Read Pippa's Rescue for Free Online

and hay. Brooke stood in the stall beside him. She held a brush, but didn’t appear to be using it. Instead, she seemed to be simply admiring the view.
    Basil paused and wiped a bead of sweat from his neck. “Where do we get the food for these beasts?”
    She stayed to the shadows, but got an impression he knew she was there. A strange connection existed between them and she didn’t want to pursue it—or did she?
    He didn’t look up when she accidently tapped the wall. Basil would stay focused on finding her brother because that was the Marine way— Semper Fidelis . David had deviated from good to bad, but what had prompted the change? She rubbed her forehead as a new thought occurred. Had her cause put too much strain on him, driving him to illegal measures to get money to keep the ranch going? She pushed that idea aside. Her brother had never been interested in the ranch or the horses. Apparently the Marine Corps took second place to David’s love of money.
    “You okay?” Basil asked Brooke when she didn’t answer his question immediately.
    “Yes. The food is mostly donated. The farrier said the horses have thicker hooves after eating Healthy Edge. I can’t remember who makes it, but I’m going to recommend Pippa try and get more from the company.” As if roused from a reverie, Brooke slid the brush down the black, shiny coat of a stabled mare.
    Pippa ducked behind Rock Star when Basil moved to fill the bucket, and stayed behind a stall wall as he entered the next one. She wasn’t hiding, just doing a check on the new guy to see if he fulfilled his duties, and while eavesdropping was abhorrent, curiosity as to why he didn’t badger her, trying to get information regarding David, grew stronger.
    Basil had spent two nights in the house. Mattie had cleaned the rooms this morning and stated nothing appeared out of place. Had Basil lost interest in finding her brother?
    “Hey, Brooke, that first day Pippa mentioned she had a sister. Where is she?”
    One more stall and he’d be near Rock Star’s, where she hid. She’d have to sneak out or get caught in the act of eavesdropping. This was the very reason why she didn’t do things outside the box: she always got caught.
    “I’ve never seen a sister. Only Dave,” Brooke replied.
    “When was the last time you saw Dave?”
    The slurp scrap of her brush stopped. Although she couldn’t see Brooke, Pippa imagined she stopped to take a break and was leaning on the stall wall. “Last summer.”
    ****
    “Is this the horse that Pippa rode around the corral when I first arrived?” Basil walked beside the animal, carrying a bucket filled with a gold-colored food.
    “Watch him,” Brooke tersely warned.
    The horse shied. Food fell to the floor. Basil bent to pick it up. A heavy pungent mass broadsided him before the equine’s hindquarters flattened him against the stall wall. Knocked off balance, his head hit the trim along the top of the partition. “Shit.”
    Unsteady, he stumbled from the stall and crouched. Two sets of booted feet appeared in his hazy vision. Bile rose to his throat and his head ached like a crowbar pounded on top. Behind him, he heard the horse snorting as he no doubt gobbled the feed scattered across the floor.
    “Have you forgotten to make a wide circle when walking behind a horse?”
    Feminine laughter vibrated through the hammering between his ears. He cautiously lifted his aching head. Pippa fumbled inside the medical belt pack she always wore around her small waist when they were outside. Lights radiated from her.
    Brooke kneeled to his side and stared. “Are you all right?”
    “Yeah, stop laughing. I’m not finding humor in this. My head hurts like hell.” He closed his eyes as laughter turned to giggles. He swallowed the bile, forcing it back into his stomach.
    “No one’s laughing.” Pippa’s fingers pried around the spot. “You’ve a bump.” She tore open something with alcohol. By the scent, it was a Prep packet. He