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She stared in shocked disbelief as Mathis dropped to one knee and pulled a small box from his pocket. Dark Temptation snorted wildly.
“Calamity, will you forgive my foolishness, will you make me the happiest, luckiest man alive, by becoming my wife, and partnering with me to rescue all the horses like Dark Temptation, who have given up on the world?”
Callie slid from the stallion’s back, stepping toward Mathis with a hand covering her mouth as she stared at him, and the crowd screamed. She could feel the horse’s wild energy, but she placed a hand on his neck, trying to remind him that Mathis was a friend. The stallion snorted, but he seemed to suddenly recognize the scent of the man as one of trust.
“Mathis…” she whispered in shock. Behind her, Dark Temptation shoved her with his head, and she couldn’t believe the overwhelming feelings of love buffeting her. Could it be possible that the stallion was feeding off of the love she felt for Mathis, and that he understood it? She glanced backward, but again the big stallion head butted her, as if to say, “What are you waiting for?”
Callie looked back at Mathis, tears in her eyes, as she ran to him, and screamed “Yes!” Mathis scooped her up in his arms, twirling her around as the crowd screamed and the stallion behind her tossed his head. She couldn’t believe Mathis had come back, but now that she was in his arms, everything was suddenly right in the world. She was home.
Continue reading for a look into the first book of my exciting Walker Witch’s Curse Series!
Abigail’s Fate
The forest itself seemed to shiver as the cold breeze rustled through the needles of the evergreens, whispering its way down the massive trunks and dying off as it reached the forest floor. The effect felt like the hushed voices of a thousand souls to Abigail as she paused to look up. Straightening her back, but not releasing the handle of the rake, she peered about, looking and listening attentively to the world around her. The forest had gone quiet, too quiet. Slowly, Abigail leaned her rake against the wooden fence that surrounded her garden, she followed the narrow path that exited the sacred little patch of earth, making sure to latch the gate firmly behind her.
The breeze came again, this time with enough force to stir the folds of her skirt about her feet, and again, she paused. Her eyes roved through the low hanging boughs, their branches bearing the thick moss that had accumulated there over time, looking for the animals of the forest. The birds were unusually quiet, and the squirrels seemed to have vanished. On the porch of the quaint cabin not much more than one-hundred feet away, the big white dog lifted her head, floppy ears perking up a little. Abigail studied the dog.
“You feel it too, don’t you, Maybelle?”
As if in response, Maybelle looked directly at Abigail, her tail thumping slowly twice, a slight whine coming from her throat.
Abigail sighed. “I agree, Maybelle. Things are about to change around here. I just wish I knew if they were for the better, or the worse.”
The cell phone in her pocket vibrated, and Abigail fished it out, sighing as she looked down at her sister’s name.
“Hey Bri, how’s the world? You bored yet, ready to come home?”
Across the line, her younger sister Brianna’s voice was slightly staticky, but not as excited as the last time they’d spoken. “Oh, it’s still exciting, but I definitely have to come home. Did you feel it, Abby?”
Abigail thought about playing dumb with her sister, but in fact, Brianna, though the youngest, was definitely too astute to be fooled.
“I felt something, Bri. Where are you now, anyhow?”
“Ireland. And, oh gosh! It is the prettiest, greenest place ever. I feel like I could call this place home if I didn’t love Coldwater so much. Really, we must have originated here. There is so much magic, so much…ugh, I can’t even explain it. But I found something. I’m bringing it back with me. I should be on the next flight out, please try not to let anything crazy happen without me!”
Abigail laughed softly. “Oh, I won’t, you know better than that. The crazy is all you Bri. I will see you soon.”
Shoving the phone back into her pocket, Abigail sighed. It had been a long year without her sister, and she was happy she would soon see her again, but sometimes, she felt there was nothing here in the sleepy little town of Coldwater Gulch for a spirited girl like Brianna. In fact, she realized she had been holding onto the hopes that her sister would meet a handsome stranger, fall desperately in love, and then never come back.
Shaking her head, Abigail chided herself. “Get a grip, Abby, this isn’t some sweet little romance book where everyone finds the perfect partner. Life just doesn’t work like that. Besides, what would Bri do out there if they found out…”
Her thoughts trailed off as she noticed a blur of white out of the corner of her eye. She swung around just in time to see Maybelle dart off the porch and into the meadow. Abigail instantly ran after the dog. This behavior was so unlike the Great Pyrenees’s normal laid-back demeanor. Just as Maybelle reached the edge of the meadow, Abby saw a man step out of the woods. For a moment, time felt as if it had frozen. Abigail stiffened, the man went still, and Maybelle stopped, her hackles raised and a low warning growl in her throat.
The man laughed nervously. “Uh, excuse me, I’m afraid I’m lost, I heard voices, and I was just hoping you could help me get back to the right path…if you’d please call your dog off?”
Abigail blinked before she jumped back to reality. Scolding herself, she called Maybelle to her.
“I’m sorry, we don’t often get unexpected hikers here, you caught us a bit off guard.”
The man walked a few feet further into the meadow. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I was heading for the ice caves, but according to the map I should have been there a long time ago.”
Abigail smiled nervously. She had personally fixed the trails so this kind of thing wouldn’t happen, how on earth had this man gotten all the way over here? Her mind reeling with questions, and concerns, she moved toward him.
“Oh, it’s quite all right, just doesn’t happen often. Most of the trails are pretty well marked, I’m not sure where you began your trek, sir, but I’m afraid you’re about six miles in the wrong direction.”
The wind stirred again. Abigail frowned, thinking,really? “Uh, and it’s about to storm. You’ll never make it back before nightfall.”
The man glanced up at the clear blue sky, then back down at her. “Funny, I don’t see a cloud in sight. The weather didn’t say anything about rain, and my GPS says the caves are right around here somewhere.”
