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“Denver, don’t even fucking think about it,” Chase warned as he got out of his truck. He was in uniform this time. I hated that he was in uniform this time.
I mounted Ranger and pulled my hat down. “This is my ranch, Sheriff. I do what I want.”
He charged towards me, but Lawson’s horse stepped in front of him. Lance came up beside me on his.
“Let’s ride, boys,” I yelled, snapping Ranger’s reigns and kicking my feet. Seconds later, five cowboys and their horses were charging across the field towards the fires of hell, searching for an enchantress lost in the woods.
My enchantress.
My baby.
My Valerie.
The pounding of hooves should have provided me with comfort, but dread was the only thing I could feel. That and fear.
I leaned forward, gaining speed. Mags was beside me, keeping the same speed atop Midnight. Beau was on the other side of me, not far behind, the twins behind him. The beauty of Hallow Ranch faded away, and all I could focus on was my precious Valerie.
The woman who’d given up everything and made a deal with the devil to save her mother. The woman who held everything in until the dam broke. The woman who looked at me with love in her eyes when I told her of my sins, instead of judgement. The woman who’d given me her body and trusted me with it. The woman who smiled into my chest at night when I kissed the top of her head before sleep took over. The woman who wanted to cook for me and my boy. The woman who was making my empty, cold house a home.
The woman who made me feel something other than anger for the first time in my adult life.
The ranch didn’t matter anymore, not if she wasn’t going to be a part of it. Not if she wasn’t going to be in my house, on the porch, on my saddle, in my bed.
We rounded the bend, coming up to the trail entrance. I eased up on Ranger’s reigns, urging him to stop. My cowboys did the same as I turned my steed around to face them. The smell of smoke and burning wood filled my nose, seeping into my lungs.
Taking as much time as I could, I met each one of their eyes. “You don’t have to do this.”
Lawson shook his head. “Don’t start that bullshit.”
Lance looked up at the sun and back to me. “Would ride with you anywhere, Den. You know that.”
“We stand by you, but we also stand by Val. Whatever shit went down last night, it’s in the past,” Beau said.
“She’s family,” Mags declared, shifting on his saddle. “Let’s get her home.”
“The second any of you fuckers can’t breathe, get out as fast as you can,” I ordered.
“That goes for you too, boss,” Beau reminded me.
I wasn’t coming out of those woods until Valerie was in my arms.
Eachofushada walkie talkie strapped to our hips, along with a pistol. We entered through the trail opening. The fire hadn’t gotten down to this part of the woods yet, but smoke lingered in the air, a warning sign of what’s to come. All around us, we heard the cries and wails of animals, the shuffling of hooves and paws. Panic was in the trees as birds flew overhead, escaping the nightmare easily. The herd was still in pasture three, away from the mountain, thank God.
Ranger was tense underneath me; he could sense the danger. I rubbed his neck. “Stay with me, bud. Can’t bring her home without you.” It killed me to put him in danger like this, but there wasn’t enough time for me track Valerie on foot.
I needed him.
“Break off at the stream,” I ordered, snapping the reigns, commanding Ranger to go faster. We were coming up on the spot where I made love to Valerie the other night. My chest tightened.
Do you know what it takes to love a man like me?
The smoke was thicker now as I came up to the stream. We spread out, and I began calling out for her.
“Valerie!”
I tried not to panic. I tried not to let the demons of my past take over. I needed to be here, for her.
Chaos continued around me, and I heard the voices of my cowboys in the distance, calling out for the lost enchantress. Ranger was cutting through the trees now, the ground beneath us slowly inclining. In another half mile, the soft ground would transition into rocks, trees standing tall between them. I looked up, taking in the lush green and the orange glow lurking behind the trees. I could feel the heat of the fire against my skin, and Ranger was neighing in protest. He got on his back legs, and I tightened my hold on him.
