Damned and Defiant by Kathy Kulig Read Free Book Online Page A

skittish. The first one moved to the far side of his stall. “Come on over and say hello, scaredy cat.”
    “They’re not very friendly.” Dante stood off to the side.
    Then one tossed his head and finally approached slowly. “Which one is this?”
    “That’s D.A.”
    “Come on, D.A. Come on, boy.” Haley had grabbed a couple carrots from the Red Rocks kitchen before she left and held one up in front of D.A. “I brought some treats as bribes.” The horse’s nose flared. She didn’t move, waiting for D.A. to come to her. Slowly, he grasped the carrot out of her hand and munched. Then she petted his head.
    “I’ll be damned,” Dante said.
    The other horse let out a bellow. Haley laughed. “Now, I know why she’s called Siren.” She waved another carrot at Siren. “Here’s yours, girl, but you have to come here for it.” Haley stood in front of her stall.
    The horse carried on some more then moved closer.
    “I’m impressed,” he said.
    “What’s wrong? Have you ever used too much force with them, beat them?” she asked. She looked at him directly. She’d know if he was lying.
    “Never. I’d never abuse them. I just can’t get near them.” There was sadness and frustration in his tone. She didn’t believe he’d ever abuse them.
    She held out her hand to Dante. “Come here. Take my hand. He did, then she tried to gently place his hand on Siren’s snout. “See? Not so bad. Stroke her easy.”
    “I don’t think this is—”
    Siren snorted, then let out a shriek and reared up on her hind legs and began to kick.
    Dante jumped back while the horse carried on. “Told you.”
    “Easy, easy, girl.” After several moments, Siren calmed down. “I’ll have to work on that. They seemed fine with me. We’ll figure this out.”
    “I hope so.” Dante turned and stomped out of the barn.
    Haley opened the gates to the stalls so the horses could go out during the night. It was cooler at night, during the day they stayed mostly inside where the fans kept the barn cool from the desert heat. She gave Siren a final pat, then followed Dante outside and found him standing motionless at the corral gate, staring at something in the desert. Chills skidded across her arms. Her intuition told her something was wrong. More than the problem with the horses.
    “Dante? What is it?” He didn’t answer, or turn around. A coyote, a rattlesnake? Out here it could be a bobcat. Slowly she moved up beside him. “What do you see?”
    “Owl.” He tilted his head toward a fencepost. She noticed the outline of the creature, his wide face motionless as if staring at both of them.
    Haley smiled and let out a breath, her muscles relaxing. “He’s a good omen. Owls mean wisdom and protection from harm. He’s beautiful.”
    “To some Native Americans owls are symbols of death,” Dante added. “I’ve seen him before. He keeps coming around here.” He didn’t take his eyes off the night bird.
    “He means no harm,” Haley said. “Except to any field mice you happen to have around.”
    “Okay,” he answered. “Let’s go inside.” They walked past the owl, but it didn’t fly away. Dante glanced back at the bird.
    Inside the cabin, she was even more aware of how isolated they were. The house was larger than she’d expected. It had a rustic feel even though it had been remodeled. The floors and walls were made of natural wood and the ceiling was vaulted with open beams. The furniture was new and in neutral shades to match the desert colors. Two couches faced the stone fireplace and a dining table and chairs were set up at the far end of the room. Colorfully woven Navajo rugs decorated the floors and walls. The cabin was rustic but clean and cozy and smelled of old wood and a recent fire in the fireplace.
    She was going to like staying here. The ranch was a good meditation place. Less distracting than her apartment with her noisy neighbors. “Any ideas on why the horses are afraid of you?”
    “They’re not