Chapter 8 #2
“Morning.” I press a kiss to her forehead. “Sleep well?”
“Amazing.” She stretches against me like a contented cat. “You?”
“Your bed is very comfortable.” I’m not lying, though I wonder how she sleeps in such silence. At the ranch, there are always sounds—animals moving, wind through the trees, or the familiar creaks of settling buildings. Here, the only noise is the distant hum of traffic muffled by expensive windows.
“It sure is.” Lindsay sits up, unselfconscious about her nudity. “Coffee?”
“Please.”
She moves around the bedroom, pulling on a silk robe that conforms to her curves. It’s mesmerizing how she navigates her space with unconscious efficiency, every movement purposeful and precise.
I slip on my pants, and we move to the kitchen. Lindsay flips on a button to start the espresso machine, which seems ready to go. In moments, it’s churning like an old tractor before setting into a quiet whir followed by a hiss as she dispenses the first one.
“How do you take it?” She looks over her shoulder at me, and I realize I’m staring again.
“Black is fine.”
She hands me a cup of coffee that’s probably the best I’ve ever tasted before making one for herself. She adds a splash of heavy cream and settles across from me at the small table. Glancing out the huge window, I see the city spreading out below us like a concrete ocean.
“This view never gets old.” Lindsay follows my gaze to the skyline. “Sometimes, I sit here in the morning and try to count all the people I can see.”
“Do you ever miss having space around you?”
She considers the question while sipping her coffee. “I thought I didn’t. I’ve lived here so long the city feels normal. Wide open spaces used to make me nervous.”
“Used to?”
“Before I spent time at your ranch.” Lindsay meets my gaze over her cup. “I now understand the appeal of being able to see the horizon.”
I glance out again. “You could see the horizon from a place like this if you wanted to, but it’s always better from my ranch.”
She sets down her cup and looks at me directly. “Is that an invitation to return to your ranch?”
That’s exactly what it was. “Oh, yeah. Would you be interested in a visit or something more…permanent?”
“In leaving the city?” She laughs, but I see something thoughtful in her expression. “A month ago I would have said absolutely not. Now, I’m not so sure.”
“What changed?”
“I did.” She reaches across the table to take my hand. “You did. This did.”
Before I can respond to that declaration, my phone rings from where I left it on the counter.
The caller ID shows Miguel’s number, and my stomach drops because he wouldn’t call this early when I’m in the city visiting Lindsay unless something’s wrong.
“I need to take this.” I answer quickly. “Miguel? What’s happening?”
“Josh, we have a problem.” He sounds calm, which somehow makes it worse. “Midnight got caught in the fence overnight. There’s a pretty bad laceration on his right rear leg, and he’s favoring it heavily.”
I can barely swallow the sudden lump in my throat. Midnight isn’t just my best horse. He’s been my partner for twelve years, through every major decision and challenge on the ranch. “How bad?”
“Bad enough that we need the vet here immediately. Emma’s with a different patient, but she’s sending her partner to take care of him. Dr. Barrett will be here in about thirty minutes. Andrew’s with Midnight now, but he’s in a lot of pain.”
“I’m on my way.” I’m already mentally calculating the drive time back to the ranch. “Keep him calm and comfortable until I get there.”
“Will do. Josh? Drive carefully. We’ve got this handled until you arrive.”
I hang up and turn to find Lindsay watching me with concern. “What’s wrong?”
“Midnight is injured. Badly.” I’m already moving toward the bedroom to get fully dressed. “I need to get back to the ranch immediately.”
“I’m coming with you.” She follows me, grabbing clothes from her closet.
“Lindsay, you don’t need to...” I stop because she’s already pulling on jeans, and I don’t actually want to dissuade her.
I want her to come with me regardless of whatever commitments await her today.
It’s selfish, but I’m too upset to care about that.
Yet I still possess enough sense not to tell her that and put her in a difficult position.
“Yes, I do.” She looks at me directly. “He’s important to you, which makes him important to me.”
The simple statement does something to me that I don’t have time to analyze.
She’s volunteering, and I let out a small breath of relief.
If I wasn’t worried about Midnight, I might worry about how calming it is to my emotions to know she’ll be at my side, but I can’t really focus on that right now.
“It’s going to be a difficult drive. I’ll probably break several speed limits. ”
She just shrugs while spending an extra minute to toss some clothes in an overnight case, looking like she’s planning to stay for the duration. “I guess we’d better get moving.”
Twenty minutes later, we’re in my truck heading out of Manhattan with Lindsay clutching coffee she grabbed from her kitchen and me fighting every instinct to floor the accelerator. The two-hour drive back to the ranch feels like the longest of my life.
“Tell me about Midnight.” Lindsay’s voice is calm, clearly trying to distract me from spiraling into worst-case scenarios. “You introduced us, but I never got a chance to really get to know him.”
“I got him when he was three and I was eighteen when my grandpa gave me money to buy my own horse as a birthday gift. My parents thought I was crazy to buy such a young, unproven horse, but there was something about him.” I take the highway onramp faster than I should.
“He’s been with me through every major decision on the ranch, including building the new barn, expanding the herd, and surviving the drought three years ago. ”
Her tone is gentle. “He’s special to you.”
“He’s family.” The words come out forcefully. “If something happens to him...”
“Nothing’s going to happen to him.” She reaches over to pat my thigh since my hands are clenched around the steering wheel. “Miguel said they have things under control, and you’re getting there as fast as safely possible.”
“What if it’s not fast enough?” A swirl of dread in the pit of my stomach accompanies the words.
“Then we’ll deal with whatever happens when we get there.” Her voice carries absolute certainty.
I make the drive in ninety minutes, which involves breaking several traffic laws but gets us to the ranch before my anxiety can completely consume me. Miguel meets us in the driveway, his expression serious but not devastated. “How is he?” I’m out of the truck as soon as it jolts to a halt.
“Stable. Dr. Barrett is here and has him sedated for the procedure.” Miguel’s voice is professional. “It’s going to require surgery to repair the laceration properly, but she’s optimistic about his recovery.”
Relief floods through me so forcefully that my knees go weak. “Where is he?”
“In the main barn.”
I head toward the barn with Lindsay close behind me, my mouth dry. Inside, I find Dr. Barrett setting up surgical equipment while Midnight lies on his side in the largest stall, heavily sedated but breathing steadily.
“Josh.” Dr. Barrett looks up from her preparations. “I was just about to begin. The laceration is deep and will require internal suturing, but there’s no apparent tendon or ligament damage. He should make a full recovery with proper care.”
I nod, almost dizzy from relief but knowing a lot could still go wrong. Leg injuries in horses can be serious, debilitating, or even fatal, even if all prognoses look promising. “What do you need from me?”
“Just stay calm and let me work.” Her words are firm, but her tone is kind. “This will take about an hour, and he’ll be unconscious for most of it.”
I kneel beside Midnight’s head, running my hand along his neck while Dr. Barrett begins the procedure. His breathing is slow and steady, but seeing him vulnerable and dependent on medical intervention makes it hard to draw in a deep breath.
“He’s going to be fine.” Lindsay settles beside me, her hand finding my shoulder. “Look how peacefully he’s breathing.”
“I should have checked the fence line before I left for Manhattan or when I was home yesterday for a while instead of mucking the stalls. My voice comes out thick with guilt. “If I’d found the damage before he got caught...”
“You can’t prevent every accident.” Lindsay moves her hand to my back, rubbing gentle circles. “Sometimes bad things happen despite our best efforts.”
Dr. Barrett works with efficiency, cleaning and suturing the wound while explaining each step of the process.
Lindsay asks intelligent questions about the procedure and recovery timeline, taking notes on her phone that I realize are for my benefit since I’m too emotional to retain the information properly.
“There.” Dr. Barrett ties off the final suture and steps back to survey her work. “That should heal nicely. He’ll need to stay confined for at least two weeks while the tissue repairs, and you’ll need to clean and dress the wound daily.”
“I can do that.” I’m already planning how to modify his stall to ensure complete rest.
“I know you can.” Dr. Barrett smiles. “He’s lucky to have you as his person.”
As the sedation begins to wear off, Midnight’s breathing changes, and his eyes flutter open. I lean closer, speaking in the low, calm voice that’s always soothed him. “Hey, buddy. You’re okay. Everything’s fine.”
He tries to lift his head, and I help support it while he gets his bearings. When he sees me, he nickers softly and nuzzles my hand with the trust that’s defined our relationship for fifteen years.
“That’s it.” I stroke his neck while tears streak down my face. “You’re going to be fine.”