Page 34 of Bravo

Lani begins talking about Gibson again, but my thoughts linger on Bradyn. I can’t see him locking himself in the house, especially since, the day after he was back, he’d asked me to join him on an early morning ride.

What happened that shook him so much he didn’t want to leave his house?

My gaze drops to the still-open Bible. After what I went through, I can barely look at it. So how does Bradyn maintain his faith even in the face of everything he deals with?

CHAPTER 12

BRADYN

The last couple of days have gone by in a blur as we prepare for the storm, and by the time we finished prepping for it, I was exhausted.

If only my brain would settle down long enough for me to get some sleep.

A fire crackles in the hearth before me, bright orange and yellow flames dancing while they fend off the chill that even my heater can’t seem to touch. It’s been a cold winter, colder than in recent years. And the storm that hit just over an hour ago still rages on, deepening the chill.

While I don’t mind the cold, I’m definitely more than ready for the warmth of spring. Bible open toJob, I go back to reading through the trials and tribulations God’s faithful servant suffered through. I’ve read this particular story in the Bible countless times, and every time, I notice something I missed before. A message that was embedded in the text that finally sinks in.

And nights when I can’t sleep, this is the only way I can pass the time without completely losing my mind in the past. The devil loves to trap me there, taunting me with mistakes and pain.

Especially on nights like tonight when I’m plagued with exhaustion and the wounds are still so fresh.

I set my Bible aside and head into the kitchen to make some chamomile tea. Here’s hoping Mom’s old remedy will do the trick tonight. Otherwise, I’m not sure how I’ll function tomorrow.

Given the amount of ice we’ll likely be dealing with come morning, I need to be at the top of my game. Especially if I plan on working with Arthur any. Which, after seeing him actually start doing a decent job the last day or so, I’ve decided to do.

Maybe I can get him on the right track.

Either way, it’s going to be a long day of breaking ice out of water troughs and cleaning stalls.

Bravo raises his head from where he’s lying on the couch beside me. His ears perk up, and he tilts his head to the side.

Something crashes down outside. It’s distant, and if I’d had anything but the fire going, I likely wouldn’t have heard it. Abandoning my electric kettle, I head over toward the front door and pull it open.

The moment I do, I know something is wrong.

Beside me, Bravo lets loose a whine.

Even from my house, which is a few miles away and out of sight from my parents, I can see smoke billowing up into the night air.

I rush toward the hall closet and pull on my boots and jacket, grab my beanie, and sprint out onto the porch. Bravo tries to follow, but with how cold it is, letting him out in the snow for an undetermined amount of time could be detrimental to his paws without the booties I don’t have time to put on.

“Bleib,” I order.Stay.

He lies down inside, and I close the door to keep him in before making the mad dash through freezing rain to the UTV.As I race down the path, I have to maintain a careful speed since some of the water has already frozen.

The closer I get, the thicker the smoke. As I crest the hill between my parents’ house and mine, my stomach turns into a pit. Flames are licking the sky, shooting up from the barn. Chaos ensues as the ranch hands are frantically trying to free the horses.

My phone rings. “I see it,” I tell my mother.

“Your brothers just got here,” she says into the phone.

“I’m nearly there.” I end the call and pick up speed, moving as quickly as I can without sliding down the icy hill. Since my house is closest to my parents, it’s not unusual for my brothers to stay with them whenever there’s a particularly nasty storm heading our way. It’s a precaution for them and the animals.

And thank God for that.

Arthur has Midnight on a lead and is rushing the wide-eyed, terrified horse out of harm’s way. Elliot is doing all he can to guide Juniper, our newest rescue mare, away from the flames as she stares back at them, so terrified I can see the whites of her eyes even from a distance.

“How many horses are left?” I yell toward my dad, who’s standing the closest. He rushes over to me, wearing pajamas, a heavy jacket, and boots. Freezing rain beats down on us. It slicks my clothing to my skin and the beanie onto my head.

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