Mother gushed as Angelo and Sutter drew up beside us. “That’s just wonderful. Evie and I were so worried, weren’t we, dear? We heard he was missing and we’ve been searching all over for him, the sweet little darling.” Angelo looked from Mother to me. “And did you hear that two dames in fancy dresses rode off on him heading this way?” “We did.” Mother gasped and hooked her arm through Angelo’s. “They took that nice horse for a joyride, of all the nerve.” “Nerve you got in spades, I’ll give you that.” Angelo shook his head and kissed Mother on the cheek. “It’s late and I’m tired,” Sutter grumbled. “And somebody left me standing in the middle of the dance floor. So if all the BS is out of the way, what were you two looking for up here? And it wasn’t my horse.” “Of course it was, and it’s a nice night for a stroll.” I waved my hand toward the woods speckled in moonlight, the sounds of crickets all around us.
