Doyle stood by while Bobby removed Powwow’s harness, brushed her down once more, then put her back in the paddock. When the young mule man went into the barn to put away the gear, he followed close behind. Sometime during the restless night, he had reached a sudden decision. He had to scratch this itch at least once before he could settle his mind on anything else. There was no other way to deal with it.
Bobby put everything away neatly, carefully, almost as if he didn’t realize Doyle was right behind him. Perhaps he really didn’t, for when he turned around, almost crashing into Doyle, he jumped, eyes going wide and color rising, then fading from his face.
“Er—unh—you wanted to talk to me?”
“Not really. I wanted to do this.” Doyle caught Bobby by the upper arms and dragged him forward t
