Page 53 of About Time You Noticed

She focused on the trail entrance, waiting for Tommy to show up. He’d be walking back any minute now.

Sarah hooked her foot into Trixi's stirrup and hoisted herself onto the saddle. Trixi neighed, unhappy to go out again since she should be resting in the stall.

Sarah directed her horse to Midnight. The animal trotted back and forth, on edge and nervous.

"Hey, girl. What's the matter?" Sarah moved closer and grabbed Midnight’s reins. "Take it easy, girl." Sarah spoke in soothing tones, while adrenaline raced through her veins, shooting to the stars. She patted the horse’s warm side, scanning the coat for scratches.

None.

She led the animal into the adjoining paddock and latched the gate. After reaching for her cell, she called Tommy's number. It went straight to voicemail. He might be on another call, or perhaps his phone was simply out of battery.

He must be making his way back on foot. Depending on how far away he’d been when he fell off the horse, it could be an hour before he reached base. She needed to find him and make sure he was okay. Would he be stubborn and refuse her help?

Trixi snorted and twisted her head. Sarah tightened the reins and slapped her boots to the horse’s side. Trixi took off in a trot, and by the time they met the trail entrance, she went into a full canter. A dust storm rose behind them. Looking left and right between the trees, Sarah scanned the familiar trail.

Half a mile down the track, Tommy was nowhere in sight. Millions of hoof prints covering several days of lessons pitted the dirt. No clues to go by. Had he turned off the trail and gone to the riverbed?

She pulled her horse to a stop and called Tommy's cell again.

No answer.

Sarah sent a quick text to her dad about how Tommy's horse returned alone, and she was searching for him. She pocketed her cell and continued in the direction of the river, calling out Tommy’s name.

***

BY EIGHT O'CLOCK, SEVERAL flashlights darted through the trees, piercing the dark woods. The sheriff, the ranger, plus several of Tommy's friends had joined the search party.

"Tommy!" Echoed again and again from different voices in all directions.

What had happened to him? The possibilities raced through Sarah's mind. If okay, he would respond. Or he would return to base. Something terrible had happened. Was he so injured he couldn't speak? Unconscious? And where the heck was he?

When a rabbit or creature moved in the bushes, she'd flinch. Hope would arise for a split second, only to smear in the dust.

Her backside ached after lessons all day, followed by three hours of searching. She should've contacted the ranger sooner. They would have had more daylight. She and Dad had circled the woods for an hour, but they couldn't find Tom.

Owl hoots, twigs snapping, and shouts of Tommy's name echoed through the forest. Damien, Jake, and Ethan were on foot, combing the foliage. Earlier, Sarah had ridden out as far as the river trail and back. She'd worn her horse out by devouring five miles of dirt track at dusk. Then she’d trotted back, her throat hoarse from calling Tommy's name.

A helicopter sounded in the distance, and soon the choppers came close enough that a hurricane threatened to whisk them all away. Sarah shielded her eyes when the floodlight passed over her. The craft hovered, tracing its light over every inch of ground.

"Lord, help us find him."

She tapped her boots against Trixi's side, "Come on, girl. One more lap. We're going to find Tommy, no matter what."

Sarah wore a flashlight strapped to her helmet, and another tucked into a tool belt she'd found in the shed. She looked like a miner and smelled like one too, with all the sweat from both her and Trixi. She passed a group of people and slowed to see their faces. Men from the church. She kept moving and heard Dion's voice, Ethan's boss. She blinked back the burn against her eyelids. So many people had come to search for Tom. There must be at least fifty locals looking for him, plus the police.

He was loved. So many people cared about him. She loved him too. A fierce protectiveness surged through her. She wanted to shield him from harm, hold Tommy, and make his world right again. Now she understood. Tommy's threats had been born of a desire to spare her the emotional damage another man might inflict. It was his way of protecting her, loving her, and it wasn't wrong.

A crackling from a radio receiver resounded through the atmosphere. The sheriff barked a code, and all flashlights landed on the man as word came in from the Life Flight.

"We've found him."

Sarah's heart stopped, and her breath hitched.

"He's not moving, maybe unconscious. We're going to lower a stretcher, but we need a clearing in the trees. There's a broken branch across his torso."

Gasps rang from the search party. Sarah ordered Trixi to move, and she galloped as fast as she could to the helicopter's light beaming into the trees below. Her body rose and fell in time with the horse’s stride and her yoyo of emotions.

Unconscious? Not dead. Please, God, let him be okay.

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