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The Billionaire’s Horse Calls Me Mom
Novelix
new
Completed
I only took the job at Winthrop Ranch because I needed money. I never expected billionaire heir Marcus Winthrop’s dying horse to look straight at me and scream, “You can hear me, can’t you?” Snow says he isn’t sick. He says his horseshoes are hurting him. And he says if I save his life, he’ll make Marcus reward me. Maybe even marry me. I think the horse is ridiculous. Then I save him. And the horse calls me mom...
Chapters (2)
第1章
“The infection has gone too far. There’s nothing more we can do except put him down.”
Dr. Warren Keats pulls off his gloves, his voice heavy.
No one in the barn dares to speak.
Marcus Winthrop sits several feet away in his wheelchair.
The billionaire heir to Winthrop Ranch is famous for two things: winning championships on horseback and never losing his cool.
Right now, his face looks dark enough to scare everyone in the room.
And me?
I’m the new stable hand standing all the way in the back, biting the inside of my cheek so hard it hurts.
Because the dying horse is screaming in my head.
“These stupid shoes are killing me!”
“I’m not standing up because I’m protesting! PROTESTING!”
“And now these idiots want to kill me?”
“I’m going to die because none of you can understand plain English!”
I clutch the hem of my work shirt.
Then I slowly raise my hand.
“Um... maybe we could try taking off his horseshoes first?”
...
My name is Nora Daven.
I’m broke, unlucky, and unfortunately able to understand horses.
Not guess what they want.
Not read their body language.
I mean actually understand them.
Every word.
I’ve been able to do it since I was little.
My family learned very quickly that this talent was not nearly as useful as it sounded.
The last time my mother tried to set me up on a blind date, there was a chestnut carriage horse tied outside the restaurant.
The guy had barely said hello when the horse snorted behind him.
“That’s him!”
“He stepped in horse crap ten minutes ago!”
“He wiped his shoe on that bush!”
“He thinks nobody saw him. I saw everything!”
I laughed so hard I nearly choked.
Then I made the mistake of turning around and answering the horse.
My date stared at me.
“Are you... talking to that horse?”
The date ended five minutes later.
My mother nearly lost her mind.
“Nora Daven, if you talk to another horse in public, don’t expect me to explain to people that you’re not insane!”
After that, I learn to keep my mouth shut.
A horse can insult my hair, my clothes, or my intelligence right in front of me.
I don’t react.
For years, no one finds out.
Until today.
My dad’s business failed last year.
My mom’s medical bills keep piling up.
So when Winthrop Ranch starts hiring, I take the first job I can get.
Stable hand.
Feed the horses.
Clean stalls.
Brush coats.
Keep my head down.
Simple.
Except on my first day, the barn manager grabs me before I’ve even finished learning where everything is.
One of the horses is dying.
That horse is Snow.
He’s a young white colt lying in the middle of a thick bed of straw.
Even before I came here, I’d heard about him.
His mother, Silver Star, was Marcus Winthrop’s favorite horse.
Years ago, Marcus was badly injured during a riding accident in the mountains.
Silver Star carried him miles back toward the ranch while he was bleeding and barely conscious.
Marcus survived.
She didn’t.
Snow is the only foal she ever left behind.
Marcus treats him like he’s made of gold.
Snow gets the best feed money can buy.
Three employees take turns grooming him.
Even his horseshoes are custom-made by one of the most expensive farriers in Texas.
But for the past five days, Snow has refused to eat.
For the past three, he’s barely stood.
Now he won’t get up at all.
Dr. Keats examines him one last time.
Then he straightens.
“The infection has gone too far. There’s nothing more we can do except put him down.”
The barn goes silent again.
Claire Hensley, Marcus’s fiancée, presses a hand to her mouth.
Her eyes are red.
“There really isn’t anything else you can try?”
She looks down at Snow.
“He’s all Marcus has left of Silver Star.”
Marcus sits stiffly in his wheelchair.
His injured leg is still braced.
His face is pale, but his back is perfectly straight.
He stares at Snow.
“Check him again.”
Dr. Keats hesitates.
Then he kneels and examines Snow from head to hoof.
A minute later, he stands.
“Marcus, waiting will only make him suffer longer.”
His voice softens.
“Snow was bred to run. A horse like him can’t live like this. He won’t eat. He can’t stand. Keeping him alive now would only be cruel.”
Everyone lowers their eyes.
Marcus closes his for a second.
His jaw tightens.
The entire barn fills with Snow’s weak, miserable whinnying.
To everyone else, it sounds heartbreaking.
To me, it sounds very different.
“Quack!”
“Stupid fake doctor!”
“I’m not sick!”
“My feet hurt!”
“I stopped eating because nobody listened to me!”
“These shoes are too tight!”
“Every step hurts!”
“Try wearing shoes two sizes too small and see if you feel like walking!”
I press my lips together.
Hard.
Oh my God.
Snow isn’t dying from some mystery infection.
His horseshoes hurt.
He got angry and stopped eating.
Then he got so weak from his little hunger strike that he couldn’t stand.
And one of the most respected equine vets in Texas thinks he’s dying.
Snow groans again.
“And now the big idiot in the wheelchair is going to have me killed!”
“I’m too young to die!”
“I haven’t even become the most handsome stallion in Texas yet!”
I nearly laugh.
I quickly lower my head.
Then, against my better judgment, I glance at him.
Snow suddenly stops complaining.
His shiny black eyes lock onto mine.
For one long second, he just stares.
Then his voice explodes inside my head.
“You!”
My stomach drops.
“The new girl in the back!”
I immediately look away.
Nope.
Not me.
“You heard me!”
I stare at the floor.
“You definitely heard me!”
Snow struggles to lift his head.
“Stop pretending!”
I lower my head even farther.
Please don’t look at me.
Please don’t look at me.
I’m just a broke stable girl who finally found a job.
I cannot afford to get fired on my first day.
第2章
“Stop pretending!”
Snow’s voice blasts through my head.
“I saw you trying not to laugh!”
“You can hear me. I know you can.”
“I’m the smartest horse on this ranch. You can’t fool me!”
I stare at the floor.
How is this horse so observant?
There are at least twenty people in the barn, and somehow he still notices me.
Dr. Keats speaks again, more urgently this time.
“Marcus, you need to make a decision.”
He glances toward Snow.
“I can prepare the injection now. He won’t feel anything.”
Marcus’s fingers tighten around the armrest of his wheelchair.
His stepmother, Diane Winthrop, finally speaks.
Her eyes are wet.
“Marcus, Silver Star loved that colt.”
Her voice catches.
“If she were still here, she wouldn’t want to see him suffer like this.”
“If you really love Snow, let him go peacefully.”
Claire wipes at her tears.
“She’s right.”
She crouches beside Snow.
“This is too cruel.”
Claire reaches out to touch his neck.
Snow immediately turns his head away.
To everyone else, it probably looks like he’s too weak and miserable to be touched.
In my head, he is absolutely losing it.
“DON’T TOUCH ME!”
“I hate this woman!”
“She smells like that awful perfume again!”
I bite down on my lip.
Marcus looks at Snow for a long moment.
Something in his eyes goes dim.
Then he takes a slow breath.
“All right.”
Snow screams.
“NO!”
The sound is so loud inside my head that I nearly flinch.
“No, no, no, no!”
“I can’t die!”
“I’m still young!”
“I haven’t even grown into the most handsome stallion in Texas yet!”
“My feet hurt!”
“That’s it!”
“My feet hurt!”
“Why can’t any of you idiots understand me?”
Snow struggles to lift his head.
His black eyes lock directly onto mine.
“You!”
“The new girl!”
“Save me!”
I don’t move.
He keeps going.
“Save me and I’ll make Marcus reward you!”
“Money!”
“A house!”
“A nice one!”
“With a yard!”
My heart jumps.
Money?
A house?
My mother’s medical bills flash through my mind.
The overdue notices.
The broken heater in our tiny rental.
The way my dad keeps pretending everything is fine.
Snow’s voice rises again.
“What do you want?”
“I’ll get you anything!”
Then he pauses.
His eyes shift toward Marcus.
“You think my owner is handsome?”
I almost choke.
“He’s rich.”
“He rides well.”
“He’s grumpy, but that can be fixed.”
“His leg is messed up right now, but look at his face!”
“He’s still a catch!”
“Save me and I’ll put in a good word for you!”
Shut up.
Please shut up.
Snow keeps going.
“Fine!”
“Pretty lady!”
“No, wait.”
“Mom!”
“You’re my mom now!”
“Mom, save me!”
I close my eyes.
This horse is insane.
Marcus exhales slowly.
Then he looks at Dr. Keats.
“Do it.”
“Wait!”
The word flies out of my mouth before I can stop it.
The entire barn goes dead silent.
Everyone turns toward me.
Dr. Keats frowns.
Diane freezes with a tissue near her face.
Claire looks up.
Her expression changes for only a second.
But I catch it.
Annoyance.
My legs feel weak.
Still, I force myself to step forward.
My eyes drop to Snow’s front hoof.
“What if he isn’t dying from an infection?”
Dr. Keats’s face hardens.
I swallow.
“What if the problem is his horseshoes?”
Silence.
Then Dr. Keats gives me a long, offended look.
“Excuse me?”
I immediately regret being born.
He straightens.
“You’re a stable hand.”
“I’ve treated horses for over thirty years.”
His voice sharpens.
“Do you really think you know more than I do?”
“I’m not saying that.”
“You’re wasting time.”
He points toward Snow.
“Every minute we stand here arguing is another minute that animal suffers.”
Diane’s expression cools.
She turns toward Ryan.
“Who hired her?”
Ryan stiffens.
“She started today.”
“Then apparently no one explained the rules.”
Claire lets out a cold laugh.
She looks me up and down.
“Dr. Keats has treated some of the most valuable horses in the country.”
“And you’ve been here for what?”
She checks her watch.
“Three hours?”
Heat climbs up my neck.
Claire stands.
“You don’t get to walk into this barn and pretend you know better than everyone else.”
She turns toward two ranch hands.
“Get her out of here.”
The two men hesitate.
Then they step toward me.
One takes my arm.
The other reaches for my shoulder.
Snow lets out a weak whinny.
Inside my head, he screams.
“NO!”
“Don’t take my mom!”
“If she leaves, I’m dead!”
“Mom!”
“Help me!”
I want to cry.
How exactly am I supposed to help you?
I opened my mouth once and now I’m about to lose the best-paying job I’ve ever had.
The ranch hands start pulling me toward the door.
Then Marcus speaks.
“Stop.”
They freeze.
His voice isn’t loud.
It doesn’t need to be.
Everyone in the barn goes still.
Marcus looks directly at me.
His expression is cold.
Sharp.
Assessing.
“How do you know?”
I swallow.
Of course I can’t say:
Because your horse won’t stop screaming about his feet.
So I use the only explanation I have.
“I’ve worked around horses before.”
Marcus says nothing.
I continue.
“If Snow had a severe infection, I’d expect other signs.”
Dr. Keats’s expression darkens.
I keep my eyes on Marcus.
“High fever.”
“Cloudy eyes.”
“Bad discharge.”
“Labored breathing.”
I point carefully toward Snow.
“He’s weak, yes.”
“But his eyes are clear.”
“His breathing isn’t that bad.”
“And...”
