Page 11 of Spur of the Moment
He waved a hand in the air, dismissing me and not bothering to look back. I couldn’t help my eyes from landing on his Wrangler clad ass and the gloves dangling out of his back pocket.
God, help me.
6
Bailey
The heat was unforgiving as I worked my way through the stalls, despite it being seven in the morning. I’d been getting up earlier the past couple weeks to get started before the worst temperatures set in, but lately, the time of day didn’t seem to matter.
Callan’s voice echoed in the distance as he gave a riding lesson to a little boy. I shoved the pitchfork through the flakes, scooping the last bit out before shoving the wheelbarrow through the door and shutting the stall. I wheeled it to the next one, expecting to be greeted by Red, but found his stall was empty. Lettie probably took him out this morning for a ride, so I wasn’t too worried about his whereabouts.
That horse took care of her, that was for damn sure. People say horses can feed off your energy, which I wholly believe, butit was like he knew she needed the extra care. His eyes always softened when she was around. Their bond was unmistakable.
I got to work cleaning his stall, stopping to rub the sweat away from my forehead with my bandana halfway through. I had my own chores to take care of at my parents’ ranch, but I balanced my time between the horse rescue and there as best I could.
The Bronson family was stretched thin on hands, despite being a family of seven with Lettie back home. Brandy helped with handling and training the new rescues. But as for the Bronson family, the second oldest son, Reed, was a farrier both for the rescue and his other clients at local ranches, Beckham was busy with rodeo most of the year, Lennon managed the feed store in town, and Callan instructed horse riding lessons here for youth to young adults. Travis and Charlotte, their parents, took care of the loose ends and managed the rescue, which left little time for other tasks like cleaning stalls and turning out horses.
They kept telling me the volunteers could muck the stalls in the white barn, but I refused, taking the chore on myself. The volunteers had their work cut out for them with the rescue horses. Cleaning their stalls took longer, as they had to be extra careful with sudden movements around the more frightened horses.
I didn’t mind mucking stalls. It caused me to slow down and be with my own thoughts. Reed already agreed to take over while I was in Montana. I knew he’d have to wake up extra early to get it done, but I’d be back in a few days to relieve him.
I finished up, pulling the wheelbarrow out of the stall to close and latch the door. Rouge barked in the distance, probably chasing after another ground squirrel.
As I was moving onto the next stall, he shot past the barn door, his red merle coat a blur. His barks didn’t cease as he kept running, the sound echoing from the pasture now.
I left the wheelbarrow in the aisle and headed for the opening of the barn to look out in the direction he was headed, trying to find where he took off to. His barking quieted and I shook my head, turning to go back inside.
Before I made it back through the door, my eyes caught on the horse standing out in the field. I narrowed my eyes, focusing in on Red saddled up with no Lettie.
That was never a good sign.
I ran back into the barn, grabbing Nova from his stall at the end. I slipped his halter on and jumped on him bareback, looping the lead rope around his neck and tying it in a quick knot. I squeezed my legs, urging him into a gallop.
Nova belonged to the Bronsons, but I was the only one who rode him nowadays. He wasn’t fit to be a lesson horse and he didn’t do well with different people riding him. He needed consistency, and I gave that to him.
The gate to the pasture was open due to all the horses being in the stalls today. When it got too hot, we kept them inside to track their water intake and keep fans on for them. Nova flew through the opening, aiming straight for Red without me having to point him in the direction. His jet black mane flew inthe wind, his ears alert. I felt his muscles work underneath me as I leaned forward to let him fly.
Nova slowed as we approached Red, my vision landing on Lettie laying on the ground next to him. I cursed, pulling back on the lead rope to slow Nova enough for me to jump off. I landed, taking off at a run the rest of the way to Lettie.
I crouched next to her, afraid to touch her in case she was injured. “Lettie?”
“Mmh?” she hummed without opening her eyes.
“Lettie? Are you okay?” I tried to catch my breath despite my heart racing a mile a minute.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
My brows furrowed. “Did you hit your head?”
Her eyes popped open, landing on me. A smile crept up her lips as I scanned her, visually checking for injuries. “You thought I fell off?”
“You didn’t?”
She shook her head, her hair splayed across the grass. That damn smile of hers shined up at me. “No.”
“Then why the fuck are you on the ground?”
“Trying to take a nap.” She laced her fingers together on her stomach.
