Page 15 of The Convict Gets His Girl

She shook out of the past and focused on the present. First step, save the horses. She strode to the barn and pushed open the side door, following the noises halfway down. Soft light shone above, and as she stepped closer, her gaze swept over the scene.

Mrs. Williams stroked the mare's neck, and Hunter pulled his hand from the mare's backside. Their eyes met, and her steps faltered. She searched his for emotions but saw nothing but relief on his face.

She set down her vet bag inside the stall and reached for the horse. "There, there, I'm here now. It's going to be okay, girl. We're going to get you through this."

Ava sighed and stepped back. "Oh thank God, you're here. Hunter felt a red bag."

The fear in the woman's voice was palatable, and Jewel's senses narrowed down to the horse. She asked questions as she checked the horse, and Hunter stepped aside.

"Hunter, can you come help Dad with Raven?" a deep voice asked from the stall door.

Jewel's head swung to the sound, and her eyes connected with Chase's. Same hazel eyes as Hunter, same hazel eyes as Destini, but within Chase's, the entire world spun with hidden meaning and secret depths. The hair raised on the back of her neck, and she shivered.

Chase nodded at her, then turned on his heel and walked away.

Hunter glanced from Chase to Jewel and then to the horse. "Will you stay with Maribell?"

"Of course, go. We'll be fine here. Let me know if you need me there, though." The confidence in her voice held steady, but inside she was shaking. The red bag was dangerous, and she'd only experienced a handful in her career so far.

Hunter left, and Jewel worked with Ava to save both Maribell and the foal. In the back of her head, she heard the soft murmurs of the men on the other side of the barn, but she couldn't worry about that right now.

Hours later, Jewel sighed in relief and sipped the last of her cold brew, watching Maribell lick her foal. Mr. Williams stopped at the stall door, wiping his hands with a shop towel.

"We couldn't have saved her without you, Jewel. Thank you."

Her cheeks heated, and she admitted to herself that she was out of practice with being in the field. Arm draped on top of the stall door, she downplayed the significance of tonight. "Maribell is strong. She could've figured it out, especially with so many experienced hands helping. Y'all would've been fine."

Bill shook his head, his voice sad. "No, I don't think we would've been. I've not seen Ava or Hunter that scared in a long time. Years probably."

Jewel's phone buzzed in her pocket, and she twisted the lid back on her empty cold brew and slipped the bottle into her vet bag before checking the message.

Can we talk before you leave? Hunter's on the front porch, and I'm going to sit out there too. He knows. —Chase

"Ava's making breakfast. You should join us. I'm going to check on the others before I head inside," Bill said, walking down the aisle of the barn.

Jewel grabbed her vet bag and walked on autopilot to the side door of the barn. From memory, she went to the water pump and washed her hands and arms, lathering with the bar of soap on a wooden tray.

It was cold water, and though the sun was barely over the horizon, it was already warm outside. It'd be another scorcher. She dried her hands with the towel and glanced at the farmhouse.

Chase sat on the front step, and Hunter sipped coffee in the rocking chair on the porch. She'd so rarely hung out with both of them in the same space, even though they were both born and raised on this ranch.

Hunter was the oldest, the one with the crooked smile whom she'd had a crush on since she'd been old enough to walk. She'd followed him, Gemma, and Gunner around until they'd eventually stopped trying to ditch her and just let her join in on their shenanigans. It didn't matter that she and Gunner were the same age, since she'd always been so much smaller than them.

They'd gone swimming in the creek, accidentally caught fields on fire, fished, hunted, and rode countless horses over every square acre. They'd had sleepovers in the barn too until Gemma and she had hit puberty.

That was when Hunter had finally noticed her, although he'd not asked her out until they were in high school.

And the entire time, Chase had been hovering in the background. A few years younger, he'd stayed inside for the most part. Sure, he'd occasionally go fishing with them or riding to check fences, but he hadn't been part of their core group.

She shook her head and took a deep breath, refusing to give in to the memories of when it had all changed. Dragging her feet, she slowly walked to the house. Her neck ached, and her joints were stiff from the unfamiliar muscles pulling through the night.

She stopped at the bottom of the stairs, looking first at Hunter then Chase. She sighed in relief at the look of peace on Hunter's face. Older, tired, but with laugh lines around his eyes and mouth, his brown hair blew gently in the wind. At least he didn't appear angry with her, which was better than the last time she'd seen him.

Her eyes found Chase's, and her breath caught in her chest. His eyes flashed, but he didn't move. Instead, he observed just like he always had. The weight of his gaze was achingly familiar, and she shivered.

"Hey," she said softly. Chase grunted, but neither of them said anything, so she swallowed and kept it professional. "The horses are good now. Pandora should foal this afternoon but call if you need help."

She paused and tried to find the words she really wanted to say. Hunter nodded and sipped his coffee as the screen door opened, and Ava poked her head out.

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