Page 100 of The Cowgirl's Secret Love
Lightness rushed through Karen’s body, washing away the final bit of sadness that had been nestled against her core in spite of all the good things that had happened. She leaned her head on her sister’s shoulder. “I was so tangled up at having to leave her there.”
The arm around her waist tightened. “Oh, sweetie, I get it. Just because you knew it was the right thing to do, that didn’t make it any easier.”
That magic Karen had thought about earlier—it was out in full force right now. Seeing the wild horses in their element filled her soul with a peacefulness and beauty that couldn’t be defined.
The stallion jerked alert, pawing at the ground and shaking his mane before letting out a shrill call.
“What’s going on?” Rose asked. “He sounds upset.”
“I’d say he was serenading some new ladies, but that shouldn’t be possible.” Karen moved to the side to get a better look at the overall area.
Julia swore softly, pointing in a new direction. “Unless someone left the barn door open after we left.”
Karen dug in her saddlebag and grabbed a set of binoculars. With only moonlight shining down, it was hard to pick out the individual animals as they crossed the field toward the river, but some of them were familiar beasts she’d brought from Whiskey Creek. She’d recognize them their movements anywhere.
And then—
“Son of a bitch.”
Literally. Someone was down there, standing beside a gate that wasn’t supposed to be open.
She pressed the binoculars against Lisa’s chest then dug in her pocket for her phone. “Give me a second.”
“Those horses aren’t supposed to be there, are they?” Tansy straightened. “What do you need us to do?”
Karen lifted a finger in the air. “Finn? We’ve got trouble. Someone just let out a bunch of our mares. They’re headed straight toward the wild stallion.”
It had been a perfectly laid-backevening. Finn and the guys had pulled out a card table and a deck of cards with a plan to play once they finished shooting the breeze. They’d hauled in Cody as their fourth, and the man turned out to be a great addition. Easy going, entertaining.
An hour and a half after the girls had taken off, they still hadn’t dealt the first hand.
It felt good, though, to catch up. Not just awhat the hell do we need to get done next?type of conversation, but relaxed. No agenda. Guys who truly enjoyed each other’s company.
The only thing missing was a good glass of scotch, which Finn planned to enjoy once Karen returned.
“Every time they have a girls’ night out, we should get together.” Josiah leaned his chair back far enough he was nearly horizontal, boots propped up on a hay bale.
Cody lifted his beer in the air in agreement. “You’ve got my vote.”
“Boys’ night in,” Zach suggested.
“What is it with you and this irresistible urge to name things?” Finn asked his friend. “Can you not find your way to a place unless you label it? Somewhere down the road, you’ll have a house called Green Gables, and I will gag every time I visit.”
“You’re just jealous because—” Zach paused as Finn’s phone went off. “You’re just jealous. That’s all.”
“A superior naming ability is a highly sought-after skill,” Josiah offered.
“Everybody shut up for a minute,” Finn ordered so he could hear Karen. “Say that again.”
“Somebody’s got at least eight of our horses out in the far west field. This isn’t the animals breaking away from the rest of the herd and wandering off. I see a person as well, waving their arms and shouting to get the horses to head outside our fences.”
“Shit.”
Three sets of eyes were on him now, all amusement vanished as everyone went on alert, probably freaking out that something had gone wrong with the girls.
Karen continued, “In a stroke of bad luck, the wild stallion is in the area.” Even as Finn swore, she moved to reassure him, confidence in her tone. “Yeah, that’s what I said. Don’t worry, we’re close enough to head down and make sure he doesn’t grab our girls. But you need to go deal with the jerk who let them out in the first place. Bastard’s got some explaining to do.”
“Don’t take any chances,” he ordered.
