Country Girls Do It Better... Book 1 Of The Healing Through Horses Trilogy

Chapter 33

            Kate's p.o.v.

            "I'm going to go work Boomerang! See ya, Dad!" I called as I grabbed my coat off the rack by the door. I had no idea where he was, so I was hoping he heard me. 

            I had decided sometime last night to give Boomerang a little time to just be horse, instead of a champion barrel racer. My plan was to take her on a few trail rides, let her body relax. 

           It took longer than it should have to saddle her. She was moving all over the place, never standing still. A few times she even swung her head around and tried to bite me. She had spent so long with so much pressure on her, she was finally snapping. 

          Eventually, the cinch was tightened, and I had her quiet outside the barn. She began prancing worse than Ozzy, as soon as I mounted. Her nylon reins were pulling through my fingers as she threw her head around, leaving red marks on my palms. I sighed and tried loosening the reins for her, but she almost galloped away completely. 

           There were about three inches of snow on the ground already, and it looked like a big, fluffy cloud had fallen out of the sky. 

          I hoped to be able to enjoy a nice, quiet ride. I had hoped to be able to escape the stress of normal life for a little bit. Turns out, my wish would not be granted. Boomerang would not walk flat-footed, and she wouldn't stop throwing her head. 

           I followed the trail on the side of our driveway for awhile, hoping that just walking for awhile would calm her down. That didn't work. If anything, that just made her more antsy. 

           The weirdest thing was the feeling of foreboding that kept washing over me. I never really got nervous around horses anymore, but right now, I couldn't help but feel like something was wrong and Boomerang was going to go crazy and try to kill me. This feeling was so foreign to me that I just brushed it off as hunger. 

             I honestly didn't know what else to make of it. 

            I turned her off onto a different trail, heading towards the woods. I had ridden her this way a few times and she was fine, so what would be the difference with this time? 

            Theoretically, nothing. 

            In reality, everything. 

           She balked immediately when we came to the entrance of the forest, and wouldn't go any farther. I decided to try staying on the outside of the trees, and she if she would be okay that way. 

            She was only infinitesimally better. At least she let me move her forward. 

            And all the time, I couldn't shake the annoying feeling that something bad was coming. 

           With much difficulty, I slowed Boomerang to a stop and started rubbing her neck. She was already soaked with sweat, and her muscles were coiled like a sprinter's. 

          Suddenly, I heard a crack come from somewhere behind us. Boomerang sidestepped and began throwing her head around. I twisted in the saddle, trying to find the source of the noise. 

          Nothing was there. A few leaves blew across the path, but otherwise it was completely deserted. I furrowed my brows, but turned back around. 

          It all happened so fast, I didn't have time to even say anything. 

         There, coiled in the middle of the snow-covered path, was a rattlesnake. It's fangs were bared, and it's rattle was shaking. Boomerang whinnied, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. Without thinking twice, she turned and bolted into the woods. 

        I pulled back on the reins. I sat deep. I tried to talk her into stopping. But she wouldn't. 

        My mind was racing about a thousand miles an hour. Too late, I remembered that there was a pond just ahead. The ice was sturdy and strong by now, but going this fast, there was no way that Boomerang would be able to keep her footing. I couldn't afford to have a client's horse break it's leg. 

       "Woah, Boomerang! Woah!" I tried the reins again, but nothing happened. She was heading straight for the ice, and was not prepared to stop. I took my feet out of the stirrups in case I had to emergency dismount. But my left foot was stuck, and was not budging. 

       I realized what was going to happen the moment her front hooves touched the ice. 

       She wasn't expecting the slippery surface, and her legs gave out. 

        All I remember was the world tilting as she fell, and cracking my head against the ice. The last thing I heard, was her frantic, confused whinny as she fell on top of me. 

~~~UNEDITED

A/N: Hey guys!! I'm on time again!! I know, this chapter is short, but it's a bit of a cliffhanger... 

What did y'all think? 

What is going to happen? Is she going to be okay? 

Oh my word! So much is happening!! 

Well, I'm going to go and keep working on the next chapters and get those ready for you. Be sure to leave a vote and a comment! Also, if you find any grammatical mistakes in my writing, please respectfully bring it to my attention.I want do everything I can to make this a good book for you guys!