He bites and might stomp on you. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Jenna put up a hand. “Don’t come any closer.” Her voice weak, panic rose and took over her senses.
Sally barked several times and Jenna ducked under the rope into the stall. The big stallion went along with her. She backed up to the far wall. Every cell inside her screamed run. Trapped, fear overtook her, freezing her in place inside the stall behind the huge horse.
“Miss, that horse is mean as can be.” He stood at the open stall door, blocking her exit, and called to her. “You gotta come out.”
Jenna’s focus zeroed in on the strap hanging from his hand. Unable to move, her knees went weak. She crouched down with her back to the wall, the horse moving, so he stood completely over her. She kept her eyes glued to the man with the strap and folded her arms around her knees.
Jack stood in the middle of the paddock, lunge line in hand, as the yearling ran circles around him. Whenever the youngster tried to buck or prance, Jack coaxed him back to his training. Focused on the task at hand, it took a second for Jack to hear the change in the other horses. They neighed and stomped in their stalls, restless. Blue fussed, and Sally barked and growled. Jack’s eyes met Caleb’s and he recognized the same alarm he felt. Jack untied the yearling and he and Caleb ran inside. They spotted Pete at Blue’s stall. Sally barked and refused to let him get closer.
“What’s going on, Pete? What’s wrong with Sally and Blue?”
“It’s the woman from the house. Blue’s going to kill her. She’s in there with that demon horse, and she won’t come out.”
Jack ran to where Pete stood and stared unbelieving into the stall, Caleb right behind him.
“Oh my God, Jenna.” Literally, she crouched under Blue, who stomped his front hoof warning everyone to stay away. Sally wouldn’t let Jack in the door. Jenna stared at Pete with huge eyes filled with fear. Terror radiated off her and pounded at his heart.
“Jenna, honey, please come out. Blue might hurt you.”
“I won’t go back. I won’t go back. I won’t go back.”
Not a good sign. She’d been doing so well this morning, and now she chanted that phrase over and over again, rocking back and forth. Just like the other night in the closet when she’d broken down.
She didn’t move, just stared at the men in the doorway. Actually, her eyes were locked on Pete’s every move. “Pete, tell me what happened,” Jack demanded.
“She stood here rubbing Blue’s head. I thought maybe he’d hurt her, so I told her to get away from him. I guess I startled her. She turned, said something I didn’t hear, then when I came closer, she backed herself into the stall with your beast.”
Jack didn’t know what to make of it. She must have gotten scared from seeing a strange man. “Jenna, come out. No one will hurt you. Caleb and I are here. We’ll take you to the house.”
Caleb moved next to Jack. “Come on, I’ll call Summer and Lily. They’ll look after you. Would you like that?”
Jenna rocked back and forth, still chanting, “I won’t go back.” Her eyes unfocused, lost in some imagined terror, Jack didn’t know how to pull her back to reality.
Frustrated, Pete said, “I don’t want to lose my job, or make you mad.” The slap of leather against Pete’s thigh pulled Jack’s attention from Jenna to Pete. “I didn’t do anything to her,” Pete said, pleading.
Jenna’s eyes got even bigger, her face paler as Pete continued to smack his thigh. Jack finally understood what held her attention. Not the man, but the leather in his hand that looked very much like a belt.
“Pete, slowly hand that strap to Caleb, and then I want you to walk away. Go into the kitchen and have yourself a cup of coffee.”
Pete handed the strap over, not realizing what he’d done wrong. He walked away from the stall and down to the kitchen. Jack would explain later. Right now, his priority sat precariously under a tempestuous thousand pounds of ornery, devilish horse.
Caleb’s face mirrored Jack’s inner turmoil. Knowing Jenna needed reassurance, Caleb spoke softly. “This is just a strap to fix a horse bridal. That’s all. Pete would never hurt you. I’ll put it away.” Caleb walked away slowly, making sure Jenna saw him taking away her worst nightmare. Jack’s stomach turned