the wolf. “Over here!”
“What are you doing?” The hazy outline of Ash, a beautiful gray horse, with my cowboy seated astride him, came into view.
“I saw…” I glanced back. “I mean…there was a wolf. He was right in front of me.”
Chase slid off Ash as I got to my feet, confused. Had the wolf been afraid of me? Why hadn’t he attacked?
“A wolf?” Chase dusted the snow off my shoulders and back. He didn’t seem to notice that I was a little soggy. I figured I’d be fine once we got back to the house. Nothing to worry about. “Where?”
I pointed to an area between the trees. “He was sitting right there, watching me.”
Chase made his way over and inspected the ground. “Damn big wolf, judging by the size of his prints. And he didn’t make a move toward you?”
“He didn’t flinch.” I coaxed Firefly up next to Ash and hoped his calm demeanor would rub off on her. She usually followed his lead. At the moment though, I wasn’t sure she’d notice that the other horse wasn’t upset about anything.
“I’ll tell Grant. The hands will keep an eye out.”
“Did you find the cow?” I asked.
“No, I lost the tracks just as they curved west.” He said. “If she makes it far enough, we’ll find her up near the house.”
“You can’t go get her?”
“Not now. We need to get back before it gets too bad.” He gave me a boost onto Ash and swung up behind me. “All we can do is pray she’s strong enough to make it through the night.”
It seemed mean to leave the cow to fend for herself in a snow storm, but I wasn’t willing to risk my life, and Chase wasn’t going to risk his. I grabbed Firefly’s reins and tied her to Ash’s saddle. Hopefully we’d find the cow near the house, like Chase had said.
I forgot about the cow. My attention was drawn to the needle like feeling up and down my back. It was cold. Deathly cold. And I was wet.
“I can’t see anything,” I shouted behind me. The storm was raging now. More than just thick snow flurries, it rocked us and beat our faces. I was wrapped from head to foot, but my clothes didn’t hold up as well as they had before. My teeth were chattering so hard I felt like I was going to chip a molar.
“Just hold on, we’ll be passing the lake soon.”
“I don’t feel good,” I held on, but my body seemed to get stiffer and stiffer. It was almost unbearable. “Chase, what would happen if I got wet?”
“You’d be very cold. I’d be concerned about hypothermia.” He chuckled. “Don’t worry Briar, we’re not going to get wet.”
“Too late I already am.” I looked back at him. “I landed in the creek when I got off Firefly.”
Ash jerked to a stop and Chase pulled off his heavy work gloves. He ran his hands up and down my arms, all over. He did a lot of swearing, using a couple of words I rarely heard come out of his mouth. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
I shrugged, “I didn’t think it was that bad. But I’m so cold it hurts.”
Chase pulled his gloves back on and gave a hard command to Ash. The horse took off, flying through the snow. Firefly galloped along beside us, and I quickly realized we were heading away from the main house, deeper into the line of trees.
I wasn’t sure where we were going, but I trusted Chase. Still, I needed to get warm, and going deeper into the storm seemed like the wrong decision. “Where are you taking me?”
“Hunting cabin. Just beyond the lake,” he shouted over the howling wind and pounding hooves. “We won’t make it back to the house in time.”
I was certain we’d make it before I froze, but he was really freaking out on me. “Really, I’m fine. Just go back to the main house.”
He didn’t listen to me. I was actually doing better. It wasn’t that cold anymore. But suddenly Ash stopped, and Chase was pulling me out of the saddle. I tried to tell him that I was fine. He wasn’t having it and hauled me into a log cabin that looked like something out of an old
“What are you doing?” The hazy outline of Ash, a beautiful gray horse, with my cowboy seated astride him, came into view.
“I saw…” I glanced back. “I mean…there was a wolf. He was right in front of me.”
Chase slid off Ash as I got to my feet, confused. Had the wolf been afraid of me? Why hadn’t he attacked?
“A wolf?” Chase dusted the snow off my shoulders and back. He didn’t seem to notice that I was a little soggy. I figured I’d be fine once we got back to the house. Nothing to worry about. “Where?”
I pointed to an area between the trees. “He was sitting right there, watching me.”
Chase made his way over and inspected the ground. “Damn big wolf, judging by the size of his prints. And he didn’t make a move toward you?”
“He didn’t flinch.” I coaxed Firefly up next to Ash and hoped his calm demeanor would rub off on her. She usually followed his lead. At the moment though, I wasn’t sure she’d notice that the other horse wasn’t upset about anything.
“I’ll tell Grant. The hands will keep an eye out.”
“Did you find the cow?” I asked.
“No, I lost the tracks just as they curved west.” He said. “If she makes it far enough, we’ll find her up near the house.”
“You can’t go get her?”
“Not now. We need to get back before it gets too bad.” He gave me a boost onto Ash and swung up behind me. “All we can do is pray she’s strong enough to make it through the night.”
It seemed mean to leave the cow to fend for herself in a snow storm, but I wasn’t willing to risk my life, and Chase wasn’t going to risk his. I grabbed Firefly’s reins and tied her to Ash’s saddle. Hopefully we’d find the cow near the house, like Chase had said.
I forgot about the cow. My attention was drawn to the needle like feeling up and down my back. It was cold. Deathly cold. And I was wet.
“I can’t see anything,” I shouted behind me. The storm was raging now. More than just thick snow flurries, it rocked us and beat our faces. I was wrapped from head to foot, but my clothes didn’t hold up as well as they had before. My teeth were chattering so hard I felt like I was going to chip a molar.
“Just hold on, we’ll be passing the lake soon.”
“I don’t feel good,” I held on, but my body seemed to get stiffer and stiffer. It was almost unbearable. “Chase, what would happen if I got wet?”
“You’d be very cold. I’d be concerned about hypothermia.” He chuckled. “Don’t worry Briar, we’re not going to get wet.”
“Too late I already am.” I looked back at him. “I landed in the creek when I got off Firefly.”
Ash jerked to a stop and Chase pulled off his heavy work gloves. He ran his hands up and down my arms, all over. He did a lot of swearing, using a couple of words I rarely heard come out of his mouth. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
I shrugged, “I didn’t think it was that bad. But I’m so cold it hurts.”
Chase pulled his gloves back on and gave a hard command to Ash. The horse took off, flying through the snow. Firefly galloped along beside us, and I quickly realized we were heading away from the main house, deeper into the line of trees.
I wasn’t sure where we were going, but I trusted Chase. Still, I needed to get warm, and going deeper into the storm seemed like the wrong decision. “Where are you taking me?”
“Hunting cabin. Just beyond the lake,” he shouted over the howling wind and pounding hooves. “We won’t make it back to the house in time.”
I was certain we’d make it before I froze, but he was really freaking out on me. “Really, I’m fine. Just go back to the main house.”
He didn’t listen to me. I was actually doing better. It wasn’t that cold anymore. But suddenly Ash stopped, and Chase was pulling me out of the saddle. I tried to tell him that I was fine. He wasn’t having it and hauled me into a log cabin that looked like something out of an old
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