Heywood Equestrian Stables

Unwanted Guests

"Whoa!" I shouted, trying to pull Onyx back. He yanked me up off the ground as he reared up. I could hear Sidney shouting my name, telling me to let go, but I didn't. I held on hoping to get control of him. I fell to the ground as Onyx came back down to the ground. He stomped at the ground where I laid below him. Sidney and Crowe both threw a rope around his neck from the sides to try to get control of him.

"Charlotte, get out of there!" Sidney shouted. Onyx reared up again and whinnied loudly as Crowe and Sidney tried to gain control. If I didn't move, he was going to come down right on top of me. I rolled across the ground and out of the way before standing up and coming in front of Onyx to do what I could to ease him.

Thankfully, a few soothing words from me calmed him down enough that I could grab his reins and pat him on the muzzle. He whinnied loudly and stomped at the ground again. "I know. It's alright. You're safe. I'm right here," I whispered to Onyx.

The adrenaline running through all of us was intense. I glanced towards Sidney who had a mixture of fear and anger across his face. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine. He didn't hurt me. There's too many people around," I answered.

"I'll get him back to the stable," Crowe offered. Keeping him a good distance away, Crowe led him back towards the barn.

I turned towards Clara and gave her a questioning look. "What were you thinking?" I shouted. "You can't run towards a horse like that, especially not one who is as skittish as Onyx is."

"How am I supposed to know you have a wild animal at this place?" she argued.

"He's not wild. He just doesn't trust. You shouldn't run up on a horse like that despite how tame and well trained they are," I countered.

"Why are you getting mad at me? What's happened to you?" she questioned.

I sighed and glanced towards Sidney. "Nothing's happened to me. I'm fine."

"This isn't like you," she said. I chose to ignore her.

Crowe came back out of the barn and stood next to me. "Is Onyx alright?" I asked.

"He looks fine. Just a little shook up. I think we all are. I'll keep an eye on him to make sure there's no other signs of distress," he offered.

Clara now glanced between Sidney and Crowe with intrigue in her eyes. Clara was never one to shy away from a man's attention. Once she set her sights on a target, there was no getting out of her trap. I'd seen it time and time again. I rolled my eyes at the thought that somehow, she had already snared James and was now after Crowe and possibly even Sidney.

I looked around and noticed Georgiana and Lucas still stood in the arena watching from afar. Tom stood a distance away with some of the other workers, watching with curiosity. Even Edward came out of his office area to see what the commotion was about. "Why are you here?" I asked again.

"We brought your stuff. The moving truck should be here soon. We thought we would surprise you."

"How do the two of you even know each other?" I asked, looking towards James now. He slowly walked over, looking very uneasy as if he was ready to run to the safety of his car at any moment if a horse even came near him. He held a white handkerchief over his nose and mouth as he tried to block out the smell of horses.

"Is there a place we can go to talk in private?" he asked. The feeling I got with him asking to talk to me in private was unnerving. I could almost feel the questions and rage emanating from Sidney who stood next to me.

I sighed, not knowing what to do. "Of course. We can walk up to the house," I offered, pointing in the direction.

"Won't you introduce us to your friends first?" Clara asked with a flirty grin on her face.