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I lean against the water basin, resting for a moment before I get back to work. Dr. Adler left an hour ago. After tubing Chief, things start to get better. I was happy to assist the doctor since I’ve done it in the past. We worked quickly administering both the fluids and mineral oils to help the process to get moving. It took some doing, but when that first pile dropped, I swear Buddy thought about hugging me. I never would have imagined a man so attached to a horse, but Rhett says he’s had him since the first day he was born. Chief is the last living reminder of his father. Letting go of him would be like…
My body jerks in a sob. It crept up on me and took me by surprise. Tears drop in the water. My body convulses again as I fight against the emotions I’ve refused to feel for months. I don’t even know what happened. I don’t know what to think or where—
“Sunny?” Rhett’s sleepy voice calls down the runway. “Is the stall ready?”
“Yeah,” I call back, hoping I hid the tears well enough. They sent me to clean Chief’s water bucket. He doesn’t get any food until morning, and even then, he’s on a strict diet for a few days. I think the impaction is cleared, but even Dr. Adler wasn’t positive we were out of the woods. Checking what passed, we found large amounts of sand from his belly. It’s a wonder the dang horse is still alive. His parting words still ring in my ears, “Keep an eye on him. Your instincts saved his life tonight young lady. You would make a great vet.”
Chief’s hoofs clop down the center aisle, giving me a perfect countdown to clear my face of any evidence that I lost it for a second. My red eyes will likely get chalked up to being two a.m. and still awake. To my surprise, Buddy leads Chief inside. I make a quick exit, knowing if it were me, I’d want to be alone with my horse. I pause on the other side of Rhett, both of us pressed against the wall. He doesn’t say a word, but his hand takes mine with a gentle squeeze. It’s amazing how much a person can say without opening their mouth.
The shavings rustle inside, and a second later, Buddy reemerges. “I think I’ll stay out here with him tonight, just to be sure he’s okay.”
Rhett moves toward his dad. “You can’t. Your back won’t make it through sleeping on the ground. The vet said he was fine—”
“Dr. Adler said he wasn’t out of the woods, and if I’d gone with my own instincts, Chief would have—”
“I’ll stay with him tonight,” Sunny steps out from behind me. “It’s not a big deal. I’ve done it before, lots of times actually. I saw a pillow and a blanket in the storage room. I’ll be right here if he needs me.”
I expect someone to fight me on it, but instead Buddy reaches for both of my hands. Squeezing them, he says, “Thank you. Thank you for everything, Sunny.” He starts to move, but pauses, adding, “Your father would be very proud of you.”
All the emotion that surfaced a moment ago, rises higher than ever, spilling out my eyes and over my cheeks. I nod, quickly pulling my hands from his grip and leave to get the pillow and blanket I mentioned. It’s only once I’m in the storage room that I let go of the sob I’ve held in. I sink to my knees, cradling my head in my hands, trying to shove the sadness under a box in my mind, but it keeps coming back. This is all too close to home. Too close to everything that makes me who I am. I was raised to do this, to become this, and this is what destroyed us.
“Sunny?” Rhett’s voice jars me, driving me to my feet. “Are you okay?”
I swipe at my eyes, my nose, anything wet as I try to hide the evidence against me. “I’m fine. So tired. It makes me emotional.” I start to shuffle through the boxes, trying to locate the blanket and pillow I saw, but Rhett is faster. He pulls them from the corner, holding them up for me to see.
“Sometimes we have a sick heifer, and I camp out with her.” He nods his head toward the stall. “Come on. We’ll take shifts.”
Steady. Even. Strong. Does Rhett have any idea how much I rely on him to anchor me? I follow, only vaguely aware of my body falling into auto-pilot. Rhett sits first, much like we do when we go to see the sunset on the ocean. I take my spot beside him, head on his shoulder, but this time the blanket wraps around us instead of being beneath us. Rhett’s arm curls around me, pulling me closer, warming me even though I didn’t know I was freezing. He doesn’t ask why I was crying or how I knew what to do with Chief. He stays steady and constant, letting me lean on him for my strength.
“Can I say it now?” he asks after a moment.
“Say what?” My mind drifts in and out, desperate for rest.
“I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. I should have. That was a mistake. You saved Chief. My Dad will never forget that.”
I try to laugh but the exhaustion holds it back. “Does that mean he’ll stop trying to kick me out?”
“I honestly don’t know what it means, but you doing this, it means the world to me. Thank you, Sunny.” His fingers weave into my hair, stroking the length as I drift away to sleep. Safe in the arms of my protector, happy to be Sunny from California.
Chapter 20
Rhett
H
Hot air rushes over ot air rushes over my face. I shake my head. “Not like this, Sunny. We shouldn’t.” Her giggle catch
es me off guard. The hot breath flashes over my skin again. I squint my eyes, peering through hazy dream and early morning light. A white blaze and two dark nostrils fill my vision. I jerk hard, but a hand on my chest urges me to stay put.
“He’s curious why we’re still here,” Sunny whispers in a sleepy voice. Her petite hand reaches up to stroke Chief’s cheek. “But he’s feeling better.”
Bored with us, Chief moves back to investigate his feeder. My chin drops to my chest, then rolls from one side to the other, bumping against Sunny’s head still balanced against me. I breathe in, inhaling not just the scent of sawdust and horse, but the smell of Sunny’s strawberry shampoo. I’m not ready to let her go yet. For a second yesterday, I thought I was going to lose her. Right now, I don’t care if I have to stay on the stable floor covered in shavings, I plan to hold her as long as I can.
“Rhett?” Her palm rubs lazily over my chest, making it a little difficult to remember we’re just friends. “Your dad said he called the sheriff last night. Do you think that was a bluff? Or did he actually do it?”
I set my head over hers, knowing the truth, Dad doesn’t bluff. But if I tell her that, she’ll leave. She won’t have a choice. Selfishly, I lie.
“I’m sure it was just a hot-headed outburst in the moment. He doesn’t like losing control, and he wanted to scare you.”
