Page 29 of Shattered Hearts

“Sounds about right. He has a date tonight, and you know he takes ages to fiddle with his hair,” Hallie says, flicking her eyes back onto me.

Glancing between the two siblings, I can’t help but smile, reminiscing on how my brothers used to tease each other. Used to? I mean, we still do… I’m not sure it’s something you ever grow out of.

“All right.” I clasp Knox’s shoulder, gaining his attention. “Should we go?”

“Absolutely!”

Hallie shakes her head, beaming still, before grabbing her bike from the front yard and shoving her bag in the basket. “Well, have fun, little brother. Don’t break anything or Mum will have your head.”

Knox pulls a face as she jumps on her rusted red bike and takes off down the street.

“Is she going to bike all the way to Rafter’s Falls?” I ask curiously. “Because that’ll take her at least an hour.”

“Nah, Paisley is in town. She’ll take her from there before her shift tonight.”

Humming quietly, I flick my head towards my ute, fiddling with the keys in my hand. “Come on, then.”

He jumps in so fast I think he might have burnt a hole in my passenger seat.

“When you turn the handle, the motor will rev loudly, so you only want to turn it a little bit.” Showing Knox what I mean, I twist the acceleration and the engine purrs over my shoulder.

Knox watches, completely mesmerised, and I don’t think the smile on his face has disappeared since we started driving to the ranch.

“Now your turn.” I slide off the smaller bike. “Just like I showed you.”

Knox gets on, resting his hands on the handlebars and getting a feel for the bike. It’s a beginner bike. 125cc, green and purple with fresh tyres. He turns his wrist a fraction, and the motor rages behind him.

“Woah!” he shouts over the noise.

I chuckle, remembering how excited I was the first time I got to sit on a bike.

“Yeah, you did it perfectly, and now,” I reach over, flicking off the engine, and the bike falls silent, “you need to learn the kickstart. This is an old school engine. Some are electric now, but they’re not as fun.”

Getting back on the bike, I show him how to start it correctly without the engine back firing. Knox tries it three times before nailing it, and high fives me.

I like hanging out with him. He’s quite fun.

“Should we go for a ride?”

The way his dark eyes widen is enough to make me laugh. Grabbing two helmets from the racks hanging in the barn, I hand him one and put mine on. Wheeling my own bike out, a bit bigger and painted vibrant orange and black, I kickstart the engine and tilt my head for Knox to follow.

Leading him slowly down the drive, Knox keeps on my tail, not pushing the engine, but also keeping up with me. Riding through the pasture, we come to the gate at the boundary of our property. Opening the wired gate, Knox breezes through, and once it’s closed, I trail behind him. He’s keeping a perfect pace and balance, riding as if he’s been doing this for years.

I can’t wipe the grin from my face as we head towards the mountains. The creek runs to our left, sun shimmering off the water in bright ripples, bugs flying around and sticking to the reeds. It smells fresh, the slightly chilled air cooling my arms as we ride together.

Riding beside him, something in the corner of my eye catches my attention. Peering to the right, I see Reid and Macie on their horses riding in our direction. Ugh, annoying, unpredictable things. Turning back, I yank hard on the brake but not fast enough. My bike hits a tree root and the tyre abruptly stops. The bike rolls, and I go with it, landing a metre away. My shoulder hits the dirt first, followed by my back and legs. The impact knocks the wind out of my lungs, and I cough loudly, yanking my helmet off.

The sound of a bike closes in, and Knox is in my face a moment later. I can hardly breathe, and this kid won’t stop questioning me as if I’m suddenly being interviewed for a crime.

“Help me up,” I grumble.

Knox takes my arm, sitting me up, and I groan. I definitely bruised something.

Kneeling beside me, Knox removes his helmet, sitting it on the ground. “You okay? That was some fall.”

“I didn’t see the roots.”

His mouth flatlines. Something out the corner of my eyes catches my attention.