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Several hours later, Isobel was feeling great. She’d taken one of the sweetest horses on the ranch—appropriately named Sugar—for a long ride out into the countryside. Wyoming wasn’t the kind of place she would have typically thought of as beautiful. It wasn’t overly green or lush.
Instead, it had more of a stark beauty going for it. Wide open spaces. Scrub brush and hills that slanted into one another. Mountains in the far distance.
Being out there with just her horse for company made life feel bigger. She couldn’t take in the scope of the big, wide world and not feel like all her problems were… well, small. God, why did she let herself get so neurotic about everything?
Food.
Sex.
Hunter.
Why? Why did she do that? Why did she obsess?
Then again, crazy might just be in your DNA.
She squeezed her eyes shut and breathed out. Breathe out all the toxic shit. Breathe in the beauty of the world around her.
She reached down and patted Sugar’s neck, squeezing her thighs together to nudge the horse forward. It wasn’t true. She wouldn’t let it be true.
Perspective. That was what she needed. She needed to ride out here as often as she could so she could put her shit in perspective.
The world was big and beautiful.
She needed to stop taking all her own drama so seriously and step back and smell the wildflowers.
Maybe the way to change was to stop trying so damn hard. Just let change happen naturally without analyzing it all to death. Trust that everything would be okay.
Stop being so damn afraid all the time.
She laughed. “Easier said than done, huh, Sugar?” Still, she felt carefree as she patted Sugar’s neck again, then she gently tugged on the left rein to turn Sugar back around to head back.
Rain clouds had started to gather across the big sky and she didn’t want to get caught in the downpour.
The ride back was just as calming. When the Kent’s ranch came back into view, she felt centered. Sure she could take whatever came her way in stride.
Even going back to work on Monday.
Okay, so she might need to take another long ride tomorrow to really make sure she was centered but she’d never felt more confident in her ability to take on the future.
A light rain started to fall right as she reached the stable.
She grabbed the shoehorn and swung her right leg off Sugar, dropping to the floor. “That’s a good girl.” She rubbed along Sugar’s wither and gave her a pat. She was such a sweet horse. Which made her want to check in on her other favorite.
She needed to brush Sugar down and get her some water but as they passed by Bright Beauty’s stall, Isobel went up on tiptoe. “Hello beautiful gir— Beauty!” she shouted in alarm.
Beauty was on the ground, rolling back and forth, a sheen of sweat covering her glossy coat and a pinkish foam at her nostrils.
Quick as she could, Isobel wrapped Sugar’s lead around the stall peg and then opened the door.
“Beauty!” she went down on her knees.
Oh God. Beauty had seemed fine only hours before—though granted Isobel had barely peeked in to call out hi befo
re her ride. Dammit. She’d been so involved in her own worries she hadn’t been paying attention.
Beauty tried to roll but couldn’t get very far in the confines of the stall. These were all the classic signs of colic. Which could kill a horse within hours if not treated correctly.
Isobel swiped at her eyes and tried to think. First, she needed to get Beauty back up on her feet. Then take her vitals. Okay. She could do this.
