“You spent enough time together when you came here for the summer. You both got into so much trouble during those months. Your stories far surpass mine.” She lifted her chin. “Anyway, you’re here to see Silver, not gossip. But”—she pulled her phone from her pocket and looked at the timer—“if you’re still here in about fifteen minutes, my banana bread will be done. You’re welcome to stay for a bite. In fact, I’ll even send a piece home for your wife.”
Preston marched over to Silver’s stall. The beautiful light-gray horse had his rear leg lifted with the toe of the hoof barely touching the ground. Preston patted the stallion and rubbed his neck as he cooed and talked to him.
After a few minutes, he slid his hand down Silver’s back to its flank and lifted the rear leg. He pushed on the hoof in different places, but none elicited a response. Not a jerk or twitch, but Preston smelled the hoof and pulled back quickly. “Looks like an abscess. I’m smelling a foul odor but not seeing any bruising.”
“So it’s treatable?”
“As simple to treat as Cinnamon’s scratch, but a good thing we caught it early. I’ll give you some antibiotics to help with the bacteria, but I also recommend a poultice treatment to draw out the germs. Had we not caught this in time, Silver’s infection could have gone into the bloodstream and caused further damage.”
Julie released the breath she’d been holding. “Thanks, Preston. You deserve that piece of bread.”
He filled the syringe and gave the first round of antibiotics to Silver then gathered up his medical bag. Julie hightailed it into the house. Thankful Silver wasn’t hurt worse, she wrapped the whole banana bread loaf up in foil and headed back to the barn.
Since Rick had been gone, she’d learned to handle so many crises alone. Not that she’d wanted to, but out of necessity. Just three days ago, while she drove into town, her low tire pressure light had come on. Normally, she’d have called Rick, and he’d have come out or arranged for a repair service to meet her and take care of things. She’d called him, all right. But he’d been out on a run and didn’t answer. Julie had pulled into the nearest tire place and had them take a look.
Or last Monday when the power went out at the farm for a night. Julie didn’t have water, although they had a limited supply stored just in case. Luckily, the power came back on before she’d needed to head into town to buy water for herself and the horses.
Preston stood by the door of the barn. “There you are. One minute you were here then you disappeared.”
“For you, Preston.” She handed the foil bundle to him. “Thank you for coming out. Please send me the bill.”
“Aw, Julie. You don’t have to give me the whole loaf. A piece would have been enough.” He ambled to his truck and stuck his bag and the bread through the window onto the passenger seat.
Julie followed. “I really appreciate you taking care of Silver.” She stuck her hands in her jean pockets.
“Are you doing okay?” He leaned against the side of the vehicle. “With Rick gone and all?”
Julie shuffled her boots in the dirt, her gaze on the ground. “I’m fine. Got it handled.”
He reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “Melanie and I are here, if you need anything.” She started to reply, but he stopped her. “I mean it. Call us. Small towns are like family, and while we always know what everyone else is doing, we also help each other. You and Rick would be there for us. In fact, you have been many times. Don’t let pride get in your way.” Giving her shoulder another squeeze, Preston walked over, opened the driver’s door, and climbed in. “Thanks again for the bread. I’ll try to share.” He winked then drove off.
Julie watched the truck leave then tugged her baseball cap out of her back pocket and strode into the barn to keep watch over Silver.
CHAPTER SEVEN
October 2016
Julie needed a girl’s day. Taking care of the house and ranch without Rick had taken its toll on her. Most nights, she tossed and turned rather than getting a full night’s sleep. And while she talked to Rick every day, she still had to deal with any surprises on her own. She didn’t have backup. Thank goodness, they hadn’t started their family, yet. She couldn’t imagine how single parents did it.
In the two months since Rick started the job in Detroit, he had only been home for three days. Julie wrapped her arms around her middle as she recalled those glorious days of snuggling in bed, chasing each other around the house, and making love.
Beep, beep.
A car behind her honked their horn. She saw the green traffic light, and her face heated. She’d been caught woolgathering She ducked her head and zoomed through the intersection. As she followed the road out to The Heartsong Ranch, she vowed to keep her mind on driving.
It’d be fun to see Angela. The two planned on taking the horses on a trail ride and having a picnic by the pond. Rick’s move left her with less time for friends. Before, she’d bopped into town for breakfast with Angela at Café French or planned shopping trips with Debra, but now she spent all her time and energy on the ranch and her horses. This little outing had a second goal as well. She hoped Angela would agree to take at least two of her horses now that they were saddle broke. Pewter and Almond, gentle horses who loved being around people, would be great additions to the equine therapy.
Pulling into the drive, Julie steered the car toward the barn. Angela stood next to the corral, waving. She’d become friends with Angela after her move to Whisper. The dark-haired woman with a huge heart had overcome first her own daughter’s assault and then had to face a near-fatal attack by her brother-in-law. Julie parked her car then grabbed the bag of cookies she’d brought along for dessert. After getting out of the car, she jogged toward her friend and then enveloped her in a bear hug.
“Thank you for suggesting this, Angela.” She pulled back and glanced into her friend’s eyes. Seeing acceptance, she sighed. “I have been so swamped at the ranch.”
“Jake suggested it. He knew I needed the time away, too.” Angela squeezed her hand. “Teenagers are a tough bunch. I don’t know how my mom survived those years.” She cringed. “I don’t know what happened to my sweet Taylor. She’s turned into a moody monster. Every other minute, she’s either crying or angry.”
Julie nodded. “I can’t offer any help with that, but if you’d like to send Taylor over to my ranch, I could use the extra hands.” She winked. “And it’d give you a break from her moodiness.”
“Thanks! Do you think you want her to come by tonight? And…” She giggled. “Could you keep her until she’s twenty?”
Julie reached out and hugged her again. “Aww. Come on. You’d miss her about ten minutes after you dropped her off.”
“Sure. If you say so… Just you wait until it’s your turn.”
Julie held out the bag of cookies. “Do you have a place for these?”
“I’ll put them in the saddlebag I had Jake tie to the back of my horse. They look yummy.”
“That’s a compliment coming from the bakery queen,” she teased.
“Are you ready to ride?” Angela tilted her head toward the corral.
“I’m so ready to ride.” Julie studied the two beautiful horses standing by the fence. Crimson, an all-black mare, nibbled on grass. Her mane braided with ribbons, she looked like a show pony. The other horse, Cherokee, stomped his front foot as if impatient to get started. His golden color matched the dry ground in the corral. The weather had been dry this summer, so hopefully the pond wouldn’t be too shallow for swimming.
“I’m putting you on Cherokee today. He’s such a sweetheart.” Angela held the gate open for Julie. “We can’t take Cheyenne out, since she’s pregnant again. Jake doesn’t want her being ridden.”
“Preston told me everything was going well.” Julie tried to keep the fear out of her voice. Cheyenne was so important to her friend.
“Jake’s being a guy. He’s never been pregnant, so he worries about every little thing. I know we almost lost her last year after the plac
enta piece caused an infection, but there’s no guarantee it’ll happen again.” She placed the cookies into the saddlebag on the back of Crimson’s saddle. “But, I get it. It’d break my daughter’s heart if anything happened to that horse.”
Julie untied Cherokee’s reins, put her foot in the stirrup, and hoisted herself into the saddle. She leaned over and patted her horse’s neck as she inhaled the rich aroma of the corral. When she imagined heaven, in her mind, it was a horse farm.
Angela climbed into the saddle and nickered to start Crimson moving. The women warmed up the horses in the corral then Angela opened the gate to the back pasture and kicked her horse’s sides. “Race you to the edge of the field,” she called out as she sped away.
“No fair,” Julie screamed as she chased after her.
The sun shone down on the girls throughout the trail ride. Hot and exhausted, they arrived at the pond. A willow tree’s branches bent low over the water and skimmed the surface. Tall pine trees lined the south bank, creating a shaded area perfect for picnics. While the pond wasn’t overflowing its banks, it wasn’t a mud bog, either. The summer had been overly dry with little rainfall. The soil needed rain, and Julie hoped the weatherman’s forecast for a wet fall and winter was correct. So far, though, he’d been wrong.
The women tied off the horses to a branch of the willow tree a bit away from the pond. She didn’t want them to reach the water. Julie had heard from Jake about how Cherokee tried to roll in the pond to cool off with Angela on his back. She wasn’t in the mood to see it happen face-to-face.
Angela tugged a blanket from the saddlebag and laid it out on the ground in the shade. “With as often as we’re down at the pond, we should consider putting in a picnic table or building a ‘she shed.’” Her smile lit up her face.
“It would be more comfortable than this hard ground.” Julie plopped down on the blanket. “But probably not as conducive to snuggling under the covers.”
Angela raised her brows, but Julie knew all about Angela and Jake’s escapes to the pond. Julie stared at the grass and wished she hadn’t recalled the many stories she’d heard. This pond had become quite the love nest since Angela’s wedding.
“I vote for a bed in the shed. But get it done before the next time Rick comes home.”
“Anything for you.” Angela shoved her shoulder. “I’ll get Jake on it this weekend. Maybe we can come down here together. That man knows how to wear a tool belt.”
“Oh, no. With you down here, the building won’t get done.” She playfully shuddered. “Now I’m going to be stuck with that image of Jake in only a tool belt.”
After laying out the food, Angela dug into the sandwiches. Julie only picked at her plate.
“Hey, why aren’t you eating?”
Julie shrugged. “I’ve had some rough mornings. Ever since Rick left the last time, I have no energy, and eating is the last thing on my mind. Really, food sounds good, but the minute it passes my lips, my stomach recoils.” She pushed her plate away. “Probably stress.”
“Any other problems? Pain?” Angela scrutinized her friend.
“A little pain in my abdomen and across my chest. But I attribute it to the lack of food and all the extra work I’ve been doing in the barn. Without Rick, I’m mucking all the stalls, exercising the horses, and that’s on top of the laundry, cleaning…you know the drill.” Julie hated wasting food, but her eyes were obviously bigger than her stomach. She didn’t want Angela to feel bad and regretted the picnic idea. She had hoped once she was out of the house, enjoying some fresh air, she’d work up an appetite.
“Julie, could you be pregnant?”
“No way.” She thought about Rick’s last visit and how they’d hardly left the bed. When was my last period? Could I be? Tears filled her eyes as she did the math. Suddenly, her stomach turned over, and Julie leapt off the blanket. On her hands and knees behind a bush, she lost the little bit of food she’d eaten.
Angela gripped her shoulder. Slowly, Julie leaned up then wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand.
“I’m sorry. It never occurred to me. I’ve been so caught up in Rick’s new job.”
“No worries. Let’s pack up and head back. Then we’ll hit up the pharmacy for a test. Might as well make sure.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Rick tugged his helmet off and surveyed the smoldering remains of a home. Blackened bricks stood tall despite the heat and water which had rained down on them for the last two hours. One window frame remained. Dark bars covered the opening, now devoid of glass. When they’d arrived, the whole house had been engulfed. Though the team tried, the house had been too far gone. Thankfully, no one had been inside.
Rick’s clothes stuck to his body underneath his suit. Sweaty and stinky, for sure. He’d fight for the shower and give hell to pay to anyone who stopped him.
“Excuse me.”
Rick turned and saw a little old woman standing next to him. “Hello. This is a dangerous area. You shouldn’t be this close to the house.” He looked around for anyone who might be able to take the woman back to safety.
“It was the only home I had,” she choked out.
He placed a hand on her arm. “I’m sorry, ma’am. Is there someone here who can help you? Someone you want me to call?” Skinny and frail-looking, she appeared to be older than his grandmother. She wore a ratty bathrobe and slippers. Where was her coat? Clothes? Loved ones?
The old woman shook her head. “Did you find Louis, my cat?”
His heart sank. A pet? Nothing would have survived the fire. “We didn’t see a cat. Are you sure he was inside?”
“I...” The woman scratched at her head. “Jonny woke me up and pushed me out the door. I’d screamed for Louis, and he went to find him.” A shiver shook her small frame.
“Ma’am.” Rick knelt down so he could look her in the eyes. The woman’s calm demeanor worried him. Had she suffered a head injury? Could the old lady have Alzheimer’s and be confused? He needed to find out the truth. “Who is Jonny?”
“My husband. Have you seen him?”
“Captain!” Rick bellowed as he led the woman toward the fire engine. He opened a side hatch, pulled out a blanket, wrapped it around her shoulders, and helped her to sit on the metal platform on the edge of the engine.
A figure in a yellow flame suit bounded over. “Yeah, Rick. What’s going on?”
“This woman, here, is the owner of the home. She asked me about her cat. Then mentioned her husband had gone to get him.” Rick stared at the captain and raised his brows, trying to get the man to listen and interpret what he didn’t want to say in front of the old woman. “She hasn’t seen them. Said there were bars on the windows.”
The captain’s eyes widened. “I’ll let the police know. Any sign of arson when you were working the fire?”
Rick sighed. “I hadn’t thought about it. When we’d arrived, the fire was so intense, I figured it’d been going for a bit.”
He pointed to the remaining window. “Bars on the windows are a big hazard. Residents put them on to keep crime out, but in certain situations, they become a prison and trap them inside.” The captain pulled a radio from his belt, relayed the information about the husband to the police, and requested an ambulance for the woman.
Rick bent over the old lady. “Ma’am, we’ve called for an ambulance to come and get you checked out. Is there someone who we can call? A daughter or son? I don’t want you to be alone.”
Tears fell silently down her cheeks as she patted his hand. “I’ll just call my daughter from the hospital. Thank you, young man. Your wife is a lucky woman.”
Rick agreed. “I’m the lucky one.”
Meow-meow. Out of the darkness, an old man hobbled toward them with a very vocal cat in his arms. “Marsha. Where are you?” he called out then coughs racked his body. Rick bolted to him.
“Are you Jonny?” He wrapped his arm around the man’s shoulder. “Your wife’s been worried.” He helped the gentleman over toward the fir
e truck and had him sit on the bumper next to the old woman.
“Marsha. I thought I lost you. Louis had escaped out the back door, and I chased him into the shed. I tried to get back into the house to get you, but the fire was too hot.”
“And I was worried about you. I see you found Louis. Naughty kitty.” She dragged the cat out of her husband’s arms and kissed the furry face then laid her head on Jonny’s shoulder.
Sometimes miracles happened. Rick notified the captain then kept watch over the couple.
When the EMTs arrived, Rick helped the older man onto the gurney then assisted the old woman into the back. He’d arranged for Louis to stay with a neighbor and waved goodbye as the EMTs closed the rear doors before driving away.
Tonight, the distance from home felt immense. He wished more than ever to be able to hold his wife in his arms and let the pain float away. Rick tugged his phone from his pocket and flipped through the photos on it. He smiled when he came to the one of them from last summer. His wife wore her ratty jeans and tank top. She had been cleaning the barn when he snapped the photo. Her smile lit up her whole face. Julie hadn’t believed his declarations of her beauty when he’d kissed her and enticed her to some hayloft fun. But even dirty and weary from work, her beauty shone through.
Unable to bear it, Rick dialed her number. The phone went to voicemail again. He glanced at the time. One a.m. Julie must be asleep. He left another message. They were playing phone tag today. Hopefully, his message would bring a smile to her day.
When he arrived back at the station, Rick couldn’t sleep until he’d showered off the smoke. He grabbed a towel and his shampoo. He turned it on full blast and stuck his hand under the spray to check the temperature. Stripping out of his T-shirt and jeans, he laid them on the bench then took off the rest of his clothes before stepping under the warm water. He shoved his whole head under the nozzle and let his mind wander. In the last two months away from his wife, he’d realized how much he missed her. The little things like a smile after a rough day or someone else picking up the dishes. He also missed the bigger moments like a physical hug and holding on to someone when you need your spirits raised.
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