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The twenty-inch alloy rims of the Explorer rolled slow, crunching over a loose gravel lane. It led to Ray's driveway. To his home, a ramshackle farmhouse surrounded by trees and fields and nearby stables.
He stood waiting for her, a tall shadow in the yellow light of the doorway, shoulders like boulders.
Alice pulled the Explorer off to the side of the house and parked it next to Ray's dirty gray pickup, facing out onto a riding field.
"You keep horses?" Alice asked, meeting Ray at the door.
"The landlord has a few," he said. "Come in."
Ray wore black combats and an army-green T-shirt that suited his skin tone. He'd put on a few pounds, but otherwise, he was still the same athletic Ray. His arms built for throwing touchdowns. The door to the house led into a kitchen. A small, coun
