Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 83379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Just as I arrived for lunch, George and Sienna were off to get supplies from town.
“Mr. Kerry is repairing a fence,” Marta said, even though I hadn’t inquired. I ignored the glint in her eye; it was likely just my imagination. “And Ms. Ainsley is with Dr. Barnes.”
As she offered me a glass of fresh lemonade, the clouds burst open in a torrent of rain. George must’ve been keeping mind of the forecast because none of the animals were in the pasture when I’d returned from the silo. A rumble of thunder shook the windows, and I wondered where Dr. Barnes and Ainsley were holding their session since they couldn’t possibly make it work outdoors. Probably the stables.
Once there was a break in the rain, I planned to hike it as fast as my knee would allow down to the silo, though I supposed I could also jump on an available four-wheeler. But when the time came, I changed course to the stables, curiosity getting the best of me.
I spotted Ainsley and Dr. Barnes with Piper in the center of the stables, in front of some bales of hay, and I couldn’t help watching from just inside the barn door.
A crack of lightning made Ainsley jump, and when Dr. Barnes’s gaze swung toward the door, I felt guilty for seeking them out. “Hi there, Julian.”
“I don’t mean to intrude. I’m just on my way—”
“Hold on a minute.” She motioned me forward. “We could actually use your help.”
What in the world? I stepped closer, and immediately noticed that Ainsley was frozen in place, her eyes wide and troubled.
“Ainsley is feeling a bit uncomfortable about the storm, and while we’re waiting for her daddy to get here…” She glanced at her phone, so I assumed she’d tried to reach him, and now I also wondered if he was out there somewhere in the storm and wasn’t able to hear his phone. Panic began to seize my chest for no logical reason until Dr. Barnes’s voice rang out in the space, startling me out of my thoughts. “I was wondering if you could help us. What do you think, Ainsley?”
Ainsley looked up at me with anxious eyes, and my heart went out to her. Then she nodded vigorously.
“Sounds good to me.” I cleared my throat. “I get scared sometimes too from sudden loud noises.”
“You do?” Her eyes were wide and searching, and I hoped she saw a kindred spirit in me, just like I had in her during the fireworks.
“Uh-huh.” Suddenly I felt on edge as well and wasn’t sure I’d be any use to either of them. I swallowed thickly. “What do you need my help with?”
Right then another crack of lightning lit up the windows, and the dark sky looked foreboding. Some of the horses began shifting around their stalls, but the one I focused on was Mercy, who began whinnying, and it was the most tragic sound.
“Is it the storm or me?” I asked, stepping toward him without even thinking about it. “Am I disturbing him by being here?”
Dr. Barnes threw me a curious look. “If I were a betting person, I’d say he’s trying to get your attention. You’re familiar to him.”
“You sure about that?” I let out a nervous laugh. “I only just got here. Well, I suppose so did he.”
“According to George, you’ve been hanging around him more,” she said, and I felt a flush crawl across my cheeks. “He’s picked up your scent, and you fed him treats. Maybe he sees something in you that you don’t recognize in yourself.”
Yeah, that sounded like a load of bullshit, but I’d pretend she was right because there was obviously something about the horse I liked as well.
“Is Mercy scared of the storm too?” Ainsley asked in an anxious voice.
“He might be…so why don’t we show Julian how we brush Piper, and if he feels comfortable enough, maybe he can help Mercy.”
My eyebrow arched as she looked meaningfully at me, hoping I’d get the message. “Explaining something new can be helpful, especially when there’s a storm brewing.”
Before I could pick through her rationalization, she was already bringing Mercy out of his stall and tying him to a post closer to Piper, who seemed cool as a cucumber, considering.
My entire body began tingling with a strange sort of awareness that I was about to get closer to a horse—but only if I wanted to, according to Dr. Barnes. Not that I hadn’t gotten an up-close view since the time I’d fed him near the paddock with Kerry. In fact, I’d shown up in the stables a couple of times to ask George if he needed any help. Possibly sensing the real reason I was there, he’d put me to work mucking out a stall or two, then would hand me a couple of sugar cubes for Mercy to take from my outstretched palm. He seemed to like that, so maybe he was hoping I had more for him now.