the door open, he snatched a bridle from the hook by the door and put it over Flash’s ears. He couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
What if something catastrophic had happened to her? She could be in a crumpled heap somewhere unconscious. As the sky continued to darken, it would be harder to find her and calling out her name wouldn’t do any good if she couldn’t hear him. He’d just have to pray he came across her before the sun fully set.
AJ hoisted himself onto Flash’s back and swung his right leg over the horse’s back. He let out a yell as he pressed his heels into Flash’s flank, pushing the horse to run at full speed. He had to find her. He wouldn’t forgive himself if he didn’t.
The path curved, but with Flash’s speed, it felt like they zig-zagged through the brush and wild plants growing along the trail. They were losing daylight. Another flash rippled through the clouds overhead, followed by a dull rumble. Flash’s ears twitched and his footing faltered but AJ pushed him on.
AJ squinted ahead, attempting to make out anything that didn’t belong. A form cast in shadow about a dozen yards ahead came up fast. AJ jerked the reins tight, and Flash whinnied and bucked once. The form in front of him yelped and jumped out of the way just as Flash jerked to a stop. His horse bobbed his head and pawed the ground.
“Kate! Is that you?” He peered into the shrubs.
“Yeah,” she called.
Exhaustion saturated her voice. The bushes rustled and Flash’s ears twitched. AJ patted the horse’s neck and slid down from his back. “It’s okay buddy. We’ll get back on our way in a minute.”
Kate emerged from the shrub, limping on one foot. Dropping the reins, AJ rushed to her side. “You’re hurt!” He slipped his arm around her waist and moved her arm over his shoulder.
She winced. “Yeah. Ella isn’t a fan of lightning.”
“I figured. She came darting back to the ranch like her tail was on fire.”
Kate looked up at him. “Did she make it back okay? She didn’t get hurt, did she?”
“No. Looks like you’re the only one.” He helped her hobble to Flash’s side. “What happened?”
“The storm spooked her and she took off. I got her to slow down, but then she got startled again. I was in the middle of dismounting. I’m just lucky my foot didn’t get caught in the stirrups. But I did twist my ankle going down. I don’t think it’s broken, it’s just going to be real sore tomorrow.” She grimaced again as she took another step. When she looked up at Flash, her features fell. “Where’s his saddle?”
AJ glanced at Flash and back at Kate. “I didn’t have time to put one on him. We needed to get to you. We need to head back, now. This storm looks like it’s getting worse.” As if agreeing, the light sprinkling turned into a heavier rain. Large drops of water pelted his upturned face. “Yeah, we definitely need to get back, now.”
“AJ, I can’t ride bareback. I’ll fall off.”
“I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“Yeah? And how do you suppose you’re going to do that? Poke Flash in the nose and tell him to go easy on me? Somehow I don’t think that’ll work.”
He rolled his eyes. “We’re not going to get out of this storm very fast unless we both ride him.”
She stiffened. “Oh.”
“Here, let me help you up.”
Her hand dropped from around his shoulder and he placed his on her waist. “Ready, one, two, three.”
With Kate lifted onto Flash’s back, AJ helped keep her steady as she shifted one leg to straddle the horse’s back. Then he grabbed the reins and swung them around so Kate could keep the horse steady.
In another instant, he was up and behind her. He wrapped one arm around her waist and reached around to grab the reins. His legs tightened around Flash and he nudged his horse into a canter.
Kate sat stiff as a board in front of him, her hands gripping his arm tightly. Her hair had come loose from the style she’d put it in earlier that day, and strands waved through the air around his jaw. The smell of her lavender shampoo enveloped him as they worked their way along the trail back to the ranch.
The thundering in his chest rivaled the pounding above him and the memory of their kiss came back with full force. There would be no forgetting