be.”
She stared at him wordlessly.
“Dallas, I...” He’d blown it. Said something he shouldn’t have.
“I’m just...”
“Are you?” she whispered.
“What?”
“Crazy about me?”
“Yes.” Crazy about her and plain crazy. He had to be. If not,
he wouldn’t be closing the small distance separating them and seeking her mouth
with his.
Their lips grazed briefly. Before his could settle possessively
on hers, one of the horses whinnied shrilly. The possibility that their rescuers
had arrived was enough to give Conner a jolt and bring him to his senses. Was he
insane?
He broke off their near kiss and listened for the ATVs, acutely
aware of their incriminating proximity. “I didn’t mean to...”
“Really?” Dallas gazed deeply at him. “Because I did.”
His heart, already hammering, nearly exploded.
Dolly whinnied again.
“We should probably talk about this. Later.” Rising from the
wagon seat, Conner craned his neck and peered up the hill, the direction from
which he expected Gavin to appear.
“Do you see them?” Dallas pushed to her feet, as well.
“No.” And that was strange. What had alerted the horses?
It was then that he noticed Molly and Dolly staring in the
opposite direction, toward the bottom of the hill, their eyes wide and ears
pricked forward.
The skin on the back of Conner’s neck began to tingle. More
than one kind of predator made these mountains their home. Bobcats, mountain
lions and coyotes to name a few. He reached for Dallas’s hand.
“What’s wrong?” She gripped his fingers tightly.
“I’m not sure yet.”
Dolly whinnied again. To Conner’s shock, it was answered by an
echoing whinny from around the bend at the bottom of the hill.
“What the...”
“Look!” Dallas clutched his arm. “It’s a horse.”
“Two horses.” As Conner spoke, the pair emerged fully into
view.
The larger one, a mare, was flanked closely by a youngster, no
more than six or eight months old by the size of him. The pair progressed
cautiously up the hill toward Dolly and Molly, heads bobbing, the colt’s dainty
legs dancing.
“Are they wild mustangs? Like Prince?” Dallas watched in
amazement.
“That would be too much of a coincidence.” Even so, Conner
entertained the possibility. He and Dallas crept forward, edging alongside the
wagon. “Careful, we don’t want to scare them.”
The mare, a sturdy tan-and-gray Appaloosa, had eyes only for
Dolly and Molly. As she neared, Conner spotted something wrong, something that
caused his blood to run ice-cold and his anger to burn.
“What’s that in her neck?” Dallas asked. “A stick?”
“An arrow. And there’s a second one imbedded in her back.”
Chapter Five
Dallas needed her camera. Right away, before the mare
and colt ran off. Making as little noise as possible, she reached over the side
of the wagon for her bag, and then crept forward.
“Wait,” Conner instructed in a low voice. “She looks tame.
Let’s see if I can get her to come to me.”
“And if she doesn’t?” Dallas whispered back. “I want pictures.
To show people.”
He gave her an arch look.
“This is cruelty to animals,” she insisted. “Whoever did it
needs to be punished. Pictures can be used as evidence.”
“We have to catch the mare first. Even then, I doubt the
authorities will find the culprit. It probably happened weeks ago.”
Weeks ago? That poor animal.
Conner rummaged around the wagon bed and removed a coiled rope.
“When, and only when, I tell you, bring this to me.”
Dallas took the rope and stayed put, although she would rather
have gone with Conner.
What sane person would shoot an innocent horse with a bow and
arrows? The thought made her heart constrict. Fortunately, the colt, a miniature
version of his mother, appeared uninjured. Small consolation. If his mother
died—infections could linger—he’d be left to fend for himself, with practically
no chance of survival.
Good thing she and Conner had come
She stared at him wordlessly.
“Dallas, I...” He’d blown it. Said something he shouldn’t have.
“I’m just...”
“Are you?” she whispered.
“What?”
“Crazy about me?”
“Yes.” Crazy about her and plain crazy. He had to be. If not,
he wouldn’t be closing the small distance separating them and seeking her mouth
with his.
Their lips grazed briefly. Before his could settle possessively
on hers, one of the horses whinnied shrilly. The possibility that their rescuers
had arrived was enough to give Conner a jolt and bring him to his senses. Was he
insane?
He broke off their near kiss and listened for the ATVs, acutely
aware of their incriminating proximity. “I didn’t mean to...”
“Really?” Dallas gazed deeply at him. “Because I did.”
His heart, already hammering, nearly exploded.
Dolly whinnied again.
“We should probably talk about this. Later.” Rising from the
wagon seat, Conner craned his neck and peered up the hill, the direction from
which he expected Gavin to appear.
“Do you see them?” Dallas pushed to her feet, as well.
“No.” And that was strange. What had alerted the horses?
It was then that he noticed Molly and Dolly staring in the
opposite direction, toward the bottom of the hill, their eyes wide and ears
pricked forward.
The skin on the back of Conner’s neck began to tingle. More
than one kind of predator made these mountains their home. Bobcats, mountain
lions and coyotes to name a few. He reached for Dallas’s hand.
“What’s wrong?” She gripped his fingers tightly.
“I’m not sure yet.”
Dolly whinnied again. To Conner’s shock, it was answered by an
echoing whinny from around the bend at the bottom of the hill.
“What the...”
“Look!” Dallas clutched his arm. “It’s a horse.”
“Two horses.” As Conner spoke, the pair emerged fully into
view.
The larger one, a mare, was flanked closely by a youngster, no
more than six or eight months old by the size of him. The pair progressed
cautiously up the hill toward Dolly and Molly, heads bobbing, the colt’s dainty
legs dancing.
“Are they wild mustangs? Like Prince?” Dallas watched in
amazement.
“That would be too much of a coincidence.” Even so, Conner
entertained the possibility. He and Dallas crept forward, edging alongside the
wagon. “Careful, we don’t want to scare them.”
The mare, a sturdy tan-and-gray Appaloosa, had eyes only for
Dolly and Molly. As she neared, Conner spotted something wrong, something that
caused his blood to run ice-cold and his anger to burn.
“What’s that in her neck?” Dallas asked. “A stick?”
“An arrow. And there’s a second one imbedded in her back.”
Chapter Five
Dallas needed her camera. Right away, before the mare
and colt ran off. Making as little noise as possible, she reached over the side
of the wagon for her bag, and then crept forward.
“Wait,” Conner instructed in a low voice. “She looks tame.
Let’s see if I can get her to come to me.”
“And if she doesn’t?” Dallas whispered back. “I want pictures.
To show people.”
He gave her an arch look.
“This is cruelty to animals,” she insisted. “Whoever did it
needs to be punished. Pictures can be used as evidence.”
“We have to catch the mare first. Even then, I doubt the
authorities will find the culprit. It probably happened weeks ago.”
Weeks ago? That poor animal.
Conner rummaged around the wagon bed and removed a coiled rope.
“When, and only when, I tell you, bring this to me.”
Dallas took the rope and stayed put, although she would rather
have gone with Conner.
What sane person would shoot an innocent horse with a bow and
arrows? The thought made her heart constrict. Fortunately, the colt, a miniature
version of his mother, appeared uninjured. Small consolation. If his mother
died—infections could linger—he’d be left to fend for himself, with practically
no chance of survival.
Good thing she and Conner had come
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