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June nodded. “They know they’s in trouble now.”

Natalie gave an update to the operator and heard oncoming sirens. Vaughn opened the garage door from the inside as two cop cars pulled into the complex and sped toward them.

“She’s in bad shape,” Vaughn said, waving June inside.

Natalie ended the call with the operator and pointed into the garage as the cops exited their vehicles, guns drawn. “The men are gone,” she said. “But the horse is in there, along with the owners.”

The cops nodded and quickly went inside to assess the situation. Natalie heard them all talking. She stayed outside, trying to be respectful. June’s voice raised and she came out cursing.

“Go and get them!” she yelled back into the garage.

She wiped a tear as she leaned on the hood of the truck. Natalie walked up to her and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

June gripped it. “They’re gonna pay,” she said, wiping another tear. “They’re gonna pay. One way or another.”

Vaughn emerged, leading the horse out of the garage. The mare was moving slowly and had obviously gone without food. She squinted in the sunlight as Vaughn rubbed her and cooed to her. Natalie’s own eyes filled with tears.

“Will she be okay?” she asked.

“I hope so,” Vaughn said. “For their sake, I hope so.”

The cops walked into the light as well, and one of them began taking photos of the horse. June and Vaughn gave them all the information they had on the two men. And Natalie helped where she could, describing the truck they were driving along with some of the license plate number. She’d also given it to the 911 operator. She hoped that it was enough to catch the guys. She could still see their beady eyes as they’d slowly driven by. The two men had looked young but grimy, their clothes greasy. They’d also had a full gun rack in their back window and Natalie knew they were all lucky that they hadn’t stopped to confront them.

She returned the phone to June with a shaky hand.

“You okay, child?”

Natalie gave a nervous laugh, but wiped away tears as they began to fall. “I guess I don’t do well with the threat of violence.” She wasn’t sure why she was so shook up, only that her adrenaline had shot nearly sky high, like it had with Allen anytime he got confrontational.

June pulled her into her arms. “There, there. It’s all over now.”

Natalie clung to her for a moment, but she spied Vaughn, standing there all alone with her horse, tears flooding her eyes. Natalie drew away from June and walked up to her. And without a word, she embraced her and held her tight.

Vaughn was stiff at first. Ramrod straight. But Natalie felt her body melt and soon Vaughn was gripping her in return, her body silently shaking as she quietly sobbed.

“I’m so sorry,” Natalie whispered.

Vaughn didn’t say anything in return. She just pulled away and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. She nodded, letting Natalie know that she heard her.

Natalie stood with her and loved on the horse by her side, with not another word spoken.

Chapter Twenty

Natalie heated a cup of water and opened a tea bag to bob inside the mug. She opened her front door and stepped outside. The night air was cool and crisp, and she inhaled the fresh scent of the desert and the wildflowers that were coming back into bloom in the garden. She also smelled rain and looked up at the dark sky. Lightning ricocheted from cloud to cloud in the near distance and thunder growled, letting her know it was on its way.

The storm had been building all evening and it seemed as though it was finally time for it to show its strength. She eased down on the front step and sipped her tea, keen on watching the storm move in. There was something elemental about storms that she loved. They made her feel alive and at one with Mother Earth. They were beautiful.

She blew on her drink before she took another sip. As she did so, she heard the crunch of footfalls coming from around the side of the house. She lowered her mug and waited, and to her surprise, Vaughn appeared.

“Didn’t think I’d see you till morning,” Natalie said with a smile. She noticed that Vaughn still had on the same clothes she had on earlier, having spent all her time with the recovering mare once they’d arrived home.

Vaughn motioned to sit next to her.

“Please,” Natalie said, and Vaughn slowly sat with a groan.

“How’s your back?” Natalie asked. It seemed that every evening poor Vaughn was walking nearly hunched over with her hand on her lower back. How she got up and worked the ranch every day with pain like that, Natalie didn’t know.

“Oh, it’s cranking at me.”