Standing out in the wide-open space of the ranch with the cool country air flowing all around him, Charlie could not breathe. The sweet scent of honeysuckle was cloying to his tongue. The smell of hay and horses burned his nostrils. He gulped, but there was not enough air to fill his lungs.
Charlie"s heart beat an erratic pattern as Daria"s little body sailed up a couple of feet into the air. Her cape billowed around her torso as though it would save her from the fall. It wouldn"t. It couldn"t. It was only fabric, too thin to cushion the blow.
The shouts that came from Denny"s throat were deep and panicked. It cracked the boy"s veneer, exposing the softness beneath his tough exterior.
Savy"s scream pierced Charlie"s heart. His first instinct for as long as he could remember had always b
