The Island Sanctuary

Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

CONRAD

“I don’t see what the problem is.” I set my mail on the driftwood table at my back door as I entered the house. I reached out to pet Red, my domesticated fox. He greeted me every time I opened the door by running in a circle, his lithe body bending and prancing around my feet.

My sister said something else, but I didn’t hear her as Red distracted me with his antics.

“Conrad, are you even listening?”

“Sure, sure.” I leafed through the mail I’d picked up when I was in town. “You can’t decide if you want to come home after graduation.”

She sighed, a big dramatic Jorgina sigh. There was a reason she was Dad’s favorite. And also a reason she and Dad didn’t always get along. They were too much alike.

“I’m a senior now. I need to start thinking about my future.”

“And your future isn’t here.” I never expected it to be. She’d been gone for almost four years now and rarely returned home, even for breaks. I also got the feeling I was the only person in the family she ever called.

I wasn’t sure why she trusted me, exactly. Sure, I was several years older, but I’d also practically left the family, choosing to live a solitary life running the Corolla Horse Sanctuary on an island inhabited only by me.

“I didn’t say that,” she scoffed. “Don’t put words in my mouth.”

That was the problem with Jorgina. She never actually said what she meant.

“Can this wait, sis?” I pulled out a copy of The National Resolve I’d picked up today. I read the magazine judiciously because they were dedicated to telling stories that mattered. On this month’s issue, the cover featured a haunting image of a little girl. I didn’t need to read the headline for it to break my heart.

Jorgina sighed again. “You’re distracted. Fine. Just go do whatever it is you do, big brother.” She hung up without a goodbye.

Sliding the phone from my ear, I set it on the table by the door and looked at the picture closer. Flipping open the magazine, I found the article. The image had won some kind of award I’d never heard of after appearing in the Boston Globe.

“I know, Red, it’s incredible.” Also horrifying. The article said the image subject worked in the diamond mines of Sierra Leone.

Red nudged my leg as if he could sense my changing mood. Setting the magazine down, I flipped through more of the mail. Most of it was junk, but there was a new bill for the barn repairs I’d needed done last month. I could do a lot of things myself, but I never touched anything electrical.

I held up the envelope. “How much do you want to bet I’m going to choke on what this says?”

Red only looked at me, his eyes wide. He was the only being I talked to much, and that was how I liked it. Just me, Red, and the horses. I threw the bill on the kitchen counter without opening it as I walked farther into my small and sparsely furnished home.

I’d never needed much, just a bed and a good coffee maker. Once upon a time, I’d lived at the Ashford Estates with every luxury afforded to me, but that wasn’t who I wanted to be. When I gave up my father’s money and took over the sanctuary, everyone said I was nuts.

But I’d never felt more sane, more free.

I stared out the kitchen window that overlooked the water. My house sat on the rocky side of the island, high above the ocean. White sandy beaches lined all three of the other sides, where the horses loved to play.

The sun had long disappeared from the sky, and exhaustion tugged at me. It had been a tiring day capped by a house call to look in one of my brother’s horses that was sick. The only other large animal vet in the area was out of town, which meant I couldn’t stay on my island as much as I’d like.

Opening my fridge, I realized I’d forgotten the one thing I needed to do while in town. Grocery shop. With a sigh, I shut it and walked into the living room to sink down onto my brown leather sofa and let the weight roll off my shoulders.

I leaned my head back and shut my eyes, needing a brief moment to soak in the peace.

It didn’t last long because the front door banged open, and Amelia burst in.

I shot to my feet at the intrusion and took her in from the wild look in her eyes to the dirt covering her flannel shirt. “What’s wrong?” I walked toward my assistant, wasting no time. If she hadn’t left on the last ferry, there was a reason.

Her chest heaved. “Thank heaven you’re finally back. It’s Bay.”

“I’ll get my kit.”

Bay was a pregnant mare Amelia and I had watched carefully for weeks. Horses could give birth on their own, but she’d shown signs of distress with the pregnancy.

I lifted the duffel I always had prepared for medical emergencies onto my shoulder and followed Amelia out to where she’d parked the golf cart.

“She’s on the east end.”

I nodded as she drove, picking up speed as she took us across the rough terrain. I worked hard to maintain cart tracks across the island for easy access in areas the herd was used to, but it was still a work in progress.

“I was getting ready to head home for the day when I saw her,” she explained. “That was a couple of hours ago. I’ve been waiting for you to get back since then.”

I wasn’t beholden to ferry schedules because I had my own boat, but Amelia lived in Superiore Bay.

“I was at the estate.”

Her face pinched, and sympathy entered her gaze. I never spoke much about my family, but everyone in Superiore Bay knew the Ashfords and the pressure put on their children, especially the black sheep of the family.

“Well, this should be a breeze for you then after facing the lions.”

My lips quirked up at her joke. Amelia came to work with me last year when she was straight out of veterinary school and looking for an internship. She’d browbeat me into taking her on. And then, she never left.

We found the herd congregated on the east end, just as Amelia said. They didn’t typically go far from each other, and now was no different. Bay was one of their own, and they could sense she was in trouble.

I always said horses were smarter than humans, but they were also kinder and gentler.

We parked far enough back so as not to spook them. These were wild horses, after all. They were used to the two of us, but we still had to be careful.

Winter kicked a hoof against the ground before approaching me, his brown eyes boring into mine. He was the leader of the herd, the alpha.

I reached out a hand, inching closer. If I was going to get near Bay, it had to be with his permission. Winter had never let me touch him, not even come close, but he’d never tried to keep me away either.

After studying me for a moment, Winter stepped back.

“He knows you’re here to help.” Amelia nudged me. “Please help Bay.”

Bay was a favorite among tourists but also of mine and Amelia’s, in part because she’d never shied away from us. There was little wild in her.

We found her lying on her side, her breath shallow and obviously distressed.

I kneeled beside her, and she lifted her head just enough to meet my gaze, a striking vulnerability in her eyes. The image of that little girl popped into my head because it was a similar look. Fear. But also, acceptance of that fear, a belief that this was her lot in life.

Leaning forward, I ran a hand down the length of her, around the curve of her belly. “You’re not going to die today, Bay,” I whispered.

Her entire body quivered at my words, and I pressed my palms on her, trying to feel movement.

“Amelia, check to see her progress.”

Amelia snapped gloves on and reached up into her. “You’re going to need to turn it, doc. I think one of the hooves is stuck.”

Bay’s breathing sped up, and she let out a snort I knew meant she was in pain. I’d done this enough I could recognize the signs. “Okay, switch me spots. Keep her calm.”

Amelia moved to sit next to Bay and murmured soft words to her as she stroked her neck.

I pulled on a pair of rubber gloves and felt around in the darkness, the stars my only guide, until my fingers hit the edge of one small hoof. While Amelia put pressure on Bay’s stomach, I reached in and freed the second hoof.

Then, it was all up to the horse and nature.

I sat back on my heels, and more of the foal appeared. When it was part of the way out, I gripped the hooves and pulled while breaking open the sack around it.

By the time the foal was free, I could have passed out from pure joy or exhaustion. I wasn’t sure which.

The foal stood on shaky legs, taking two tentative steps forward.

“Congratulations,” Amelia said. “We have a boy.”

The clearest blue eyes met mine, set deep in a white face splotched with brown. I couldn’t look away from him, couldn’t shake the thought that there was so much hope for him, for his future here on the island.

Not every kid, or animal, had that at birth.

Amelia usually named the horses. Before her, I’d known them on sight but not called them anything. Except now, with the ocean staring at me in his eyes, I knew. “Blue. His name is Blue.”

Amelia smiled. “I like that.”

Winter ducked his head, as if in approval. He stepped forward and nudged Bay, who was struggling to her feet.

I stood, my own legs ready to collapse beneath me. No matter how long a day it had been, at the sanctuary, it could always get longer.

And I wouldn’t give it up for the world.

“Go get the trailer.” I directed the words to Amelia. “I want to watch mom and baby overnight.”

Amelia saluted before speeding off into the dark to do as I asked.

I sank to the ground in the middle of the herd of wild horses as they welcomed Blue.

With so much bad in the world—like whatever happened to that little girl in the magazine—I truly believed everyone could use a bit of this beautiful magic. My indecisive sister. My feuding brothers. My demanding father.

Yet, none of them would. So, for now, it was just mine.