Wild Ride

Wild Ride By Kassandra Lea The sun sat low in the sky, a cool breeze making the long grass sway, the leaves on nearby trees whispering. It carried to Mica Daly—no, it’s not Daly anymore—strains of an upbeat country song and the chatter of voices. There was a right good shindig going on behind the big ranch house, partly in his honor, but feeling overwhelmed, Mica slipped away, hopefully unnoticed. He ducked into the barn, assaulted by the smell of hay and pine shavings, leather, and horses; the sorts of smells he hadn’t been familiar with eight months earlier. Eight months… Feeling light headed he sank down onto a nearby bale of hay, head hanging down. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on just breathing in and out. Panic threatened to seize hold of his heart, to make him choke on t