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She thinks I need her? Thinks she can dissect me and put me back together?

A low, humorless sound escapes me. Thora has no idea what she’s talking about. There’s no saving me. Because there’s nothing worth saving.

I don’t need her. I don’t need anyone. I never have. I close the notebook and shove it back in the drawer, wishing I’d never read a damn word.

As I turn toward the door, ready to leave this place behind, the dirty dishes piled in her sink catch my attention.

My jaw clenches.

Not your problem. Walk away and leave them exactly where they are.

God damn it.

I cross to the sink, turn on the faucet, and scrub the bowl and plate until they’re spotless. After drying them, I return both to the cabinet with the rest of her dishes.

I shouldn’t have touched them. She might realize someone was here. But leaving them wasn’t an option. I can’t look at a mess without cleaning it.

Once I dry my hands, I walk out, determined to forget everything I read in her diary.

But when I’m back on my bike, her words remain lodged in my mind, refusing to let go.

CHAPTER NINE

THORA

As soon as I step into the paddock, Cider lifts her head, her ears flicking forward.

“Hey, girl.” I close the gate behind me before walking over, my boots sinking slightly into the dirt. “Miss me already?”

She nestles against me while I massage along her neck, checking the muscle for any lingering stiffness. She’s still favoring one leg, but not nearly as much as before.

“She’s looking better today.”

I glance over my shoulder to find Charlie leaning against the fence, his arms resting across the top rail.

“Yeah.” I turn back to Cider, sliding my palm down her leg before guiding it forward just enough to test the stretch and see how she responds. “She’s a tough girl. Aren’t you, baby?”

She flicks her tail into my hip.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. You don’t need me telling everyone.”

Charlie laughs, and when I glance over, I catch him watching me a little too closely. Unease creeps through me, and I quickly return my attention to Cider.

“She really likes you,” he says.

“I think so too.” I trail my fingers along her neck. “She’s pretty amazing.”

“Yeah…she is.” The way he says it makes me wonder if we’re still talking about the horse, and I really hope we are.

His mouth twitches like he wants to say something else, but before he can, Boone, another one of our ranch hands, starts marching toward us.

“Well, if it isn’t the new horse.”

Boone studies Cider with a confident grin. Charlie glances at him, his eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly before he looks away. He definitely doesn’t like Boone, which isn’t much of a shocker.

The two guys couldn’t be more different. Where Charlie prefers books, Boone prefers the gym, and his body shows it too. His T-shirt stretches across his large shoulders, his biceps flexing, and I bet he did it on purpose just to piss Charlie off.

If this is some sort of pissing contest, I want no part. I have my own Russian caveman to worry about.