The sun was beginning to set as Lesya reached the area where her grandfather lived. His farm, along with others, was located just outside the regional city, surrounded by hundreds of acres of pastures and meadows. In the spring, the landscape was breathtaking, a feast for the eyes. Everywhere she looked, there was lush, vibrant green grass. Sheep, cows, and horses grazed peacefully. The landowners here were deeply rooted in agriculture, selling their products for a living. Tymofiy Vasylyovych owned more than a few acres of these pastures and lived in a sprawling house. He employed a sizable crew of workers. Most of his products were sold within Ukraine, bringing in a comfortable income that allowed him to live well. Still, he dreamed of breaking into international markets and expanding his reach.
Lesya had only been to this area once before in her life, when she was no older than nine. Back then, she’d visited her grandfather with her dad. At the time, her father had been trying to reconcile with his family, hoping to return to his roots with his wife and daughter, but it never worked out. Behind the wheel now, Lesya didn’t let herself get lost in memories—she needed to focus on the road. Especially since her GPS was no help anymore; she’d entered private territory. She remembered her grandfather mentioning that once she reached a big intersection in the middle of a meadow, she’d need to turn…
“Right or left?” Lesya muttered to herself as she stopped at the intersection. “Left, I think. Yeah, definitely left… They could at least put up some signs.”
She drove another mile or so when a sheep darted onto the road. Startled, Lesya slammed on the brakes, but it was too late to avoid a collision. For a moment, she froze in panic, then quickly pulled herself together. She leaned forward in the driver’s seat, peering through the windshield to see if the animal was still alive. Unable to tell, she opened the car door and stepped out, trying to stay calm. She glanced around, but there was no one and nothing in sight.
The closer she got to the front of her car, the more her anxiety grew. She even closed her eyes, unable to bear the thought of seeing an injured animal. She felt awful. Lesya was on the verge of tears, berating herself endlessly. Finally, she stepped closer and hesitantly opened her eyes. The sheep was alive. Letting out a relieved breath, Lesya crouched down beside the animal lying on the road.
“You must be in so much pain. I’m so sorry,” Lesya couldn’t hold back her tears. “I didn’t see you… I’m going to take you to a vet right now… Just hang in there, okay? I’ll be quick…”
She intended to pick up the sheep and put it in the car to get it to a vet. Her grandfather surely had one on hand around here, no doubt. The overwhelming guilt Lesya felt pushed her to act fast—she had to save the sheep’s life at any cost. But just as she reached out to touch the animal, a man’s voice boomed behind her, startling her so badly that her legs trembled.
“Don’t touch it. Where were you even looking?”
“I… I… didn’t see it… it’s alive… We need a vet,” Lesya stammered, trying to steady her voice despite the fear gripping her. “I…”
“You just hit a very rare breed of sheep, worth thousands…”
“I’ll pay for it if it’s yours,” Lesya said, lifting her gaze to the man who sat astride a black Arabian horse. He swiftly dismounted and crouched beside the injured sheep. “There’s nothing that can be done for it now.”
Then the man stood up, pulled a pistol from his belt, and aimed it at the animal.
“What are you doing?” Lesya screamed at the top of her lungs, lunging at the stranger and pushing his hand aside. “Don’t you dare!”
“This is the only way to end its suffering,” the man said, brushing her hand off his. “Do you think I want to do this? But because of you, I have to.”
“I’m ordering you to lower that weapon,” Lesya shouted even louder, right in his face. He squinted, and she noticed how strikingly beautiful his dark blue eyes were. “We’re taking this sheep to a vet. You’re going to show me the way. I’m ordering you. Do you hear me?”
“Yeah, I hear you. I just don’t get why you think you can order me around. Who are you to do that?” the man asked, clearly annoyed, as he tucked the pistol back into his belt. He crouched down again and picked up the sheep.
“Carry it carefully and put it on the back seat.”
“Better in the trunk. Open it,” the man said, openly sizing Lesya up, making her feel uneasy under his gaze. “You didn’t answer my question. Who are you?”
“Does it matter?” Lesya shot back, closing the trunk. “Show me where to go.”
“Fine, as you command,” he replied mockingly, keeping his cool. “We’ll play by your rules, but the price for this game is gonna be steep.”
“I’ll cover all the costs if this sheep is really yours,” Lesya said, sliding into the driver’s seat. “Now, we can’t waste time. We need to save its life…”
“It’s mine, and you’ll definitely pay me—not just for the animal, but for your attitude too.”
“Just show me the way,” Lesya said, ignoring the weight of his words as she started the engine.
The stranger hopped back onto his horse, spurred it with the heels of his tall boots, and galloped ahead down the road. Lesya pressed harder on the gas, worried she’d lose sight of the rider. She’d never realized before how fast horses could run.
“He’s a hell of a rider, this country boy,” Lesya thought to herself. “But so damn rude. Probably works for my grandfather as a shepherd, yet acts like he owns this sheep, like he’s the boss around here. Probably just showing off for me… what a jerk! I’m definitely telling Grandpa about him so he knows what kind of people work for him. Arrogant, cocky liar! I’ll put him in his place.”
When the stranger reached the farmyard near the sheep pen, he abruptly stopped his horse, pulling the reins so hard that it reared up on its hind legs before settling back down. He dismounted and tossed the reins to a young boy, who looked no older than twelve, as the kid ran up to him.
“Get the vet,” the stranger ordered the workers before disappearing behind a building.
Lesya parked her car and got out, opening the trunk and hoping the animal was still alive. It was, and Lesya smiled through her tears, feeling a wave of relief—they’d made it in time. A moment later, one of the workers approached her. He helped lift the sheep out of the trunk to carry it into the pen and lay it on some hay. Lesya followed close behind.
“Be careful setting it down,” she instructed the worker, crouching beside the animal and resting her hand on it.
Just then, a short man with a gray beard entered the pen. It was the vet.
“Alright, step back,” he ordered, kneeling to examine the sheep. “She’s got severe soft tissue bruising, but it looks like no broken bones. There’s a risk of internal organ damage, though.”
“Will she live? Can you help her?” Lesya’s eyes shone with hope.
“I’ll give her a painkiller to ease the discomfort. We’ll have to wait until morning to see how she’s doing. If there’s no internal damage, she’ll be out grazing in the meadow by tomorrow. If the damage is serious, I’m afraid the outlook won’t be good…”
“I understand. Thank you,” Lesya said, calming down a little, though the guilt still gnawed at her. “It’s my fault… She ran out onto the road so suddenly, I didn’t see her in time…”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” the vet said sympathetically. “It happens to everyone. I’ll check on her again in the morning. I think she’ll be fine. Try to relax—don’t stress yourself out so much, or you’ll be the one needing a doctor.”
An older man, who had been standing among the crowd of farm workers, approached Lesya.
“Don’t worry, everything will be okay. It’s really not your fault.”
“But I’m the one who hit her,” Lesya said, stepping back, unable to calm down. “You don’t understand, I don’t know how this happened. I was paying attention… She just darted out… I hit the brakes… I…”
“Let me walk you to the house. You can have some calming tea. Boss’s orders,” the worker insisted. “It was an accident. If you’d done it on purpose, that’d be different. But this… it just happened, ma’am.”
Lesya glanced at the sheep one more time and saw that it had fallen asleep, breathing evenly. The animal was alive, and everything would be okay, she kept telling herself. But the guilt overwhelming her grew stronger by the second, making it hard to breathe and nearly pushing her to the edge of fainting. She didn’t know what to do with herself.
The worker stayed by her side, supporting her as they slowly made their way to the house. Her legs felt weak, so she leaned on the man’s arm as they stepped inside. Lesya was certain this was her grandfather’s house. She didn’t even stop to wonder why he hadn’t come out to greet her yet. “Hasn’t he noticed I’m here?” she thought fleetingly.
She entered a large living room and sank onto a dark brown upholstered couch.
“Would you like some calming drops or should I brew some tea?” a maid asked.
“Drops, please,” Lesya exhaled heavily, nodding.
“Right away,” the maid replied, grabbing a small bottle of calming solution from a sideboard against the wall. She quickly added a few drops to a glass of water and handed it to Lesya.
After a few sips, Lesya almost immediately felt the tension ease. Her body relaxed, her eyelids grew heavy, and she lay down on the couch. Slipping into a deep sleep, she didn’t even notice that the same stranger had been watching her from the corner of the room the entire time...