Page 29 of Ashes of the Past
Chapter Eleven
Brynn
Inside Olivia is washing dishes while I finish wiping down and cleaning up the kitchen and dining room after dinner. I hear her gasp and look up to see her staring in horror out the window.
“Oh no, Popo!”
She stops what she’s doing and rushes out the door. I follow on instinct, my stomach in knots. Olivia doesn’t react to a lot, but the white tint to her face has me concerned.
My heart skips a beat as I break into a run behind her.
When I round the corner, I see my dad on the ground, clutching his arm. One of the horses is rearing up, its eyes wide and wild. Jack and Paulo are nearby, trying to calm the animal down.
“What happened?” I shout, skidding to a stop beside Dad.
“Snake,” Paulo says, pointing to the edge of the paddock. “It must’ve spooked him. Jumped the fence, and John tried to grab him. He freaked out.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Jack is saying on repeat as his hands are out and he’s trying to calm the horse. His voice is low and soothing; the horse is panting heavily, but it seems to be calming down.
“Paulo, get the horse back in its stall.”
“Yes, sir,” he says as he grabs the reins and leads the horse away.
I crouch beside Dad, my eyes scanning him for injuries. There’s a small gash on his forehead, and he’s cradling his arm like it hurts to move. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” he grunts, but his face is pale, and there’s a tightness around his eyes that says otherwise.
“You sure, John?” Jack says as he drops down beside me. “You took a nasty kick there.”
“Nothing I ain’t had happen before. Usually able to calm him down, though.”
“Something had him spooked good.”
Jack moves over, giving his hand to my dad.
“We shouldn’t move him. We should call an ambulance and…” I ramble, panic clawing at my chest.
What if he’s got a concussion or whiplash from getting hit in the head? What if it’s worse than just the gash on his head?
“We’re not calling an ambulance,” Dad spits. “I’m fine.”
“Horse got him in the shoulder,” Jack adds.
“He’s got a gash on his head. If he got hit in the head—”
“I’m fine, stop fussing,” Dad says.
Jack helps Dad get off the ground, and I feel like my heart is in my throat. I’m close enough to catch him if he falls, but he seems to be steady.
“Stop fussing? You can’t be serious! You know how dangerous it is when you get hit by a horse. People have died from it.”
“If it’s my time, then it’s my time,” Dad says flippantly.
I gasp, and my mouth drops open right before anger takes over. “Dad! Why would you say that?”
I can see Olivia out of the corner of my eye, and she’s white as a ghost.
“Because it’s true.” He shrugs. “I’m fine, Larsa. Stop…”
