Chase the Storm by V.m Waitt Read Free Book Online Page A

was late
    afternoon, and I was in the barn watering the horses when Chase walked in dressed in black jeans, a pressed white shirt with a western tie, and a black Stetson on his head. There was no scruff on his jaw, his blond hair was combed back, and he smelled like aftershave. Without a word, he pulled Admiralfromhis stall, groomed and tacked himup.
“Where ya going?”I asked as he led the huge horse fromthe barn. “Be back after dinner,” he said as he mounted Admiral and, without lookingback, headed toward the pasture.
    I watched until I couldn’t see him any longer. Then Keno hung his head over the door and shoved me withhis nose. “Yeah, yeah, time to get back to work.”
    I’d made a sandwich for dinner, eaten it, done the dishes, and taken a shower before I finally heard the screen door open and close. A few minutes later, there were footsteps on the stairs, and I got off my bed. Ignoringme, he walked by, but I swear I saw dampness onhis cheeks.
Chapter 3
     
    E
ARLY evening a little more than a week after I’d arrived, I was loading hay in the huge trailer attached to Chase’s truck for a delivery he was due to make the next day. Owen still hadn’t returned, and I couldn’t help but wonder if they had broken up. Since my first night there, Chase hadn’t mentioned him, and other than the pictures on the mantel, there were no signs of another man living in the house. Yet Chase had called him his partner, not ex-partner.
    Sweat traveled down my bare torso as I bent over, stuffed my gloved hands under the twine, lifted, and tossed the bale down onto the trailer. From the loft, I could see the pasture and the beginning of the wheat field. Chase had left onAdmiral about an hour before to check on somethinginthe lower pasture near his propertyline. I’d givenup askingif I could go withhim.
    Instead, I enjoyed the alone time and the strong breeze coming in fromthe west. The sun had given way to dark clouds shortly after Chase had left, and I hoped to be done with the hay and have it covered before the rain hit. Grunting, I lifted a bale, braced it on my thigh, and walked it over to the edge of the loft before releasing it onto the pile in the trailer. I had just lifted the next bale when I heard the faint pounding of hooves in the distance. Allbut Admiralwere downstairs intheir stalls.
    Squinting, I saw Chase and Admiralbarrelingacross the field at a full gallop. Admiral’s long legs moved in ground-eating strides as Chase leaned forward with his hand high on Admiral’s neck as he encouraged himto go even faster. His hat had blown offand was held on by the string as it whipped in the wind behind him. I admired the way he guided Admiralthroughthe field evenat sucha furious pace.
“Elijah, get the horses out!” he yelled when he was close enough for me to hear. “Get themout no—”
    The rest of his words were cut off by a loud clap of thunder that sounded like it was right above the barn. Startled, my eyes were drawn fromhimand Admiral to the dark, ominous clouds in the sky behind him, lit up by bright flashes of lightning. We had thunderstorms in the city, but I’d never witnessed a sky becoming night long before night had fallen. It had come out ofnowhere and was like nothingI’d ever seen.
    Panicked, I dropped the bale of hay, and, not wanting to take the time to run the length of the barn to the stairs, I jumped off the loft onto the trailer of hay below. I landed awkwardly and added a few new scrapes to my bruises, but I scrambled out and got into the truck. Starting it, I pulled it out of the way and put it into park, leaving the key in it when I got out. The constant rumblingofthunder and the gales ofwind drowned out Admiral’s approachinghooves. Arrivingat Jet’s stallfirst, I opened his door. Curious, he lifted his head fromhis hay, and I took hold ofhis halter and led him out. Willingly, he followed me as I jogged him to the field. Pulling the gate open, I shoved himthrough and slammed it