“Checking if you did actually,” she puts her hands on her hips, “a lot of new faces round here.” She looks at each of the new horses in their stables, dark eyes staring back.
“They’re from my old ranch,” I let the sorrow wash over me and then brush it away.
“Figured. They’re in good hands now. So, what are we doing?”
“Love and grooming.”
“Sounds great, you start that end,” she swings her thumb over her shoulder, “I’ll start the other end. Plan?”
“Got it,” I agree.
“Then later, we can go for cocktails cause damn, I’ve been around way too much testosterone lately and I need a girls’ night.”
For a moment, I want to decline. With the threat of Cal and everything that happened last night, I’m not sure it’s wise to leave the ranch, but then if I do that, he is still controlling me.
“That’s a plan,” I agree, pushing away the trepidation.
We both get to work, spending time with each horse to thoroughly give them a good grooming. The day passes quickly, and by the time we meet in the middle, we’re both sweaty messes, but the horses are clean, their coats shiny and like new again.
Ada grabs her wild red hair and pulls it on top of her head to allow air to hit the back of her neck. “Shower. Then cocktails.”
“Meet me at the house?” I say, ready to turn and leave, but behind Ada, Darcy comes sprinting into the stables, her eyes wide and fear on her face.
“Juni,” she rushes out.
“Darcy?” Dread sinks into my stomach. “What is it?”
She breathes heavily. “We’ve got an issue with one of the horses. Silas is there now, but he’s asked me to find you. Are you able to grab the kids?”
“Of course! What happened?”
“Looks like colic,” Darcy shakes her head and speed-walks with me back toward the house so I can grab the keys to the truck and go pick up Rosie and Caleb. “He’s walking her now, but it isn’t looking good.”
“Which horse?”
“Loni.”
I pause for a minute, grief turning my stomach. “I’ll get them.” I assure her, “Can you let him know I’ll be there when I get back?”
“Of course!” She nods quickly, stopping by the truck.
I expect her to be gone by the time I get back out of the house with the keys, but she’s lingering by the driver’s door.
Something in her posture has changed. She swings her head left and right, scanning her surroundings before she meets my eyes again.
But there’s nothing there. No emotion. It’s just flat.
Gone is the fear and the worry and the care. It’s justempty.
“Darcy?” I pause in front of her.
“You should have left.” She spits before she lunges forward. Something stabs into my arm; the bite of pain making me hiss through my teeth, and when I look, I see the syringe and needle embedded in my skin.
“What are you doing!?” I gasp, shoving her away, but a fog comes over my mind, clouding up my vision. I shake my head but feel myself fall to the left, my shoulder thumping into the door.
“You should have left, Juniper,” she reaches for me, and though I try to fight her off, my moves are sluggish, limbs heavy.
Shadows form at the edges of my vision, closing in too quickly to fight them.
