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“Two.”
She blinked, bracing one foot in front of the other.
“Three. Pull, Emma.”
She gritted her teeth and yanked the rope as hard as she could muster, a burn scraping across her hands. Shep let out a loud grunt, the veins along his neck bulging as he pushed the horse up.
“Come on, Bentley,” she yelled, yanking harder.
There was no other option than getting up and being okay. Because she had to get up every day and be okay. They’d done that together, her and Bentley, and they were going to be okay. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. That was the only way this would work.
Shep began pushing Bentley hard enough to rock up on his knees. Emma yanked harder and harder, her heels digging into the dirt below, roaring, “Get up.”
This time, Bentley rose onto his two front legs. Shep withdrew his arms, smacked the horse’s butt, and yelled aggressively loud. The urgency in his voice told Emma the situation had become dire. She didn’t know much about colic, but Grams had explained once that it caused an impaction in the stomach, which was fatal in horses if they didn’t get help right away.
He could not die.
She stepped forward, grabbed either side of his halter, and yanked, screaming, “You will not die on me.” Bentley’s nostrils flared. He looked so tired, so exhausted, but they couldn’t give up. “You need to fight.” Hell, she’d fought. She hadn’t let the dark cloud of depression take her when she lost everything. “Get up!”
One hoof. Then another. And suddenly, Bentley was standing in front of her.
“That’s it. Good boy,” she gasped, stroking his neck, then she remembered who she was touching. She threw the lead at Shep.
He caught the rope in one hand, his chest rising and falling with the exertion. “Nah, darlin’, you’ve got this.”
Her breath caught at the emotion in the depths of his eyes. She reached for the lead again, not even thinking about all the reasons Bentley should scare her. Shep was there. He’d keep her safe, and Bentley needed her.
Shep smiled, nodding her on. “Go on, walk him around the ring, he’ll follow you.”
Emma strode forward, feeling almost weightless, and surprisingly Bentley followed. Still exhausted, his head low, his hoofs dragging against the sand.
With each step forward, something inside her that had felt broken befo
re suddenly didn’t feel so broken anymore. Because with every step, she realized they’d learned to trust each other.
More importantly, she’d learned to trust again.
* * *
Cautious, and careful, in case Bentley acted aggressively toward Emma, Shep stayed back, giving them the space they both needed. Leaning against the fence, he continued to press his cell phone against his ear while the receptionist at the vet clinic said, “Alan is on his way now. He was out at the Maynard Farm, so it shouldn’t take him too long to get there.”
“Thank you,” Shep replied.
“Good luck with the horse.”
Shep ended the call, returning his cell phone to his pocket. Emma led Bentley around the ring. When she drew a little closer, he caught what she was saying. “New York City is so different than here. I’m sure you’d hate it. You know, because you’re sensitive and stuff. But I really loved it. Growing up there was so exciting. There’s so many people, so much to do and see.” She turned around the bend and carried on, running her hand across his neck, gentle and tender and everything Shep knew her to be. “It’s really loud, always busy—” Bentley’s legs buckled a little.
Shep pushed off the fence, ready to act.
“Oh, hell no.” Emma yanked Bentley forward back into step, alongside her. “See, here’s the thing. You have to be okay, because if you’re okay, then I’m okay.” She stroked his face and Bentley dropped his head lower. “Me and you are in this together. You’re what Grams would have called a ‘bump in the road.’ You’ve been derailed, and so have I, but together we’re going to figure this out and be okay at the end of it. So, this colic nonsense really has to stop soon. That’s just the way it’s gotta be.”
Shep smiled to himself, unable to take his eyes off her. Christ, this woman was special in ways he couldn’t quite put a finger on. It was almost as if Emma had the secret to knowing how to love someone right. When she was on, and centered within herself, nothing or no one could avoid falling under her spell. Certainly not Shep, and apparently not Bentley either.
The horse wasn’t sweating anymore, telling Shep that whatever was impacted in his stomach to have caused the colic had likely passed. The trail of manure following him only confirmed that thought. Little did Emma know, she was walking beside a Bentley who wasn’t in pain anymore, but still likely very tired, and yet he was happily walking next to her.
A moment like this could warm even the coldest of hearts.
While that thought ran away with Shep, he noticed a gray truck coming down the driveway. He pushed away from the fence, moving closer to Emma, in case Bentley spooked.
