The last of the members of Harmony came a few minutes later. Finn and his wife, Elise Preston. Finn was dressed up in a navy sports jacket with a taupe silk T-shirt beneath. Elise, a few months along in her pregnancy, still fit into black jeans and sparkling beaded top.
They enjoyed drinks and talked about anything other than the collective. They’d agreed to that when Scarlet invited them to dinner.
Soon, it was time to eat so they transferred to the dining room. Mary brought out the Dinosaur Barbecue ribs and set them at each end of the table. Scarlet put two big bowls of potato salad also at each end and Mary came back with plates of corn and corn beard.
They’d just dug in when the doorbell rang again. Mary went to answer it. Soon, she returned with a little boy—Seth from next door. “Oh, sorry. Dad told me not come over at night but it’s still light out.”
Scarlet rose. “That’s okay. Let me get you the key.”
When she returned and gave the boy a key, Heath said, “A little young for you, Scarlet.”
“He lives at the next farm. His mom abandoned him and his father last year. He said petting Stanley makes him feel better.” She shrugged.
They continued to eat.
Scarlet heard the front door open and then Joe Larson rushed into the dining room. “Sorry to interrupt. But Scarlet, it’s Stanley.” She bolted up and hurried out behind Joe. He turned, grabbed her hand as they rushed to the barn.
When they went inside, they found Stanley on the ground. “No, no.” She knelt down. “Hey baby, what wrong?” She heard a gasp behind her.
The members of the collective had come out behind them.
Joe dropped to the ground next to her. “I’ve had animal medicine training.” He checked Stanley’s eyes.
Heath came in later than the others and handed him a medical bag. “I thought you could use this so I grabbed it on the way in.”
“I can.” Joe took out the human stethoscope and listened to the horse’s chest. “His heartbeat is slow. From his eyes, it seems like—” Joe cut himself off.
“It seems like what?” Scarlet asked, her voice shaky.
He looked over at her. “I’m sorry, Scarlet. He’ll be fine but he’s been Tranqed.”
“Tranqed?”
“There’s a drug Xylazine, otherwise known as Tranq, which was originally developed as a veterinary sedative. It was used previously as an innocuous horse tranquilizer but has emerged as a dangerous substance—and one that’s increasingly available on the streets.”
Seth whimpered. “Daddy, what does all that mean?”
“Someone tried to hurt Stanley.” Joe squeezed the boy’s hand.
“But he’s going to be okay, Right?”
Joe held his gaze. “Yes. He will be.”
Tears formed in Scarlet’s eyes and fell down her cheeks. No one at the collective had ever seen her cry.