off after the colt anyway.
âBlaze!â Sam screamed.
âStay here,â Jen ordered, but Sam didnât listen.
Galloping toward gunfire was a stupid thing to do, but she had to help Blaze. Shouting as she rode, Sam hoped whoever held that rifle would hear herhuman commotion and stop firing.
When she rode into the clearing, the damage was already done.
Samâs heart almost broke when she saw Blaze on his belly, ears back and mouth open in a submissive grin, begging the shooter to stop.
Her dog was alive, but his mate wasnât.
Blaze didnât notice she was there. His eyes watched Linc Slocum.
Mounted on his sturdy palomino, Linc held his rifle butt snug against his shoulder, but the barrel drooped. Done shooting, he wore a satisfied smile.
Hadnât he noticed the grieving Border collie pulling himself across the ground toward the coyote?
She was dead. Sam didnât have to look twice to know the female coyote would never move again. Sprawled so that her soft belly showed, with her shoulder wrenched to one side, Blazeâs mate lay where the bullet had spun her back and killed her.
Nostrils flaring at the blood smell, Ace swung his head away, but stayed where Sam had stopped him. Silly gave a low, worried neigh. Hooves struck wood somewhere behind her, making Sam wonder if Lace was kicking at the cart. Maybe she wanted to run away and Nicolas wouldnât let her.
Blaze whined. Poor sweet, smart dog, Sam thought. Instead of attacking the armed man, he acted submissive. Blaze knew guns were loud. Maybe he sensed they were deadly, too, because his front pawsdragged him closer to his mate, but he didnât growl.
Sam wasnât half as careful.
âWhatâs wrong with you?â she shouted.
The smug grin slipped off Linc Slocumâs face.
Jen said something. Nicolas did, too, but their voices were whispers next to the raging in her mind.
âWhy do you have to kill things?â Sam yelled at Linc.
What if she rode straight at him, crashing Ace into Champ, knocking Linc to the ground so heâd know how it felt to be helpless?
The impulse evaporated as she stared at the black eye of the gunâs barrel. She couldnât risk her horse. Or his.
A buzz like ten million killer bees droned in Samâs ears as she slid down from the saddle. Her knees didnât lock. She staggered a step before flinging her reins down, making sure Ace understood her order to stay ground-tied.
Blowing the horrible scents from his nostrils, the gelding stayed, but he didnât like it.
âThat coyote attacked your dog!â Linc yelled defensively.
âNoââ Sam began.
âShe couldnât have. They were playing together last night,â Jen snapped.
Jen had a lot to lose by confronting Linc Slocum, Sam thought. But she stood up for what was right.
Sam sank to the ground beside Blaze.
âPoor boy,â she said. Her hands skimmed over his glossy fur. She saw no blood, but her fingers searched for hidden wounds.
Blaze lurched forward, crawling to the coyoteâs side, and Sam moved along with him.
A quick look showed a pink tongue hanging from the corner of the coyoteâs blood-flecked muzzle. Her teeth shone white. Her eyes stared brown and surprised.
Sam buried her face in Blazeâs fur. She couldnât cry. She couldnât look weak when she stood up to Linc Slocum.
âI donât care what you say,â Linc spoke in a lofty tone. âI was just plinkinâ at coyotes and I saw that oneââhe gestured with his gun barrelââset on your dog. Savinâ him was the neighborly thing to do.â
âShe was his mate.â Nicolasâs voice was quiet but bitter.
Sniffing, Sam looked at him. So did Jen and Linc.
For a second, Nicolas looked down at the reins in his hands, but then his chin lifted and he took them all in with a single look.
âIt attacked your dog,â Linc insisted. He jammed his
âBlaze!â Sam screamed.
âStay here,â Jen ordered, but Sam didnât listen.
Galloping toward gunfire was a stupid thing to do, but she had to help Blaze. Shouting as she rode, Sam hoped whoever held that rifle would hear herhuman commotion and stop firing.
When she rode into the clearing, the damage was already done.
Samâs heart almost broke when she saw Blaze on his belly, ears back and mouth open in a submissive grin, begging the shooter to stop.
Her dog was alive, but his mate wasnât.
Blaze didnât notice she was there. His eyes watched Linc Slocum.
Mounted on his sturdy palomino, Linc held his rifle butt snug against his shoulder, but the barrel drooped. Done shooting, he wore a satisfied smile.
Hadnât he noticed the grieving Border collie pulling himself across the ground toward the coyote?
She was dead. Sam didnât have to look twice to know the female coyote would never move again. Sprawled so that her soft belly showed, with her shoulder wrenched to one side, Blazeâs mate lay where the bullet had spun her back and killed her.
Nostrils flaring at the blood smell, Ace swung his head away, but stayed where Sam had stopped him. Silly gave a low, worried neigh. Hooves struck wood somewhere behind her, making Sam wonder if Lace was kicking at the cart. Maybe she wanted to run away and Nicolas wouldnât let her.
Blaze whined. Poor sweet, smart dog, Sam thought. Instead of attacking the armed man, he acted submissive. Blaze knew guns were loud. Maybe he sensed they were deadly, too, because his front pawsdragged him closer to his mate, but he didnât growl.
Sam wasnât half as careful.
âWhatâs wrong with you?â she shouted.
The smug grin slipped off Linc Slocumâs face.
Jen said something. Nicolas did, too, but their voices were whispers next to the raging in her mind.
âWhy do you have to kill things?â Sam yelled at Linc.
What if she rode straight at him, crashing Ace into Champ, knocking Linc to the ground so heâd know how it felt to be helpless?
The impulse evaporated as she stared at the black eye of the gunâs barrel. She couldnât risk her horse. Or his.
A buzz like ten million killer bees droned in Samâs ears as she slid down from the saddle. Her knees didnât lock. She staggered a step before flinging her reins down, making sure Ace understood her order to stay ground-tied.
Blowing the horrible scents from his nostrils, the gelding stayed, but he didnât like it.
âThat coyote attacked your dog!â Linc yelled defensively.
âNoââ Sam began.
âShe couldnât have. They were playing together last night,â Jen snapped.
Jen had a lot to lose by confronting Linc Slocum, Sam thought. But she stood up for what was right.
Sam sank to the ground beside Blaze.
âPoor boy,â she said. Her hands skimmed over his glossy fur. She saw no blood, but her fingers searched for hidden wounds.
Blaze lurched forward, crawling to the coyoteâs side, and Sam moved along with him.
A quick look showed a pink tongue hanging from the corner of the coyoteâs blood-flecked muzzle. Her teeth shone white. Her eyes stared brown and surprised.
Sam buried her face in Blazeâs fur. She couldnât cry. She couldnât look weak when she stood up to Linc Slocum.
âI donât care what you say,â Linc spoke in a lofty tone. âI was just plinkinâ at coyotes and I saw that oneââhe gestured with his gun barrelââset on your dog. Savinâ him was the neighborly thing to do.â
âShe was his mate.â Nicolasâs voice was quiet but bitter.
Sniffing, Sam looked at him. So did Jen and Linc.
For a second, Nicolas looked down at the reins in his hands, but then his chin lifted and he took them all in with a single look.
âIt attacked your dog,â Linc insisted. He jammed his
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