Sharon Dunn - Top Secret Identity

At least Alex seemed to finally understand that she didn’t want to talk about the past. The marshals had suggested that she create a new background in addition to having a new name. She couldn’t bring herself to live with that much falsehood. When she had first moved to Des Moines, she thought the best strategy would be to keep her distance from everyone. But then an intense loneliness had set in.

Here at The Stables, working with the children and the horses alleviated the loneliness and loss of purpose. Alex was the only one who had asked any probing questions.

Bluebell whinnied from her stall. “You’re raring to go, aren’t you?” She retrieved the horse’s bridle and slipped it over Bluebell’s head. The horse stretched her neck over the stall gate, and Morgan stroked her nose and neck.

Bluebell jerked her head back violently and shifted her weight from side to side. The metal of her bridle clinked with each head thrust. Several other horses stirred in their stalls. A thumping noise came from the loft. Morgan lifted her head. She smelled smoke. She sprinted toward the door, searching for the source of the fire.

Bluebell reared and kicked the gate of her stall. Frantic, Morgan opened the door. There was no fire outside. The smell of the smoke was much more intense inside. Her gaze traveled upward toward the loft, where smoke billowed out. Grabbing a wool saddle blanket, she climbed up the ladder. The fire was small but spreading quickly, fueled by the hay spread across the floor.

She placed the blanket over the flames, smothering them. She coughed as the smoke grew thicker. Pressing her forearm over her mouth, she whirled around. The flames had jumped to a straw bale. She could feel herself growing lightheaded as she picked up the wool blanket and stumbled toward the spreading flames.

Down below, wood splintered as Bluebell crashed through her stall. Heavy smoke surrounded Morgan. She coughed, struggling to beat back the flames. She felt dizzy as she swayed and slumped to the floor of the loft.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.