Dying Assassin by Joyee Flynn Page A

table in charge of everything. He gave a thumbs-up and the announcer banged his gavel, signaling we'd won.
    "Is it cool if Mike's sister still uses the stallion for breeding with her mares?" I asked Luc, not sure if it would affect the horse's health.
    "Yeah, he's got enough spunk to go around," Luc said as Mike simply gaped at me. "I love you, Spence. You're one of the best men I've ever known."
    "I love you too, sweetheart," I replied, reaching over to squeeze his hand.
    "Why would you do that?" Mike asked, still shocked.
    "You and Molly have been good friends to us." I shrugged. "You offered to help us with the background we didn't know and the owner's your sister. If the horse is worth it, there's no reason she shouldn't make good money on it. Maybe she won't have to sell other horses she'd want to keep now."
    " I have to go tell her ," Mike said , jumping up from his seat. I smiled as he made his way through the crowd and hugged a smaller woman who definitely resembled him. They both had the same sandy blond hair though hers was much longer and back in a braid. I would have thought she was too petite to handle the rough ranch work , but I was new this life so what did I know?
    "Thank you, Spencer," Molly whispered, her eyes filling up with tears. "Mike's sister was widowed last year, her husband killed overseas. She's been struggling so badly, and we can't help her much. She actually owns the ranch next door to you, and the bank's been talking about taking it from her because she's behind on her payments."
    "If I had known that, I would have bid more," I said, frowning. "What can we do to help her out?"
    "How can you be so generous to someone you've never even met?" she asked, staring at me.
    "It's just who Spencer is," Ryder answered, taking my hand. "Can I tell her about our idea for your donations?"
    "Um, sure, we trust Molly," I said, feeling my face heat up.
    "Spencer's letting me be in charge of his yearly donations," Ryder explained to Molly. "We're going to set up a foundation for gay teens who were thrown out of their homes like I was."
    "If you need any help, you let us know," Molly said, giving me a nod. She glanced past me then, smiling widely. I turned just in time to see the woman launching herself into my arms.
    "Thank you so much, Mr. Fallon," she whispered, hugging me fiercely. "Mike told me about what you did and that I can still use Thunder for breeding."
    "It's just Spencer." I chuckled, hugging her back. "I'm sorry to hear about your loss…"
    "Margaret," she said, filling her name in for me. "And thank you, it's been a tough year."
    "Well, if you need anything, Molly says we're right next door," I replied as she stood back up. "Hopefully you won't have to sell any more horses you don't want to part with."
    "Unfortunately, I still do," she said softly. "I had to let go of all my ranch hands, and I need the money from the horses to get our cattle through the winter."
    "She's got a couple of mares I was looking at," Luc stated as Mike returned to his seat. "Are those the last of your horses?"
    "I sold the rest to private buyers," she answered, nodding. "You do what you have to. I needed the money to keep the land and feed my kids. But thank you so much, Spencer. You have no idea how big of a help this was for me."
    "You're very welcome. Molly and Mike have been good friends to us," I said as she smiled before walking back down the stands. She gave us one last wave as the announcer finished up with the next horse. I turned to Luc, my heart going out to the woman.
    "We could always buy the mares and keep them with her," Luc suggested, knowing full well how my mind worked. "Maybe make a deal to get one of the offspring from the breeding?"
    "I didn't mean to steal your night away or take away the horses you wanted," I said, feeling kind of bad. "I really wasn't planning this, Luc."
    "You wouldn't be the man I love so much if you didn't help when you could," he replied, smiling at me. "I'm not upset at all.