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Ugh.
I couldn’t even consider that.
But as I made it toward the far door, an open stall door caught my attention. “What the hell?” I muttered, whipping my head around.
Freddy is gone.
“No fucking way...” my voice trailed off as dread filled my chest. There was a reason we hadn’t easily run into Cheyenne out and around the house...
It was because she wasn’t there.
I went right to the barn's back door, slinging it open and letting the rain blow in as I squinted into the darkening pastures. Even if the thunderstorm wasn’t covering the sun, it would’ve been setting, leaving what little light there was, fading...
And fast.
“Cheyenne!” My voice was growing hoarse as I called out. The way the river was rising meant that the only place she could ride to from the house was eitherrightaround the barn, or out in the front half of the cattle—and now horse, pasture. If she went anywhere else, she would be heading straight for the rising waters...
And I couldn’t see her doing that.
Well, actually, Icouldsee her taking the risk if it was for the dog, and that was what terrified me the most. I stood there, panic freezing me as I contemplated what to do from there.
I have to saddle up.
My gut knotted up as I turned around to head for a stall, letting out a sharp, worried exhale. The rain was letting up, but it was still coming down steadily. The waters were going to continue to rise. I reached for Roanie’s stall door, a bay roan mare who just so happened to be closest to the exit. However, as I reached to slide it open, a high-pitched whinny caught my attention. I spun around, my heart jumping with hope in my chest...
But it quickly faded as my eyes landed on Freddy.
Without a rider.
ChapterTwenty-One
Cheyenne
“Takoda!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, my voice breaking as I rode toward the sounds of his distressed bark. My eyes drifted to the ground. The sight of mud and grass had been replaced by dark, hazy water. I squinted out, seeing the moving water rising.
Where are you, Takoda?
I chewed the inside of my cheek, desperate to catch sight of my pup in the middle of the flooded pasture and downpour. My skin felt numb to the rain, being soaked beyond comprehension at the moment. I continued forward, Freddy slowing as we trudged out into the deeper, faster moving flood waters.
“Come on, boy, we can do this,” I urged him forward, feeling him hesitate beneath me. “We have to find Takoda.”
Freddy took another few steps forward before he began tossing his head, more openly refusing to move. He tried to spin around, heading back toward the barn, and I corrected him, keeping my hands soft despite my frustration. As he spun again to the left, his front legs crossing over, I caught sight of something little and white—about one hundred yards away in the trees.
Takoda!
I urged Freddy in the direction of my yipping dog, who was sitting atop a bunch of branches, nestled on a thicket of trees and other debris. The horse snorted underneath me, though he did take steps toward Takoda, who was barking louder than ever at me, panting heavily and spinning in tight circles on the brush.
“Stay, Takoda,” I ordered from atop Freddy while still trying to push the horse in my dog’s direction. Freddy had gone back to fighting me, taking one step at best. He threw his head, snorting and stomping in the water—that was rising.
I glanced down, seeing the hazy water rising to my stirrup, covering my boots. I hadn’t noticed in the heat of the moment, and because my feet were already just as numb as my skin.
And then I went headfirst into it.
The gritty taste of the muddy water filled my mouth as shock swept over my body, and I struggled to stand up in the currents. I pushed my sopping wet hair from my face, where it had clung in front of my eyes, blocking my view. Sure enough, as soon as Icouldsee, it was clear that Freddy had decided to bail, dumping me when I wasn’t paying any attention.
Damnit.
I gauged how far I had to go to get to Takoda, realizing that it was going to be harder than ever to reach him now. I had forgotten my phone back at the house as well, so there was no calling for help—and I didn’t have time to walk all the way back to the house to get help.
