Free Wild Horses by D'Ann Lindun Page A

horses filled the air. “No horses have grazed here,” Castaña said. “At least not recently.”
    “No.” Patty’s mare dropped her muzzle into the grass.
    Watching the roan Castaña said, “This is a prime spot for horses. I expected to find a herd here.”
    Patty pointed to a pile of dried horse manure that looked like it had been there for weeks. “They’ve been around, just not lately. Do you have any other ideas of where to look?”
    “Yeah, several.”
    “We’ve got plenty of daylight left before Staton’s order to meet at six, so let’s move,” Patty said.
    “Why are you helping me?”
    “I’m a sucker for the underdog, I guess.” Patty’s blue eyes seemed as innocent as a baby’s, but just for a second something flickered in the depths. What? Castaña shook off a moment of unease. She was seeing shadows in the rain.
    “Martin’s been an outsider half of his life although he chooses to be.” Castaña lifted her reins and nudged Gato with her heels. “But I still love him.”
    “I know exactly what you mean,” Patty said.
    • • •
    He was lost.
    Somewhere, Jake had taken a wrong turn and he had no idea where he was. Nothing looked the same and he couldn’t locate a landmark to center himself. For the billionth time, he cussed himself for letting go of Rojo’s lead. Where was the horse anyway? Who had chased him? Where was Castaña? Had she made it out safely? If Jake had a pebble for every question he could make a boulder.
    He had been walking so long his feet felt like two pieces of dead wood. Too tired to take another step, he sat and rested his back against a pine tree. He looked around. Nothing but pine trees and more pine trees. No grass, no water. His tongue felt like a fat piece of felt. There wasn’t a stream or pond in sight, and even if there were, it probably wouldn’t be safe to drink. At this point, he’d gladly risk germs to get his tongue and throat wet. The thought of dunking his aching feet in icy mountain water almost made him moan out loud.
    He wasn’t going to get a drink or get to wade in a stream if he didn’t get up and move. With a tired sigh, he shoved to his feet. If he hadn’t taken an unexpected hike in new boots, walking would be easy. But his feet burned, making this trip agony. With a moan, he started in the direction he thought looked right.
    A few minutes later, he found a trail that looked traveled by elk or deer, but not recently. Faint tracks and droppings that looked weeks old, along with pine needles covered the path, but he figured it had to lead to somewhere, so he followed it. The forest began to thin, the sun’s rays filtered through pine boughs, bathing the ground in a glimmering golden light. A meadow should be close. If he weren’t so exhausted, Jake would enjoy the peace and quiet. All he wanted to do was lie down and sleep for twenty-four hours straight, but he forced himself to pick up the pace.
    Breaking out of the trees, he found the grassy field he anticipated. What he didn’t expect was the bright blue and orange tent situated at the far edge of the meadow. Thank God. He’d found some people. He hobbled toward the camp calling out, “Hello? Anyone here?”
    No answer.
    He tried again.
    Straining his ears, he caught a faint noise from over the hill behind the tent. He skirted camp and looked over the edge behind it. Two young women cavorted in a pond at the base of a small waterfall. Both wore bikini tops with cutoffs and seemed to be having a great time laughing and screeching as they splashed one another. They reminded him of someone, but he was so exhausted he couldn’t put his finger on just who. Under other circumstances, he would’ve enjoyed the view as much as the next guy, but right now all he wanted was rest. He shouted out again. “Hello down there.”
    The closer girl looked up, shading her eyes with her hand, and pointed toward his direction.
    The other one spun around, nearly falling, catching herself in the