AllFreeNovel
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“Most of the horses are out to pasture right now, but the horse you’ll be riding is down this way,” I say as we enter the barn.
It takes me a few steps to realize that she's not following me anymore. I turn to see her staring with wide eyes at the first stall. Her face is even paler than when we were on the porch and she's breathing rapidly, her chest rising and falling fast.
She’s staring, unblinking at Dolly, the horse in the first stall, and I frown. Her big, blue eyes are round and glassy with… fear? Jesus, it hurts seeing her like this.
“Are you feeling okay?” I ask, walking back toward her in slow, measured steps so I don’t startle her. I’m not sure what the hell just happened, but I can’t stand here and do nothing.
I raise my hand, intending to feel her forehead or maybe demand that she let me take her to a doctor, but before I can touch her, she’s ducking away and darting out of the barn.
I take off after her without a second thought. I just found her. No way in hell I’m letting her get away that easily.
The enigmatic woman sprints away, pumping her arms and legs as fast as they can go. I catch up to her right as she trips over an uneven lump in the ground.
“Whoa! Easy, Kennedy,” I murmur as I reach out for her.
She yelps, but I wrap my arms around her, holding her close as she spins around. Kennedy buries her face into my chest as she sucks down air. It kills me to see her like this, trembling in my embrace as she fists my shirt.
“Just breathe with me,” I whisper. My girl nods, her movements jerky as she clings to my shirt. I can feel the fear radiating off of her, and I want nothing more than to slay her demons and make the world a safe place for her again. I get the sense she’s been fighting them on her own for a long time now.
We stand like that, wrapped up in each other, for a few minutes before she finally pulls back. Kennedy peers up at me with a miserable look in her deep blue eyes.
“I have to tell you something,” she says, her voice coming out scratchy and gravely.
“You can tell me anything.”
“I’m Kennedy Mitchell.” Something about that rings a bell. “My father… he owns the Mitchell Racing Stable.”
Then it clicks. “The last Kentucky Derby winner.”
“Yeah,” she whispers, tipping her head down as if in shame.
“Okay,” I say, not getting why that was some big secret or why she still seems so tense. Taking a risk, I gently cup her chin, tilting her head up so we’re eye to eye again.
“And I’m going to inherit the farm soon,” she continues.
I nod, encouraging her to go on.
“And I’m terrified of horses,” she whispers.
Oh.Shit.It all makes sense. How tense she was when we stepped out onto the porch, how pale she got, and then the panic attack.
“Why would you come to a horse ranch if you’re afraid of horses?” I ask her as I bundle her against my side and usher her up the steps, back inside the safety of the house.
She relaxes as soon as we’re back inside and I drag my fingers through my hair.
“I need to face this fear. I can’t run a stable if I can’t go near it.”
“I think you could. Just get a really good foreman.”
She straightens her shoulders and gives me a little glare. Goddamn, I always want to see that defiant spark in her eyes.
“I’m facing this fear,” she states firmly. So damn sexy when she’s confident and fighting for what she wants. I respect the hell out of her even more, knowing she’s had to face down plenty of fears just by showing up today.
“Alright. Then I’m here to help,” I tell her, maintaining eye contact. “Why don’t you tell me what caused the phobia of horses? Maybe it will help.”
Kennedy nods, going over to my couch and sinking onto it like she's a princess. Everything that she does is so graceful and poised.
"I was thirteen," she starts as I take a seat across from her in the chair. Her voice is hollow, and it guts me. "I used to love horses. I even had my own horse, named Polka." Kennedy's gaze turns soft as the memory of Polka takes over. She looks so sweet and innocent in this moment. "We would go out for a ride every day," she continues. "I spent most of my time in her stall with her, brushing her out, or sometimes I would just sit and read while she ate. She was my best friend."
