“Yes, she still is. You’ve waited for us, haven’t you, my pretty Snowball?”
Snow lifted her head and eyed them both before laying her head back down on a pillow of straw.
Katie took off her jacket and entered the stall, laying the jacket on the straw beside the mare. “Do you mind?” she asked Luke.
“Not at all,” he said, doing the same with his jacket.
They lowered down and sat on the jackets next to Snow.
“Hey, girl. I’m here,” she whispered in her ear. “You don’t have to do this alone.” Katie laid her hand on Snow’s mane and used the gentlest touch to comfort her. “I know you’re struggling to breathe. Just stay calm. I’m here.”
Luke stroked Snow’s flank and whistled a soft, mellow tune. He was actually pretty good and not only did the whistling relax the mare, it soothed Katie’s nerves as well.
“That’s nice,” she said, closing her eyes. “How did you learn to do that?”
“A buddy of mine taught me when I was overseas.”
Katie opened her eyes. “When you were in Afghanistan?”
He nodded. “We had time to kill when we weren’t on active duty. You know, something to fill the void from being away from home.”
“Must’ve been hard.”
“It wasn’t a walk in the park,” he said.
“Yet you signed up for it. When you had family here and a multimillion-dollar company to run. You didn’t have to enlist.”
“I felt like I did. I think the time away helped.”
“Are you talking about my sister now?”
He nodded. “I never meant to hurt her. I know she hates me, but a lot of time has passed since we broke up.”
“You mean, since you walked out on her? Humiliated her?”
“Yeah,” he said, frowning. “If that’s the way you want to put it.”
“It’s just that my family trusted you,” she said, stroking Snow’s mane. Luke hadn’t stopped his caresses either. “And your decision sort of came out of left field.”
“What can I say that I haven’t already?”
Katie was at odds with her feelings. She wanted to support Shelly and their mom, but Luke had a point. He couldn’t marry a woman he didn’t love. It was just too bad he’d come to that conclusion right before the wedding was to take place.
“I know they hate me, Katie. But do you?”
The question took her completely off guard. “Hate’s a strong word.”
“So you don’t?”
“Let’s just say I hate how things played out.”
Luke nodded. “Fair enough.”
“Speaking about the way things played out, any news from your attorney about our dilemma?”
Luke frowned. “No.”
She drew a deep breath. “Too much to hope, I guess.”
Snow became agitated, moving around on her bed of straw.
“I think you need to keep whistling,” Katie said. “It really does help her.”
Luke put his lips together again and the melodic sounds filled the barn. Soon, Snow calmed and her breaths came more evenly.
Afternoon gave way to evening, and the ole girl hung on. Snow’s eyes were closed now, her breathing more labored. “That’s my girl, Snow. Ease over the bridge now. You’ll be in a better place soon.” Katie bent to kiss her and stroked up and down her nose.
Luke took a break from whistling. “I remember when I first spotted her. She was covered with sores and bruises, yet she had soulful eyes. They were filled with such life, such hope.”
“I was appalled at the way she’d been treated. For heaven’s sake, the poor thing didn’t have a name,” Katie said.
“Yeah, I remember. Her coat was black underneath the dirt, and that circle of white on her forehead right smack between her ears couldn’t be missed. It looked like she’d been struck by a fat snowball.”
“And I named her Snowball.”
“I named her Snowball,” Luke said, raising his voice an octave.
She smiled, seeing the feigned indignation on his face. In truth, she didn’t know who’d said it first, but they’d agreed on the name. “Okay, maybe we both named her Snowball.”
Luke smiled, too. “I think that’s the way it happened. Finally, we agree on something.”
Katie liked this Luke, the one who showed compassion. A man who could laugh at himself and not put on airs. He was a zillionaire, yet he never seemed to flaunt it. “It’s the magic of Snow. She’s…”
They both gazed down at the mare. She was still. No longer breathing. “Oh no.”
Katie looked at Luke as both their smiles faded. The mare had taken her last breath as they were conversing. Snow had heard them, recognized their voices and felt at peace enough to slip away without struggle.
Tears stung Katie’s eyes.
Luke, too, was pinching the inner corners of his eyes.
“She’s g-gone.”
“She is,” he said. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her in close. “But she went knowing she was loved.”
Katie couldn’t hold back any longer. She nodded, bobbing her head as the truth of his words sank in. She wept quietly and turned to Luke, her tears running down her cheeks and soaking his shirt.
“It’s okay, Katie. Don’t cry, sweetheart.”
“I knew this day would come, but I didn’t think it would be so soon. I thought we’d have more time with her.”
She had never owned a pet. She’d never had an animal to care for, to nurture and love, until she’d started working at the rescue. She loved all the horses here; they all had a story. But for some reason Snow was special. She’d touched Katie’s heart and they’d shared a deep connection, a bond that she didn’t have with any of the others. Katie had taken it as a personal challenge to make Snow’s days comfortable.
Luke clearly felt the same way. His eyes moist, his expression sad, he couldn’t mask his sorrow either. He brushed his lips across her forehead. She needed his warmth right now, his strength.
“There’s nothing more we can do.” His voice was shaky and he seemed reluctant to release her, to let go of the bond they’d shared. “We should go.”
She nodded, wiping her face with the back of her hand and then attempting to pat his shirt dry from her tears. “Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said softly.
“I hate to leave her.”
“I’ll let Wes know she’s gone. He’ll take good care of her from now on.”
It was hard to let go. To say goodbye.
Luke rose and helped her up, entwining their hands. “Ready?”
“I think so.” She glanced at poor Snow one last time, her heart breaking.
Luke picked up the jackets and brushed the straw off them. “Put this on. It’ll be cold outside.”
He gave the fallen horse one last glance, too, a look filled with sadness and regret as he grabbed a woolen blanket from the stall post and covered her body.
Katie