She felt a chilling wave of nausea and told herself not to panic,
that he was around here somewhere and tending to some last-minute
things.
Rounding the house, she wagged her finger at the driver again and
bolted for the barn, her raincoat whipping in the wind.
Maybe he was at Jennifer's house, she considered, saying good-bye
to his former employer. She would check that after she searched
the stable. Or was he with Mighty Boy? Yes, that was probably it.
He was probably saying good-bye to Mighty Boy for her, so kind of
him, because he knew that she could not face saying good-bye
herself because they were unable to transfer the animal to their
ranch.
She heaved the stable door open with a grunt and raced down the
center of the long and dark dirt throughway, shouting out
Jean-Pierre's name. As she neared the end, Mighty Boy whinnied.
She pushed the horse's head to one side and went inside the
stall, encountering only the animal. Did she really think he
would be in here with her horse? No, he had to be outside
somewhere. Her stomach tightened at the thought of missing their
flight.
She turned and started to run back up the throughway, when
suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks. There!
"Jean-Pierre," she cried, laughing now as she hurled herself
toward the shadowy, darkly-clad figure looming just inside the
stable.
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