Early the following Wednesday morning, Ashley stood in her bathroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror, wondering if others thought she looked any different. She felt so different on the inside that she wanted others to see it. She hoped they could. Sadly, neither her mom nor brother had noticed a change. Not so far, anyway. But then, Dylan had only seen her on the other side of plexiglass in a less-than-congenial setting, and the lunch with her mom on Monday had been brief because of an appointment.
“But I want them to see it,” she whispered. “I want them to see how God’s set me free.”
Each morning it seemed that she awoke with a little more hope and a little more joy and a lot more freedom.
Her phone pinged, letting her know she had a text message. It was from a guy she knew in the rescue network.
Eddie Walker: Urgent. Need help with horses. Owyhee County. Can u come with trailer?
She knew without asking that Ben would say yes, but she dialed him quickly.
“Hey, Ashley.”
“Sorry to call you so early. I’m needed for a rescue. I might not be to the barn for several hours. Maybe not until this afternoon. Is that okay?”
“Of course it is. Do you need me to come along?”
She would have loved for him to come along. She treasured the time she spent with him. She treasured it more with each passing day. But she also knew he had another commitment that morning with a counselor. “No, I can manage. I won’t be alone. Whatever’s going on, we can handle it.”
“Call me if that changes.”
“I will.”
After ending the call, she smiled, enjoying the feeling that had flowed through her at the sound of his voice. Then her eyes widened. She’d been thinking that she awoke each day with a little more hope. Suddenly she realized what she hoped for. She hoped for Ben. She hoped for a future with him. She wanted to call him back, to tell him what she’d discovered, but she couldn’t. It would have to wait. According to Eddie, the situation was urgent.
She replied to the text and soon learned her destination. Then she rushed through her morning chores, hooked the trailer to her pickup, and headed south, her dogs riding shotgun.
It took better than an hour to reach the location. The ranch, if it could be called that, was rundown. Sun-bleached buildings tilted to the side, fencing ready to topple in many places. A sign near the highway advertised “Horse Training.” If what Ashley found there was “training,” she would eat her hat. Someone had been using a whip on the horses without mercy.
“Is the guy responsible in jail?” she asked Eddie as the two of them stood at the corral fence.
“I’d like to think so. But probably it’ll just be a fine.”
An unrelenting, cold wind whistled across the sagebrush-covered desert, sending dust devils churning across the land.
Ashley turned up the collar of her coat. “So does he own these horses?”
“Not these five.” Eddie pointed. “They’re the ones we’re taking with us. And I hope their owners sue the heck out of this jerk. I’d do worse to him if I got my hands on him.”
She nodded, strong emotions making it hard to speak.
“I’m taking three with me,” Eddie continued. “Those two, the big bays, they’re going with you. The owner said they’re yours to do with as you please. You can keep or sell as long as they don’t go to a kill pen. But they’re ruined for what the owner intended, and he would never be able to sell them the way they are now.”
“Ruined?”
“You’ll see. Scared of their own shadows. Not sure anybody will ever be able to ride them again. And don’t make any sudden moves. They spook easy. May not be much fun to get them into the trailers.”
Eddie was right. It wasn’t fun. It took over an hour to coax the five frightened horses into the two trailers. By the time they were ready to pull out of the depressing place, Ashley was chilled to the bone.
Eddie stuck an arm out the window of his truck to wave goodbye as he turned right onto the highway. Ashley waved back, prepared to turn left. But she decided to send a quick text to Ben before beginning the long drive back to the farm.
Ashley: Starting drive back. Should be there around 11:30. Bringing two horses with me.
After hitting Send, she dropped the phone into the console, checked the deserted highway for traffic, and turned left. The wind pushed against the truck with full force, and she felt the two horses dance nervously in the trailer. One of them whinnied its complaint.
“Easy, boys. It’ll be better once you’re to your new home.”
She reached for the knob on the radio, hoping to find some music to drown out the lonely whistle of the wind. Mostly she found static. With a sigh, she settled for silence. Another wind gust hit the truck and trailer, and she tightened her grip on the steering wheel. One of the dogs whimpered.
“Have a little faith, fellas.” She glanced to see which one had made the sound.
As her gaze returned to the road, she saw a porcupine waddle into her lane. She cringed, certain she would hit it. But instead of the thunk of a small body colliding with a tire, she felt an even stronger gust of wind push the truck and trailer sideways. Panic rose in her chest as she fought to keep the truck upright. In the next instant, they seemed to be airborne, the seat belt cutting into her chest and shoulder. A grinding sound roared in her ears, then pain exploded in her head before blackness overtook her.
* * *
As soon as Ben received Ashley’s text message, he moved horses around so that the new arrivals would have a paddock to themselves. He put hay in the wheelbarrow, although he kept it outside the pasture, not sure if the horses should eat right away or not. That would be up to Ashley.
Since she’d gotten such an early start, Ben knew she would be hungry when she arrived at the farm. Normally she brought her own sack lunch and most always ate it in her office. But even if she’d remembered to pack a lunch that morning, he decided she was going to eat something hot and filling. He wouldn’t take no for an answer today.
At eleven thirty, he had soup on the stove and toasted French bread warm in the oven. It was still there at noon with no sign of Ashley. After another fifteen minutes, he texted her, asking for her ETA. No answer. Which, if she was driving, was for the best.
By twelve thirty, he’d grown anxious. He called her phone, but it went to voice mail.
At the tone, he said, “Ashley, it’s Ben. Just wondering when you thought you’d be here. It’s already twelve thirty. Give me a call. Okay?”
* * *
Ashley stretched her arm as far as possible, but she couldn’t reach her phone. It lay against the passenger door, quiet now. It had turned in circles when it buzzed from an incoming call.
With a groan, she touched the top of her head. The pain seemed worse, even though the flow of blood had stopped. Her hair and scalp were sticky now. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been there or how many times she’d wafted in and out of consciousness.
From what she could tell, the truck was on its side in a ravine. Her seat belt had held her in place so she hadn’t fallen to the other side of the cab, but it was also her seat belt that continued to hold her captive. She was unable to reach the buckle with her right hand, and to complicate things, her left arm had been injured. There was no strength in it. Not even enough to move it.
Speed and Jack both seemed to be okay. Banged up a bit, perhaps, but able to move about. Jack had stayed in the cab with her, but at some point, Speed had crawled out through the now missing back window. The wind whistled through the opening, and she shivered, feeling the chill. Miraculously, the horse trailer was upright—she could turn her head enough to see that—and the two horses inside were quiet for now. All she could do was pray they were unharmed. As if they hadn’t been through enough already.
“God, help us,” she moaned as her eyes drifted closed once again.