“Hunter, I hate to bother you today, but I think you’d better come up here. One of the sleigh horses seems colicky. I don’t think we can wait too much longer to treat him.”

It’s Christmas Eve. And I’d planned on spending the evening with Mallory, although I haven’t told her yet. I wanted to surprise her with a quiet, romantic, candlelit dinner at my place. Maybe a stroll in the snow. Definitely pick up where we left off the other night.

Instead, I’ll probably get to spend tonight in a barn, caring for my horse and making sure he’s better by morning.

“You’re right—we really can’t wait if it’s truly colic. I’m leaving right now, so give me about fifteen minutes.” I hang up with the wrangler on duty and throw on my coat. I’m probably facing a very long night.

Before leaving, I pour the entire carafe of coffee into an extra-large thermos and grab a few snacks from the pantry just in case the cupboards are bare in the barn office. When I step outside, the frigid air cuts right through me, as expected for this time of year, but the slivers of ice in the air are new.

And unwelcome.

I double-time it up the mountain, my lead foot serving its purpose today as I race to the barn. If that 2000-pound draft horse does have colic, it could mean life or death for him. And it means he’s in a lot of pain right now. Time is of the essence, and I’d rather be safe than sorry when it comes to my animals.

With the number of horses and pets my family has, the local vet’s office is on my list of favorites in my phone. After a few rings, Pete picks up the phone—surprising me since it’s Christmas Eve and I thought I’d have to go through the answering service to get him on the line.

“Hey Doc, it’s Hunter. Listen, I’m sorry to bother you today, and you must already have an emergency case there if you’re in the office, but I may need your help up at Santa’s Village.” I relay the information my wrangler gave me and practically beg him to meet me as soon as possible.

“Hunter, you know I’m more than willing to help you, but we have our hands full here right now. Jackie is still in the operating room with Bear. He was hit by a car, and everything is touch and go at the moment. I actually just stepped out to give Sam an update and knew this call must be another emergency.

“Mallory is here with me and helped until Jackie could get here from my mother’s. Mallory has watched Jackie and me work with animals all her life, and she definitely knows horses. She’ll know if this case is more than she can safely treat. If you trust us, I can send Mallory up there right now with all the essentials.”

“Yes, absolutely. I trust both of you, and I’d be very grateful if she can meet me and help. Thank you so much, Pete.”

“No need to thank me, Hunter. Mallory will be there as soon as she can, and I will call and check in on your horse when we get Bear stabilized.”

We disconnect, and even though I’m still very concerned about my horse, the heaviness in my chest is relieved somewhat knowing Mallory will be with me. Pete was right about her—she has watched her parents work their magic with sick animals all her life. All I can do now is hope we’re not too late to save him. The nearest horse surgery center isn’t close to our little town at all, and I’m positive they’re closed for the holidays.

My truck comes to a sliding halt outside the barn, and I rush inside to assess the situation myself. When I reach Blue’s stall, I find him pawing the ground and biting at his side. His food remains untouched, all obvious signs the big guy is in pain. He sighs and shifts on his feet at the same time, telling me he doesn’t feel good at all in the only way he can. I step inside the stall and slip the rope halter over his head before connecting the lead rope.

“Come on, Blue. Let’s go for a walk and see if that helps at all.”

“That probably won’t help him.” Mallory approaches from behind me with a duffel bag full of supplies. I’m instantly grateful she came overly prepared for the task. “Walking a horse with a mild case of colic may temporarily distract him, but it mainly just makes the owner feel better by thinking they’re doing something more than simply watching their animal in pain.”

“I still say you should’ve been a vet, Mal. By all means, tell me what we need to do to help him, then.”

She takes the lead rope from my hand and walks him back into the stall. “You’re a big, handsome guy, aren’t you? I’ll take care of you—don’t worry.”

She speaks to him in a calm, soothing voice, scratching his neck and giving him time to acclimate to her presence before she starts poking and prodding him. She’s a natural with animals, especially horses. She understands them, and they sense her comfort with them in turn. He’s still in pain, but he lowers his head and licks his lips a few times, signaling his submission.

She pulls the stethoscope out first and presses it against his side. Her brows draw down, and she stands stock-still, listening intently and not speaking. I want to ask a hundred and one questions, but I bite my tongue instead. When she’s finished with that, she finds the thermometer in the bag and takes his temperature next. Then she checks his mouth, looking on the top and bottom all around. Next, she moves to his left side and runs her finger along his bottom jaw then stops and looks at her watch for several seconds.

“Good boy. Now it’s time for the not so fun part, big guy.”

“Can you tell me what you’re doing first? You’re killing me here.”

“Sure. I listened for bowel sounds, and I still hear them, so that is a positive sign. Then I took his temperature—it is slightly elevated, but not in the danger zone. Then I checked his gums. They’re still a healthy pink all around. I just finished taking his pulse, which is fast because of the pain. Now, I have to examine him to hopefully tell what type of colic we’re dealing with without having to wait for Dad to come up here. I think I know what it is, but I need to be sure.”

“How do you do that?”

She reaches into the bag and pulls out a plastic glove…one that’s long enough to reach all the way up to her shoulder.

“Oh.”

“I’m going to insert a gastric tube first through his nostril. Mom and Dad taught me how to do it years ago in case my horse ever developed colic and I had to react in an emergency situation. I’m ninety-nine percent sure we’re dealing with an impaction, but this will help tell us for sure. Hold his head while I guide the tube in—I have to be able to feel where the tube goes to make sure it’s in the correct passage.”

The twelve-foot-long tube slowly disappears into Blue’s nose while Mallory watches his every reaction with extra attention. She occasionally speaks softly to him, repeating “good boy” over and over. Those are words he’s familiar with, and he understands he’s doing exactly what she’s asking him to do. When she finally stops feeding the tube in, I hear a rush of gas through the tube and immediately detect the sweet smell of grass.

“Is that a good sign?”

“Yes, it is. He doesn’t have any fluid built up in his stomach, so that’s a very good sign. Now for the intestinal exam.”

She sticks her hand into the ginormous glove and pulls the end up to her shoulder. Then she removes the outer sterile plastic covering, revealing the lubricant covering the latex glove. She moves behind Blue, running her ungloved hand along his body to tell him where she’s standing at all times. I watch with a mixture of profound gratitude and morbid curiosity as she performs the exam without hesitation.

“You’re such a good boy, Blue. We’ll make you feel better in just a minute, buddy.” She disposes of the glove and walks out of the stall. “Stay there with him. I need to wash my hands and call Dad to give him an update. I’ll be right back.”

Within a couple of minutes, she returns with her phone held out, relaying all the vital signs to Pete and explaining all the steps she’s taken so far. “He’s in pain, so I’m thinking I need to give him pain medicine to make this more tolerable for him. The nasogastric tube is in place, so we can easily administer the laxatives. I just need to know how much pain meds to give him. He’s huge, Dad.”

She turns the face of the phone toward Blue so Pete can see what she’s done. She goes through the basic steps again—showing his gums, taking his pulse, and listening again for bowel sounds. When Pete is reassured of her diagnosis, he relays the correct dosage and watches as Mallory administers it. When Blue’s head droops and his lips hang loose, we know the medication is working and he’s feeling no pain.

“That’s another good sign. If the medicine didn’t stop the pain, we’d be looking at a more severe case.” Pete continues to give the dosage for the laxatives and instructions for getting more fluids into Blue now that we know the problem isn’t currently life-threatening. He watches over video chat as she pushes the medicine through the tube, directly into Blue’s stomach. “Now you just need to watch him closely—and I mean check on him every fifteen or twenty minutes. This type of colic rarely requires surgery, but we can’t take any chances. Every horse is different, and so is every case of colic.”

“We’ll keep an eye on him and let you know if anything at all changes. Thanks, Dad. Love you.”

“Love you, Mal. You did a great job with him, honey. Your mom and I are proud of you.”

Mallory blows her dad a kiss before disconnecting. She pockets her phone and turns to me. “Looks like we’re spending Christmas Eve right here in this stall. I hope you didn’t have big family plans tonight.”

“I definitely had plans in mind for tonight, but not with my family. Actually, I wanted to spend it with you, so I guess I got my wish. Just not in the way I imagined. Wait right here, and I’ll grab us a couple of comfortable chairs to relax in since we’re stuck in here for a while. That is, unless you need to leave?”

“No, I wouldn’t leave you alone with this. You hide it well, but I can tell you’re still really worried about him. I’m staying. At least until we know he’s out of the woods.”

“Thank you, Mallory. That means more to me than you know. I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time. Blue and I aren’t going anywhere.”

Walking at a brisk pace, I head to the kitchen and rummage through the refrigerator and cabinets before throwing together a dinner for two. With the inside cameras on, I put Blue’s stall front and center on the large monitor then grab a couple of warm blankets from the closet. Mallory’s time home from Georgia is about to come to an end, so this is my now-or-never moment. If she leaves without admitting her feelings for me, without admitting she misses us, I’ll never get another chance to win her back.

When the food is ready, I walk back down the hall and stick my head in the stall. “Hey, while he’s still sedated, why don’t we have a bite to eat out on the deck? I’ll turn on the patio heaters, light the fire pit, and we can cover up with the blankets. We can watch Blue on the monitor, and you can check his vitals again after we eat.”

“Sounds good—I’m starving. Let me check them again right now before I leave him, though.” She goes through all the motions again, documenting the numbers as she goes, then washes up on her way out.

When we open the door leading outside, we both halt in our tracks, and Mallory gasps audibly. It’s completely dark outside now, meaning we’ve been inside longer than I realized. But the scene in front of us is unbelievable. Huge, fluffy snowflakes are falling, adding to the inch of snow that already covers the ground and the deck. They don’t immediately melt when they land on my skin, and they aren’t melting at all when they hit the ground. From the looks of the clouds overhead, I don’t think it’ll stop snowing anytime soon.

The large round patio daybed is mostly shielded by its sloping canopy, providing the perfect shelter in which to relax and watch the snowflakes sparkle in the firelight. I motion toward the comfortable cushions. “Have a seat, and I’ll get the heaters and fire pit going.”

“You know, I’d forgotten how beautiful snowfall can be. I know it’s a pain in the ass after so many days in a row. But it’s nice when you’ve been away for a while.” She brushes the snow off the edge of the outdoor daybed before making herself comfortable under the covering. “This is perfect.”

“I’m not sure how perfect our Christmas Eve dinner will be. We don’t have a lot of food here that can be cooked quickly, so I went with what would be the warmest. We’re having chili with peanut butter sandwiches. For dessert, we can make s’mores with roasted marshmallows, chocolate bars, and graham crackers. We have plenty of those on hand for all the kids who visit the barn.”

“You know what? That sounds perfect, Hunter. You remembered—I can’t eat chili without a peanut butter sandwich to go with it. And I love s’mores. I can eat them until I make myself sick.”

“One patient is enough for tonight. No making yourself sick.” I wink at her then turn to grab the food I made. Then I slide under the canopy and join her against the overstuffed cushions before giving her the large soup bowl by the handle.

She checks Blue again after we eat and returns with a smile. “So far, so good. He’ll sleep for a while and be drunk for a while after that. When it starts wearing off, we’ll know soon enough how he feels.”

“I don’t know what I would’ve done without you here, Mallory. In fact, I don’t know how I’ve made it these last few years without you. I’ve missed you so damn much.”

“Hunter.” She says my name in a way that sounds like a mixture of a plea and a prayer.

“Hear me out, Mal. I’ve loved you for so long—most of my life, as a matter of fact. I’ve never quit loving you. Not for one single day. Not for one single minute. I need to know if you still feel the same about me.”