I exit the apartment, shutting the door behind me. I won’t be surprised if one of my brothers comes after me, but I really don’t want them to.
As I descend the staircase, I hear yelling inside, distinctly recognizing Ethan’s, Trey’s, and Wade’s voices.
Not Kellen’s, though. He’ll stay out of that squabble because he let me fight my own battle in there, and I appreciate it more than he’ll ever know. Just as he squeezed my hand to let me know he had me.
God… Kellen doesn’t even have a clue why I have such a rift with my family. We’ve never talked about it. Not that I’m hiding anything, but it’s definitely not happy, fuzzy memories keeping me away.
I head straight for the pasture behind the barn. My stomach rolls as I take in the blackened wood. Yellow caution tape flutters around the perimeter, meant to keep everyone out except the arson investigator, who came by earlier today. I have no desire to go in and see the damage. My heart thuds painfully upon remembering the panic and terror of last night.
The horses are grazing about forty yards ahead, tails lazily swishing at flies. I rest my hands on the top rail of the wooden fencing and whistle for Lunar. The other three horses lift their heads, but my boy is the only one that comes when called. He trots toward me, neck arched regally, his ears pricked forward. He doesn’t high step the way he used to, but that’s due to age and the fact we don’t train anymore. Anytime we ride, it’s purely for pleasure and to spend time together.
Kellen had assured me all the horses were okay, and I believed him. But I have to see Lunar for myself.
“Hey, my main man,” I murmur as he stops at the fence, eyes expectantly going to my pockets.
Smart boy.
When I don’t move, he bumps his head gently into my chest. Come on, lady. I know you have a treat for me.
Laughing, I reach in and grab a peppermint. I’d been on my way out here to see Lunar when my brothers showed up, and now this visit with him feels more important than ever. Horses—Lunar, in particular—have always had a calming effect on me. Even when they’re being jerks and hard to control, I’ve always felt in my element around them.
I unwrap the candy, tuck the plastic film back in my pocket, and offer him the small red-and-white lozenge. He plucks it from my palm with soft lips and lets me scratch behind his ears. I run my eyes over his body, and although a vet came by this morning and checked out all the horses, I want to tend to my boy.
I climb up and over the fence rather than walk to the gate. I sit on the top rail, Lunar’s face level with mine. I rub along his neck, cheeks, jaw, crest. I make sure his eyes look okay. I hop down, and Lunar sidesteps from me, acting skittish but really just playing. He waits for me to pull out another peppermint and then stands still while I inspect his entire body. I’m worried that maybe he hit something on his wild rampage out of the burning barn—a jagged piece of wood or a nail.
He looks good, though, and doesn’t appear any worse for wear. My chest aches when I think of his terror-filled screaming as the heat and flames closed in on him, but my heart flutters when I think of how fearless Kellen was, rushing into that inferno to release them all, even though he knows nothing about horses. He could’ve easily been trampled or knocked over, but he didn’t let the danger stop him.
The sound of a car engine turning over draws my attention toward my apartment. I can’t see the cars, but someone is leaving—I hear the crunch of gravel under tires. It’s only when Kellen walks around the side of my house that I know it’s my brothers who left, and I’m not sure what it says about me that I’m relieved.
Kellen comes up to the fence and tentatively reaches a hand to Lunar who tosses his head back, again putting on a skittish act. I pull out my last peppermint and hand it to Kellen. “He’s a drama queen. Give this to him, and he’ll stand still for some pets.”
I watch as Kellen holds out his palm without hesitation, trusting that Lunar won’t bite him. He smiles and rubs the gelding’s neck. “You were a brave boy, weren’t you?”
“You were a brave man to run in there and free the horses,” I murmur.
He doesn’t look at me, keeping his eyes on Lunar with that light smile on his face. I’m shocked when he goes off subject. “So why did you run from home, and why don’t you want to go back?”