December, 2016

Luke Nash wandered down the aisle of Frank’s Feed & Fuel, looking for a new halter for his mare. He didn’t need a new halter, of course – he had a half dozen for her already – but dammit all, he was tired of being holed up at home. Usually, he could go weeks at a time out on his farm, ignoring the outside world, but lately, he’d started getting antsy.

It was probably because Christmas was coming, the most hated time of the year. The music, the bells, the lights, and worst of all, the fake cheerfulness that just meant that someone was trying to sell something to him. It was a sham, a marketing scheme.

And yet, how did he escape it? Shopping, with his dog no less, two days before Christmas.

It was like a cruel jo...

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