The Color of Courage

“Certainly. He is through the double doors at the end of the hallway. His stall is the first one on the left down the first aisle. I need to speak with my secretary and then I’ll join you at his stall in case you have any questions.”

Brian tucked the file under his arm and escaped from his office. Fortunately, Jennifer had already left for the evening. He laid the file down and raked his fingers through his hair as he tried to gather his scattered thoughts.

The idea of having Lindsey in the clinic every day was a disturbing one. Without understanding exactly why, he knew she would interfere with his work. She would be a distraction he didn’t need, but he couldn’t see how to prevent her from coming.

Her request wasn’t all that unusual. Animal owners occasionally spent long hours with their pets and he’d rarely had to forbid access. Besides, she had her orders. There wasn’t much he could do about it except try to avoid her.

Even as the thought occurred to him, he knew that avoiding Lindsey wasn’t what he really wanted.

“Take a deep breath, Lindsey,” Karen said after Dr. Cutter had left the room.

Lindsey tried to swallow her irritation with the man. “I’m a soldier in the United States Army. I’ve been trained to do my duty no matter what the circumstances. A broken arm is no treat, but I’ve been assigned to Dakota’s care and I’ll follow my orders. It doesn’t matter if he thinks I can or not.”

“He’s only trying to be kind.”

“I didn’t hear a lick of kindness in his tone.”

“Maybe not in his tone, but I certainly saw it in the way he was looking at you.”

Lindsey turned to Karen in stunned surprise. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

“I don’t blame you for being interested in him. He’s attractive and he loves animals—what’s not to like?”

“I certainly don’t see the same thing you do. Come on, I’ll show you where they’re keeping Dakota.”

Leaving his office, Lindsey glanced toward the reception area. Dr. Cutter was standing at the desk, but his cute young secretary was nowhere to be seen. Not that it mattered what his hired help looked like. It certainly didn’t matter. Not to her, Lindsey decided.

Leading Karen toward the recovery stalls, Lindsey waited until they were through the door before she spoke her mind.

“The man is rude and he’s arrogant and I am certainly not interested in him.”

“I’ll admit he needs a little fine-tuning, but he has potential.”

“Potential for what? No, don’t tell me or you’ll sound like Danny. He never lets up with the ‘When are you going to settle down?’ speech. Once he got married, all he could think about was how I needed to find someone, too.”

Being in love had made him forget the painful scenes from their childhood, but Lindsey never forgot them. She knew better than to believe she could make an army career and a marriage work. Her own parents had been perfect examples of how wrong it could get. The endless fights, the recriminations, the tears and the broken promises she had witnessed as a child were things she couldn’t forget. As far as she was concerned, it was better not to have children than to subject them to the kind of childhood she’d had.

Marriage was hard enough without adding frequent reassignment, long separations and dangerous duty to the mix. Danny had been willing to take the chance that he could make it work with Abigail, and maybe they would be one of the blessed ones, but Lindsey wasn’t willing to open her heart up to that kind of pain.

At Dakota’s stall, Karen leaned through the rails and ran a hand down the big bay’s nose. “Whatever made you think I was talking about settling down?” she quipped. The sly smile she cast Lindsey over her shoulder made Lindsey want to shake her.

Leaning on the gate beside her sister, Lindsey decided to set her straight. “For your information, I have no intention of starting a relationship. The army is my life. I love moving to new posts, seeing new places, meeting new people.”

“Why? I hated it as a kid.”

“I guess the good Lord gave me the wanderlust gene. Our father had it and the next generation of Mandels will probably have it, too.”

“Except that there won’t be a next generation of Mandels.” Karen’s soft words brought the extent of their loss into sharp focus.

Lindsey slipped her good arm over Karen’s shoulders. “I’m sorry. That was a thoughtless comment on my part. We can pray that Danny and Abigail may still be blessed with a child.”

“I guess we can’t spend our lives trying not to say or do something that will remind us of Danny’s condition. I think it has been hardest on Dad. He really wanted to see the traditions of the family carried on.”

“I know. That’s my duty now. I’m going to carry on and serve with distinction.”

“Why? Hasn’t our family given this country enough?”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I’ve often wondered if you aren’t trying to live the life you think Dad wanted without finding out what kind of life you wanted for yourself.”

“This is the life I want,” Lindsey insisted.

Karen sighed in defeat. “As long as that’s true then I’m going to be happy for you, but you don’t have to do it alone. Sharing life’s burdens is part of the reason God made it so that two could become one.”

Reaching out, Lindsey tweaked her sister’s nose. “When did you get so wise?”

“I think it was in Philosophy 101 my freshman year.”

Lindsey smiled at her joke. The door to the hallway opened and Brian walked over to join them. “Do you have any questions, ladies?”

Lindsey turned to study Dakota. The cast extended from above his knee to below his hoof. It was wrapped in bright blue cloth.

“As you can see,” Brian began, “he is wearing special shoes on his other feet to accommodate the height of the cast and keep him standing level.”

“Why is that important?” Karen stepped over to make room for Brian to stand between herself and Lindsey.

“It will help prevent undue stress on his other legs. Horses carry most of their weight on their front legs. Unlike dogs or cats, they can’t stand three legged for long. We want him standing evenly, but not moving around much.”

“I expected to see him hanging from a sling.”

“We do use slings if we have to, but usually that is for bone breaks in the upper legs.”

Lindsey drew her hand down Dakota’s neck. “He doesn’t look as if he feels well. Is he in pain?”

Brian flipped through the chart that was wired to the front of the stall. “I’ve ordered pain medication. He’s been receiving regular doses. His X-rays show the pins are in excellent position. He should recover full use of the leg.”

Lindsey finally voiced the question she had been afraid to ask until now. “Do you believe Dakota could be healed enough to walk three miles with a rider by late January?”

“It might be possible, but I can’t give you a guarantee.”

“He has to be fit by then. If it’s possible, then that’s good enough for me. If you do your best for him, prayer will take us the rest of the way.”

“I’m sorry, but why does he have to be fit by late January?”