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Later that night I climbed into bed exhausted. Dinner had been great. Jack had been telling everyone stories of his travels, places he’d visited and where was next on his list to go. He had been away from home for a while now and was planning to be back home for the summer. Seeing him tonight and catching up with him had made me realise just how much I’d missed him. I was looking forward to having him home.
Mason, Jack, and Brody had all got on really well, it was like they had all been friends for years, they had even arranged to go fishing on Mason’s next day off. After dinner, we sat on the porch chatting, Aunt Claire and Uncle Ryan had turned in early, and Savannah had talked Brody into letting her have a couple of bottles of beer. Brody had found a pack of cards, and we had played poker for a couple of hours. I had never played, and Mason had offered to play with me until I got the hang of it. He had sat close to me all night, brushing is fingers against mine as he helped me with the cards, and flashing me his real smile, the one that made my stomach flutter and my body tingle.
We had all agreed to meet up at 1.30 pm tomorrow to head over to Burnet for the rodeo. Josh was going to be coming with us which I knew Savannah was stressing about. We would need to take the seven-seater jeep that they used on the ranch so that we could all go together. Savannah, knowing that I would need to sit in the front of the jeep would be stuck in the back with Josh. I just prayed they didn’t argue the whole way.
Mason had left after we’d lost our fifth poker hand in a row, I definitely didn’t have beginners luck. After quickly tidying up we had all come to bed. Jack was in the bedroom at the end of the hall which I was grateful for. I didn’t want to wake him if I had a nightmare.
Now, I was lying in bed hoping that the nightmares would stay away so that I, and everyone else, could get a good night’s sleep. I must have fallen asleep quickly, my dreams full of Mason and the memory of being in his arms, him kissing my hair and stroking my face. They quickly changed to memories of the panic attack earlier, my breathing accelerating and my heart pounding. I was suddenly back in Mitch’s car, hearing Mia screaming and the metal of the car crunching as the van hit us. I woke up to my own screaming, tears running down my cheeks. I sat up in bed, clamping my hand over my mouth, my body shaking. As my breathing slowed down, I looked to the door waiting for someone to burst in, but no one did. Reaching for my phone I saw that it was 3.20 am, I had been asleep for longer than I thought. I flopped back down on the bed, afraid to fall back to sleep in case the nightmares returned.
It was warm in my room, and I was hot and bothered after my nightmare. I decided to take a walk out to the barn, it was always quiet in there, and it had become one of my favourite places to go. Spending time with the horses somehow calmed me down and cleared my head.
I pulled my hair off my neck and tied it up in a bobble. I picked up my kindle, creeping out of my room and down the stairs. I stopped in the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, taking a swig before heading out of the front door. It was cooler outside, and I welcomed the cool breeze around my bare legs. I wandered over to the stables and pulled on the heavy door, hearing it creak slightly as it opened. The horses were asleep, but a few stirred as I came in, poking their noses over the stalls to see who had woken them up. I made my way along, stroking the ones who were awake until I reached the tack room at the other end of the stable. I’d noticed a small chair in the corner of the tack room the last time I’d been in there, and I intended to curl up on it and read for a bit. I inhaled deeply as I walked in, loving the smell of the leather saddles and riding crops. Just as I was heading to the chair in the corner, I heard the creak of the stable door.
“Is someone in here?” A familiar voice called out.
Oh god, it was Mason! I looked down at what I was wearing, suddenly conscious that it wasn’t very much at all. A tiny pair of sleeping shorts and a sleeveless top. I hadn’t bothered putting a bra on. I hadn’t thought that I would be bumping into anyone at this time of the morning. I took a deep breath and walked out of the tack room. “It’s me, Mason.”
“Libby.” He said surprised. “Are you okay? I thought someone was stealing the horses.” He made his way down past the stalls towards me. His chest was bare, and he wore a pair of jogging shorts that hung low on his hips, his perfect v disappearing below the waist of his shorts. His hair was messy, and his eyes were hooded as he looked me up and down.
“I… I… I’m sorry.” I stuttered, flustered at seeing him with barely anything on. “I didn’t mean to worry you. I hope I haven’t woken you up. I’m fine, I just couldn’t sleep.” I said quickly, feeling embarrassed.
I watched his eyes travel the length of my body, taking in what little clothes I had on. His eyes paused on my chest, and I saw them widen slightly when he realised I had no bra on. Watching him watch me made my body tingle and I felt my nipples harden. I quickly folded my arms over my chest, my face flushing. I could tell from the small smile on his face that he had seen my body’s reaction to him. I watched the smile slip from his face as his eyes met mine.
“Libby, you’ve been crying.” He said worry clear on his face. He came closer towards me. “I thought I heard someone screaming earlier, was that you?” He asked me gently.
I dropped my eyes, embarrassed that he had heard me. “I had a bad dream. I’m sorry I woke you.” I told him quietly. I wondered how close to the house Mason must live for him to have heard me.
“This isn’t the first time, is it? I heard you a few days ago, as well. Please talk to me Lib.” He reached for me, unfolding my arms from across my chest and taking my hands in his.
I shivered suddenly feeling cold. Mason must have noticed, and he pulled me into his warm chest, wrapping his arms around me. I sighed, I’d told him about the accident yesterday, and now he knew about the nightmares, he might as well know about Mia.
“You’re cold, come with me.” He took my hand and led me out of the stables and around the back of the building.
“Mason, where are we going?”
“To my place.”
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea.” I protested.
He stopped walking and turned to look at me. “It’s the middle of the night, you’re cold and upset, we’re just going to talk Libby, nothing else. I’ll behave I promise.” His eyes shone with sincerity.
“Okay,” I whispered. He smiled at me and carried on walking, never letting go of my hand. I suddenly realised that we were heading for the old log cabin I had seen yesterday. When it came into view, I could see the pale glow from the porch light along with a light coming from the small window next to the door.
“You live here?” I asked him, a little taken aback that I’d been snooping through his window less than twenty-four hours ago, “It’s beautiful.”
“It is, isn’t it. Ryan and Claire offered me one of the new log cabins to stay in, but I noticed this cabin on my first day here and fell in love with it. It was a bit run down, but I’ve done it up little by little, and it’s almost finished now.” He turned to look at me. “You seem surprised, have you been here before?” He asked.
I burst out laughing. “I actually came across the cabin yesterday morning when I went for a walk, I’m a bit embarrassed to say I was peering through your windows being nosey!”
“Good thing I wasn’t walking around naked then.” He laughed, turning back towards the log cabin and pulling me along behind him.
I let him pull me along, my heart pounding in my chest at the thought of sneaking a look through his window and catching sight of him naked.
“Now you can have a proper look around rather than a sneaky look through the window.” He winked at me. He opened the front door and stood to the side motioning with his hand for me to go in.
I stepped inside, it looked even better than it did yesterday. There were a couple of small lamps dotted around giving off a warm, cosy glow. The cabin was tiny but perfectly formed, and it looked like it had all the essentials to live comfortably.
“Would you like a drink?” Mason asked me.
