A future for Tango

Back at Laredo Ranch, the hired hands worked to get all the horses back into their stable, as Tori checked them for any injuries. Despite the fact that she doesn't recall last night, the involuntary channeling came with the advantage of meeting her daily channeling quota, so she could temporarily act like a typical vet and assess each equine for any signs of harm or stress that might indicate what actually happened. One by one, the horses came off the trailers, with everyone relieved that the ordeal has ended.

You stayed out of Tori's way, as she and the others were better equipped to take care of the horses. Instead, you helped unload and restock the gear bags that you'd borrowed, working near a befuddled Denny Laredo, the wrinkled owner of the ranch with shockingly white hair and a bushy mustache. "Echo Canyon, huh. I never thought they would've gone that far, but Tori had good instincts to check that pond first for tracks. If you weren't out there, our search may have taken two or three more days to cover that ground, or for them to go far enough to end up on another farm. That's a lot of time where they're **** to all kinds of danger. Thanks, son. You and Tori did good work."

"Oh, don't just thank us," you said, glancing over at one of the first horses returned to the stable. "Tsunami Tango's the reason Tori could do any of that, my car can't do offroad like her. Tori's fond of that one, quite a bit, they've got a special working relationship. ...I can see the appeal when I see them in action." You tried to be as vague as possible as you hung up the sleeping bags over a beam to air out. Despite only using one, hanging up both seemed the best way to not arouse suspicion about events that transpired last night.

Denny shook his head and laughed. "Hard to believe. Tango used to be on the edge of greatness, you know. Only about a third of all racehorses ever win at the track, not all of them are cut out for it, but usually those other two thirds might occasionally get second or third, but their position is usually all over the place in their careers. For one to be so consistent at taking runner-up... she's got more second place finishes than some of winningest horses in the area have first, second, or third place results combined."

"That really is something special, in its own way," you said, leaning on the table. Tori and the others had reached their last horse to check, as you'd finished cleaning out the bags.

"Yep," Denny said, "too bad we'll have to say goodbye to her soon. We've kept her long enough because Linda has a soft spot for her, but Tsunami Tango is taking up space that could be used for training the next champions. We need horses that make headlines, while Tango is more like a footnote."

You paused, shocked as you looked at the horse you'd spent so much time with all weekend. "You can't be serious! Tango's the reason you have any horses at all right now. Maybe she isn't a winner, but she's a hero."

"Her heroism did save my bacon, but it doesn't pay the bills," Denny replied, twisting his mustache as he looked at Tsunami Tango. "Don't get me wrong, she's got spirit and yet is gentle with the grandkids when they come to visit, she gets a lot of admiration from Linda and Tori and others. But I'm running a business here, and now I'm part-owner in the new track that we want to build in Sommerville, which is taking a lot of time and will also take a lot of money to get off the ground. Tango's too old for racing, even if she was out racking up second place finishes, she'd only make a third of what a winning horse takes from the purse, we just want to keep working with winners here. She'll be up for sale soon."

Tori had wandered by, waving at you and Denny as she picked up a brush and headed right over to Tango's stable. She was happy to pamper her favored horse for a little bit. You watched her from some time, as your heart sank from the news. Against your better judgment, given how little you knew about anything horse-related outside of some basic riding, you turned to Denny, lowering your voice so Tori didn't hear. "How much would you ask for her?"

"A palomino her age... a few thousand at auction." Denny chuckled a little, watching Tori brush Tango, before he looked back at you as he realized why you asked. "...You aren't seriously inquiring, are you? A horse costs more than you might be thinking, son. Either boarding fees or shelter on your own property if you have the room, food, farrier work, it's a lot to consider."

You hesitated a little. That was a lot of money, practically everything Tori just earned from her reward for rescuing the horses, just to pay for a horse like Tango. You knew you couldn't tell Tori about any of this. You had some savings, but not enough to pitch in, especially since you needed to replace your water heater this year and you needed the money for that. A thought came to mind, however.

"Denny, has your group hired an architect to design the facilities at the Sommerville track?" you asked.

Denny shook his head. "No sir, we were gonna start our search after the Sommerville approves our proposal for the land use and impact surveys."

You pulled up your phone, swiping through a few photos until you came upon the Seatown Library design you'd created, holding it to Denny. "Here's a sample of my work from Seatown, which just recently opened to the public, and if you scroll a bit you'll see my work on a stadium and some other projects. Architects can be expensive too, especially for these bigger projects, but if you give Tango to us and help me fix up my couple of acres so a horse could live there, I'll do the design for free."

Furrowing his brow, Denny turned to you. "For the square footage we're looking at, the work you're proposing is well above and beyond what Tango's worth at her age, even with all the extra amenities added to your property. Are you sure you're making a wise offer here, son?"

You watched Tori for a while, giggling as she brushed Tango's side, while Tango kept playfully nudging at Tori in return for the attention. You smiled at the sight. "You can't put a price on that kind of joy. She's worth it... they both are. Not a word to Tori about this though, I'd like it to be a surprise."

You extended your hand toward Denny, and the man shook it firmly. "You got yourself a deal, contingent on my partners on the project agreeing. I think they'll be on board."