Country Girls Do It Better... Book 1 Of The Healing Through Horses Trilogy

Chapter 34

Hunter's p.o.v.

           The sun was shining brightly, I was headed to work, I would get to see Kate. This day just couldn't get any better. 

          I had been making progress with her these last few days. She even laughed on a regular basis. And, to top it off, I hadn't seen Chase around all that much either. 

         I drummed my fingers against the steering wheel, eager to get to the Leeson Farm. It was 9:45, and there was no way that Kate wasn't up yet. I couldn't wait to see her smile, or hear her morning voice. 

         I couldn't remember being this excited to get anywhere. Ever. 

         And that was the trouble with girls. They make you fall in love without you noticing, or giving your consent. 

        And yes, I just admitted that I'm in love with her. But, I've sort of known that for awhile, I guess. 

    If I could be the fire in your firefly,

The cool in your rain, the spark in your eye, 

The answer to your prayer, 

And the faith that sets you free,

         "Then I'd be what you mean to me," I mumbled as I turned off onto the dirt driveway headed to her house. I saw horse tracks on the side of the road. She must have been out riding this morning. 

           I might've taken the curves too fast, but I was just so excited. 

           Finally, after what felt like forever, I pulled up to the barn. 

          Boomerang was standing just outside the door, completely tacked up, and her head hanging low. 

           I cut the engine and stumbled out of my truck, my eyes scanning the yard for Kate. It wasn't normal for her to leave a horse tacked up and untied. 

          As I got closer, I noticed blood trickling down Boomerang's leg, staining the snow crimson. 

          Suddenly, I got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Before I could dwell on it though, I heard the screen door slam. Mr. Leeson stomped out, still pulling his coat on. 

         "Where's Kate?" His voice was frantic. His hair was sticking up all over the place, as if he had run his fingers through it spastically multiple times. 

         I jogged over to meet him. "You mean you don't know?" I held back the nausea in my mouth. 

        "She said she was going to take Boomerang out on a trail ride. That was about two and a half hours ago." His eyes landed on something behind me. 

        I turned to look. Ozzy was galloping back and forth on the side of the pasture that was closer to the trees. Her head was held high, and her tail was streaming out behind her. She whinnied, a long, mournful sound. 

          We both knew what that meant. 

         Without saying anything, we took off to the tack room. I grabbed Ozzy's halter and prayed that she would let me catch her. Much to my surprise, she ran straight up to me and practically begged me to put it on her. She was an angel to tack up this time, giving me no problem at all. 

        In no time, Mr. Leeson and I had both saddled up and were headed out. I was in the lead on Ozzy, and I was letting her lead the way. She wanted to run straight there, and it was all I could do to hold her back. 
         "Hunter! Pick up the pace! We gotta find her!"
         Although I wanted to find her, I was reluctant to let Ozzy run. I knew how insane she could be. So, totally against my better judgment, I put the reins forward and kissed to her. That was the only thing she needed. She took off, straight towards the woods. I was expecting her to spook at the trees, or lose her footing, or at least slow down. But it was as if she had run this same trail a billion times. She broke through the first few pines with ease, not losing her pace at all. 

         I was scared out of my mind. What would I find in there? Would I find Kate? Would she be okay? So many thoughts were running through my head, and Kate occupied all of them.

         Ozzy jumped over a fallen tree, her footsteps never wavering. I dared to look behind me. Mr. Leeson was just breaking through the treeline on his old dun, not going nearly as fast as I was. I turned back around just in time to see a tree. Ozzy veered at the right moment and the tree went whizzing by me. 

          Finally, after a few more minutes of galloping through the woods, I saw the pond. It was covered in ice by now. 

           Ozzy came to a sliding stop right at the edge of the frozen water. I scanned the landscape, searching for any clues. 

           What I found was much more terrifying. 

          There was a dark shape lying out on the middle of the pond, and it didn't take long to figure out what it was. I dismounted quickly, not even worrying about tying up the horse. 

         The ice was slippery as I ran across it, and I fell over a few times but I was too concerned about getting to her. Her lips were blue and her right leg was bent at an unusual angle. 

         Unusual enough to make me feel a little sick. 

        She wasn't moving at all, and her breathing was low and shallow. 

        I had just gotten her to trust me. I couldn't lose her now. 

A/N: Aaaaaaaaannndddd I'm late again. I was on a roll too... I'm really sorry guys. Rifle hunting season opened on Saturday, and I was hunting so I didn't have a whole lot of time to update, and then I had homework on Sunday, and a lot of Homework last night. Please forgive me??

Well, that was a pretty short chapter... But it works. I don't want to draw this book out too long, but I don't want to end it too quickly either. 

You get me??