Page 41

When he came to a halt a few minutes later, and she realized they’d reached the bottom, she felt an odd jab of…something. It was over, that intimate trek down the rocky slope. When she realized what she was feeling was disappointment, she wanted to move her hand or her foot to sharpen up the dull throb, as a distraction.

Well, that’s twisted enough.

His horse came up beside them, still calm, and came to a halt. He really was amazingly well trained.

“Do you think you can stand on the one foot while I get my phone?” Cody asked. “Or would you be better down on the ground?”

“I can,” she said, then, figuring honesty was not just the best but the only policy right now, added, “if I’ve got something to hang on to.”

“Trey, hold.” The big bay nickered in response and planted his hooves. Cody took the two steps over to the horse and set her down with a gentle care that she couldn’t miss, close enough that she could grasp the saddle with her good hand.

“He won’t move,” he assured her.

“What if a snake slithered by?”

“He’d warn us first.”

“This,” she said in awe, “is a miracle horse.”

“Yep. When my mom says it’s a miracle I’m still alive, he’s what she means.”

To her amazement, despite the pain, she nearly laughed. And he grinned at her. That grin her friends talked about, the one that flashed a dimple in his right cheek and made him look…look…

Too darn good, that’s what it made him look.

He was already working on his phone. “Signal comes and goes,” he muttered. “It’d probably drop a call, but a text should get through.”

“Who are you texting?” She couldn’t see from this angle, but it looked as if he was changing between apps. He never paused in his tapping and swiping.

“Everybody. I wanted a map fix first. Ry’s the closest, he was covering the west hills.”

“Your brother’s out here?”

He sent the text and then looked at her. “All of them are. And Mom, and Lucas.”

“Oh.”

“You sound surprised.”

“I just didn’t think. Or couldn’t,” she said, hearkening back to what he’d said earlier. She hesitated, then added, “I am surprised that you rode out. I would have figured you’d send another one of your…”

“Toys?” he asked, using the word she usually did.

She waited for the old enmity to flare up then. Thought she almost would have welcomed it. It would have made all this seem less serious. Would have let her convince herself she wasn’t hurt as badly as she was afraid she was. That he wasn’t jabbing at her, that he’d declared that truce, was scaring her now.

A memory had come to her of that car accident back in high school, when the star of the baseball team had been pinned, much as she had been, and his ankle had been crushed. He had never been the same, had limped from then on. It had been the end of his dreams of a pro career. He’d finally moved away, saying he wanted a fresh start somewhere where they didn’t know what the possibilities had been.

She hadn’t understood then, why he’d want to leave his family and friends. She hoped she wasn’t going to learn firsthand now.

Cody looked about to say something else, and also as if it were something he didn’t want to say. But then he shook his head and muttered, “Later.”

She realized she was leaning hard against the sturdy horse, who was standing statue-still. She reached out with her good hand and patted his shoulder. “You are amazing, you sweet boy,” she crooned.

Cody’s phone signaled. He pulled it out and looked at the screen. “They got the text. Your dad is heading back to the house to get a vehicle. So, we just wait here.”

“And be glad the rain passed,” she said, turning to look at him. But without her good hand on the saddle horn she’d overbalanced, and instinctively put her foot down to catch herself. She nearly passed out completely this time. And she couldn’t stop the cry of pain that escaped.

When it eased and she was able to focus again, she realized she was back where she’d been. In his arms, held against him firmly.