Sharon Dunn - Top Secret Identity

Josh looked directly at Morgan. “You haven’t said anything to anyone, have you?”

Morgan grew nervous, remembering how Alex had pressed her for details about her past. “No, I haven’t let anything slip.”

Serena glanced at the children in the class and the surrounding buildings. “Do you like it here, Morgan?”

“I do. I love it.” She’d hate having to leave. “It reminds me of where I grew up. It’s just that there are children here, and I wouldn’t want them being hurt at my expense.” Or Alex.

“Morgan, we’ll do everything to ensure you’re safe here.” Serena’s gaze was unwavering. “For today, we’ll stay in the area until we can clear this up.”

“We can check with local authorities. Find out if any other properties had prowlers. If it was teenagers, they might have decided to make a night of it,” said Josh as they headed out of the stall. “Call Brendan if you’re worried.

Serena and Josh headed back toward their car.

She listened to their footsteps fade as she turned her attention back to the class.

“Looks like the therapy riding class is going fine.” Alex had come up behind her without her noticing.

Again she looked at the student riders being led around the arena. “Yes, they seem to be doing pretty good. I haven’t had to jump in at all.”

“It’s pretty self-regulating once you get it started.” He studied her for a moment. “Who were those people you were talking to?”

Morgan turned away from Alex, gripping the top of the fence for support. “They were friends from Des Moines.” She squeezed her eyes shut, hating herself for lying.

“Maybe they could come out riding sometime.”

“Yes, that would be nice.” Her stomach coiled into tight knots.

“Listen, I’ve got a kid who’s going to come and help you with some of the manual labor a few days after school and on weekends. He’s worked for me for almost a year. Craig has some issues but he’s a hard worker, and I feel he deserves a chance. His father has had his share of heartbreak, most of them due to a drinking problem.”

In that moment she saw Alex’s heart. He wanted to give a troubled kid something better than what he had. “Everyone deserves a chance.” She turned her attention back to the class.

“I’m not throwing too much at you at once, am I? You seem distracted,” Alex said.

Richie had a big grin on his face as he rode George around the arena. The sun warmed her skin. She did like it here. It would be a shame to have to leave. She looked into Alex’s brown eyes. “No, Alex, you’re doing fine. I’m sorry if I’m not focusing like I should.”

Morgan looked out at the parking lot where Josh and Serena had just pulled out. Another slow-moving car went by on the road. At first, she thought the car was going to pull into the lot. Instead, it eased past.

The hair on the back of her neck electrified and she felt a chill that had nothing to do with the temperature of the air. Why was the driver going so slowly? What was he looking for?

Alex touched her upper arm. “Something wrong?”

She shook her head, remembering Serena’s reassurance. “It’s nothing.”

“Good then. Craig should be here later this afternoon.”

“I’m looking forward to meeting him,” Morgan said.

“Tomorrow I’m going to the Waverly horse sale. I have funds to purchase another therapy horse. I’d value your opinion on picking one out.”

A horse sale meant crowds. And Waverly was one of the biggest in the Midwest. Even she had heard of it. “Isn’t there work to do around here?”

“No classes scheduled. We’ll get the horses squared away in the morning and head out.”

“Okay.” Her response sounded halfhearted. She might not even be here tomorrow.

“After you’re done with the class, there are some horses that need to be exercised. We try to make sure the boarded horses get out at least every other day. There’s a roster posted in the stable that shows when each horse was last exercised.”

Fear danced at the corners of her mind. She didn’t like the idea of riding alone when the marshals still hadn’t cleared up who the late-night prowlers were. “I suppose I can do that.”

Alex stepped toward her, concern etched on his face. “Are you sure everything is all right?”

She’d have to get beyond her own fear if she was going to do this job even if it was just for another day. “No, I’m fine.” And she’d have to learn to stuff her emotions a little better. Alex was way too tuned in to what she was feeling even when she tried to hide it.

Alex turned to go. She watched him amble back to the guesthouse.

Feeling uneasy, she returned to the class to help the students finish up and take the horses back to the stable to remove the saddles. She worked in the stable with no sign of Craig or word from the marshals. Alex had hired her to do a job.

Despite her fears, Morgan saddled up one of the boarded horses that needed to be exercised and headed for the trails that surrounded the property. The irony wasn’t lost on her that the horse she chose to ride was named Anxious Heart.

She could see a trail that looked like it led in a wide arc around the property with very little brush to obscure her view of the stable and outbuildings. She’d be able to see someone coming toward her from a long way off. She’d have time to get back to relative safety of the stable and other people.

She started Anxious off at a light canter. Sensing that the horse wanted to go faster, she pushed him into a gallop that turned into a hard run. The harder she pushed the horse, the faster he went.

She glanced side to side. She was the only one out here. Gradually, her anxiety subsided.

Out here in the quiet with only the steady rhythm of the horse’s hooves, she could forget herself. She could convince herself that the faster she rode, the further her trouble would be away from her. She could outrun the loss and the fear.

Anxious showed signs of tiring. Morgan let up on the reins and sat up straighter in the saddle. A light rain sprinkled from the sky when she turned onto the trail that led back to the stables. A calm washed over her that made her think she could make it through the rest of the day while she waited to see if the marshals would relocate her.

When she led Anxious Heart through the open door of the stable, she spotted a teenage boy hammering a nail into a loose board on a stall gate.

“You must be Craig.”

“Yup.” The boy didn’t stop working. He was a tall, thin kid with hair that was blond on top and black on the bottom. He looked to be about fourteen.

Morgan walked toward him. “Alex probably told you. I’m Morgan.”

Craig stalked across the floor and picked up a bucket. When he finally looked at her, she saw hostility in his eyes.

The response took her aback. Alex had said that Craig had some issues. She decided not to do anything to feed his bad mood, whatever it was about. “Well, it looks like you know what you’re doing. Alex said you’ve worked here awhile.”

Craig let go of the bucket, causing it to clatter when it hit the dirt floor. “I’ve been doing this job for eight months now.”

His anger toward her was off-putting, but she refused to play into it. Her response was soft. “That’s wonderful. You’ll probably be able to teach me a few things.”

Craig drew his mouth into a tight line and wrinkled his nose. He leaned over, picked up the bucket and stomped off toward the other end of the stable.

Morgan led Anxious Heart into his stall, pulled his saddle off and started his rubdown. In light of everything she was dealing with, she could handle one ornery teenager. A few minutes later, Craig left the stable without explanation. Morgan finished getting Anxious Heart settled in and walked toward the entrance of the stable, taking the time to stroke the noses of the horses who wanted the attention.