While I’m waiting for the coffee to finish brewing, I head upstairs to change into breeches, telling myself I need to calm down and take Mystery for a ride once I’m relaxed enough. Just getting on a horse soothes my soul even more. I make it halfway up the back stairwell before I hear something that sounds like footsteps coming from the front porch. Pausing for just a second, I dash up the rest of the stairs and into my room, getting the dagger from my nightstand.
Pulling the dagger from its sheath, I go out the back and sneak around to the front, heart thumping in my chest. If anything is out there, I’m going to find it and have no mercy. Okay, maybe I’ll have a little mercy.
Holding the dagger at my side, I sprint toward the front of the house. I pause at the corner, take a deep breath and leap around the porch, holding the dagger in the air. “There you—ahh!” Donna almost drops the plate of cookies she’s holding, her eyes focused on the weapon in my hand. I bring my arm down so fast I almost cut myself. I look at Donna, trying to figure out something to say.
“There was a raccoon,” I rush out, sidestepping onto the cobblestone path leading to the porch.
“So…you were going to stab it?” Donna’s eyebrows go up.
“Uh, yeah. It looked sick.” I can feel heat reddening my cheeks, no doubt matching the color of my auburn hair. “But it’s gone now.”
“If it’s out during the day, it might very well be sick. If you end up catching it, you should have it tested for rabies.”
“Good idea, since the horses are—” The now familiar sound of someone dropping a stack of books comes from right behind me, which doesn’t make any sense. I’m outside. On the grass. And there are no random books just floating around. I whirl around, fingers grasping the hilt of the dagger.
“Did you hear that?” I ask Donna when I turn back around. “Like a bang?”
She slowly shakes her head, eyes going from me to the front door, and then back to the dagger in my hand. Clearly, she wanted to be invited in so she could snoop around but is having second thoughts. I should have answered the door the first time with a weapon in my hand.
“Have you been drinking?”
“What? No.”
Her lips press together and she nods, not believing me. “Well, you seem busy. I’ll catch you another time. I was hoping to discuss book club with you if you’re still interested.”
“Uh, sure.” I force another smile, thank her for the cookies, and let out a breath of relief as she hurries down the porch steps.
“What the fuck?” I mutter to myself and take the cookies inside. I lock all the doors again and put the dagger on the kitchen counter.
Still shaking, I pull out a barstool and perch on the edge. If there was a ghost in the house or even nearby, I’d be able to sense it.
But I don’t.
CHAPTER 5
“Good boy.” Patting Mystery’s neck, I stop to catch my breath. Whoever said horseback riding isn’t a sport never rode a hyper Arabian on a windy day. He’s normally a pretty level-head horse, but I’m almost thankful he’s suddenly terrified of the rattling weeds that line the fence. It offered a good distraction, and I was able to focus all my attention on my horse and not whatever the hell happened last night. “I’ll be glad when the new barn and arena are done,” I tell him, taking my feet from the stirrups. “I took having an indoor arena for granted, that’s for sure.”
My legs feel like noodles when I dismount. I rode Sundance first and, while he wasn’t as spooky as Mystery, he had a lot of energy, and I haven’t trotted that long in a while. The footing in the pasture isn’t the best, and he slipped a few times, making me almost come out of the saddle.
The barn is structurally sound, and we have a few acres fenced in as a temporary pasture, but we have a lot of work to do to get our property set up how I want it. I took in my donkeys on a whim and, while they’re perfectly safe and happy now, I’ll have to set up a special pasture for them come spring, when the grass is tall, lush, and too rich for them. It’s a lot to do and will keep us busy, that’s for sure. But I’m so freaking excited to finally have the horse property I dreamt of when I was a kid.
I take Mystery back into the barn and take off his saddle and bridle, and then spend a good twenty minutes brushing him. I brush Ross and Rachel next, knowing they’re going to go outside, find a muddy spot, and roll.