Farm Girl Has Bad Boy (#3)

Chapter Fourteen

“River, what are you doing?” Emery asks nervously as I run as quickly as possible, leading Silver out of her stall. Alana rises to her feet and brushes herself off while I fight the urge to slap her while walking past to get a saddle.

“Going to get my sister’s horse,” I snap, unable to control my anger and fear. However my tone isn’t directed towards Emery and I’m sure he knows that. So as I grab Silver’s reigns in my left hand and get ready to mount, he rests a gentle hand on my shoulder.

“River, you’re pregnant. The last thing I want is you galloping on a horse where coyotes and possibly falling off are involved.” I turn around to meet his pleading eyes. “Let me go.”

“Emery,” I sigh, my words coming out rushed. “For one, you can barely ride a horse so you’re not much use. Two, I’m the only one who can get to Patch in time. Three,” I say, turning back and getting ready to climb on Silver. “Give me a lift because I’m too pregnant to get on Silver by myself.”

As much as he wants to, Emery doesn’t object. He grabs my waist and ankle and lifts me up. Once I’m safely on Silver, I turn to Mary.

“Go get my parents and you get on one of the other horses! I’m going to need help.” Mary nods, throwing me Patch’s dark green lead rope. Emery hands me a small, blue flashlight and then, before anyone can respond, I’m galloping out of the barn. I briefly hear Emery yell to me about the coyotes, and I push away the urge to yell back that he’s the one playing Manhunt in the fields with his friends. However, as awful as it sounds, their safety is the least of my worries.

In the dark, damp fields, I scan the horizon for paint horse which really shouldn’t be that hard, because Patch’s white markings should show up easily in the dark. However as I continue speeding the perimeters, looking for at least of a sign where he went, I have no such luck.

My teeth clench together and I gasp as Silver briefly loses her footing in a spot of mud. Emery had somewhat been right that I really shouldn’t be out here, but there wasn’t enough time to get my parents. So I do my best to be careful as I slow Silver to a stop to see if I can see better while I’m not moving.

A loud howl breaks the still of the night as a gust of wind blows my hair in my face. Silver’s ears perk up nervously as I realize how creepy being out here at night, on the verge of a forest really is. Trying to calm down, I brush the hair out of my face and take a deep breath, moving my main focus to the task at hand. Another howl sounds, not closer nor farther. It’s coming from a distance; however I can tell exactly which field it’s in.

Still no sign of Patch, I decide the last thing I want to do is venture towards a field full of coyotes, so I steer Silver to the right and break into a slow trot. Even though I’ve lived around horses my whole life, I have no idea how to call one to you. With dogs you can whistle and call their names, however with horses, I guess the best bet is going to them rather them coming to you.

Looking to the left, I squint my eyes, trying to see the distance better at night. I can’t make out anything other than a small, dark blob in the far field. I wonder if the coyotes can see me, however before I can figure that out, I urge Silver faster into a gallop to get out of view. However, a few moments later, I pull her to an abrupt stop.

I watch as Silver’s ears perk up, hearing something that human ears can’t. Her head jerks towards the direction of the animals and I groan. Couldn’t something just go my way? A howl, much louder than before breaks my thoughts. Followed are a few more from others and then there is madness. All of them start barking at once, as if cheering for something. Then I hear Patch’s cries.

Tears threaten my eyes as on instinct; Silver and I speed towards the field. All logic and common senses only rises once I’m halfway there. What was I planning to do once I got there? Yell at the animals? I honestly have no idea, however I don’t stop. Worrying thoughts creep their way into my head about what I would find when I get there, but I ignore them. After all, there’s only one way to find out.