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“Are you going to feed him?”

He shook his head

Budweiser started tofrom time to time He stayed close to the fence but knew the rubs were over

“That’s the biggest horse I’ve ever seen Do you ride him?”

His eyes remained on the beast “No”

“Then why do you keep him?”

“So, he’s not slaughtered for meat”

“Oh…”

“An associate was about to sell hiher price” His blue eyes took in the horse with a hint of reverence It was different from the way he looked at Claire, like the Clydesdale waspet But it was still a drastic change from his usual look of emptiness

“He’s beautiful”

“He is”

“The other horses here…is it because you saved them?”

“No But so I had room, so I took them”

“Then this is your place?”

He straightened, suddenly enormous beside me like he was a Clydesdale himself “Yes”

“It’s beautiful Why don’t you live here?”

“We do in the summer Get away from all the tourists But her school is down the street froripped the edge of the fence, his knuckles callused and distinct

“Constance!”

I turned around to see Claire holding an armful of apples

“Strawberry is full Let’s go feed Bubblegum next”

She was the cutest da” I turned to Benton

He gave a sigh before he released the fence “Like I could ever say no to her…”

24

Benton

Claire was asleep, but I went to say goodbye anyway

I cracked the door silently and then looked at the beautiful blond hair all over the pillow But there was also brown hair—because Constance was asleep beside her Together in the twin bed, they slept side by side, Claire’s ared to her side