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done.
     
     
    “I STILL can’t believe you let a perfect stranger stay,” Tibor spat, ignoring the cold beer in front of him. “Look, Hal has enough friends who’d be happy to pitch in around here. I drafted Brent to help as well, in return for paying for his riding lessons. Brent is suffering enough from being Hal’s younger brother. Honestly, I’d prefer if he would get an ordinary teenage job. Even at an ice cream stand.”
    “Brent doesn’t drive yet,” Attila commented, eyeing the slender sixteen-year-old from afar. His black hair was a bit too long, just like Attila’s, and he was once again struck by his younger nephew’s hero worship and the youngster’s effort to do everything just like his famous, prize-winning, competent uncle.
    “Don’t remind me,” Tibor groaned. “I’m teaching him. My blood pressure skyrockets every time the kid gets behind the wheel.”
    “Is he reckless?”
    Tibor pulled on his beer and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “No, not exactly. Just… confused. I don’t like him being confused when he’s behind the wheel.”
    “He’s never confused on horseback,” Attila said. “He’s a natural.”
    “Yeah. A natural dentist, or a natural lawyer, or a natural accountant. You know we don’t have the sort of money to have one of the boys take over for you. Your horse-training colleagues are either independently wealthy, or have rich employers, or work their ass off doing a day job on the side.”
    Attila nodded at the well-worn argument. “I know I am fortunate, but consider that I am trying to pass all of this to someone who will appreciate it. Brent could be the one, and we won’t know until he has the freedom to find out for himself.” Attila flicked his eyes to his brother-in-law, and sighed. “I better go up the hill and check on the horses, and on the boys. See if Kai’s making any progress.”
     
     
    A TTILA cut across the lawn and up the hill in order to approach the barn’s faraway side. As he climbed the hill and the structure of the new arena came into view, his thoughts turned to money. He knew exactly when it would be paid off at this rate, and the time frame might as well have spanned eternity. Maybe he shouldn’t have added the kitchenette in the visitor’s viewing room—that about doubled the cost of the project. A new bathroom near the riding arena was a necessity, however, and he had found himself swept up in a rare wave of reckless optimism. The new construction made his upscale clientele more comfortable. Then again, maybe he shouldn’t have bought Vermillion, knowing the horse was bound to have problems. The stallion wasn’t too expensive—only two grand—but the upkeep of even a single horse could run upward of fifteen thousand a year.
    The path up the hill was a bit shorter than the long, winding driveway, and it also gave him the opportunity to observe his stable hands in their native element. Much like his horses, his humans always behaved a bit differently when he was around. He climbed through the white fence and made his way to the gate on the other side of the stables. Voices carried on the hot summer air, and if he was any judge of character, the tempers involved mirrored the weather with uncanny accuracy.
    “I don’t know why you have to be such an asshole,” he heard Brent retort with venomous frustration. “He’s doing fine, so lay off.”
    “He’s just a common thief,” Hal snorted in a pompous voice of the young and infallible. Now that was interesting: Attila had never known Brent to stand up to his older and much taller brother.
    “Yeah, but he returned it.”
    “He shouldn’t have stolen it to begin with. He’s a snake waiting to strike. Guard your wallets, everyone. Uncle ’Tila’s stray is running loose!”
    “If you weren’t in your back brace, I’d pop you one, Hal!”
    Then there was a sound of a scuffle and a pained exclamation, and just as Attila peeked around the corner and saw Brent