As we approached the arena, I spied Ruugar standing near the fence, his relief evident even from a distance. Aunt Inla stood with them, and strangely enough, Lavon, dressed in an apron with a winter coat over it. Dungar waited nearby, his phone to his ear.
Ruugar strode forward, reaching us first, his dark eyes scanning us both for signs of injury. “Where have you been?When Dester came roaring into town yesterday, we weren’t sure what was going on.” He nudged his head toward the pasture where Dester stood, his head hanging as if he, like Peeka, was sorry for bolting. “When we couldn’t find you or Carla in the area, we were worried.” His gaze sought hers, but his tight expression didn’t change.
“We were riding in the forest, and Dester was spooked by a chumble. He bolted and Carla fell. When I got down to check on her, more chumbles appeared and Peeka took off too. We got caught in the storm.”
“That’s what we thought.” Inla joined us. “I took good care of Azool.”
“Thank you.” I dismounted and helped Carla down, making myself remove my hands from her waist, my gaze from her face. “We took shelter in one of the trail ride cabins.”
“Wise,” Dungar said. “Are you alright, Carla?”
“I’m fine,” she said. “Peeka found us this morning.”
“Carla sprained her ankle when she fell,” I said. “But it’s much better now.”
“I twisted it.” Carla took a few steps to demonstrate, and I noticed she was careful to keep her marked wrist hidden with her sleeve.
Holly and Lavon joined us. “Dester’s usually so calm. Hail worked a long time with him before adding him to the rodeo group.”
“You know how loud chumbles can be,” I said. “Even the calmest sorhox can be startled by something unexpected.”
“Those ridiculous birds,” Aunt Inla said with a sniff. “Always causing trouble with their shrieking.”
Max’s face brightened with curiosity. “Were you afraid? Being trapped in a blizzard sounds scary.”
“It was fine.” Carla’s smile almost looked genuine. “We raided the supplies.”
“Good,” Ruugar said. “I’m glad we leave things there even during this time of year.”
“They were wonderful,” Carla said. “We just had to wait out the storm.”
“And keep each other warm,” Holly added with a knowing look that made my ears burn.
I grunted. “The cabin had plenty of blankets.”
“Yup, we stock those too.” Ruugar’s expression suggested he wasn’t entirely convinced by our casual explanation, but he wouldn’t press us for more answers.
“The storm was severe,” Dungar said. “Good thing you were able to get to shelter.”
“That’s what I told Carla.” I was grateful for his understanding.
“Well, the important thing is that you’re both safe.” Holly reached out to squeeze Carla’s arm. “Are you hungry? We have plenty of fresh bread and that soup you like, Becken.”
“We ate at the cabin, but thank you.”
“You should both rest.” Aunt Inla glanced Lavon’s way. He was studiously avoiding her gaze, even going so far as to shift away from her and move over to stand on Dungar’s other side. “Being stranded in a storm is exhausting, even with good shelter.”
“I should check on the other sorhoxes.” I needed something normal to focus on. Anything but this woman who, bizarrely enough, was my fated mate. “I want to make sure the storm didn’t cause any problems here.”
“They’re all fine.” Ruugar glanced toward the main barn. “When Dester returned, we looked for you. Not finding you, we suspected you’d been caught somewhere in the storm. Dungar and I had just returned from looking for you again. We were about to form a larger group and scan a bigger area. As for yoursorhoxes, I checked on them throughout the storm, though I’m sure they’ll be glad to see you.”
As the group began to disperse, I caught Carla’s eye. She looked pale, exhausted, and I could sense her overwhelming need to be alone.
“You should rest,” I said. “The ankle injury and the stress of being stranded…”
Holly looped her arm through Carla’s. “Come on, let’s get you back to the hotel. I’ll help you bathe, if you want, and then prop that foot up on pillows, get you something to drink. Food later, too. No worries. We’ll take care of you now.”
I’d taken good care of her, but I didn’t snarl or point that out.
