“I can drive, you know.”I couldn’t even keep the irritation out of my voice.
“Yeah, of course you can.But you don’t need to.I got it.What happened, Tommy?”Lincoln asked, calm as ever.
“I don’t know.The bus dropped me off like usual.I went into the barn and didn’t see her.But that new pig?She was squeaking, and Travis was howling over in the corner.I looked up at the hayloft and Kendall’s caught up near the top.”
Alarm jolted me.“Caught?”
“Uh-huh,” Tommy replied.
“Could you please gun it?”I said to Lincoln.
“Dude, I’m driving on a gravel road and going as fast as I can.We don’t want to spin out.”
“Is she hurt?”I asked Tommy.
“Maybe.She told me she was okay and to go get help.Before you ask, I don’t have a cell phone,” Tommy pointed out.
Lincoln stayed quiet while Tommy kept chattering.Based on what he explained, Kendall had somehow gotten lodged near the hayloft railing.
“Did she finish repairing the railing yet?”I asked.
“I don’t know, but I don’t think that’s where she fell.”
“Let’s just get there,” I muttered.
“Almost there,” Lincoln said as we neared the barn.
That half-mile from the main resort to the rescue barn felt like a hundred.
ChapterForty-Seven
Kendall
“Travis, I’m fine,” I called down.
My spoiled, three-legged husky was havingnoneof it.He let out a howl of distress, clearly upset with me for being in this predicament, and likely more frustrated that he couldn’t fix it.Meanwhile, our new rescue pig stood placidly at his side with her face turned up to watch.
“Annie, I’m okay,” I assured her.She blinked in return.
I heard the sound of tires on gravel and let out a sigh of relief.Tommy had gone running to the resort once he discovered me.All of this happened because I’d come up here alone to repair the flooring.Unfortunately for me, I’d been right about the weak spot up here.The old floorboards, which had to be at least fifty years old, gave way.I knew I had scratches from the wood that splintered around my leg.For now, the pressing issue was that my arms were exhausted from holding on.But I hadn’t fallen through yet, so I had my fingers crossed (metaphorically, not literally because that would be a bad idea about now) I could hold on long enough.
I heard the barn door fling open and Jude’s voice call out, “Kendall!”
Travis yipped and howled.Tommy and Lincoln’s voices followed.Emotion lodged in my throat at the worry in Jude’s voice.
“I’m over here!”I called.“You can’t see me from over there.”
Moments later, all three of them were below me, peering up beside Annie.
“What the hell happened?”Lincoln asked.
“I’m fine,” I announced.
I heard Jude let out a breath.
“We’re not going to panic,” Lincoln said before Jude could speak.
“I’m not panicking!”Jude declared.
