Too soon, there was silence. The moment only broke when the unmistakable sounds of whinnying sent me rushing for the door at the front of the room. Mitchell somehow snagged my hand and came with me. Though I wanted to tear open the door, I did it cautiously as to not scare our visitors.
Shaina and Gunner were on our heels. “What?” someone asked, but Mitchell and I shushed them as we stepped outside. There at the hay we’d left out by the barn was the spotted white mustang.
There were gasps behind us, but I kept my eyes on the horse. I didn’t know I was moving in his direction until Mitchell’s grip on my hand stopped my forward progress.
I glared back at him.
“Wait,” Mitchell said. “Let Gunner and I go open the barn doors. Then we can move some hay around in case he’s looking for a rest.”
“A rest?” Shaina asked.
“Horses generally nap on their feet. They don’t require much in the way of deep sleep. But when they do, they usually lie down for a few minutes at a time during the day,” Mitchell whispered in answer. Then he put his finger to his mouth to stop any more conversation.
He crept forward but kept my hand in his. The mustang was consumed by the pile of fresh hay and didn’t seem to notice as we made it to the barn. Gunner and Mitchell moved to open the heavy doors. When it parted enough for me to slip through, I did, and Shaina followed.
I got to work and opened one stall. Then I hauled in a bale of hay. Shaina didn’t need instructions and followed suit. Soon the boys were there. I moved across the hall to do the same to another stall when everything got quiet. I glanced up to see everyone had stopped moving except for the horse that headed my way.
“Sunny,” Mitchell said, alarm filling every syllable.
I held up a hand. I needed to remain calm. Animals could sense your moods. If I was worried, it could upset the horse.
“O’siyo Oginallii,” I greeted the marvelous animal. I could have easily spoken in English. It was unlikely he’d heard the Cherokee language before. But speaking in my mother’s tongue felt right. “Osda Atsutsa,” I said, putting out my hand to pet the bridge of his nose. He came in and nuzzled in before bending down to finally lie at my feet.
“Amazing.” I was pretty sure that was Shaina.
Mitchell moved on silent feet. I didn’t hear him approach before he was there in the opening, waving me out of the stall.
Instead, I bent to stroke the horse’s flank. “You are safe here.”
I couldn’t say why I switched to English. Maybe because I didn’t want to explain everything I said in Cherokee to those listening. It was more important that the mustang was comfortable. As his behavior was out of character, I had to assume he needed me.
“Sunny,” Mitchell said again.
My father had been the only one to call me that, but I wasn’t bothered by Mitchell using the nickname. I eased my way around to the stall door while petting the amazing creature. When I was close enough, Mitchell snagged my arm and got me to my feet. Surprised, I gasped and the mustang was up. Mitchell wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me back as the horse darted out.
Much to my dismay, he didn’t stay.
“Look what you did,” Shaina accused Mitchell once the horse had cleared the barn doors.
“Horses only need a few minutes of deep sleep at a time. He got what he came for, or rather she did,” Gunner said.
My eyes had to have doubled in size as I looked at Gunner. “She?”
“Yep. I caught sight of that.”
“It’s surprising for a female to leave a herd. Mostly it’s the male foals when they come of age that get booted out of the herd,” Mitchell said.
“She needs me,” I said, more to myself.
“I need another glass of wine,” Shaina announced.
Gunner followed her out of the barn as I stood there watching the mustang bolt for her life.
“She’ll be back,” Mitchell said, reminding me he was there so close.
I swiveled around to face him. “Kiss me.”
NINETEEN
Mitchell
We’d been dancing around each other for a while, but I hadn’t expected her bluntness.
“Well, are you going to kiss me or not?” she asked.
I caught her hand as she reached up to cup my cheek. “I’m not.”
She tugged at her hand as a flush stained her face. I let her hand go. “I should go then.”
“Sunny.” I hadn’t meant to give her a nickname. It just slipped out like it did now as I caught her wrist to stop her from fleeing. I held her gaze and said, “When I kiss you, it will be when you are of sound mind and body.”