At the critical moment, the horse neighed and was yanked around—not by choice, but by the crack of a whip wielded by James.

The horse dashed forward again, sending sand flying and burying Serena from head to toe. Spitting out grains of sand, she got to her feet, only to see James already closing in on Vera's horse.

Without hesitation, he lifted Vera from her saddle and onto his own, his grip firm on the reins and muscles tensed with the effort.

Staff rushed in, some ...