Just Over The Mountain by Robyn Carr

the quiet beauty of the country.
    She had purchased a big old farmhouse on the edge of town and converted the garage into a mammoth studio with skylights and windows. There she painted, sculpted, threw pots, sewed and crafted. She also gardened voraciously and shared her produce. And her baking was to die for. She kept pets—cats, dogs, a couple of large birds—and had frequent visitors of family and friends from all over the country, establishing that she was loved by those near and far. She was a round, plush woman of deep beauty with a soft spirit that one felt like sinking into. Sarah was like a warm blanket. Though she was a newcomer of ten years, she had been immediately accepted and embraced.
    June knew that Sarah had added a pair of riding horses to her menagerie a couple of years ago, but they weren’t the type of horses Daniel trained. She couldn’t fathom the connection between Sarah and Daniel. Was he buying art from her? Were Blythe and Sarah friends?
    These questions were soon answered when Sarah came to the door in her dressing gown. “Thank goodness you’re here,” she said. “He scared me to death. Every time he tried to get up and dress, he said he felt like one of his horses was sitting on his chest.”
    Bag in hand, June followed Sarah through the house to the bedroom. Propped against a few pillows, and wearing only his undershirt and boxers, was Daniel Culley.
    Poor Daniel didn’t even have the energy to blush. His pallor was grayish and his eyes sparkled with fear that he might be dying. June sat on the edge of the bed, pulled a vial of nitroglycerin out of her bag, and slipped it into his mouth. “Hold this under your tongue, young man, and let me get your blood pressure.” He sighed and sank back into the pillows, relieved. “I’m here, Daniel. You’re going to be all right. I won’t let anything happen to you.” He nodded, as though he knew this. “Lee Stafford is on his way, in case I need assistance in moving you.” He nodded again, pinching his eyesclosed. A lot of people were going to soon be in on this secret. Too soon, the question of what Daniel had done to rile Blythe to the point she’d shot at him would be answered.
    His pressure was understandably a little high, but his pulse was normal and strong. June listened to his heart—nice and steady, no congestion.
    Within a few minutes his chest pains had subsided. “It’s gone! What was it?” he wanted to know. “Gas? Heartburn?”
    “No, Daniel. Probably angina. I don’t think you had a heart attack. I have a portable EKG in the ambulance, but we don’t even need to bother with that. I’m going to take you to the hospital and let them give you a workup.”
    “I feel pretty good now,” he said. “You sure I can’t just get back to the stables? As long as I go easy?”
    “Absolutely sure. You’d be taking a major risk.”
    “To the hospital, Daniel,” Sarah said firmly. “You’ll do exactly as June says. Thank you, June,” Sarah said, tears in her voice. “I don’t know when I’ve been more scared. I was afraid I was losing him.” She caressed Daniel’s face with her soft palm. “So soon after finding him.”
    “I’m probably too mean to die,” Daniel said. “Sarah, you’ll have to call her.”
    “I will, Daniel. But I’m going to go with you to the hospital.” She looked at June. “Can I call Blythe from the hospital?”
    “Um, look, I don’t mean to get into your personalbusiness here, but do you think it might be better if I called her?”
    “Blythe knows all about Sarah. They’ve talked before.”
    “We’re friends, actually, though she’s been a little tense with me lately,” Sarah said.
    A little tense? June thought. She had to stop herself from laughing out loud at the absurdity of it. “Yes. Well, understandably, this must be a little difficult for her.”
    “We could have the situation all straightened out, but Blythe is being pigheaded,” he insisted. “Sarah, go call her