He was suppose to protect his heart, not lose his own...
Callen has always had a stoke of luck with everything. The ladies to his missions, he succeeded in them all.
But all Callens luck strikes out, Literally...
When a daring mission cost his life...
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"Are you alright?"
Elizabeth lay still for a long second, the breath knocked out of her from the collision with the ground. She sucked in some air, her mind refusing to comprehend the blessed relief of immobility. Never mind that she'd just tumbled from a horse galloping at full tilt. She'd fall off a hundred horses if it meant not having to ride a single one ever again.
"Miss Wilder?"
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Slowly, she opened her eyes. A dark shape stood silhouetted against a star-infested sky, nearby trees even bigger blobs against the horizon. Tall, tall grass rose on either side of her. The smell of green blades filled her nostrils, almost as heady and rich as Mr. Dawson himself.
"I'm fine," she finally managed to say.
"Good," he grunted, turning away.
Elizabeth's heart plummeted. No soft words? No helping hand?
Squelching the sharp stab of disappointment that a gentleman could dislike her so intensely after knowing her for less than an hour, she pushed herself to her feet. But all her disgruntlement faded when she spied the white horse on the ground some ten feet away.
"What happened?" she gasped.
"He's dead."
Elizabeth mouth flopped open like a castle drawbridge.
"Luckily, he staggered off the road before dropping to the ground."
"Luckily?" she exclaimed. "You call that good fortune? Your horse is dead."
She could see the silhouette of Callen's big shoulders shrug. She would wager the next county could see his big shoulders shrug.
"Shit happens sometimes," he said.
She looked down at the horse. Poor, poor beast, she thought. To die while carrying them to safety. What a valiant animal. She might hate horses, but this had been an outstanding equine beast.
"We need to bury it," she announced.
Silence. An insect buzzed by her face.
"At the very least we need to offer a prayer up to heaven for its safe passing."
