Broken Trouble (Broken Storm #1) (29 page)

Stop stop stop stop stop stop

Being strong.

Stop stop stop stop stop stop

Drifting along.

You're looking for something you've already found.

I'm right here behind you, just turn around.

There's no need to roam.

I'll be your home."

              Jayden reached down and slipped his hands behind my head, pressing me against him as he started kissing me with a vengeance. I kissed him back, feeling his tongue swiping across mine until I lost all sense.

              I barely registered the song ending and the crowd erupting in cheers. His kisses kept me focused on him and how he was making me feel.

              Just as he had said it would be; this was an incredible date.

              I awoke to Storm nuzzling my hand, feeling like I’d only slept for a few minutes. We had come home so late last night that I was only able to doze for a few short hours before waking up before sunrise. Sleeping in Storm's field seemed like the best option. Storm had been pacing the fence, waiting for me to come back. He had neighed at me when I got home, like he had been worried about me, almost like how normal parents did with their children. When I’d gone into his fencing, he had huffed and turned away from me, ignoring me for what seemed like an hour before coming to stand over me while I slept.

              "Good morning Storm," I murmured as I blinked the sleep from my eyes. I felt his breath on my skin as he sighed and relaxed, his head turning to stare out of the fencing over my shoulder occasionally.

              I stood and stretched, pulling out my phone, something I wasn't used to being able to do, to check the time. 5:04 A.M.

              Why was I awake this early again? I wondered as I yawned, reaching over to pet Storm. He stood still, enjoying my touch while still keeping a watchful eye over my shoulder. What was he looking at? I wondered, turning to peer into the darkness.

              I could hear the sound of footsteps over by the horses, but I couldn't see who it was. It had to be one of the guys, though that didn't stop my heart from pounding in my chest with the thought of it being someone else. Which was crazy, because the ranch was out in the middle of nowhere. I didn't think that anyone would come to visit this early.

              In the city, you always had to watch your back. Someone you couldn't see was hiding away, waiting for the opportunity to strike. I'd never worried about someone dangerous being on the ranch before. It must be my lack of sleep messing with my nerves.

              Still, I stepped between the boards of the fencing and took a few steps closer for a better look. It took me a few minutes, but I finally spotted the outline of Wyatt's hat. I relaxed and turned back to Storm. Stupid, faulty, city instincts.

              The sound of a horse approaching stopped me from going back inside the fencing. Wyatt must be going out on an early morning ride.

              I turned around and looked up to see Wyatt sitting on Brooks, the darkness of the early morning surrounded us. His eyes were hidden, not giving away his emotions. He didn't speak, just reached his hand for mine. When I put my hand in his, he shifted back in the saddle with ease, pulling me up so I was astride Brooks in front of him. I swung my leg over and settled in, my entire backside pressing up against him, reminding me of the time that he had held me on his lap in the truck.

              Brooks seemed to move on his own, turning and smoothly cantering away from the ranch and into the darkness. There were shadows around us, blurred from his speed, making me unable to identify where we were going.

              Only the fact that Wyatt was completely relaxed, with one arm looped around my waist, warming my stomach with the heat of his skin, along with steady rocking motion of Brooks underneath us, kept me from panicking.

              In fact, I found myself relaxing with them, just trusting them to take me where they wanted me to go. I didn't openly trust people this easily, let alone unthinkingly. It didn't feel wrong or like I was failing myself, it just felt right.

              We rode like that for a while, time slipping by as carelessly as the breeze through my hair. I heard the loud clacking of Brooks' hooves on rocks and I could just make out the sheer side of a canyon on one side and the open abyss on the other. Brooks had slowed to a walk, his steps sure and steady, making me wonder how many times he had went up this path.

              The sky had turned into a midnight blue, signally that the sunrise was soon approaching. Brooks walked out into the top of the Canyon, stopping only a few feet from the edge.

              We sat there for a moment, the feel of Wyatt's breath on my hair, before he swung down off of Brooks. Then he reached up to help me down. My legs shook as my boots landed on the rocky surface of the canyon. Wyatt's hand brushed against my side, ready to steady me or catch me if I fell.

              Wyatt waited a moment, making sure I had my footing before taking off Brooks’ saddle and setting it near the very edge of the canyon. He sat down, leaning back against half of the saddle, leaving the other side as an open invitation for me. I sat next to him, my breath catching as I saw over the ledge of the canyon. It was a dead man's drop; no one would survive the fall if they were to go over the edge.

              I glanced up into Wyatt's face and saw his pure blue eyes catching the first few strands of orange light streaking across the sky. His posture was relaxed and certain, so I tried to ignore how close we were to the edge and watched the sun rise.

              The wind blew, stronger than it ever was on the ground, pushing at me until I brushed against him. Wyatt glanced down at me, his gaze was filled with warmth that wasn't just coming from the fire in his eyes created by the sun rise. He lifted an arm and put it over my shoulder, drawing me close to nuzzle at my hair, which was tangled from the ride here. Wyatt took a deep, steady breath, then with a feather touch, brushed his lips across my forehead.

              It was like he was silently telling me that he would never leave me. That I was safe with him and didn’t need to be afraid.

              When he pulled back slightly and smiled, his eyes still containing all the warmth they had before.

              There was no need for words, because without saying a word, he had said everything that I needed to hear. I decided to enjoy this moment, everything else fading away. I smiled back at him and relaxed into his embrace.

              When the sun had fully risen and the color was starting to disappear from the sky, Wyatt got up and grinned down at me, offering me his hand again. I took it, letting him help me stand up, my muscles stiff from sitting for so long.

              "Do you come up here often?" I asked, looking around at the scenery while he put the saddle back on Brooks, who had stood by throughout the entire sunrise and just watched, not wandering off.

              "I used to."

              "Why did you stop?" I asked. If there was a place this beautiful, why would anyway want to be away from it? Heck, just build a house right on the canyon and live up here.

              "I found something better to watch in the morning," Wyatt admitted, adjusting the saddle one last time before stepping back towards me. "I wanted to share this place with you that no one else knows about. It's special to me, just like you."

              I blushed, "I'm glad you shared it with me. It must be nice to have your own place to go when things go wrong."

              Wyatt started to say something, only to pause and pull his phone from his pocket. It had a well-worn leather case, which suited him. He looked down at it for a minute, then back at me. "We have to head back to the ranch. Your parole officer’s here."

              His words caused a wave of shock to roll through me, then a wave of dread hit. I don't know why I was surprised to hear about it. The barn was finished now, which meant my time at the ranch was coming to a close. They hadn't even come back to check on me after dropping me off, which was strange in itself. I should have expected this, instead I felt off balance and unprepared.

              "Okay," I said in a daze, moving towards Brooks.

              Wyatt touched my arm lightly, stopping me. He looked deep in thought for a moment, and when he looked up I knew he was going to give his insightful advice that would either confuse me more or make things better. "Sometimes when a horse is exposed to certain people or places from their past, they'll go back to their old ways of thinking. It doesn't matter how well they were doing, as soon as they're reminded of what happened to them, then it’s like nothing had ever changed," Wyatt paused to tilt my chin up, looking down into my eyes. "No matter what happens, I want you to know that this is your place. You can always come back here, to this place and to us."

              I nodded, not saying a word as I let his words sink in. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me close as he bent to kiss my temple softly. This was the second time within the hour that he had done that and I couldn't help but want more. When we got back, the officer would take me away and I'd never see him again. The thought of kissing him felt completely right and wrong with everything going on. This may be my last chance to kiss him. Wasn't he always telling me to take chances?

              I tilted my head up towards him, our lips so close to touching that I could feel the heat off them. The tip of his hat brushed against my head as I looked into his eyes, hoping there wouldn't be an appalled look staring back at me. Instead, he looked deep in thought, like he was fighting some kind of inner battle.

              His phone buzzed in his pocket, causing me to flinch back. I avoided his eyes, awkwardly taking several steps away from him. It was like fate telling me no.

              "Nova," Wyatt said, walking towards me.

              "Please don't say anything, okay? I feel stupid enough as it is. We should be getting back," I said, attempting to mount Brooks by myself. I struggled for a few seconds before Wyatt's arms were around my waist, pulling me back down.

              "I want what you want," Wyatt said, his voice rough with sincerity as he turned me to face him.

              "To go back to the ranch? Awesome, let's go,” I tried to ignore the meaning behind his words. I felt like a total idiot, my face burning with embarrassment.

              "No," Wyatt said, trailing his fingers across my arms, then over my cheeks, "I know you're still working out your feelings for some of the other guys and I didn't want to complicate things more. I've been planning on kissing you, I just wanted to wait until I thought we were ready."

              "Oh," I said dumbly. He had been smart, not acting on his feelings just yet, unlike me, who had no control over myself. Maybe that's why I couldn't make up my mind, I had no self-control. I needed to be more like him.

              His eyes searched mine. "I'm not always right." He brushed his hand across my cheek to cup the back of my head. He nudged his hat back before leaning down to kiss me. His lips were warm and perfect against mine. I struggled with the pain of knowing that I would be leaving him soon, putting this perfect life behind me and going back to a world where there was only pain. His lips were steady against mine, moving gently, but all consuming. There was no room for any thought but his kiss. I trembled, my legs going weak underneath me. I didn't need to worry about falling, because his strong arms were holding me up.

              Wyatt pulled back. I was unsteady on my feet, leaning against him as I caught my breath. He kissed my bottom lip slowly, this time a mere press of the lips. Then he kissed my forehead with a sigh. I felt completely calm in his arms, even as my heart raced from the kiss. He breathed into my hair, holding me against him for a few more moments before letting me go.

              Neither of us said anything, not wanting or needing to.

              It wasn't until we were back at the ranch about to meet my parole officer that my nerves returned.

              I approached the front porch of the farm horse, watching as Wyatt went to put Brooks up. My stomach tightened into knots. I didn't see Mrs. Hinndle anywhere, just a blonde woman I didn't recognize. Where was she? She may not have been my favorite person to be around, but I’d known her for years and she had always been decent towards me compared to the other social workers.

              It wasn't a good sign for me.

              "Nova Honey, there ya are," Polly greeted, waving me forward with a relieved look.

              "Good, I don't have to call the police and report her as a runaway then," the blonde woman said, turning in her seat to look at me. She was no doubt judging me by whatever she'd read in my file, which I guess I couldn't hold a grudge against her for. It was a thick file. "I'm Mrs. Dollghen. I came here to check up on you and make sure there was no issues with you being here."

              "Where's Mrs. Hinndle?" I asked, hoping that maybe she just wasn't working today. It was Sunday after all.

              "She's on vacation," Mrs. Dollghen stated, pinching her mouth closed tightly while looking back down at a file in her hands. Great, she had it with her.

              "Well, like I said, she's been doing an amazing job here with us. The barn’s finished now," Polly told her.

              "And yet, you made no move to notify us of that fact," Mrs. Dollghen snipped, giving Polly a prune-like face.

              "I didn't feel it was appropriate to call on a Sunday," Polly said. "More lemonade?" Polly offered, holding up a pitcher towards her.

              "No thank you, it's too sweet for me," Mrs. Dollghen said, waving her off. "Have there been any problems with her while she's been here?" she asked, talking about me like I wasn't even here. Just like the good ol' days, I thought sarcastically.

              "No problems at all," Polly assured her, sitting back on the swing.