CountryCore Series: Hold Your Horses (WLW)

The Horse Whisperer of Her Dreams

This chapter contains short instances of homophobia.

That hadn't taken long at all. Who knew the very first farm Mikala visited would reunite her with the woman who'd spellbound her heart? Just as bewitching as ever, Kennedy stared at her with wide eyes, though her hands trembled. Furrowing her brow at the odd display, Mikala took a step closer only for her to scurry backward, shifting her gaze toward what she assumed was a tiny, modular home nearby. The horses at its backside grunted and neighed, but Mikala was too entranced to shed the sounds much mind. Kennedy slammed her eyes shut and Mikala took the opportunity to get even closer, keeping only around five feet between them. As her eyes opened, Kennedy grew even more wary and jerked her head back as if completely confounded by her presence.

"You..."

"Me." Mikala reiterated with a soft grin, though she couldn't fight her unease. She rubbed the back of her fade and ran her fingers through her disheveled hair from the drive over. Taking a careful step forward, Mikala was pleasantly surprised when Kennedy didn't retreat, yet that terror never left her face. She peered past her shoulder, Kennedy's eyes grew even more on edge before she bit down hard on her bottom lip. Tempting fate, Mikala spoke her mind as best as she could through the onslaught of rejection facing her. "So, how have you been?"

"What are you doing here? How did you find me?" Kennedy looked over her shoulder once again, then when she straightened her leaning her eyebrows arched and she bounced on the balls of her feet. "My dad is coming over. Please, pretend like we don't know each other. Please!"

Confused and saddened that their meeting again brought about such strife in the woman she'd desired meeting from the moment she had awoken without her in her bed, Mikala slowly nodded as a male voice called from behind herself, "Hey, Honeybee."

"Hi, papa. Is this the mare we were discussing?" Kennedy ceased all eye contact and passed by Mikala on her way toward the man who was most definitely her father. She looked so much like him it was uncanny and she had to do a double take at first. Still, there was one thing that stood out even more, stunning Mikala into silence. Regardless of their lack of eye contact, Kennedy did look at her in passing, running her eyes over her body with what she could only call heated hunger. So why was she trying to hide her attraction? What the hell had changed between them and why was Kennedy avoiding her eyes now? "She's pretty. You said her original farm is gone?"

"Her human buddy passed away recently. I told his family we'd make her comfortable here until they can come and pick her up. She's a beaut, huh?" Mikala turned around to get a better view of the man and he sent her a wide grin that made crow's feet appear along the corners of his eyes. Just like Kennedy, he had a plethora of freckles, though he appeared more inviting right off the bat as he extended his empty hand toward her, keeping a firm grip on the horse's reins with his other. "Howdy! You must be Mikala."

"I am. You can call me that or Kala." She shook his hand, but her eyes strayed toward his daughter once more and she was enchanted all over again.

Kennedy walked up to the brown and black spotted horse and ran the backs of her knuckles along its snout. The animal dipped its head as her hand neared its nostrils and took in her scent, then tilted its head to the side as she gazed into its eyes in silence. Just what was passing between them and how could Mikala get it directed toward her? Kennedy tenderly smiled and hugged the horse's neck before it rested its head along her shoulder. It huffed into her hair a few times, then pulled back and just kept staring at her. Silently taking the reins from her father, Kennedy kept her gaze with the large animal and clicked her tongue.

As she began to lead the horse away toward a barn that was clear across the more developed part of the property, Kennedy peeked back over her shoulder toward Mikala. Through an arched brow that reeked of dread and sorrow, she gazed at her before she dipped her head and made a quick break for the barn. Mikala was speechless. She couldn't make sense of why Kennedy was behaving so peculiar, nor of the quick strides she made to practically run from her. A throat clearing from behind herself pulled her from her innermost thoughts and back to the real world, prompting her to spin around.