Page 66

“Answer me.”

“Yes, Rafe. I’m eating three meals a day and hydrating with lots of water.”

Now that I think about it, I haven’t finished a meal in weeks.

The way Fionn kissed me burns through my mind, and my skin goes hot under my coat.

Angry with myself, I press the handkerchief harder to my brow. This is getting out of control.

“Fury didn’t eat his breakfast,” I say, distracting myself with something more important than a man I can’t have.

Rafe keeps his eyes on the road. “Did he eat anything yesterday?”

“Not really.”

“That horse is old. He’s allowed to be fussy.”

“It’s not like him.”

Rafe slows at a junction. “Did he drink?”

“A bit.”

He looks back at the road, but the edge in his voice changes. “Maybe he’s sick?”

“I don’t know.” I sigh. “I’m getting the vet to check him over when we get back.”

Rafe nods. “I’ll call Liam.”

“I’ll call him.”

“I said I’d call him.” Rafe drags a pack of smokes out of his jacket pocket. “He owes me a favor.”

“Okay.” I grab the lighter from the dash and spark the tip of his cigarette as he clamps it between his lips.

“Cheers,” he mumbles. “He’ll be okay.”

My phone rings as Rafe turns the wheel hard, and we veer away from the streets, heading home.

Dane’s name fills the screen.

“I bet he wants us to pick up Chinese food.”

“What’s the order?” I answer. “Curry fried rice with chips?”

“Sera,” he replies, and the tone of his voice sends a little shiver across my scalp. “Are ya nearly home?”

“We’ll be there in twenty. Why?”

“The vets here,” he says. “Saint called him. It’s Fury.”

My stomach drops. “Put your foot down, Rafe. I need to get home.”

“It’s colic,” the vet says, and the change in his voice turns my veins to ice. “At his age, with his heart rate this high, I can’t operate.”

“I want a second opinion.” My eyes dart from him to the stable, where Fury shifts behind the half door. “Call someone else.”

Dane puts a hand on my shoulder. “Sera.”