Page 21 of Beneath the Scars
“We’ve got to stick together, you and I. Not many people can understand how hard it is to pretend we’re okay when we’re the furthest thing on the inside. It’s probably the hardest thing for us to do.”
Shadow lets me rub the side of her neck. She’s holding so still, waiting for me to betray her trust. It breaks my heart to understand this animal on such an instinctual level. I keep my strokes rhythmic, continuing to talk to her until she slowly relaxes.
A soft laugh falls from my lungs when Shadow shoves her nose into my neck. She’s never let me get this close before. Her progress is astounding.
“Are you ready to go back, sweetheart?” I take a small step toward the fence line where Shadow must’ve jumped. Mr. Lambert put a makeshift gate in the fence line on this side of his property since this seems to be her favorite spot to escape. It’s a whole lot easier to get her back into the field through a gate than having to get her on a trailer and drive her around to the front entrance of the farm.
Shadow follows me down through the ditch, standing solidly by my side while I open the gate. She doesn’t walk through the space until I do. I can’t blame her for wanting to keep me in her sights at all times. Once she’s through, I close the gate behind us.
In the distance, a four-by-four is flying across the open field. Shadow has already started grazing, but her head perks up when she notices the movement.
Two people sit in the front of the ATV. Mr. Lambert is behind the wheel, and a familiar head of curly hair is next to him. Mr. Lambert slows the vehicle down when he spots me and Shadow. There’s quite a bit of distance between us and them. It takes me a second to realize he did that to keep from spooking Shadow with the speed of the ATV.
“Officer Montgomery,” Mr. Lambert says once they get closer to us.
Addie has her med bag slung over her shoulder, and she heads straight for Shadow. She’s scanning the horse for any outward injury, and I don’t think she’s going to even acknowledge my presence until she finally makes eye contact with me and winks.
My lips twitch with a smile before I can smother it.
“Mr. Lambert,” I finally acknowledge.
“How did you get her back into the field?” he asks.
“She followed me over to the fence line on her own. She even let me pet her a little today.”
Addie and Mr. Lambert both stare at me in shock. My neck starts to feel hot at their attention. I squeeze my hand into a fist to keep from fidgeting with my collar.
“Well, that’s surprising,” Mr. Lambert says, breaking the tension.
I shrug it off as if it’s not a big deal. It is. Mr. Lambert can’t even get too close to Shadow. She tolerates his presence for a bit because she knows he’s going to give her the good snacks, but after that, she keeps her distance.
I hang out while Addie does her thing with Shadow. I have no idea what she’s checking for or how she’s able to do her job in the middle of a field with the sun beating down on her. Sweat is running down my temples, and my uniform is stifling.
Addie, on the other hand, looks gorgeous. Her well-worn jeans hug her ass in the best ways, while half of her brown hair has been pulled back into a bun. Her smile is radiant as she murmurs to Shadow. I think she’s telling the horse everything she’s doing before she does it, but I can’t quite catch all the words she’s saying.
Once Addie is done, she turns to Mr. Lambert. “She’s looking great. I’m happy with the way she’s startingto fill out. She’s also not favoring that right hoof anymore. It’s a good indication her strained muscle is healing well.”
“That’s good news. Now if she’d just stop escaping, we’d be all set.” Mr. Lambert chuckles. He doesn’t seem too put out by Shadow’s antics.
“I’ll walk her back to the barn if you want to give me that bucket of feed we brought,” Addie offers.
“You sure? That’s a long walk,” Mr. Lambert counters.
“I’ve got my boots on. I’ll be good.”
Mr. Lambert studies her for a minute before nodding. “You know I appreciate it. It’s hard on my knees to walk that far. I’d say we should just let her be, but I don’t want the thunderstorm rolling in tonight to spook her. She seems to like being in the barn during the storms.”
Addie smiles at him. “I’ll get her settled. That’s probably why she made a run for it today.”
We say our goodbyes, and Addie and I watch Mr. Lambert head back to the house.
“Have I ever told you how sexy you are in your uniform?”
I whip my head to Addie. Her chocolate-brown eyes are full of mischief as she scans me from head to toe. Reaching out, I bring her hands to settle on my chest. I press on them to silently tell her to keep them there while I grip the strands of hair at the base of her neck.
Then I drop my head down to press my mouth to Addie’s plush lips. Fire races down my spine, pooling low in my abdomen while our tongues dance together. Using the hand not in her hair, I grip Addie’s waist and pull her into me. It’s going to take a while to get used to the feeling of someone’s body pressed against mine. I don’t know what it is about Addie, but it’s like a craving. My therapist would likely tell me I’m touch-starved. The way she’s grinding against me is a drug I won’t ever be able to quit.
My pants are starting to get tight when something brushes against my face.
