Valerie watched her new horse hunch in her trailer.
“Sorry, buddy. I’ll get a taller trailer before we hit the trails.”
She saw him tilt his head as much as he could to give her an accusing snort. She shut the trailer door and latched it. She took her time easing out of the auction house parking lot. Hopefully he wouldn’t hit his head too much.
Every bump in the road, every slight pothole made Valerie wince in sympathy. Even the weather owed this horse an apology. The clouds were as dark as she’d seen them in a long time. And still, it seemed familiar.
The sky was green.
“SERIOUSLY???” She smacked the side of her steering wheel and eased the gas pedal farther. Her phone started buzzing a fit. Valerie knew without looking. It was a severe weather warning.
Tornado weather.
All was quiet for now, but it wouldn’t be long before the rain came. What on earth had possessed her to buy a Clydesdale? She had fully intended to find a smaller horse, or even a large pony. But they paraded him out to the ring, and she’d been transfixed.
Then she heard the men in front of her congratulating themselves on finding a bargain. No one was there to buy a draft horse. Except for meat.
There had been such a look of injured pride in his face, as though he had fallen farther than he ever thought possible. Valerie groaned as the rain started to introduce itself. Putting her at a livestock auction or animal shelter was as dangerous as grocery shopping when hungry. She just couldn’t help herself.
Now she had a horse that would need all new… everything. At least the barn was big enough for him. She’d have to buy all-new tack.
The crash of thunder shook Valerie from her thoughts. She turned the windshield wipers on the highest setting, but it made no difference. It was like driving through mud.
She let off the gas and turned on her hazard lights. She let the truck slow on its own. She could feel the truck rocking from the force of the wind. She glanced back at the trailer. The horse might be heavy enough to keep it from tipping over.
The wind picked up. Valerie saw the flash of light, but nothing else. The wind drove all the water straight toward her. She barely saw the dark blur floating closer. She tried to ease out of the way, but there was no time.
She ducked, though she knew it was pointless. She heard the branches crash and scrape the roof of the cab. More crashing.
Then screaming.
Her horse had screamed.
Now, all was eerily quiet. And she did exactly what every horsewoman knows not to do.
She panicked.
She pushed against her door, fighting against the wind until it flung open. She hopped straight down into a puddle deep enough to splash up to her knees. She was caught in a tangle of branches, unable to climb over it without stumbling into the road.
She leaned against the truck and dragged the door shut. She felt her way around the front and down the other side. She tried opening her eyes. It wasn’t as difficult with the wind at her back, but it was slow going.
It wasn’t exactly a tree, but it was big enough to be one. She heard a deep, puffing sound from within the trailer. She scrambled to the back and unlatched the gate.
The poor animal was straining against his tie. But the metal of the trailer had also caved in to cut into the horse’s chest. The sight of blood on the ceiling made her gulp. His back legs trembled.
“Hey there, big boy.” Valerie saw him shift to look at her. She was smooth and deliberate as she took up the lead rope and ran her hand along his side.
He flinched. She inched her way toward his head. She stopped when she saw his chest up close.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what to do.” She clipped the lead to his halter, and pulled against the panic snap until it sprung open. The horse wasted no time and raced backwards out of the trailer. He stumbled at the edge and then pulled against the lead rope. She was with him every step of the way.
He grunted with each breath. The rain still flew at them. It stung when it hit her hands. It had to hurt his wounds. She would never be able to coax him back into the trailer to wait out the storm. There were no good options here.
She would do what she could. She tugged at the lead rope. He glared at her.
“We’re not that far from home! It’s just a mile or two!” She shouted above the wind. She gave the lead rope another tug.
He snorted and balked at her direction.
“No one is coming! Don’t you get it? We have to do this ourselves!” She tugged on the lead rope again. He took one step forward.
Lightning flashed, seeming like the world blinked around them. The horse rolled his eyes and pulled his head back.
Valerie was so unprepared. But she was determined to manage.
