The Color Of Courage. Patricia Davids

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СКАЧАТЬ That will be all, Sergeant. Dismiss the detail.” Captain Watson stepped back from the horses.

      Lindsey saluted, dismissed the men and then let the overwhelming happiness sink in. Being asked to participate in the Inaugural parade was an incredible honor. She might be the one bearing the flag, but she would be carrying it for her brother. Giddy with delight, she headed for the stables. This was one phone call she couldn’t wait to make.

      Early Saturday afternoon, Brian Cutter walked along the edge of the Kansas State University football field in Manhattan, Kansas, leaning heavily on his cane. Halftime activities for the first home game of the year were well underway. The energetic shouts of cheerleaders dressed in purple and white, the noise from thousands of fans and the blare of the band was almost deafening. But Brian had his eye on a group of halftime performers who seemed unfazed by the clamor.

      Beneath the goalposts at the north end of the field, six horses stood quietly waiting for their riders. The matching bays all sported dark blue blankets and McClellan Cavalry saddles.

      He had watched them being unloaded behind the stadium and something in the third horse’s gait had caught his attention. The gelding’s walk wasn’t quite right. Maybe it was nothing more than a bruise from the trailer ride, but he wanted to make sure the horse’s rider was aware of what he’d seen. Until the horse was examined, it shouldn’t be ridden.

      The riders were out now and preparing to mount. Brian tried to hurry, but his bad leg was aching again. He didn’t need a weatherman to tell him a cold front was moving in. Sharp pain shot through his hip and forced him to rely more heavily on his cane, making him feel much older than his thirty-two years. He arrived at the temporary picket line just as a young woman dressed in Civil War military garb was checking her saddle and girth.

      “Excuse me, miss. I need a word with you.” Brian knew he sounded curt and short of breath. She turned her attention on him and whatever he had intended to say flew out of his mind the way a yearling bolts out the barn door and into a summertime pasture.

      She was a stunning woman. Even dressed in men’s clothing did little to hide her feminine figure. The round, flat-topped soldier’s cap with its short bill sat atop a mass of thick, auburn curls, but it was her eyes that captured his attention. An unusual color of silver green, they reminded him of the springtime quaking aspen near his Montana childhood home. A sprinkling of freckles dusted her cheeks and nose. Her lips were full and parted in a sweet smile.

      “Yes?” she prompted. Something in her wide smile reminded him of Emily.

      He pushed the ridiculous idea aside. His deceased wife and this woman didn’t look alike at all.

      The female soldier glanced to where the other members of the group were forming up. “You said you needed a word with me? I’m about to go on. Can you make it quick?” Her tone was polite but dismissive. He found himself irritated with her attitude.

      “Your horse is lame. You shouldn’t be riding him until someone looks at his right front leg.”

      She frowned, as if deciding whether or not to take him seriously. “Dakota seems fine to me.”

      To her credit, she walked around the animal and ran her hand down the horse’s leg, then led him a few steps to observe him before giving Brian a frosty smile. “I don’t see a problem.”

      “I saw it when he got off the trailer.”

      She swung up into the saddle with ease. Looking down at him, she managed a smile that wasn’t quite polite. “We just finished a fifteen-minute warm-up. He’s fine, honest. I’m sorry, but my men are waiting on me.”

      “You’re doing the animal a disservice. You should pull him out of this exhibition until he can be examined.”

      “Thank you for your concern, but I know this horse better than anyone. If he were having trouble, I’d be the first to notice.”

      He stepped forward and laid a hand on the horse’s bridle. “I’m a vet. I get paid to notice when an animal isn’t moving right.”

      From the corner of her eye, Lindsey saw that several of the support men from her unit who weren’t riding had begun to move toward her. If this guy didn’t back off, he might find himself in a lot of trouble. A scene was the last thing she wanted. A big part of the CGMCG’s mission was public relations.

      “That may be true, but you aren’t our vet. Thank you for your concern. Excuse me, I have to go.”

      “Suit yourself, but you’ll only make him more lame. When he’s limping tomorrow, remember that I told you so.” He stepped aside to let her ride out and join her group.

      Lindsey cast a look back at the rude man who seemed to think he had some say in what she did. He was a little above medium height and slender, but not skinny. His gray eyes were piercing and a perfect match to the leaden sky overhead. Nicely dressed in a gray tweed sport coat over a blue button-down oxford shirt and gray slacks, he wasn’t a bad-looking guy. She might even have said he was kind of cute except for his personality. Arrogant wasn’t a strong enough word to describe him.

      Dismissing the man’s brusque words, Lindsey forced herself to concentrate as the unit lined up for their first maneuver. Today they would begin the exhibition by riding two by two and taking four low hurdles as a column while their bugler blew “To the Gallop.” It was a sure crowd-pleaser.

      Lindsey patted Dakota’s neck while they waited. They were the first horse and rider in a line of three. During his warm-up, he hadn’t seemed as eager as usual, but they had been training hard the past few days and they were both tired. Still, he certainly hadn’t been favoring either front leg.

      “We’ll take a few days’ rest after today, fella. How does that sound?”

      Actually, it sounded like a really good idea. She hadn’t realized how tired she was until her conversation with the grumpy guy.

      She glanced back once more. He was watching her from the picket line. The wind blew his shaggy blond hair this way and that. The frown on his face made him look intimidating. He was rubbing his right thigh until he saw her looking. He stopped and straightened. Still scowling, he walked down the sidelines in front of the stands. She couldn’t help wondering why he needed the cane. Was it a recent injury?

      Perhaps the last woman he had tried to bully had kicked him in the shin. The image made Lindsey smile until she realized how unkind it was. The man had only been trying to help.

      Beside them, the bugle sounded and Lindsey leaned forward as they began at a walk, then advanced to a trot and then into a gallop down the football field. Making a turn in tight formation, the horses thundered toward a row of jumps set up on the fifty yard line. As they approached the first obstacle, she felt Dakota hesitate then jump off stride. With another horse close behind them, there was no room for error.

      Something was wrong. Before she could pull out of line they were on the second jump. Dakota launched forward, and she relaxed. This jump was good. He was fine.

      Only he wasn’t. His knees buckled when his front feet hit the ground. He fell, catapulting her forward. Lindsey threw out her arms and tried to kick free of the stirrups. She had an instant to breathe a prayer for help before she felt the impact of her body hitting the ground, followed by Dakota’s weight rolling over her.

      Chapter Two

      Brian СКАЧАТЬ