New Hoofprints in the Snow, page 14
“Warm yet?” Emma said softly as she ran her hands over Maia’s back.
“Oh yeah, and I think it’s about to get warmer,” Maia said and kissed Emma hard, her hands searching and tweaking Emma’s nipples. “I want you.”
“I want you too, Maia.” Emma gasped and returned Maia’s kiss.
THE NEXT morning Emma woke with Maia curled up naked in her arms. The fire had gone out during the night, but the horses were still visible, including Georgia’s foal, so all was not lost. Now they had to slip back into their clothes in the freezing cold and find their way back to the center. Looking out from the rock formation, it looked as though the storm had passed and the sun returned with its blue skies not far behind.
Emma didn’t want to move, though. This was the closest Maia and she had ever been physically, and last night… well, she would never forget last night. I really do love this girl. I do. Emma smiled to herself as she felt Maia’s soft breath on her chest. Once they had finished and pulled the blanket up, it had done its job in keeping them warm last night.
“Maia,” Emma whispered, nudging her a little bit. “Maia, wake up.”
Maia opened her eyes and smiled at Emma. “I love you.”
“I love you too, but we’ve got to get dressed and get the horses in. My mom and your family are probably having fits.” She dug out her phone. The screen was dark. She tried to turn it on. Nothing happened. “Dammit, mine’s dead. Should’ve turned it off last night to conserve the battery.”
“Oh shit,” Maia said, blushing and covering her grin. Last night, their phones hadn’t even been a whisper in their minds. “Crap, I will tell you one thing—my mom will have had a heart attack when we didn’t come back.” She checked her phone. “I have, like, two percent battery left.”
“Well, come on and let’s get dressed. It’s going to be cold, but we’ve got to get back to the center,” Emma said, giving Maia a warm hug with the arm around her then sitting up and shivering. “Brrrr. Goddamn, it’s cold.”
Emma slipped into her clothes as Maia did the same thing. Emma walked around the campfire to ensure that it was out and grabbed the saddle pad and saddle for Carl. “Carl, honey, I know this is going to be cold….”
“Hey, wipe off the snow with the towels we were laying on first.”
“That’s a great idea.” While Maia did the same thing to Selena, Emma took a towel and wiped off Carl’s back and girth, then threw the saddle pad up on his back. Then came the saddle. Carl lowered his head for Emma to put the bridle on, and she bridled him easily, then removed the rope hobbles around his forefeet.
“We’re going to have to do the same thing we did to get here with this baby. You pony Carl, and I’ll lead Georgia and her foal. I think I know where we are—not too far from where the fence was broken.” Emma handed Carl’s reins to Maia and took hold of Georgia’s lead rope. She leaned over to untie the rope hobbles from her forefeet just as she had from Carl’s.
“I wonder what happened to the fence?”
“Oh, fences break all the time, but we’ll have to fix it once some of this snow goes away so we can let the horses back out into the pasture.”
“Well, come on, then. I can’t wait to get back to civilization where there’s some warmth!” Maia said and nudged Selena forward, bringing Carl with her.
Emma laughed and nodded. “Me too! Hot chocolate sounds fantastic right about now.” She tugged on Georgia’s lead rope and the horse came willingly, the foal at her side.
23
THE SNOW had obliterated their tracks from the previous day, but Maia followed behind Emma, Georgia, and the foal. The cold seeped into her on a level she’d never felt before. She knew if she hadn’t had Emma to cuddle—she smiled at the memory of a bit more than cuddling—she would’ve been even colder. The hope of a warm bath and food kept her going.
They made it up the slippery slope of the canyon wall without incident—even Georgia’s foal didn’t have any problems getting topside. She bounced around, every so often venturing a few feet away from Georgia, but never too far.
“At least the storm’s blown itself out,” Emma called as their path leveled and she turned them to cross the pasture toward the center.
“Yeah, I don’t think I could deal with that wind right now.” Maia shivered at the memory of the wind biting through her clothes and leaving cold, icy stings on her ears and face.
The foal bounced into a snowdrift and disappeared for a second, then sprang back out, shaking the snow off.
Maia and Emma laughed at the same time. After surviving the night, the laughter felt good. For a moment, Maia wondered what had happened to the coyotes. After she and Emma started the fire and got the horses in the tighter area of their “almost” cave, they’d only heard a few yips and howls, then the predators had vanished. She didn’t really care what happened to them, not really, but it was nice that they hadn’t had to fight the hungry pack.
The foal skittered up to Georgia and head-butted her. Georgia stopped.
“Hey!” Emma protested. “Come on, Georgia, we need to get back to the center.”
“The little one’s on the far side,” Maia called. “She just started nursing.”
Emma sighed and looked up into the blue sky. “I really just want to get home and get warm.”
Maia urged Selena to ride up to Emma. “I know. I want that too, but unless we want to try to carry the little gal across the saddle, we get slowed down by her.” Maia stared down at Emma, and her heart pounded. Emma was one of the most beautiful girls she’d ever known, and now they were together. That made her warmer, even as the cold tried to seep in on her.
“Yeah.” Emma patted Maia’s leg. “That’s one of the problems with a foal, you travel at their pace. Those coyotes might still be out there, so we all stick together.”
“Right.” Pulling a glove off, Maia bent over in the saddle and touched Emma’s face. It was cold.
Emma pressed Maia’s hand into her skin. “Your hand is nice and warm from your glove.”
“I hope you’re not getting too cold,” Maia said.
“I’ll be fine.” Emma let go of Maia’s hand as the filly came under Georgia’s belly and poked her nose between them.
They both laughed.
“Okay, little one, can we get back on the path toward the barn?” Emma patted the foal’s neck.
They started at a slow pace, but since they were all together, it didn’t bother Maia. The sun rose higher in the sky and spread warmth as it did. She wished Emma was riding at her side and not having to walk Georgia and the foal, but as things brightened up, she forgot how cold she was and enjoyed the pristine snowscape before them. The sun glistened off the snow. Finally, they started seeing fence posts, with ice and snow on the posts and wires. Some blended into the snow around them while others sparkled in a shade just slightly darker than the snow itself.
Following the fence line, they were almost to the break in the fence when two riders came rushing toward them, snow kicking up behind the horses in brilliant rooster tails.
“Emma! Maia!” Marco called as they got closer.
“Marco! Larry!” Emma waved but didn’t let go of Georgia’s reins.
Marco pulled up just before he reached them. “Emma, your mother is worried sick, and so is yours, Maia. Your mother and father had just reached the center when we headed out on fresh horses.”
“We found Georgia and her foal last night,” Emma said. “We would’ve called, but cell phones don’t work in the canyon, and they were dead this morning.”
Marco pulled out his phone and tapped a couple of things. “We found them. Off on the east end, looks like a section of the fence was cut out.” He thrust the phone to Emma. “Here, talk to her.”
Emma took the phone and held it to her ear. “Hey, Mom. We’re fine. Cold. Georgia was down in the canyon. She had a filly. No, our phones weren’t working down there. You know how it is.” Emma rolled her eyes. “Yes, Mom. We’ll be at the barn in a few minutes.”
A couple hundred yards from the break in the fence, in what looked to be a snowdrift near the road, a vehicle was buried in the snow. “Hey!” Maia pointed to it. “Should we check and see if they need any help? There might be someone stuck in there.”
“I don’t know.” Marco frowned. “Cassie was fairly adamant that, if we found you girls, we were to bring you straight back to the barn.”
“It won’t take long.” Maia glanced at Emma. “Besides with Emma on foot, we can catch up quickly.”
Emma nodded. “Good idea.” She led Georgia through the break in the fence. “We’ll be that way.” She pointed up the easy hill toward where the barn lay, just over the horizon.
“Larry, take Carl,” Marco said. “I’ll go with Maia. We’ll move faster without him being ponied along.”
Larry rode over without saying anything and took Carl’s reins as Maia unwrapped them from her saddle horn. Selena turned and whinnied at Carl as he trailed behind Larry and followed Emma and Georgia.
“I just want to make sure there’s not anyone stuck out here,” Maia said. Someone in a truck wouldn’t be exposed to the wind like she and Emma had been before they reached the canyon, but the person would still be cold.
“I think it’s been here through most of the storm,” Marco said as they got closer. Nothing beyond the vague outline of a truck was visible.
“Yeah, certainly looks that way,” Maia agreed.
Marco motioned her to stay on Selena as he slid down from his horse, walked over to the driver’s side window, and wiped it off. He shook his head. “Nobody in here.”
Maia let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “That’s good.”
The action of Marco wiping the snow from the driver’s side window uncovered a sticker for the Falcon High football team. A knife of fear stabbed through Maia. “This is Billy’s truck.”
“Billy? Why would Billy’s truck be out here?” Marco asked as he climbed back into his saddle.
“I don’t know.” Maia wanted to get back to Emma and tell her; then they could tell Cassie and decide what needed to be done. “But he’s really close to where the fence was cut.” She spun Selena around and raced toward Emma, still visible as she started up the gentle slope toward the barn.
Snow flew around them as Selena galloped through the snow. Maia told herself she was being really stupid riding Selena like that across terrain she wasn’t familiar with, but she hoped Selena knew it at least a little. The snow also added to the risk, but she was suddenly sure Billy had something to do with the cut fence.
“Emma!” she shouted as she got close.
Georgia’s foal skittered under Georgia’s belly as Selena charged toward them. Maia said a quiet apology for scaring the little girl.
“Emma, it’s Billy’s truck!” Maia slowed but Selena still kicked snow on Emma.
“What?” Emma raised her brows. “Are you sure?”
Maia nodded. “I recognized the Falcon High football sticker on his window. I wonder if he cut the fence.”
“Damn.” Emma looked at Marco and Larry. “We’re almost to the barn. Before we go in, I want to make sure Georgia and her baby are safe in the foaling stall. You two ride ahead and let Mom know. She might want to call the sheriff.”
Marco nodded. “We’ll get a stall ready for Selena and settle Carl in.” He glanced at Larry. “Come on!” They left in a cloud of snow.
Emma kept trudging up the slope. The barn roof was visible. “Do you really think Billy would’ve cut the fence? That’s vandalism.”
“He’s really pissed. At least he seemed that way when he left here the other day.” Maia slumped in her saddle. She couldn’t believe anyone would do something that might’ve hurt the horses just to get back at her for not wanting to go out with them. With the rolling landscape, even if there hadn’t been a blizzard and Georgia had just gotten out on the road running behind the center, she could’ve been hit by an unsuspecting driver. Maia shivered from more than just cold.
Emma shook her head. “I don’t understand people sometimes. Animals are so much easier to understand. You also always know where you stand.”
“Exactly.” Maia slipped off Selena and trudged beside Emma. “At least the two of us know where we stand with each other.”
Emma laughed. “Right here in knee-deep snow?”
Maia giggled. “No, silly, we love each other.”
“Emma! Maia!” Their mothers shouted in odd stereo as they walked through the last gate to get into the barn.
“Yes, we do.” Emma squeezed Maia’s hand.
Seconds later their mothers reached them. There were hugs, quick inspections, a bit of fussing, then everyone was working on getting Georgia and the filly settled. Maia was happy to have survived the night but happier that she and Emma had grown closer because of the incident. Everyone accepted them for who they were, and that made everything right in her world.
24
THE SHERIFF wiped off the truck’s window and peered inside. “You gals say that this truck belongs to a Billy Anderson?”
“I do, sir. I’ve been on a couple dates with him, and I recognize the sticker he’s got on his windshield,” Maia said. Emma stood there, holding Maia’s gloved hand in her own. If Billy cut the section of fence, then there was no telling what he was capable of. The horses were Emma and her mother’s life. Should something happen to any of them, they would be devastated.
“Officer, what can we do?” Emma’s mother asked, her eyes still red from crying. She was more worried about the property than Emma was—it was her livelihood—and to have someone whom you trusted vandalize a part of your property…. Emma couldn’t help but feel for her mom.
“Looks like there’s wire cutters in the passenger-side floorboard. I’d have to get a warrant to search the vehicle, even though it looks abandoned.” The sheriff covered his eyes so he could see into the truck better. “Must not have been here very long—my officers tag abandoned vehicles, telling the owners they need to do something in seven days or they’ll be towed. I don’t see one of those on here. Can you show me where the fence was cut?”
“I can, sir—er, we will. We both found it,” Emma said, keeping Maia’s hand in hers. She didn’t want to let go, not now. Now that most of the family had accepted their relationship.
They walked through the snow, leading from behind as the policeman kept a watch out for clues they might have missed. She and Maia had been in too much of a rush to get Georgia and her baby to the barn to look around for anything.
Emma pointed at the fence. Marco and Larry had tied a couple of pieces of rope between the fence posts until they could get out and replace the wire. “There it is, sir,” she said and squeezed Maia’s hand. Maia squeezed back.
“Okay, you girls stay here and let me check out the area.” He started by glancing over their tracks. “Now, just to be sure, the hoofprints were you gals bringing in the horses this morning, right?”
“Yes, sir,” Emma said.
The sheriff nodded and walked over to where the fence had been cut. He examined the section of the fence that had been cut out and took out a plastic baggie, placing something Emma couldn’t quite see inside. He stood up and looked around the area. He must have spotted something else because he walked a few feet away from the fence and picked up something else and dusted the snow off it.
“Billy’s baseball hat!” Maia shouted. “I would recognize that hat anywhere. He’s always wearing it.”
The sheriff walked back over to Emma, Maia, and Cassie, who had joined the girls. “I also found this piece of cloth stuck on one of the barbs.” He took out the plastic bag and showed them the cloth inside. “It looks like it came from a jacket of sorts. Looks like our guy got caught on the barbs and didn’t realize his jacket tore when he pulled it away.”
“That’s from Billy’s school jacket—I’d bet you money. He always wears it when it’s cold,” Emma said. “Or at least, that’s the color of it. Dammit.”
“Well, we’ve got some pretty compelling evidence if we match the cloth to his jacket.” The sheriff turned around.
“Well…,” Emma said. “We could get Mom to call him to pick up his truck. Technically it’s not on our property line, but he doesn’t know that.”
The sheriff raised an eyebrow. “Do you think he’ll show up?”
“If I tell him there’s a policeman here asking about it, I bet he’ll show up,” Emma’s mom said as she pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number.
“WHAT’S THIS all about?” Billy said when he and his father arrived in his father’s car.
“You know damn well…,” Emma muttered. Maia squeezed her hand.
“It seems that we have a problem here, and we were wondering if you’d know the solution to it,” the sheriff said, thumbs through his belt loops. “What’s your truck doing here?”
“It’s stuck in the—I don’t know—mud? Snow? Something like that.” Billy rubbed the top of his head and shrugged. He looked odd without his baseball cap. “I waited a bit to see if someone would come by who could help me, then I called a buddy of mine to come pick me up. Is that against the law?”
“No, but vandalism and trespassing on private property are,” the sheriff said.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I ain’t vandalized nothing.” Billy flushed and shoved his hands in his pockets.
“Excuse me, officer,” Billy’s father said as he stepped closer to the sheriff. “I don’t know what you’re getting at, but my son is not a criminal.”
