Kate Sherwood - Dark Horse 02 - Out of the Darkness Read Online Free PDF Page A

Sunshine is anything but sore, and he’s remembered how much he loves horses.
    It’s not until he’s almost to the fence that he realizes that he’d had an audience. Robyn and Tat are standing by the railing, and Evan and Jeff are a little further back toward the barn, but they’re all turned toward the field, watching him messing around instead of worrying about Tat. Great. On the plus side, if Tat is standing there, she must be okay.
He heads over to where she’s waiting, and as he gets closer, he sees her huge smile.
    “That was incredible, Dan! Did you see how fast she went? And when she was racing with you—it’s like she was letting you win for a bit!”
    “Yeah, for a bit. But I’ve never managed to outrun a horse yet.” He gives her a quick once-over. Her arm’s in a sling, but the rest of her looks okay. “How’d it go with you?”
She makes a face. “Broken collarbone. They said I have to wear the sling for at least four weeks, and no riding!”
    He nods. “Yeah, that sucks. But it gives you some time to catch up on your theory, at least…. I’ve got some books you can borrow, or maybe we could make a list, see what you can find to buy.” He’s making a bit of a leap of faith here, assuming that Evan isn’t going to get scared off the horses entirely, but he feels like it’s justified. He’s got to say something to cheer her up. And maybe if he pretends that nothing’s wrong, it will all go away.
    Tat nods, and then goes back to telling Robyn about the colors she’s thought up for the barn. Dan is a bit afraid to hear about those, so he ducks through the fence and heads up toward Jeff and Evan. He might as well get it over with.
    Jeff smiles at him as he approaches, but Evan’s expression is harder to read. “I guess she didn’t get hurt, huh?” Jeff says, nodding to the field.
    “No, she seems fine. She clipped her back feet, so I’ll check her tomorrow to be sure no lameness comes on overnight, but I think she’s good.” Dan tries to talk to Evan as well as Jeff. She’s Evan’s horse, after all, even if Jeff is the one who knows about the animals.
    Jeff nods and then glances at Evan. “Well, I promised Tat I’d take her in for ice cream this afternoon. So maybe I’ll do that now. Unless you guys want to come?”
Dan says, “No, thanks. I’ve got work to do.”
    Evan just shakes his head, and Jeff shrugs and walks down to collect Tat. He seems nonchalant, but Dan sees his worried glance as he and Tat turn and head for the car. Jeff and Evan have been together for years, so if Jeff’s worried, Dan figures there’s something to be concerned about.
    Evan’s still not talking, and Dan decides he might as well bite the bullet. “So, uh… I’m sorry. I’m really glad Tat’s okay. I mean… not okay, exactly. But… she will be… and, uh… at the doctor’s, that was… that was my fault, I just….”
    Evan stares at him and then shakes his head. “Shit, Dan.” He looks down at the ground, and then back up. “You need to…. Okay, it’s not my place to tell you what you need.” He takes a moment to think. “But… It’s okay….” He stops again. “Fuck. Okay. I’m an asshole. I was worried, and I was stupid, and I’m sorry.”
    That’s not quite what Dan was expecting. “Uh. No, wait. You weren’t stupid, you were mad because I let Tat get hurt. I mean, she’s your sister, and I was supposed to take care of her, and I didn’t.”
    Evan smiles a little ruefully. “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking at the time.” He shakes his head. “When I was being stupid.” He casts his eyes down and then looks up at Dan earnestly. “It’s a dangerous sport. I knew that. I mean….” He looks a little unsure, then goes ahead. “I knew about Justin before I even met you, you know? So me acting like it’s some big shock…. I mean, yeah, it was a shock that Tat got hurt. I guess I always sort of thought, you know… you were being so careful. I thought you knew