Chapter One
McKenna looked around and saw nothing but black, four-plank fences and green grass for as far as she could see. Daffodils were playing peek-a-boo with the bright morning sun. She looked down at the GPS in her cherry-red BMW M6. Only five more miles to her destination. Bringing her eyes back up to the narrow country road, Kenna gasped and hit her brakes as hard as she could.
The stabilization in her car kicked in and kept it from fishtailing off the road. She fought for control of the car as her brakes locked. A massive horse was standing in the middle of the road, calmly watching her scrambling for control over her car. She rested her head against the steering wheel and let out a shaky breath when she stopped the car in the opposite lane. Hearing tires squealing, she lifted her head and saw an old pick-up truck heading straight for her, fishtailing out of control. Kenna shifted into reverse and floored it. The truck skidded by her, narrowly missing her car. The truck came to a sudden stop in the grass ditch off the side of the road.
Kenna watched a jeans-clad woman wearing a stylish, black, long-sleeved shirt and bright pink scarf belt jump out of the truck. The woman with beautiful, shiny, shoulder-length brown hair was the polar opposite of what McKenna expected to see. Instead of being concerned about her truck, the woman slowly approached the horse with her hand out. Kenna saw her mouth moving as she talked to him. Ever so slowly, she placed her hand on his head and gave him a smile. Sliding her hand down, she grasped the halter and scratched his nose.
Kenna opened her door and got out on shaky legs. She could hear the woman talking on the cell phone as she walked toward the scene. “Yeah, Bets, I'm out here on Route 178, and it looks like one of your stallions is loose. Another woman and I almost hit him. Yes, we’re okay. No, I have him now. You better have one of the boys bring a trailer. Okay. Bye.”
“Hi. Are you okay?” Kenna asked after the woman put away the cell phone.
“Yes. Thanks. Looks like you made it out okay. I’m Paige Davies. Do you mind helping me for a sec?”
“McKenna Mason. What do you need?”
“Here, hold this.” Paige walked the massive stallion over to her and indicated where she was to hold him. “I want to see if my truck is able to run or if I need to call a tow. Thanks!”
Kenna took a hold of the halter and stared at the horse. She hadn’t been around a horse in decades. She held on for dear life, even though the horse seemed content to just stand off to the side of the road and watch the world go by.
Paige’s truck roared to life. She drove it out of the ditch and parked next to Kenna’s M6. What a sight: a brand new M6 next to a rusted, blue, Chevy pickup that had to be fifteen years old. Paige gracefully jumped down from the cab and walked over to her.
“Thanks. Now we have room for the little guy to be picked up. I wonder how he got out?”
“I'm just glad we didn’t hit him.”
“This is part of the Ashton Farm, and unfortunately they've been having a lot of problems recently.”
“Ashton, as in Will Ashton?” Kenna couldn’t believe it. She hadn’t even pulled into town and she had just found the person she was looking for.
“Yes. The family owns and runs it. You know Will?”
“I used to. I haven’t seen him in seventeen years.”
“Are you here to visit them?”
“No, I'm here to interview with Tom Burns for the assistant district attorney job.”
“That’s great.” Paige was so excited for her that Kenna couldn’t help but smile. She stepped forward and scratched the forehead of the large horse.
“Actually, I'm glad I ran into someone from the town. Can you tell me a good place to stay? I couldn’t find any hotels online.”
“That’s because there aren’t any. You’ll want to go see Miss Lily Rae Rose. She has a bed and breakfast. Just continue straight and make a left at the first stoplight you come to. She’s in the big white Victorian. And, if you’re looking for a good place to eat, Miss Lily has two sisters, Miss Daisy Mae Rose and Miss Violet Fae Rose, who run the Blossom Cafe. Great place to eat some chocolate after a close call like this!” Paige laughed and Kenna couldn’t help but like her. This was a woman after her own heart!
“Thanks a lot. I'm guessing you're from Keeneston. What do you do there?”
"I have a store on Main Street named Southern Charms. I have all local made products. Everything from statues, paintings, jewelry, clothes, painted wine glasses, to cookbooks.”
“Sounds amazing. I'll have to stop by.”
“We should have lunch together. I can be the official welcoming party!” They both turned to the sounds of a diesel engine and saw a massive truck with a horse trailer come around the corner from the direction Paige had come. “Ah, good. Now we can get this boy home.”