Murky Pond

by T. L. Haddix

  He handed her a bottle of water from the console, and she opened it, then passed it back.

  “Last Friday, after dinner.”

  “Oh.” She furrowed her brow. The night of her “date” with Austin. “How in the world did that come up?”

  Warren shrugged. “It just did. So… Indigo. I know there was talk about training her to rehome her as someone’s riding mare. Do you think she’ll work out?”

  Lily narrowed her eyes at him. “Someone’s riding mare? Oh, no. She’s not going anywhere. She’s found her forever home right where she is.”

  The dratted man’s grin was lopsided. “Never say you’re keeping her?”

  She huffed. “You think I shouldn’t?”

  He shook his head. “I’d be astonished if you didn’t keep her. Like your mom said, you two suit. You make a good match. As much as it probably surprises you to hear it, she wouldn’t let Ainsley on her. She likes your mom, maybe even adores her a little, but she wouldn’t let her get in the saddle.”

  “Mom told me that.” Lily’s smile felt a bit misty. “I do have a birthday coming up.”

  He laughed. “Yes, you do. When we get back, we should see how well she and Rocky get along. He needs a good neighbor.”

  There was that friendship again, the “we” and “us” thing. It came so naturally to them, it seemed, that it was almost painful to experience it now. At the same time, she wanted to share so much more than just friendship with him. He was her home as much as her parents and the farm were.

  She realized in that moment that she was an idiot for thinking she could ever let him go without losing a huge piece of herself. The epiphany was nothing less than devastating. She covered the tightness in her throat by opening a Coke and downing several sips.

  Time would tell whether they had a future or not, but for goodness’ sake, she wished it would hurry up and get in gear. Otherwise, she was liable to give in to temptation and beg Warren Sullivan to give her a chance whether he loved her or not.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  By four o’clock that afternoon, the rescue operation was finished. The owner had surrendered the animals to the Humane Society without a protest, but he’d gotten so belligerent and aggressive with the sheriff’s deputies that they’d taken him in for a psychological evaluation.

  Warren had lost count of how many animals they’d crated up and carted off, and he didn’t really want to think about the number. He knew it was a lot, and he knew they were destined for the care and attention they needed. That was what he had to focus on, or else he might lose his mind.

  He had plenty else to keep him occupied, however, as he and Lily had agreed to accompany Caleb and his crew back to one of the rescue farms in nearby Rockcastle County to help out with the triage for the horses that had been taken there.

  They were all getting ready to pull out when Caleb mentioned the need for a farrier.

  Lily lifted a hand. “I can call Austin. I think he said he was down in this neck of the woods this week. If he is, he might be able to help.”

  “That’d be great if he could,” Caleb told her with a smile that turned quizzical as he looked over her head.

  Warren, who’d been standing behind her, scowled and mouthed a silent curse, then stomped off to the back of the now-empty horse trailer to check on the gate. He knew it was latched as he’d checked it two minutes earlier, but he didn’t want to be within earshot of Lily as she called the other man.

  Caleb followed him. “You okay?”

  “Peachy.”

  “Is there a problem with the farrier she’s calling?”

  Warren fiddled with the latch. “Nope. He’s one of the best.” When Caleb’s face cleared and he started to smile, Warren cursed under his breath.

  “He’s single, is that it?”

  “Shut up, Cal.”

  The exchange left his brother chuckling, but Caleb did a decent job of reining in his amusement when Lily joined them a moment later, phone still up to her ear.

  “He’s just up in Berea, and he’d be glad to lend a hand. Where exactly is he going? Do you mind telling him?”

  Caleb took the phone and shared the details, the whole time keeping an eye on Warren. “Okay. See you there. Thanks again.” He gave her the phone back. “He’ll meet us there shortly. Let’s get on the road. It’s going to be a long evening, I’m afraid, what with the storms moving in.”

  Once they were on the highway, Lily sighed. “Are you as tired as I am? Thank God that gas station was nearby enough that we could all take a break when we needed to.” She dug into the cooler. “Want some grub?”

  “Sure, I’ll take something, thanks. I’m not too tired. Are you okay?” It was unusual for her to even mention fatigue, and he frowned.

  She handed him half a turkey sandwich, keeping the other half for herself. “Yup. I just need to recharge, I think. This heat and humidity is miserable. Thank God for air conditioning.”

  Though it was just the first week in June, a huge mass of warm air had moved in a couple of days ago, and temperatures were much higher than normal.

  “It’s a good thing we got to do this now, before summer really kicks in,” Warren said.

  She nodded. “Those poor animals… at least they were in fairly decent shape.” She shifted, wincing a bit with the movement.

  “What’s wrong?” He slowed down for a red light, and he leveled a stern look on her. “Don’t tell me nothing.”

  Lily sighed, her face reddening. “It’s really not anything, I promise. It’s a female thing, and I’m fine. Leave it be, please?”

  Warren flushed. “Oh. Do you need anything?”

  She laughed softly, not looking at him. “No. Thank you for asking.”

  “Yep.”

  After a few miles, her phone dinged, and when she looked at it, she grunted. “Molly just left work for the last time. I need to call her. Do you mind?”

  “Of course not. Tell her I said hi.”

  By the time they reached the rescue farm, it was starting to sputter rain, and the wind was gusting. Warren pulled in past the barn where Caleb had stopped to unload the horse and pony in his trailer. By the time he and Lily came up to them, Skylar was backing the horse out while Elijah held the top of the gate door.

  “Can you get the pony?” Skylar asked. “Dad went inside to see where they want us.”

  “Sure.”

  “Hold on to this, please,” Elijah told Lily when she took his place at the gate. “Somebody busted the latch today, and it’s not wanting to stay. I’ll help Skylar. This old lady’s blind, and she does better with two people walking her.”

  Once they’d cleared the trailer, Warren went inside for the pony. “Come on, old boy, let’s get you settled in too. Lily?”

  “Ready. I have the gate,” she said, raising her voice a little against the wind.

  The pony was pulling a bit, and Warren was having a hard time seeing in the darkening gloom, thanks to the oncoming storm. He managed to get the tie undone, but a low rumble of thunder made the pony shy away.

  “Watch out. He’s spooky,” he told Lily in a soothing tone as he caught its bridle, hoping to relay his calm to the pony long enough to get him safely out of the trailer and into the barn. He got the lead on and got a good grip, taking care not to wrap the line around his hand.

  “I’m clear,” she told him.

  He glanced back and saw that she’d moved to a safer position, and then he started trying to back the pony out of the stall. “Come on, guy. There’s comfort and care just inside. You have to work with me here.”

  After a couple of tense minutes and moving back and forth, the pony finally lowered his head a bit and started backing out in the direction Warren wanted him to go. They’d just cleared the opening of the trailer when a louder thunderclap sounded.

  Before Warren could blink,
the pony was fighting to break free with everything in him. Given that he was almost the size of a small horse, he had a lot to fight with. In an instant, he flipped his body around, slamming into the end of the trailer. His back end headed straight for Lily.

  “Look out!” Fear and panic rose up inside Warren when he heard her gasp, then curse, but he fought his emotions, knowing the pony would just feed off his distress. He got a firm grasp on the pony’s bridle and held on, getting as close to its shoulder as he could. “Lily?”

  “I’m okay. He just grazed me.”

  She was back, well away from the pony, holding on to the side of the truck, a hand pressed against her head.

  “Where’d he hit you? What with?” Warren asked as the pony calmed enough to stand, though still restless and shaking.

  “Head, hoof. I’m okay. Get him inside,” she said as Caleb and Elijah reached them.

  “What happened?” Cal asked.

  Warren turned the pony over to his brother. “He got spooked, and he kicked her. Get him out of here, Cal.” He wasted no time in getting to Lily. “Let me see.”

  She stood still, tipping her head back a little. There was an angry red welt on her forehead, just below her hairline, and a small cut that was starting to ooze blood. Warren cursed the pony under his breath, even though it wasn’t the animal’s fault. He wasn’t sparing himself either, for letting her get hurt.

  “Are you seeing any stars, any darkness?” Warren asked.

  “No. I promise you, he just barely grazed me. When I saw him turn, I ran. Not far enough, obviously. It stings, that’s all.” She winced when he pressed his handkerchief against the wound. “Warren, I’m okay.”

  He realized he was shaking when she touched his chest, letting her hand rest against his heart.

  “That was too close,” he said. “I’m so sorry.”

  She curled her fingers into his shirt a bit before letting her hand drop. “Hush. It wasn’t your fault any more than it was the pony’s.”

  “Um, I think we’d better go in before this storm explodes on us,” Elijah said from beside them as lightning flashed on a nearby ridge. The look he sent them was full of curiosity, tempered with a good deal of sixteen-year-old embarrassment. He nodded toward the driveway. “Is this your farrier?”

  Warren growled a little as he looked over his shoulder. “Yeah, that’s him. Show him to the barn, would you?”

  Elijah nodded and hurried away. “Don’t stay out here and get fried or soaked,” he called back.

  “He’s right. We do need to head inside,” Lily said, her voice subdued as she stared up at Warren.

  “In a minute.” Warren lifted the square of cotton, then put it back when she started bleeding again. “Hold on to this with pressure. I’ll carry you.”

  She snorted with surprised laughter and stopped him with a firm hand on his chest. “You’ll do no such thing. I’m perfectly able to walk.”

  Frustrated, still scared half to death, he glowered at her. “Stubborn.”

  “Look who’s talking,” she said, making a face at him as she took the handkerchief. She started around him toward the barn. “Come on. I don’t want to get turned into a lightning rod.”

  Warren felt like punching something, which he knew was a result of the adrenaline and fear winding down. Instead, he followed her, watching her closely to make sure she didn’t stumble or stagger, signs the injury was more severe than she thought. Her gait was steady, however, and by the time they reached the barn, he was starting to calm down.

  Caleb met them at the door. “Want me to take a look?”

  Lily’s “no” merged with Warren’s emphatic “yes,” and she shot him a dirty look.

  “He’s a doctor,” Warren said.

  “I’m not his typical patient,” she retorted, but she stepped over to Caleb, rolling her eyes at Warren as she sat on a crate. “If it’ll make you happy.”

  Warren crossed his arms. “It will.”

  Austin joined them, his eyes showing his concern. “You okay?”

  “Yes. I am perfectly—ouch!”

  “Sorry,” Caleb said. He was gently probing the wound. “I don’t think you need stitches, but we should clean this up. By we, I mean the grumpy guy here if you don’t mind. He’s perfectly capable of playing nursemaid.” He stripped off his gloves. “Lily, you know the symptoms to watch for?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good. Don’t hesitate to speak up if any of them start.” He slapped Warren on the shoulder as he passed. “She’s fine. Use the bathroom at the end of the building. The human first aid kit is in there, ready to go. Austin, you’re with me, if you please.”

  “Of course.” He nodded at Lily and Warren, then followed Caleb.

  “Feel better now?” she asked softly as she stood and headed toward the bathroom.

  “I don’t like it when you get hurt.”

  “Funny, neither do I.” A loud clatter made her jump. The rain finally hit in a downpour, pounding on the metal roof. “Let’s get this bandaged and get to work.”

  Warren closed the bathroom door behind them, and when Lily turned to look at him, he cupped her face and kissed her. Very softly, gently, he brushed his lips across hers.

  “I don’t like it when you get hurt,” he repeated quietly, then folded her into a hug.

  Lily froze for a moment, then wrapped her arms around him, letting out a long sigh. “You have really lousy timing, did anyone ever tell you that?” But from the way she snuggled against him, she didn’t seem to mind terribly. After a minute, she pulled back. “Doctor me up?”

  Warren did, not speaking until he was finished and washing his hands. “I guess one of these days we’re going to have to talk.”

  She hesitated, her hand on the doorknob. “I guess we are. Not today though.”

  Once she was gone, he braced his hands against the sink. “She’s okay, you’re okay. The damned pony’s okay. Get the rest of this day over with and then you can deal with all of it.”

  At least she hadn’t rejected him outright or seemed appalled by the kiss. There was that, he told himself as he joined the others in the barn and got his assignment from Caleb. At least there was that.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Lily was utterly overwhelmed when she joined everyone else, but she did her best to hide it. Caleb gave her the task of pulling feed together for the seven horses and the pony they needed to care for. She was more than happy to take the job, which would give her a little time to pull herself together.

  When Austin came over to her a few minutes later, he gave her a quizzical look. “How’s the head?”

  “It’s good,” she told him with a smile. “Thanks so much for coming down here and helping.”

  “I’m glad to be able to do it. So… let me ask you something.” He glanced over his shoulder to where Warren was talking to Caleb in the main aisle. “You never really mentioned the name of the guy you were getting over. It wouldn’t happen to be Warren Sullivan, would it?”

  She cleared her throat. “Well. Um. Why do you ask?”

  His smile widened into a grin, and he crossed his arms, then leaned against the post behind him. “It is. You and Warren… that explains a lot.”

  Lily made a face at him and finished filling the feed bucket she held. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir.”

  “Mm, sure.” He groaned and stretched, some of his humor fading. “Are you really as finished as you thought you were? Because it doesn’t appear to me that you are.”

  “It’s complicated. Please keep this under your hat,” she said as Skylar came to the door.

  She stepped inside and handed Lily a jar. “Here are the probiotics Dad wants them on. Five grams each, he said.” She held her hand out to Austin, tilting her head just a bit. “Hi, I’m Skylar. You’re Lily’s farrier, right?”

 
Lily snorted. “Not mine. The farm’s farrier, yes. But he is a friend.”

  Austin held on to Skylar’s hand for a long second after the introduction. “And how are you connected to this crew?”

  Her smile was warm, and her cheeks were flushed becomingly. “My dad’s the vet. Warren’s my uncle. I’d best get back out there. Nice to meet you.”

  “You too,” Austin said, straightening.

  “Do you mind taking this?” Lily asked, handing Skylar the bucket she’d finished prepping.

  “Not at all.”

  Austin watched Skylar as she left, and when he turned back to Lily, there was a bemused expression in his eyes. “I’d better get back to work too.”

  She waited until he got to the door. “Austin?”

  “Yeah?”

  “She’s a nice girl. In school to become a vet, if you’re curious.”

  He huffed, then scowled with mock ferocity. “Don’t you start with me.”

  Lily grinned. “Uh-huh. Just you wait, buddy.”

  Skylar was young, only twenty, but she had a very good head on her shoulders for her age, something that had impressed Lily greatly throughout the course of the day. She’d watch them this afternoon and see what was what, and if things looked promising, she might mention the idea to Warren.

  The thought of the man was enough to make her draw in a deep breath. He’d been so shaken after the kick, and then that kiss… Lily daren’t think of what that might possibly mean.

  By the time they finally finished getting the animals settled in, it was after seven o’clock. Lily was worn out and uncomfortable, thanks more to her period than the head injury, but when Caleb suggested they all go to a local diner, she led the pack in agreeing.

  The storms from earlier had died down in ferocity, but a persistent rain hung around, making the evening prematurely dark. It also meant the diner was mostly deserted, and they had ample space to park when they arrived.

  “Have you eaten here?” Lily asked Warren as he opened the door.

  “Once or twice. It’s good food, and the pies rival your mom’s.” He winked.