Page 105 of Stay With Me

“Any update?” I ask softly.

“Not yet,” Mallory answers. Her eyes are red as if she’s been crying.

I reach over and squeeze her hand.

She loves horses as much as Noah does, but she’s only lived here for a few years, so I don’t think she’s had to experience the pain of losing one. I remember they lost one back in high school and Noah cried for days.

The worst part now is Noah’s at an unplugged resort, so we can’t even get ahold of her to tell her what’s going on. I like the idea of her getting away for two weeks to enjoy spending time with her new husband without interruptions, but it sucks when there’s an emergency.

Gramma Grace brings over a pan of Brookie bars and a handful of plates. I grab two, put a bar on each, and then set one in front of Landen. Dena pours the drinks and we eat in silence.

When the front door creaks open, we sit up straighter in anticipation. Landen’s dad appears, and he’s wearing a frown.

“Any news?” Dena asks him.

“She went into shock. Her heart’s strugglin’ to keep up, but Dr. Weston cleared out the blockage and has her sedated for now.”

“Why can’t her heart keep up?” Mallory asks the same question I was wondering.

“Not sure, sweetheart. She may have a genetic heart condition. We’ll do some testing once she rests a few days.”

“What’s the recovery rate?” Landen’s harsh tone blurts out.

Garrett shrugs. “Too hard to know for sure. Shoulda been an easy procedure, but considering there were complications tells me there’s something else going on.”

“I don’t want her to suffer. When it’s time, we should...” Landen chokes on his words as if he’s holding back tears. “We just shouldn’t let her suffer, is all.”

Garrett circles the table and claps Landen’s shoulder. “We won’t.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Tripp

The past few days have been hell for Landen, and even when I try to talk to him about something else, he either ignores me or grunts out a response. I haven’t seen him this way since his ex broke up with him in high school. Landen’s not one to process his feelings with words. Instead, he’s hiding out in the middle of the woods with a case of beer and an axe.

I’m not sure how long he’s been out here, but it’s safe to say we have enough chopped wood to last the retreat for the rest of winter.

“It’s gettin’ cold out here,” I say, approaching him delicately so he doesn’t whip the axe at me.

“Then take your scrawny bitch ass back inside.”

His tone is crude and harsh, but I bark out a laugh at his ability to insult me so easily.

He slices through another chunk of wood and the pieces go flying.

“C’mon, man. Let me take you home. Magnolia’s worried about you. She keeps askin’ why you aren’t responding to her texts.”

“Because I have nothin’ to say.”

Another chop.

“I know you’re in pain, but drunk wood choppin’ is just gonna send you to the ER.”

He ignores me and cuts through another stump. “Do you remember when Noah helped me rescue her? She was just skin and bones.”

I nod because that day was absolutely nuts. We don’t make it a habit of stealing horses, but it was obvious Sydney was neglected. Her owner couldn’t afford the cost, and instead of giving her away to someone who could take care of her, they just left her in a barn to die. Landen got a tip from a neighbor, and one night, he and Noah snuck into the barn. Our sister is basically a horse whisperer, which is why Landen dragged her along. But when the flashlights and break-in spooked Sydney, it was not Noah she wanted. Landen held out his hand and spoke softly to her, telling her they were there to help her. She immediately warmed up to him and came up to him. Once she was close enough, he was able to slide the halter around her neck and get her inside the trailer.

Once she was ours and got a full health check, we realized she had a laundry list of health issues from being malnourished and having overgrown hooves. Landen took her under his wing and even paid for all her treatments himself. He trained her for riding, and eventually, she was healthy enough for ranch work too. He was so proud to have Sydney as his own and kept up the responsibilities of making sure she got all her vaccines and annual physical exams.