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“I wonder if this is too much for him,” I murmured, more so to myself, but Mags heard it. His eyes met mine and my mouth decided to ramble. There wasn’t much else I could do. “I know he lost his mom in a tragic way…and having my mom here when she’s this sick…”
Mags cursed under his breath causing my head to snap to him, my eyes wide with shock. He pushed off the post and got into my space. I backed up, holding my hand up. The cowboy didn’t stop, not until my palm was pressed against his hard chest. His nostrils flared as he stared down at me under the brim of his hat. My breaths were shallow and for once, I found myself being afraid of one of Denver’s cowboys.
“You’re in love with him,” he stated.
Oh.
My mouth opened and closed again, unsure of what to say.Was it that obvious?
“Fucking hell,” he muttered. “Come on.”
“Come on?” I parroted.
He stepped away from me and held his hand out. “I have a feeling of where he might be. I’ll take you to him.”
My arms fell to my sides. “Is it that obvious?”
If it weren’t for the night around him, I could’ve sworn I saw his lips twitch. He made his way down the steps and when he looked over his shoulder, he replied, “It wasn’t until you opened your mouth about your mom being here, knowing that the ghost of his Momma haunts him every day. So yeah, darlin’, it’s obvious.”
Minutes later, I was looking up at Mags as he got settled on his beautiful black mare. He looked down at me, the moonlight shining behind him as he held his hand out. “Up,” he demanded.
I was scared shitless. My fear was clawing at my body, telling me that I was a nothing but a coward. I couldn’t do this.
My love for Denver was stronger than my fear.
I grabbed Mags’ hand, and he hauled me up. I was in front of him, his front pressed against my back. He grabbed the reins on either side of me and I heard his voice next to my ear.
“Gonna ride fast to get to your cowboy, got me?”
I nodded.
“Brace yourself.”
The beautiful beast underneath me broke off into a trot and then quickly—more quickly than I would’ve liked—she broke into a run. I reached for the horn of the saddle and held on for dear life. Her hooves pounded against the steady ground as the moonlight provided us with the light we needed. It was a full moon tonight—thank God. My hair whipped behind me, and I tried to contain it by pulling it around the side of my neck. My heart was racing, matching the horse’s pace. She was having a great time.
“That’s it, girl! Faster!” Mags called from behind me.
We were halfway through the field in front of the barn when Mags got close to my ear again, his voice louder now due to the wind. “Keep your eyes straight ahead when we come around this bend. Don’t look anywhere else.”
I did as he instructed, keeping my eyes on the base of the mountain before me. It stood strong and tall, unwavering as it had been for the last thousand years. No amount of wind could move it, no matter how hard it blew. Tall dark trees were scattered across it, promising you miles of pure, untouched land, a sanctuary for hundreds—maybe thousands of creatures. As Mags eased his horse to a slow trot, I heard another horse.
There, directly in front of us, was Ranger—Denver’s horse. He was tied to a low hanging branch at the opening of a trail, grazing on some grass, appearing unbothered. My eyes drifted to the trail opening beside him.
Was this Denver’s mother’s trail?
“Whoa, whoa—easy, girl. It’s just Ranger,” Mags cooed. He directed us over t and shortly after, he dismounted. I moved to do the same and he held his hand up, his eyes on the woods. “Look at the saddle, Val.”
Val.
My heart warmed at his acceptance.
Last week, he looked like he wanted to kill me. I liked that fact he called me that. I liked that they all did. They accepted me into their fold the second Denver claimed me, no questions.
“Gonna tie Midnight next to Ranger, and then I’ll help you down,” he informed. He clicked his tongue and Midnight was moving again. My body moved with her. The ride was hard, and I knew I would be sore tomorrow.
I didn’t care how sore I was; I just needed Denver to be okay. After Mags helped me down, he handed me a lighter. I looked up at him, raising a brow.
“Never go out into the wilderness without a fire starter. That thing could save your life.”
