Some of you may recognize this guy. For those who don’t know him, meet Hoss. Hoss is a blind quarter horse that I rescued two years ago. He’s the main inspiration for my upcoming Love Inspired book, THE COWGIRL’S LAST RODEO.
I thought I’d share a little excerpt with you today to honor Hoss. This big guy is living his best life. After 18 years of being used as a therapy horse for autistic children, he was retired when they discovered he’d gone blind. The intention was to take him to a slaughterhouse, but we found him first. We took him in, and now he spends his days lounging in the field with my niece’s horse, who’s his best friend. I ride him every now and then, but for the most part, he’s a pasture ornament. I think he’s earned it.
And now for the excerpt. I hope you enjoy this quick peek into Callie and Brody’s story.
Excerpt:
The driver’s-side door swung open. Brody snapped his gaze upward as he approached the truck and locked eyes with the blue-eyed beauty he’d not seen in ten years.
Callie. He choked on her name and swallowed to dislodge the boulder taking up residence in his throat.
“Hello, Brody.” A pair of battered, charcoal boots hit the ground with a soft thump and Callie staggered a step.
Brody caught her elbow and then flinched back when the contact brought memories rushing in with overwhelming force. After all these years, he’d hoped and prayed to leave those feelings behind. No such happenings. Not for him.
Callie righted herself and offered her rodeo smile, the one that showed her teeth and carved dimples into her cheeks. That smile told him more than he cared to know. Either she was scared, or she thought she’d put on a show. He knocked his heel on the ground and ran his thumbs into his belt loops while making certain his face betrayed nothing of the lingering echo of feelings from their past.
“What are you doing back in Tamarack Springs?” His voice came out hoarse, the tone accusatory.
Callie’s smile faded. She huffed a dark laugh and a streak of weariness flashed through her eyes. “I need your help.”
His stampeding heart lurched to a halt before the drumming resumed at a slower pace. Of course she did. The great Callie Wade wouldn’t set foot back in her small hometown unless driven by the whip. Or her sponsors.
He narrowed his eyes and took another look at the truck, making certain she was truly alone.
Their last night together sprang up in his mind. His proposal. Her rejection. The fight that led to her stomping off and riding out of town without a goodbye, leaving a ten-year silence in her wake.
He supposed her career had had a lot to do with that. She’d been adamant that the rodeo circuit was the place where she’d find happiness. Barrel racing had been her dream as long as his had been horse training.
That was before she’d gone without him, choosing a stranger, who’d promised her all the big sponsors and more money than she ever dreamed possible, over him. She and Samantha Blade had made headlines. Famous rodeo queens who ran the barrels fast enough to blow the dirt right off his boots.
While he’d been here, training horses for pennies on the dollar.
“I’m busy.” He spun on his bootheel and waved a hand over his shoulder. “Try again in another ten years.”
Callie ran after him, jumped in front of him to cut him off, her hands landing on his shoulders. With their faces inches from each other and tears gathered on her lashes, her voice shuddered as she said, “Glow’s blind.”
Those two words hit him with a one-two punch and sent him reeling. Brody slammed a palm to the corral fence. Without that support, he’d have crumpled to the ground as pain lanced his heart. Glow. Golden Glow, as she was known in the arena, but Glow to him and Callie. They’d raised the mare together, Brody teaching the horse to run and Callie riding with a fierceness that gave her the nickname Calamity Jane.
“How?” Countless questions raced through his mind but he locked onto that one and let it fall.
Callie’s shoulders lifted to her ears and her hands fell to her sides. She tucked them into her pockets, leaving the knuckles exposed. It was such a Callie move that he almost missed the scar running across her wrist. When had that happened?
He clenched his hands to keep them steady.
Her eyes went soft as she scanned the trailer then cold when she moved to him. “Hereditary disease.” She stopped and swallowed. “We didn’t know anything was wrong until she went down in Texas. Sprained a tendon in her foreleg and the vet did a full workup. She had some sight then, but that’s gone.”
A shrill whinny burst from the trailer. The mare in the arena answered, nostrils quivering as she paced the side closest to the trailer.
“I can’t cure blindness, Callie.” He reached for the lead rope wrapped around the top rail and folded it into his hands, more for something to do than because he needed it. The mare would follow him to the barn with or without it. “And a sprained tendon is something you know how to treat. I’m a trainer, not a vet.”
“She won’t run anymore.” Callie’s voice quivered. “Every time I get in the saddle, she stands there like a statue. Won’t move at all.”
Brody buffed the back of his neck. “If she’s lost heart, there’s nothing I can do.”
“Please, Brody.” Callie wrung her hands, twisting her fingers into a knot. “I’m desperate. Help her.”
Have you ever rescued an animal in need?
Tabitha Bouldin has a bachelor's degree in creative writing/English from Southern New Hampshire University. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and has been writing since 2015. When she's not homeschooling her kids, you'll find her curled up with a book. Tabitha's genre of choice is Contemporary Christian Romance which she describes as: Adventure with heart.
I have to laugh at There once was a horse. You see I once had a pet called horse. Horse was a cat she was the neighbours cat they got 2 kittens one called Gizmo and Horse. Horse didn’t like the boys loved the father and went for food and loved at our place til they got a new pup and she became my cat. Horse was named after the cat from you know where in the comic strip Footrot Flats and New Zealand comic. That cat was evil, mine was a sweety that even won mum over.
Onto rescue pets. I have 2 cats Libby (short for Liberty named partly after Patrick Henry’s speech give me liberty or give me death, To me Liberty mean freedom and she was at the vets looking for freedom to live in a home that would love her) And Henry (well I had Liberty but I couldn’t call him death, I didn’t want Patrick Henry the name of my great grandfather, but I did like Henry which was mum’s maiden name, if I was a boy would be my second name and after Patrick Henry) It suits him. He was at the vets for over 122 days (minus the 10 or so days he disappeared and returned hes a free spirit) and Libby was there about 3 months and they were a bonded pair. Both were aloof when it came to people seeing them. Took about 6 weeks for Henry not to cower or think I would hit him as he is slightly cross eyed and its clear he was abused. Libby took about 9 months to become fussy and not eat like she would never eat again. She is very much a scaredy cat and it looks like it was a female owner who abused her as shes still scared of men she tolerates them better. but I love them most of the time (not when they bring and let mice lose in the house.)
I loved this excerpt! Thanks for sharing.
This is going to be good!! No, I haven’t rescued an animal. I have friends that have, though.
Wow , your book sounds like a great read, Thank you so much for sharing your excerpt, I love it!! God Bless you for rescuing your Hoss. Actually my daughter and my son in law rescued my first pup, they wanted to get me a dog and they took me to go see him at the dog pound, they were going to Euthanize him as he had been there too long, well I told my daughter and my son in law that that pup was the one I wanted and they got him for me and took him straight to the vets to get him shots plus everything else he needed. I loved , loved my pup, he was a very good boy.
Yes it started with my mom. The first nine years of my life we lived in Pasadena, CA. Five kids and animals. Mom had a few cats. Quickly the vet learned that mom loved all animals. Soon he would call her and say “Pattie, someone dropped off a mallard duck. Would you like to come and get it?” So the menagerie began. A mallard duck, a hoot owl, more cats, gerbils, a canary etc. We soon became known as the Dimmick Zoo. We had a very large back yard so that helped. Thank one christmas my uncle (moms brother) brought us a cocker spaniel puppy. When we moved to the farm. We would hear about an animal that was either being mistreated or let loose to fend on its own. Well the Dimmick Zoo to the rescue. LOL Horses, pigs, etc. My sister and I have followed moms footsteps for many years. Between us, we have rescued, a Perigone Falcon, cats, a fawn, birds, and the list goes on.
Just pre-ordered!
I loved that you had a cat named Horse. And your sweet story about rescue kitties. Cats are such individuals, it’s great that you found two who love each other so much.
Thank you! I had a great time writing this story. Brody and Callie have both come a long way since the first rough draft.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Aww, that’s such a sweet story! I’m so glad you were able to take him home and give him a wonderful life.
This is fantastic! I was always rescuing animals as a kid but never managed anything more than cats and dogs until my adult years. It sounds like you truly enjoy rescuing animals in need! I wouldn’t even know where to begin with a duck, much less a falcon! Though my dad did bring geese home once. And a baby deer. See, they always said I was the cause of all the animals, but Dad brought them home for me. He’s actually the one who told me about Hoss.
Woohoo! Thank you so much!
No never rescued an animal we have had animals a few different times but we relized we aren’t animal people. At one time my cousin had about 20 animals at the same time.this sounds like a great book.
That’s amazing that you rescued a horse! I’ve never done anything like that.
I really enjoyed the extract, I will add to my TBR list.
not yet
Yes. We brought home two cats from the Humane Society. One of them has a biting problem. I had to go on antibiotics when she grabbed and bit me. She is getting better now that she knows we love her and are not giving up on her. It has taken years.
The second cat who we brought home is very skittish. She does not like to be held. She spends her days and nights hiding. We are making progress with her. It also has taken years.
We brought in a cat that was born in the neighborhood. I guess I should say that he decided we were going to bring him in. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.
Your book sounds great! I have stopped and helped turtles cross the street.
Thank you so much for rescuing the horse. May God bless you!