Page 30 of Tough Justice
No matter if Duke was in it.
She opened her mouth to respond when a loud pop sounded in the weeds at Heather’s side milliseconds before a blast sent dirt and rocks flying into the air.
Daphne neighed and danced along the path.
Suzy tightened the reins, leaning forward to swipe a reassuring hand over her muscled neck. She calmed her horse just in time to see Ginger raise her front hooves, sending Heather crashing to the hard, cold ground.
11
Suzy leapt off Daphne’s back and rushed to Heather’s side. Fear skittered on her skin like an army of angry ants. “Heather! Are you okay?”
Heather sprawled on the ground with her eyes closed.
Agitated, Ginger pranced around her fallen rider.
Suzy hurried to the mare’s side and pressed a reassuring palm against her neck. The last thing Heather needed was to get stepped on. “It’s okay, girl. I’ve got you. I need you to stay calm for me now. You and Daphne be good while I see to our friend.”
Ginger huffed out a breath as if in agreement and walked over to stand beside Daphne.
Once Suzy found out who’d trained the two horses, she’d plant a giant kiss on their cheek. With the two animals settled, Suzy dropped to her knees and pressed a finger to the side of Heather’s neck. A sliver of relief wedged through the tight knots in her chest. The pulse was strong, even if her friend hadn’t stirred.
“You’re going to be fine,” she said, resisting the urge to roam a hand around the back of Heather’s head in search of a knot.She dug her phone from the front pocket of her coat with her shaky hand. Removing her glove, she called for help.
Seconds stretched on forever when the line finally picked up. “Hey, Suzy,” Duke said. “I’m heading back to the house now. Looks like Chrissy took my message to heart and went home.”
“You need to get here. Fast,” she said, not having time to get into the details about this ex-girlfriend. “Heather and I took out two of the horses for a ride. We didn’t make it far. We’re on the trail behind the house. Call the sheriff’s department and have them send a squad. Heather fell off a horse and won’t wake up.”
“What the hell happened?”
“I’m not sure. But we need someone out here to look at your sister as fast as possible.”
“Agreed,” Duke said. “Hold tight. I’ll be there soon.”
Disconnecting, she shoved her phone back in her pocket and took hold of Heather’s hand. Curiosity turned her gaze to the location where the loud noise had come from. As much as she wanted to check it out, she couldn’t leave her friend’s side.
But whatever had caused the commotion, the noise wasn’t natural. Nothing caused by a startled animal or a weird rumble of rocks. Nervous energy swirled through her limbs and chased away any cold she would have felt sitting still in the cool afternoon air. She kept a close eye on the horses and her senses tuned into any other threats that lingered.
Not like she could do much if another blast erupted or someone sprang from the tree line in the distance. She had no weapons and no ability to run. Because no matter what, she couldn’t leave Heather lying there helpless.
Minutes stretched on, feeling like hours, when the distant sound of horse hooves pounded against the ground. Relief flooded her system at the sight of Lane and Duke charging across the meadow.
They reached her in seconds, Duke flinging off the still-moving stallion before dropping to the ground beside Heather. Not even the wide brim of his Stetson could hide the fear widening his eyes. “Has she woken?”
Suzy shook her head, tears bursting free and rolling down her face. “No.”
Duke shrugged out of his coat and placed if over Heather than rested his hand over hers. “I’m here. Help’s on the way. Everything’s going to be fine, you just have to open your eyes.” He finally looked Suzy’s way. “Are you hurt?”
“No,” she repeated, the word barely louder than the wind whipping across the plains. Adrenaline flooded her system and her teeth chattered as her shoulders shook.
Lane swung off his horse and made sure all four animals were soothed before stomping over.
Raising to her feet, she hurled herself against her brother. His arms might not be the ones she craved to have wrapped around her, but Duke needed to be with Heather.
Lane held her tight. “Sheriff’s deputies and medical help were close behind us. We’ll get her to the hospital. Now what happened?”
Wiping away her tears, Suzy sniffed back her emotions and took a step away from Lane. She flicked her wrist in the direction the noise had come from that had startled their horses. “There was some kind of explosion from behind those rocks. It came out of nowhere. The horses got spooked. I was able to calm Daphne, but Ginger reared and threw Heather.”
Duke glanced up, fury shooting fire from his eyes. “What do you mean an explosion?”
