Page 32 of Sergei
“Her legs are about to give out,” Mom warned.
“Come on, girl.” Moya’s sides heaved as the vet told her, “You’re gonna have to move.”
The calm in his voice didn’t match the urgency in his movements. He was giving her firm pushes and tugs as he guided her out of the stall. Mom stood on the other side with one hand pressed against her neck, and the other stroking through her mane, doing what she could to keep her calm.
“Sergei, push from her flank,” the vet barked.
I followed his command and shoved my shoulder hard against her ribs, and the strain pulled at my spine. She tried to surge forward, but her muscles quivered and her hooves shuffled. For a second, I thought she might go down again. Mom pulled on the lead and spoke with determination as she told her, “Come on, Moya. You can do this.”
The poor mare grunted, and her body shook so hard her knees almost gave way. The vet knew we were in trouble andgestured for the door, “We gotta get her to the trailer before she gives out.”
I slipped to her side with one hand braced against her shoulder and the other gripping the rope. Together, Mom and I guided her out of the stall, and her breath became more labored with each step. Every stumble had me tightening my grip and ready to catch an animal that would’ve crushed me if she went down.
Somehow, between Mom’s coaxing and my pulling, we got her up the ramp, and I felt a small sense of relief when I heard her hooves clank against the metal flooring of the trailer. The vet quickly closed the latch, and I took a step back, staring at Moya through the slats. Her eyes were wide and wet, and it tugged at me to see her in such pain.
“Stay strong,” I murmured.
I couldn’t take any more, so I turned and headed back to the car.
I didn’t expect it to hit me the way it did, but seeing Moya stumble and her eyes filled with worry and pain gutted me. I didn’t let myself feel like that. Not for people and sure as hell not for animals. But standing there with my shoulder braced against her, I felt it.
The fear of her collapsing.
The ache of watching her suffer.
I didn’t even know I had it in me to feel such things, and I didn’t like it. Hell, I hated it. It made me feel weak and exposed in a way that made my stomach turn. But that didn’t stop me from caring about that stupid horse.
I cared way more than I should have.
When I reached the car, I found Alina sound asleep with her head leaning against the foggy windows, and just like that, I was hit with another feeling I didn’t care for—guilt. Damn. Poor girlhad been out here for hours, waiting for me to return, and I didn’t even come out to check on her.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to or didn’t feel compelled to. I did, but my mother never left my side. I knew she would become suspicious if I kept going out to the car, so I stayed put, leaving Alina to fend for herself. I was about to open the door and apologize for taking so long when the sound of footsteps drew my attention to the rear of the car.
I glanced up and spotted Gabby walking up with Misty. Both were wearing tight jeans and boots that were more about show than work, and they were both smiling at me like they were actually happy about seeing me. Misty gave me a sexy smile as she said, “Hey there, handsome. How’s it going?”
“Been better.”
Gabby’s brows furrowed. “Moya not any better?”
“No. The vet just took her to the ER clinic. Needed more than we could do here.”
Their smiles faltered for a moment, but it didn’t stop Misty’s hand from landing on my bicep. As she leaned in with a seductive smile, I took a few steps away from the car. The last thing I needed was for the girls to see Alina sleeping in the front seat.
Gabby and Misty followed me as I walked away. “Well, Moya’s in good hands now. You wanna head up to Gabby’s place and have a drink? It might help take your mind off things,” Misty said coyly, continuing to smile as she began to rub her hand up and down my arm.
“It’sMom’s place,” I clipped. “Gabby’s just staying there. Besides, I’ve got to go.”
“You sure?” Misty batted her eyelashes. “We’d show you a real good time.”
“Not happening.”
Her pout was instant, but I didn’t stay long enough to give her the chance to push any further. I opened the door, and as I slid inside, I saw that Alina was awake. She was sitting up straight, and her eyes were locked on mine.
She didn’t say a word as I closed the door and started the car. She didn’t have to. I could tell by her expression that she was annoyed. I wasn’t sure if it was because I’d left her for so long or if it had something to do with my exchange with Misty. I had no doubt that she’d not only seen her, but she’d witnessed the flirting. I could only imagine what she thought.
I shouldn’t have cared.
I didn’t owe Alina anything. She was nothing to me, but I still felt a sense of guilt as I started down the driveway. Suddenly, the words started spilling out of me, “I’m sorry. I had no idea it was going to take that long. I should’ve…”
