“Get back where you belong,” Cal’s harsh bite has both of us responding, the horse in fear and me in anger.
“Cal, please,” that rasp sends awareness running through me. The woman. The one I still don’t know the name of.
“What?” Cal laughs. “You think you can just do what you want now? You don’t belong out here, woman. Get back in the kitchen and fix my lunch.”
The filly behind the stable door rears up, her hooves colliding with the door as she comes down.
“Easy,” I say, but it’s not as soft as it should be when dealing with her. We need consistency, and this is not consistent. No, what she is picking up from me is rage. So much fucking rage.
Cal rounds the corner, and I have to hold myself back from tearing toward him and throwing him through the damn wall, but only becauseshechases behind him, reaching for his arm.
“Enough,” he spins on her, his hand snatching up her arm. Her face twists in pain, and I can’t stop myself; it’s a baser instinct. One minute I’m still with the young horse, the next I’m in front of him. My fingers curl into the collar of his stupid denim shirt, and I yank him so hard that he’s thrown off his feet. I let go and watch him fall to the ground, landing with a hard thud on the gritty stable floor.
He’s up a moment later, squaring up to me, shoulders back, teeth gritted, “What the fuck!?”
“You lay your hands on a woman?” I growl, my chest pressing against his. He’s slightly shorter than I am, but not by much. He’s thinner though, smaller, so he has to puff his chest out and shove his shoulders back. My breaths come in short and heavy pants, my nails biting into my palms.
“Stop,” she whispers, “Please.”
My eyes flick to her face, to the desperation in her eyes and the way her bottom lip trembles. But I don’t back down; Cal does.
He steps back, forcefully making himself relax as a lazy smile tips up his mouth. “Shit, Knight. Sorry about that.”
My eyes narrow, “The fuck is going on?”
“You never seen a dispute?” He chuckles, “Nothing to worry about, Silas. Just a bit of a disagreement, isn’t that right?” He looks toward his wife, and she nods, fiddling with her hair and looking at the floor.
“Nothing to worry about,” he continues.
I meet her eyes, and she subtly shakes her head, begging me tostop.
Behind me, the filly paws at the ground, her fear and anxiety making her respond, wanting out. Part of me wants to open the gate, let her go and be free. Escape from here.
“I’m not sure you’ve met my wife,” Cal continues as if everything that just happened was a dream. “This is Juniper, or Juni as she likes.”
Juniper. Juni.
That’s so damn fitting for her.
“Why don’t you come over for dinner?” Cal asks, “We can discuss the training for the Appaloosa, make a game plan.”
“Sure,” I agree with a bite, “When?”
“How about tonight?” Cal grins, “Juni can put together something delicious for us, I’m sure.”
“I can,” she rushes, “Anything you don’t like?”
“No,” I tell her directly.
“Well,” Cal slaps my shoulder, “there we have it. Meet up at the main house at about seven? Should be good for then.”
“Alright.”
“See you then,” Cal steps by me, but Juni doesn’t. She remains in the same spot, her dark eyes holding mine.
We don’t say a word, not a single thing, but I hope she can see I am here. I don’t know the woman, don’t know her from a stranger on the street, but it doesn’t lessen the need to help her. She just needs towantto be helped.
As silence settles in the stables, Cal long gone, Juni seems to release a heavy breath, dropping my eyes to look toward the filly in the stall. She’s calmed a little now that Calvin is gone and is staring toward the two of us, ears pointed up.
