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“What do you say, Dusty? Fancy a solo ride tonight?”
I’d gotten everything ready multiple times now without help. So, I followed the steps and saddled up Dusty. Then let him out, and the two of us ventured across the pasture. It was peaceful and quiet, the soft croaking of frogs and the chirp of crickets creating a symphony I would never forget. Even if I had to go home without Killian. I forced myself to remember that it wasn’t the end of the world, that the two of us could absolutely continue on without constantly being together. It was just my fear of abandonment talking. My worry that I didn’t matter and was replaceable.
We rode up to the crest of the hill, stopping just under a large tree that overlooked the babbling brook beyond. Proud of myself for the confidence I’d gained on this horse, I dismounted and led him over to the small hitching post designed for just such an occasion.
“Well done, mate. Let’s take a rest, shall we?”
I tied him off and left him to his own devices, so he could happily graze on the lush green grass nearby. Then I found a spot to sit and think as I watched the sunset.
The clouds in the distance had grown closer, their presence making the colors even more vivid. Pulling out my phone, I snapped shot after shot, trying to immortalize this beauty, so I’d never forget it.
The sky was a deep violet when I stood and brushed off my jeans before heading back to collect Dusty and return him to the barn. Except, when I got there, Dusty was nowhere to be found.
“You have to be kidding me, No. Dusty!” I raked my fingers through my hair and stared out at the vast land before me. “Here, horsey, horsey!”
Bleeding hell. What was I doing? Calling a horse like he was a cat? He was nowhere to be found. No trace. Which meant the smart as a whip horse had made his way back to where the food was.
Less worried about him being lost and more concerned about myself, I began the slow journey on foot. The sky opened up above me, pissing it down. I’ve never been more thankful for a hat. But it wasn’t long before I was soaked, shivering, and pissed off with myself. Lightning flashed in the distance, and I picked up my pace, hurrying along to try and get somewhere safer. The last thing I wanted was to make headlines with my untimely demise because I was trying my hand at being a human lightning rod.
All I could hear was the pounding rain and the roll of thunder until the hammer of hoofbeats caught my attention. I snapped my head up and saw Killian racing toward me on the back of Hera. His eyes were wild, laced with fear as he came up alongside me.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Jamie. What happened? Did Dusty throw you?”
“No. I wish it was something as dramatic as that. I tied him to the hitching post, and he must have got loose. Is he okay?”
“Yeah. He’s back in his stall. Sera took care of him.”
That woman was a saint.
“Come on.” He held out a hand, and I let him help me up so I could sit behind him. “Hang on tight. This’ll be kinda awkward. Neither one of us is what I’d call small.”
I wrapped my arms around his waist, and we rode back to the stables in silence. Not a soul was there. Everyone likely having gone inside, where they were warm, dry, and safe. And I figured that’s where we would go too, but Killian had other plans.
I got down, and then he dismounted, but he didn’t say a word to me as he went through the motions of putting away the saddle, brushing down Hera, and making sure she had a treat.
“Thanks for coming for me,” I murmured. “I didn’t know what else to do, so I just walked.”
“You shouldn’t have gone out by yourself. Why would you do that?”
“I see cowboys out by themselves all the time.”
“Cowboys who’ve been riding since they were knee high to a bug’s eye. You only have a couple of weeks of experience. You could have been thrown. You could have been trampled. You could have died. I don’t…I can’t lose you.”
“Kill, what are you on about?”
“You know what I’m talking about. It’s dangerous. It’s not something you should do alone. Promise me you will never do that again.”
“Okay.”
He crowded me until I was pressed against the tack room door. “Promise me, Jamie.”
“Killian, what is this about?”
Fear, clear and present, flashed in his eyes. “That was how we lost Sutton’s mama. She went riding alone. Horse threw her. She hit her head. Didn’t come home. And then Wes went out and…well, she was gone. She was like a second mother to me, even though she had no reason to be. She loved me and treated me like I was her own. Her death damn near broke all of us, so please, I can’t lose another person. I—” He stopped, checking himself, swallowing down the word I knew was on the tip of his tongue.
“I’m sorry, Killian. I’m so sorry. I just wanted to think some things through, and it seems like something as safe as walking. I won’t do it again. You have my word.”
He took a shuddering breath, then pressed his forehead to mine, our hats getting knocked off our heads as he tilted his face and claimed my lips. Every ounce of fear and desire poured from his kiss and into me, and I took it all. I was lost in Killian Wilde, and I didn’t think I ever wanted to be found if it meant I didn’t get to keep him.
