Broken Trouble (Broken Storm #1) (15 page)

I relaxed slightly, glad he was changing the subject.

              "I was working on it this morning, it's about fixed," Gavin spoke, then inconspicuously dropped another scrap of chicken on the floor. I heard movement as the puppy gobbled it up.

              So, it had been Gavin outside this morning. It was kind of awkward knowing he had been the one to see me bawling my eyes out in Storm’s corral, though I wondered why he hadn't brought it up. Today he was uncharacteristically friendly, especially at dinner, when he would usually cause a scene and tell me off. The puppy wasn't the reason he was being so nice. The only thing I could think of that had happened right before his mood change was my freak out last night and being an emotional wreck this morning.

              Did he think I was too broken to bother fighting with anymore? Did he think there was nothing left for him to destroy? I didn't need to be pitied, if that's what he was doing. I really wished I could see into his mind just a bit to figure out what was going on in that head of his. I doubted that I would like what I’d find, even if I could.

              Maybe I was better off not knowing.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

              After dinner was done, I followed Wyatt outside to help him feed the horses. I was glad to help; it gave me the chance to get away from the other guys for a little while. It always felt comfortable to hang out with Wyatt, even if he didn't talk much.

              He led me into a corral, skipping over the other horses for the moment. It felt like he was specifically taking me there on purpose, making me wonder why. We approached a horse with a golden colored coat, which shimmered in the late afternoon sun. It was a different color than Brooks though, with a lighter gold coat and black mane, tail, and stockings. When the horse turned its head towards me, it nuzzled my hand with her black nose.

              "This is Sweetheart," Wyatt stated as he adjusted a bucket that was hooked on the fence. The horse nickered and perked up. I couldn't help myself, I had to pet her. It was like her calm disposition was drawing my hand towards her and forcing my fingers to stroke her coat.

              "Hey Sweetheart," I greeted, then paused, remembering that it was the same as the pet name Jayden used for me. Kind of odd, but the horse was pretty and sweet, so I couldn't really take it as an insult.

              "Sweetheart's pregnant, and Polly's excited for her horse to have her first foal," Wyatt stated, looking at me. "You don't know what you're missing in life until you see a foal being born or watch as it takes its first steps into the world," he added and I had the feeling he was trying to suggest something without actually saying it outright. I didn't understand what he wanted. Maybe he was suggesting that I be here when she gives birth?

              "Foals are pretty cute," I didn't really know what else to say. I didn't know what he wanted from me, but for some reason I wanted to make him proud by doing the right thing.

              Wyatt only nodded, then handed me a bucket. "You can go get her some grain, add an extra scoop."

              That was it. The moment was over. I missed whatever he was trying to get across to me.

              I thought about what Wyatt said, trying to decipher his meaning, while I scooped grain into Sweetheart's bucket. I heard a movement behind me at the door, but ignored it. It was probably Wyatt, checking in on me.

              I jumped a little when I heard Jayden's voice rumble in my ear, instead of Wyatt's. "Hey Sweetheart."

              Turning my head, I watched as he moved closer, his bare chest pressing into my back and his eyes darkening. "We're going on our date on Saturday. Be ready." Even though his tone wasn't arrogant or cocky, he spoke with surety.

It was as if I’d already agreed to go. Which I hadn't.

              At least he accepted that I was going on dates with several of them pretty well. As long as they didn't get into any major fights, then it would be okay for now, right?

              Still, I hadn't agreed to go on a date with him and I didn't want him to think he could just walk up to me and act as if he could control me just by saying so. Plus, I'm pretty sure it was common courtesy to ask a girl out for the first date.

"I never told you I would go on a date with you."

              "Sweetheart, you don't have to say anything, I can see your answer in your eyes. Plus, you'll need a man to show you just how incredible a date can be."

              I rolled my eyes. "Well why don't you watch what my mouth says instead?"

              Jayden's eyes slid down so he could stare at my lips. "Good idea."

He snatched my chin with his fingers, then ducked his head down to land a hot trail of kisses across my neck. I flushed, trying to keep my mind clear, but his assault on my neck was quickly causing me to lose any thoughts of resisting. What Wyatt had said had definitely moved to the back of my mind, making room for my desire for Jayden.

"Say it," he murmured.

I tried to focus on what he was asking, but was drawing up a blank. Who knew his lips could be so distracting?

              Jayden held my face again, his mouth hovering just a breath from mine, his eyes searing into mine. "Say you'll go out with me, Sweetheart."

              His heated gaze was melting any resolve I had left, leaving me unable to resist him. "I will."

              I woke the next morning before dawn again. I blamed my early start on all the thoughts bouncing around in my head, but it was most likely becoming a habit. If I was forming habits on the little things like sleep, then it meant I had settled in more than I'd thought. Maybe that's why I had caved so easily to Jayden last night. I was slowly losing my hard shell, the boys slipping right through it with their good looks and sweet comments.

              It was infuriating.

              Stupid girl hormones.

              I got up and headed outside to see Storm. I had just seen him yesterday morning, but it felt like ages ago. I passed by the broken down truck on the way and saw the puppy chewing on a stick near one of its tires. I had a nice view of Gavin's butt as he leaned far underneath the hood, but averted my eyes. It seemed I was always either staring at his butt or dealing with his personality’s equivalent of it.

              He didn't look up from his work as I passed, and I didn't hang around.

              When I entered Storm’s corral, his ears perked up and he trotted directly up to me. He reached out with his nose to sniff at my hands and pockets, looking for Sugar Straws. Storm snatched a few between his teeth, then jerked his head up high as he pranced away with his stolen prize in his mouth.

              I couldn't help but smile at him as I watched. Day by day, I was watching him change and become a happier horse. He opened up to me more and more as his spirit lifted.

              I approached Storm to open up the packets, but he darted away from me each time, even giving little bucks. I put my hands on my hips and shook my head at him, watching as he bobbed his head up and down. It made me wonder how old he was, because he was acting like a playful colt.

              When his ears flattened a moment later, I knew someone else had made an appearance at his corral. Wyatt opened the door and Storm snorted, like he was annoyed that someone had interrupted.

"I thought you could try grooming him," Wyatt stated, sitting a container of brushes and combs on the ground.

              "Do you think he's ready for that?" I asked. Just because Storm and I had gotten pretty comfortable with each other didn't mean we were ready for the next step.

              "I think you'll know when you're both are ready," Wyatt tipped his hat, closed the gate, and was gone.

              I knew nothing about horses. What made Wyatt think that I would know when Storm was ready to be brushed? He had more experience with horses than I did, which meant he wouldn't have given me the brushes without thinking Storm was ready. Maybe this was some kind of test from him, to see if I would push Storm to do what I wanted or if I was patent enough to wait.

              I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, brushing it away from my eyes. No one knew Storm better than I did, so I would just have to see how things go. I wouldn't force something on Storm that he didn't want to do. That was probably one of the things that had made Storm the way he is. I know it's one of the things that dragged me further into the darkness.

              Forced into foster homes, doing things for the families that I was sure birth daughters never had to do, being put into juvie, then thrown back to the first foster home willing to take me for a little cash. At a certain point I had stopped caring. People would force me to do things I didn't want to. Only on the rare occasion did I put up a fight. If I would have fought more, then maybe I wouldn't have gone through what I had, but it felt like it was the only path life had given me. It was a dark and painful path, but it was the one that had led me to this place and to Storm.

              Maybe it was all a coincidence that Storm made such a ruckus that night, causing me to come to this place. Or maybe he could sense that we were two souls in need of each other. After all, Storm rarely made a sound with me here at the ranch, so it would make perfect sense. Either way, it had led me here, to the calm of the countryside with people I was almost ready to call my friends. I may be holding back from admitting it, but they already held that title. Who knew where my path would lead me? It could take me back to the disaster that was my life, or it could take me into a life I would enjoy living.

              I got one of the brushes, getting the feel of it in my hand. When I turned, Storm was staring at me with a Sugar Straw sticking out of his mouth like a cigarette, awaiting my next move.

              I moved towards Storm and he stood completely still, his playfulness gone, replaced with avid interest.

              He shifted his weight slightly, but all four hooves stayed planted into the ground as I gathered up the Sugar Straws that was scattered around him. I opened the packets and fed him the contents, watching him as he watched me. Storm eyed me like he knew I was about to do something different, which wasn't surprising because the brush in my hand was a dead giveaway.

              I took a deep breath, trailing my fingers across Storm’s coat, watching as his skin jumped under my fingers, his ears twitching. He wasn't moving away from me, so I continued petting him, working my way across his body in what felt like a game of minesweeper. I judged his reaction for where I would touch next.

              Once I had covered his body, I went back over his coat, petting the spots where he seemed the most comfortable. As time passed, I could see his muscles slowly relaxing. His breathing was slower and deeper. I seemed to have the same reaction he had, because I felt relaxed and calm.

              I could see the sky was slowly turned from black to a navy blue and I knew the sun would be making its climb over the horizon soon.

              I left Storm’s corral to get him food and strode over to the feed shed. As I put a scoop of feed into the bucket, I heard a noise on the roof.

              What was that? The trees weren't close enough to the shed to brush up against it.

              I stepped outside and set the bucket down, circling the feed shed as I searched for the source of the noise. Instead of branches, or a rodent of some kind, I saw a pair of boots hanging slightly off the edge, the heel of a boot tapping the edge of the roof.

              Why would someone be lying on top of the feed shed this early in the morning? Were they fixing the roof before it got hot out?

              Curiosity ate at me. I took note that Gavin was still over at the truck, which meant it wasn't him. I circled around the feed shed until I found the spot that looked like the best place to climb. Grasping the highest board I could reach, I hopped up, my shoes skidding on the boards as I tried to find grip.

              I wasn't aware of a hand coming over the edge until it had me in its grasp and pulled me up and onto the roof. My hands smacked against the cool metal, the sound of it ringing loudly in the peaceful morning air. I crouched on my hands and knees on the roof and looked up to see Wyatt smirking at me from beneath his cowboy hat.

              "I was hoping you'd find me here," he murmured, sitting back.

              "What are you doing up here?" I asked, sitting up so I was kneeling.

              His eyes found mine and he examined my face thoughtfully, then nodded to the spot beside him. "Wait and see."

              I frowned, but moved to sit beside him. Wait and see what? All I could see was the darkness of the ranch as the sun struggled to rise. I waited a couple minutes to see if anything would appear, but nothing did. I glanced at Wyatt out of the corner of my eye.

              He was leaning back on the roof, an arm bent behind his head to cushion him from the hard metal. His eyes stayed on the horizon, his body completely relaxed as his breathing came out in slow, even breaths of air.

              Had he meant that whatever I was waiting for would be revealed now, or later? Wyatt seemed to leave his meaning up to me. Maybe this was the way to be close to him, to pass his mental tests to see the real him.

              How cowboy of him.

              I sat and wrapped my arms around my legs, waiting it out. Waiting him out.

              The longer I sat there, the more I glanced at Wyatt, trying to figure out what he was staring at. When the first wisps of pink and orange color started streaking its way across the sky, Wyatt visibly perked up, his eyes staying focused on the sunrise.

              After a moment, he looked at me and I knew he was silently asking if I was seeing the same thing he was. Why was he acting like a sunrise was the best thing in the world? Sure, it was pretty, but it happened every day. So what?

              "What do you see?" Wyatt asked, his eyes intense on mine until he turned them back on the sunrise. The colors reflected from his blue eyes, making them look like fire.

              Fire. My mind answered for me, but I knew Wyatt wasn't asking about his eyes, just the sunrise.

              "A sunrise?" I was uncertain, knowing he was searching for more in my response than that, but I didn't know how to give it to him.

              Wyatt nodded, but stayed silent for a moment, causing me to turn and watch the sunrise with him.

              "I come out here every morning to watch the sunrise. No matter how dark it is at night, the sun still rises. It still casts its colors out across the sky, even if it's a cloudy day," Wyatt paused, his eyes intensifying. "The cloudier it is, the harder it is for the sun to cast its light, and the more beautiful the colors become."

              I could tell Wyatt wasn't just talking about the sky, he was also talking about himself, or me, or anyone for that matter. He was trying to show me what gave him hope every day. He was sharing something special with me, letting me in a bit more to see his vulnerability, in an attempt to help me. When Wyatt was focused on helping someone, he really gave it his all. No wonder he was so good with horses.

              Wyatt looked down into my eyes from under his hat. "No matter what, it never gives up."

              I could hear the inner meaning ringing clear in his voice. He was telling me to never give up.

              This cowboy was chocked full of knowledge.

              I stared back into Wyatt's eyes, which were still reflecting the orange from the sunrise, and smiled. I didn't know what to say to thank him, or to convey that I understood what he was saying. I didn't need to though, because after he watched me for a moment, he seemed to relax. He understood what I was thinking.

              Wyatt leaned back and we watched the rest of the sunrise together in comfortable silence. The colors in the sky were beautiful and what it meant to Wyatt was amazing, but that wasn't my favorite part.

              My favorite part was how the orange reflected in Wyatt's crystal blue eyes, showing the spark that was lit inside of him. Looking into his eyes was the spark that lit a fire inside my soul that had never burned before.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

              By the time breakfast was over, I was ready for the day ahead. No wonder Wyatt always watched the sunrise if it gave him this much motivation.

              No one was working on the barn today. With the rodeo just a couple days away, everyone had preparations to make. It left me with nothing to do, but sit around and watch them. I stood on the fencing of a corral, watching Dylan and Landon as they galloped their horses after some small cows, practicing their roping.

              Dylan rode Lance while Landon rode his horse, which was a strongly muscled black and white paint, its black mane and tail floating out behind it as it galloped along.

              I understood absolutely none of what they were doing or trying to do, but it was still fun to watch.

              They did one round where Dylan roped the cow's horns and Landon roped the cows back legs, before jumping off his horse and dragging it to the ground, wrapping the rope around its legs.

              Their whoops of happiness were the only sign that what they’d done was what they were supposed to do.

              I clapped and cheered, causing them to turn their heads and wave. As they did, the cow struggled out of the ropes and stood up, free of its bounds. I could see the guys shoulders droop from where I stood.

              "If you thought that was impressive, then you should see what I can do with you and some rope," Jayden's voice spoke from directly behind me.

              I turned my head to look at him, only to find his eyes roaming over my backside. Granted, it was kind of stuck out with the way I was standing and leaning over the fence, but that didn't mean he could practically eat me with his heated eyes.

              "I think I'll pass on that experience," I said, rolling my eyes and changing position so I was standing in front of the fence, facing Dylan and Landon. At least now my butt wasn't in the air. I heard only silence in return, so I continued to watch them practice roping.

              A rope fell around my shoulders and at first I thought it was Dylan and Landon playing around, but they were on the other side of the corral, too far away for their ropes to reach.