Free Secret Santa: A Bluegrass Series Novella by Kathleen Brooks

concrete
stairs. Her panty hose were ripped from snagging the cold metal
strips on the edge of each stair. Her feet stung with every step
she took. She heard the door above her open. She pushed herself
faster. She couldn’t let him catch her.
    She jumped the last stair on the sixth
floor, the impact of the jump reverberating up her body. She felt
as though she had stopped breathing two floors ago. Her lungs
burned as she forced her legs to move faster. Her hand was sliding
along the railing to brace herself as she raced down the stairs at
breakneck speed.
    She heard him yell her name. She turned
around to see he was now just one floor away. The look cost her
dearly as she missed a step and had to slow down to steady
herself.
    Her heart beat in turn with each slap of her
foot. Faster. Louder. She just had to make it to the garage. He
would kill her if she didn’t. He called her name again as if she
were a disobedient child. He was taunting her, triggering her fear.
Her heart felt as if it would explode as she ran faster and faster
down the stairs.
    She didn’t feel the cuts causing her feet to
bleed. She didn’t feel the pain running up her legs. All she knew
was she had a couple more flights to go. She tried to suck in a
breath of air but could only manage a small gasp. He was closer
now. She could feel him right behind her.
    The door to the garage was so close. She
could see it now. She had to reach it. He closed in on her. She
could hear him breathing. She willed her legs to move faster. He
reached out his arm to grab her….

Chapter One
     
    McKenna looked around and saw nothing but
black, four-plank fences and green grass for as far as she could
see. Daffodils were playing peek-a-boo with the bright morning sun.
She looked down at the GPS in her cherry red BMW M6. Only five more
miles until her destination. Bringing her eyes back up to the
narrow country road, Kenna gasped and hit her brakes as hard as she
could.
    The stabilization in her car kicked in and
kept it from fishtailing off the road. She fought for control of
the car as her brakes locked. A massive horse was standing in the
middle of the road, calmly watching her scrambling for control over
her car. She rested her head against the steering wheel and let out
a shaky breath when she stopped the car in the opposite lane.
Hearing tires squealing, she lifted her head and saw an old pick-up
truck heading straight for her, fishtailing out of control. Kenna
shifted into reverse and floored it. The truck skidded by her,
narrowly missing her car. The truck came to a sudden stop in the
grass ditch off the side of the road.
    Kenna watched a jeans-clad woman wearing a
stylish, black, long-sleeve shirt and bright pink scarf belt jump
out of the truck. The woman with beautiful, shiny, shoulder-length
brown hair was the polar opposite of what McKenna expected to see.
Instead of being concerned about her truck, the woman slowly
approached the horse with her hand out. Kenna saw her mouth moving
as she talked to him. Ever so slowly, she placed her hand on his
head and gave him a smile. Sliding her hand down, she grasped the
halter and scratched his nose.
    Kenna opened her door and got out on shaky
legs. She could hear the woman talking on the cell phone as she
walked toward the scene. “Yeah, Bets, I'm out here on Route 178,
and it looks like one of your stallions is loose. Another woman and
I almost hit him. Yes, we’re okay. No, I have him now. You better
have one of the boys bring a trailer. Okay. Bye.”
    “Hi. Are you okay?” Kenna asked after the
woman put away the cell phone.
    “Yes. Thanks. Looks like you made it out
okay. I’m Paige Davies. Do you mind helping me for a sec?”
    “McKenna Mason. What do you need?”
    “Here, hold this.” Paige walked the massive
stallion over to her and indicated where she was to hold him. “I
need to see if my truck is able to run or if I need to call a tow.
Thanks!”
    Kenna took a hold of the halter and stared
at the