Wild Horses (Sadie's Montana #1)(28)

Sadie gasped audibly and her hand came to her mouth to stifle a scream as the dark shadows emerged.

Horses! Dark, flowing horses!

Like one body, the horses broke free of the pines that held them back, and in one fluid movement, streamed across the snowy field, disappearing again in a matter of seconds.

Whose horses were loose? Who owned so many? It was like a band of wild horses. And yet… Had she really seen them? Or was it a mirage of wishful thinking?

As if to bring her back to earth, the yellow glow of two headlights came slowly around the bend in the driveway, making steady progress up the hill.

Ezra.

I cannot imagine what possessed me to try this again, she thought, suddenly face-to-face with reality.

Her eyes turned back to the black and white serenity of the moonlit ridge. There wasn’t a trail or dent, not even a shadow, in the snowy hillside to show her if what she had seen was actually real. Tomorrow! Tomorrow she would climb the ridge and see if she could find anything.

Tonight, however, belonged to Ezra.

Sighing, she shrugged her shoulders into her black, wool coat, grabbed a pair of warm gloves and her purse, and went slowly down the stairs.

“Ooooo!” sighed Rebekah, clasping her hands.

“Pink!” Anna yelled.

Reuben looked up from his book and grinned toothily.

“Pink! For Ezra!”

Sadie wrapped a cream-colored scarf around her neck, adjusting it just so.

“It’s not a date!” Sadie hissed at Reuben.

“What else is it?” Reuben called from his perch on the brown recliner.

“I’m going to clip your ears!” Sadie shouted.

Reuben howled with glee, slapping his knee, and Sadie ground her teeth in frustration. Little brothers were the most bothersome things anyone had ever endured, like lice or cold sores, and worth about as much, too.

She didn’t say good-bye to anyone, just let herself out the sturdy, oak door into the glare of Ezra’s buggy lights.

“Hello, Sadie.”

“How are you, Ezra?”

“I’m good, I’m doing well. And you?”

“I’m fine.”

He came over to the buggy steps, immediately holding out his hand to assist her. She had forgotten how tall he was.

“Thank you.”

Sadie settled herself on the buggy seat, sliding over against the side as far as she could, hoping his leg and the side of his coat would not touch her at all.

She blinked rapidly when he stepped into the buggy and his large frame filled three-fourths of the seat, his upper arm secure against her shrinking shoulder, his thigh firmly against her coat. His gloved hand reached down and pulled on the buggy robe, tucking her securely against him, protecting her from the cold. Sweet Ezra—kind and thoughtful as always.

“All right then. Here we go. Comfortable?”

“Y—yes, yes, I am.”

She was suddenly aware of how really close one person sat to another in a buggy. It was so … so intimate, especially in winter with both people covered by the same lap robe. She wondered, fleetingly, how you could keep a good and proper courtship for two years while tucked cozily together under a buggy robe like this.

“We’ve got quite a few miles to go, so I thought I’d be on time.”

“I was ready.”

“Yes. I remember that about you, Sadie. You never made me wait very long.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

Sadie shrank against the side of the buggy, the close proximity strangling her or suffocating her or maybe just making it hard to breathe. She wanted to yank open the window, gulp great, deep draughts of cold, winter air so she could survive.

Calm down, Sadie, she told herself. It’s just Ezra. He can bring up all the “remembers” he wants, but you still have a choice.

They talked then, easily and as comfortably as possible, but only after Sadie calmed herself and prepared for his reminiscing of the time they dated.

Ezra actually seemed more relaxed and jovial than Sadie remembered. He was not so black and white, not as strict and overbearing as he once was. She actually found herself enjoying the conversation. He and Sadie talked about horses and, yes, he had heard about the theft of the horses in another county. They talked about that being a coincidence, but agreed that it was highly improbable that there could be a connection.

Sadie kept the subject of Nevaeh to herself. It just seemed too emotional, too intimate to think of sharing the whole story with Ezra. Besides, it might open the subject of Richard Caldwell and her job, both of which he disapproved of so strongly. Better to let that one lie, she thought. No use saying anything.

As if on cue, Ezra blurted out, “So, how’s work down at the fancy ranch?”

Sadie cringed.

“Good.”

“I heard you had quite a scare with that horse jumping out in front of the truck.”

Sadie jerked her head in his direction.

“How … how do you know about that?”

“What does it matter?”

“Oh, nothing. It’s all right, of course.”

Ezra’s eyes narrowed.

“You ain’t hiding anything are you?”

“No, no. Of course not.”

“Guess the horse didn’t make it, huh?”

“Yes, he did.”

“He did? Found the owner yet?”