Winter in August

Chapter 4

I watch silently as Aunt Lucy struggles to get the new mare out of the trailer. About 15 minutes later she was still struggling and looked helplessly at me before the mare bucked and Aunt Lucy fell to the floor. Horrified I ran over to her and looked at the mare. She looked square into my eye and reared.

A bit of blood began to form by Aunt Lucy's arm and she looked pale. Rage filled my whole body and I looked dead into the mares eyes and grabbed the halter and lead rope from the floor. Adrenaline rushed through my veins as I walked over to the brown mare who was covered with red spots of blood.

With out thinking I squared up with her and waited for the right moment, She ducked her head, and right before she flew her massive head at me, I put the halter on her and clipped the lead line on.

She tossed her head around and backed up. Fear hidden behind her eyes, she reared. I held tightly to the rope and glanced back at Aunt Lucy. Her body was sprawled across the floor painfully.

I tugged the lead rope and forced the mare to the round pen. When she steps in I take her halter off and close the gate.

Glaring at her I run back to Aunt Lucy's pale body and pull my phone out to dial 911.

"Hello this is 911 what is your emergency?" A lady on the other side of the phone asks.

"Hello, my Aunt was knocked out by a mare when she reared while trying to unload her from our trailer."

I talk with her for a bit and gave her my address. A few agonizing minutes later, an ambulance drives up and Aunt Lucy is loaded in. I walk in beside her and watch her on the ride to the hospital.

When we arrive, she is taken to a room and I sit outside and wait as the doctors do their thing.

An hour later Aunt Lucy was awake and had a cast on. A little while later my best friend Kaylee picks us up in her white Chevy truck. On the way home I fill them both in on what happened after Aunt Lucy got knocked out.

After no time we arrive home and Kaylee helps me in the barn while Aunt Lucy goes inside to rest.

We start bringing the horses in from their pastures and are almost finished when a familiar scent fills my nose.

"Hey Tyler," I say. Kaylee looks at me with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll explain later." I turn to Tyler. "Can you get Tucker and put him in his stall?" I ask.

"Sure." He looks at me for a second before walking over to Tucker's pasture.

Kaylee gives me a stern look.

"Your house. Sleepover. Tonight. Spill."

I nod and look down in defeat. This would be a long night. I haven't talked about my past to anybody, besides Aunt Lucy. Now that I think about it though I have talked about it with Tyler. Weird. Tyler and not Kaylee.

I'm taken out of my thoughts when Kaylee slaps my shoulder.

"What?" I say, looking at where she is pointing,

"I don't see anything. All I see is Tyler taking Tucker to his stall. What's so different about that?"

Then it hits me.

"Ohhh, I totally forgot! Ya, this is definitely going to be a long night." Is all I say with a smile on my face as I watch Tucker obediently follow Tyler into the barn.

Kaylee looks so dumbfounded, it's really funny actually.

"Let's go inside so I can explain."

Tugging Kaylee's arm, we walk inside and to my room together where we both sit on my bed while I explain everything since the last time I saw her.