AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“The conservation group has studied this band for years. They’ll use care selecting who they bring and when.”
“Can I let you know tomorrow?”
“Of course. Perfect. Thank you so much for even considering doing this.”
He got up and stretched. “I’d better get going. I’m on call at midnight, and they have horses ready to foal over at Bayou Horse Preserve. I like to be available, even though they’ve been vet-free for centuries.”
She didn’t want him to leave yet but saw the wisdom in it, both for his call commitment and for her honor. The longer he stayed, the more she wanted him to stay the night.
“I think it’s nice that you care.”
“Oh, I care all right. I’m obsessed with it.”
He went inside and got his bag. On his way out of the porch gate, he leaned over and gave her their first kiss. It was a peck but a kiss just the same.
“I’ll call you tonight,” he said, hugging her again.
“Okay.”
She wasn’t going to say out loud how disappointed she was that he was leaving already. But she understood where he was coming from. That was not a hug a guy would give someone he didn’t have hopes to know better. By keeping the time they were together structured, he kept the brakes on. He played it safe. And she needed help keeping it safe. Wanting to jump him, it was definitely better if he left.
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her to lock up, but he didn’t think she’d appreciate it, so he simply said goodbye, got into his truck and drove off. Once again, in the rearview mirror he saw her watching him approach the gate, so he flashed his lights on and off in a silly, but appreciated gesture. After his truck was out of sight, she leashed up Brulee and took her for a final walk around the yard. The horses were resting, some lying down, others standing up, sleeping.
The moon was just starting to rise, and she decided to watch and finish off the bottle of wine he’d brought. Moonlight reflected off the horses again, their eyes sparkling. Love for the place filled up her heart, making her gasp a little. The loud sound of crickets and bullfrogs, the splash of something living in the water added to the atmosphere.
She had a decision to make. Allowing the additional wild horses on her property wasn’t a problem for her. They already came and went at will. How would adding to their numbers change anything? From what she could gather from the research she’d done, reducing the herd where they were unwanted would prevent the authorities from killing the horses. Their slaughter was what it came down to, and she knew that, but didn’t want to get into that conversation with Justin after they’d already had the bummer chat about her failed marriage. That was enough for one night.
Taking a sip of wine, in the moon’s light she saw concentric circles on the surface of the water; either fish coming up for a bug, or a bug coming in for a drink. A horse’s whinny got her attention, and she looked up just in time to see a figure on horseback disappear into the north woods.
Chapter 5
Friday morning, the first thing she did was head north into the woods, just to see if she could see evidence of a late night visitor. With Brulee on a leash and the horses gone for their morning walk, she ventured farther north than she had in a long time. When her father was alive, they’d gone hiking into the swamp as far as they could get before alligators posed a danger.
She loved the landscape, the sandy soil and mixture of cypress, ash and maple trees. And the maple trees were just starting to turn, thrilling her that autumn would have a show of color in Cypress Cove.
Coming to the place where she was sure she’d seen the horse and rider, she looked at the ground. Multiple horse hooves had indented the mucky sand, but it seemed like in this one particular place, a horse had stood for a while, the prints deeper in a larger area. She heard rustling and looked up to see her herd back in the trees, nibbling.
Stymied, she wondered who would come to spy on her. There hadn’t been enough time for Justin to get to his barn and saddle up for a clandestine return visit, had there? It made her feel guilty that she’d suspect him.
“Let’s go home,” she told Brulee, who was sniffing determinedly in the area. Soon, she’d go out to explore every inch of her property, but not yet.
Back at the cottage, she fixed coffee and Brulee’s breakfast. Grabbing her phone, she went out on the porch, making sure to check out the area first in case an intruder had followed her back. She’d certainly be more careful about keeping the shutters closed in her bedroom. The memory of seeing the figure on horseback had the same effect; the hairs on her arms rose.
She decided to tell someone, and the first person who came to her mind was Justin Chastain. Sending him a text, he answered with a call.
“Good morning to you.”
“Is this too early?” she asked. “I forgot to even look.”
“It’s almost nine. I’m at work, just getting ready to see my first patients of the day. Pigs, as a matter of fact.”
“Ha! Well, let me not keep you. I wanted to tell you something that happened last night, but it can wait.”
“No, go ahead. I’m at the farm, just waiting for the babies to have their meal.”
“Gotcha. Anyway, last night I stayed out a while on the porch. The horses let me know someone was in the wood, and I saw their silhouette leave.”
“What are you talking about?”
