Page 5 of Beau

“Sure. If it’s too personal, I’ll just tell you to mind your own business.”

Beau laughed. He had no doubt that the man would do just that if needed. He came across as a no-nonsense type of man.

“Do you know why Brenna and... Eric got divorced?” Saying that name always caused an ache in Beau’s gut. Eric had betrayed their friendship by getting involved with Beau’s wife.

“She told me he cheated on her. Why do you ask?”

“It was with my wife.”

Greg turned to face him, clearly taken aback. “Your wife was the one Eric cheated with?”

“Yes, sir. We used to hang out together. The four of us were pretty close.” Beau shook his head sadly. “I’m sure it devastated Brenna just as much as it did me.”

Greg placed a cup of coffee in front of Beau and made himself one before sitting down at the table with a heavy sigh.

“She was destroyed by his betrayal,” he said. “I wanted to knock him on his ass. Hell, I still might if I ever see him again. I’m sorry that you both had to go through that.”

“I appreciate that. It was tough for a while, but I’m fine now. Brenna seems to be doing well.”

“She finally moved on. It took her a while to get over it, though. She even took her maiden name back. And when she moved out of the house, he wasted no time in getting that woman to move in with him.” Greg shook his head in disapproval. “But I can guarantee it won’t last. They’ll end up cheating on each other.”

“I wonder if that was the first time she cheated. I wasn’t around much.”

“That’s no excuse. You made a vow; for better or for worse. Did she know what you did before she married you?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then she can’t put it on you. That’s just her excuse.”

“Yeah, you’re right. It doesn’t matter now anyway.” Beau let out a defeated sigh. “So, tell me about the horse. When did you last see it?”

They chatted for a while before Beau stood up and went to rinse his cup in the sink. He turned back to look at Greg.

“I’ll ask around. It’s odd that they only took one horse when the others were left untouched.”

“Yes, four of them were in the west pasture, but only the one was taken. We had to round the others up. Since the fence was down, they wandered out of the pasture.”

“That doesn’t make sense to only take one. Rustlers usually take all the livestock they can find.” Beau frowned in confusion. “Unless something spooked them, and they had to leave quickly. I’ll see what I can dig up and report back to you. Is it alright if I go out there and check for tracks?”

“Son, do whatever you have to do to find that horse.”

“Yes, sir.” Beau grabbed his hat from its peg, opened the door, and glanced back at Greg. “I’ll be in touch.”

“Thanks, Agent. Have a good day. It’s going to start getting colder soon, so I want my wife’s mare back home.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“I have no doubt about that, son. Just keep me updated.”

“Yes, sir. Oh, is the horse microchipped?”

“Yes. All of my livestock are.”

“What color is the horse?”

“She’s pure white.”

“Alright. I’ll be in touch.”