Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Somehow, between Mom’s coaxing and my pulling, we got her up the ramp, and I felt a small sense of relief when I heard her hooves clank against the metal flooring of the trailer. The vet quickly closed the latch, and I took a step back, staring at Moya through the slats. Her eyes were wide and wet, and it tugged at me to see her in such pain.
“Stay strong,” I murmured.
I couldn’t take any more, so I turned and headed back to the car.
I didn’t expect it to hit me the way it did, but seeing Moya stumble and her eyes filled with worry and pain gutted me. I didn’t let myself feel like that. Not for people and sure as hell not for animals. But standing there with my shoulder braced against her, I felt it.
The fear of her collapsing.
The ache of watching her suffer.
I didn’t even know I had it in me to feel such things, and I didn’t like it. Hell, I hated it. It made me feel weak and exposed in a way that made my stomach turn. But that didn’t stop me from caring about that stupid horse.
I cared way more than I should have.
When I reached the car, I found Alina sound asleep with her head leaning against the foggy windows, and just like that, I was hit with another feeling I didn’t care for—guilt. Damn. Poor girl had been out here for hours, waiting for me to return, and I didn’t even come out to check on her.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to or didn’t feel compelled to. I did, but my mother never left my side. I knew she would become suspicious if I kept going out to the car, so I stayed put, leaving Alina to fend for herself. I was about to open the door and apologize for taking so long when the sound of footsteps drew my attention to the rear of the car.
I glanced up and spotted Gabby walking up with Misty. Both were wearing tight jeans and boots that were more about show than work, and they were both smiling at me like they were actually happy about seeing me. Misty gave me a sexy smile as she said, “Hey there, handsome. How’s it going?”
“Been better.”
Gabby’s brows furrowed. “Moya not any better?”
“No. The vet just took her to the ER clinic. Needed more than we could do here.”
Their smiles faltered for a moment, but it didn’t stop Misty’s hand from landing on my bicep. As she leaned in with a seductive smile, I took a few steps away from the car. The last thing I needed was for the girls to see Alina sleeping in the front seat.
Gabby and Misty followed me as I walked away. “Well, Moya’s in good hands now. You wanna head up to Gabby’s place and have a drink? It might help take your mind off things,” Misty said coyly, continuing to smile as she began to rub her hand up and down my arm.
“It’s Mom’s place,” I clipped. “Gabby’s just staying there. Besides, I’ve got to go.”
“You sure?” Misty batted her eyelashes. “We’d show you a real good time.”
“Not happening.”
Her pout was instant, but I didn’t stay long enough to give her the chance to push any further. I opened the door, and as I slid inside, I saw that Alina was awake. She was sitting up straight, and her eyes were locked on mine.
She didn’t say a word as I closed the door and started the car. She didn’t have to. I could tell by her expression that she was annoyed. I wasn’t sure if it was because I’d left her for so long or if it had something to do with my exchange with Misty. I had no doubt that she’d not only seen her, but she’d witnessed the flirting. I could only imagine what she thought.
I shouldn’t have cared.
I didn’t owe Alina anything. She was nothing to me, but I still felt a sense of guilt as I started down the driveway. Suddenly, the words started spilling out of me, “I’m sorry. I had no idea it was going to take that long. I should’ve…”
“It’s okay.” She placed her palm on my bicep, and her expression relaxed. “You don’t have to apologize.”
“One of the horses has a bad case of colic.”
“Oh.” She returned her hand to her lap. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It happens. We managed to get her back on her feet, but she wasn’t faring well. The vet decided to take her back to the clinic.”
“I hope she will be okay.”
“She should be. Our vet is one of the best.” I glanced over at her as I explained, “Mother takes in horses like her. Broken ones… ones that no one else wants. She gives them a second chance, where most would just put them down. Needless to say, we use the vet a lot.”