Page 129 of Finding Peace
Why is there a dead cow next to the barn?
What the hell happened?
My head spins as my brain registers the absence of a familiar sound.
“Lucy?” I yell.
Nothing.
Lawson said earlier that she was staying close to the house today since they didn’t want to stress out the bottle calves while introducing them to the rest of the herd. And yet, I don’t hear her anywhere.
She’s never quiet, and I can almost never be out here without her at my feet if she’s not working.
“Lucy!” I call louder.Not a sound.“Lucy girl!” I let out a whistle. “Come!”
The dead cow sits beside the barn like proof that something terrible has happened.
What if Grayson came?
What if Keller was desperate enough to send him and Victor here in the middle of the day?
My breathing starts coming faster as I spin in circles in the middle of the driveway, scanning the house, the barn, the open pasture.
“Lucy!” My voice cracks this time as her name comes out as almost a broken-sob.
Still no bark.
Still nothing.
My chest tightens painfully.No. Not again.Air rushes in and out of my lungs in quick, shallow bursts. The gravel shifts under my boots as panic claws up my throat.
What if they’re here somewhere?
What if they hurt someone?
What if—
I bend forward suddenly, hands braced on my knees. “Lu—”
Her name won’t come out anymore.
My lungs feel too small.
My head spins.
Shit. This feels just like when Beau broke that damn mug when I first moved here. I’m having a panic attack.
Footsteps suddenly thunder from inside the barn. “Abbie!”
Lincoln bursts through the open barn doors and across the driveway at a full sprint.
Lucy is right on his heels.
The sight of her barely registers through the haze of panic squeezing my chest.
Lincoln skids to a stop in front of me and drops down immediately, his hands gripping my arms. “Hey—hey—what’s wrong?”
I try to answer. I really do. But nothing comes out.
