Montana Desire

The next fence was as simple as the first, but this field wasn’t empty. A couple of horses were being walked at the far end of the field—I could see the silhouettes through the mist.

“Hurry,” Grant said, pulling me behind him. We skirted the field, Grant somehow choosing a path that made us nearly silent. “Where now?”

I glanced inside the stable. The place was huge, and we were at the opposite end. “All the way down and to the right.”

He looked in every direction before pulling me behind him. My hand was pressed up against his lower back with the way he was keeping me close to his body. His entire aura was bigger now. Every corner, he looked around, not taking a step until he was sure that we weren’t going to be seen.

There was one breathless moment when he held us in place, and I heard crunching footsteps come closer and then retreat. My heart was pounding and my breath was shallow, just like the last time. But Grant at my side made me feel better. Safer.

Turning the final corner, Grant released me when he saw there was no one there. But he was still watching. I ran as quietly as I could to Sunrise’s stall and pulled it open, freezing.

“What is it?” Grant whispered, coming up beside me.

The stall was completely empty. No horse, no hay, no feed. It was clean, as if a horse hadn’t been here in months. “She was here yesterday,” I said. “I swear.”

He looked around. “And this is the right place? One hundred percent?”

“One hundred percent.”

Horror filled me. Last night, she had been so sick. I shouldn’t have left. I should have done something. Should have come back with Grant to get the sample right then.

Because she was gone, along with any of the proof I was hoping to find.