The auction facility disgusted Rafael and left him torn between hoping to find the mares and wanting them to be somewhere else. The ground was mucky, squishy beneath their boots, despite the last rainstorm being a little over a week ago. Some of the fencing was rotting wood and the rest rusted pipe. Rafael worried he’d get tetanus just looking at them. And the barns weren’t any better. What kind of place was this to bring a horse, thinking of the auctions that went on in his home town. They happened at the fair grounds and were always pristine. This place was a cesspool.
“Why come here?”
Chad flashed him a look, gave a quick gaze around, then answered. “Sometimes things here aren’t on the up and up. The proprietor has been to ignore brands and a lack of proper papers.”
Rafael’s heart sa
