West of Forever (Heartstone Ranch #1)

Chapter 1

Tristan

Sadie

I’m tracking your location and see you’re almost home.

Ilaugh once at the fact that she watches where I am all the freaking time. Kids.

My thumbs tap on the wheel of the truck as I focus on the road.

It’s late, it’s raining, and I’m exhausted after driving six hours back from Wyoming, where I dropped off the eight horses we sold.

Of course, five minutes after passing the border into Colorado, the rain started coming down.

It hasn’t stopped—if anything, it’s only come down harder.

Summer storms are really ruining plans as of late.

I turn off the familiar exit, winding to the left before coming to the one traffic light that sits at the edge of the boundary into my hometown of Infinity Ridge, and I finally feel some relief.

Home.

Almost.

Usually the views of the majestic Rocky Mountains that I can see with my eyes closed are like a welcome sign, but right now all I see is rain.

Lots of freaking rain.

I voice a text back to Sadie when I see it’s past ten already. I drove up to Wyoming yesterday, thinking it would be a quick drop-off, that I’d spend the night and be back on the road.

I am. You should be in bed. You have physical therapy tomorrow.

I can picture her rolling her eyes like all twelve-year-olds do when they think they’re twenty and can do what they want.

Lord knows my three sisters were always doing that whenever Mom or Dad tried to tell them what to do.

Sadie

I was waiting for you.

I’ll be home in twenty and then it’s lights out.

Sadie

Whatever you say, Daddy.

That’s a lie. I grab my coffee and toss the rest of it back, then see lights on the side of the road.

Only the vehicle is not all the way off to the side…

It’s still partially in the road.

I’m at a tight curve, and swerving into oncoming traffic could end in disaster.

Shit.

I hit the brakes, hoping the horse trailer doesn’t swing out and cause me to slide, but thankfully I have enough time that I come to a stop about five feet before I hit the truck.

The flashers are going, but with the rain I can’t see anything. Hopefully the driver is safe. I grab my jacket and get out of my truck, pulling my hat onto my head to give me a little relief from the downpour as I go to check on the stranded motorist.

I bang on the window, and the woman inside lowers it, already talking. “I’m so sorry. I know I’m in a bad spot, but I’m stuck in the mud and my tire…”

A light inside her truck turns on, and all I see is sable hair and the greenest eyes to ever exist. For a moment my heart, that organ that hasn’t worked right in years, starts to beat again.

Then, as lightning stretches across the sky and recognition dawns, I realize who it is and let my heart go back to being dormant.

If I didn’t have bad luck, I’d have no luck.

Of course, the woman half pulled over with a flat tire is Lark Gatlin.

Lark, the most stunning, kind, and off-limits woman I know. There’s no way in hell I will ever be involved with anyone from her family. No thanks. I don’t need that kind of drama in my life. I have plenty between my daughter and my own family.

I tamp down the desire that always flows when I see her, and I glower, getting soaked. “Is flat,” I finish for her. Her wipers keep going, flicking water at me.

“It is. Thanks for stopping, Tristan, but I’ll be fine.”

Lark is the only Gatlin I am actually even willing to pause to help. If it were either of her dickhead brothers, I’d already be in my dry, warm truck. Their family has been the bane of my existence since the day I was born.

They’re selfish, arrogant, full of shit, and love nothing more than trying to make my family’s life a living hell.

Things go missing, we had instances of vandalism, and the cops show up at my farm every fucking week with some bullshit accusation that we’re targeting the Gatlins, when I’m pretty sure they’re the ones doing it themselves just to make us look like the bad guys.

Even with the generational hate between us, the idea of leaving her here doesn’t sit well with me.

“Is someone coming to help?” I ask.

“I’m sure they are as soon as they can.”

That’s a no. “I’m not going to leave you on the side of the road. Do you have any flares?”

She sighs. “No, I don’t.”

I imagine what my mother would say if she were still alive. She’d tell me to always do the right thing, especially for a lady, no matter what.

Sometimes it really sucks having parents who raised you to be a gentleman.

“Stay here. I’ll move my truck so we don’t all die, and then I’ll change your tire.”

“No! No, you don’t need to do that,” she argues, but I’m already walking away.

There’s no way I’m leaving her stranded on the side of the road.

Once I’m inside, I send a text to Sadie.

I’m going to be a little later. Someone is stuck and I need to help them. Go on to bed and I’ll wake you when I get home.

Sadie

Okay, Daddy. Be careful.

Always am, Cupcake.

I back up the trailer and truck a little, giving us some buffer so if anyone hits us, they’ll hit the empty horse trailer first. After that, I get out and head back to Lark.

Out of her truck, she’s trying to pull a sweatshirt over her head, but her tank top is getting soaked. “Seriously, you don’t need to help me.”

“Need to or not, I’m going to. Get in the truck so you don’t get drenched.”

“Too late. I’ll call my brothers or something.”

“You didn’t call them already?” I ask.

Lark huffs and wipes her wet hair off her face, then gives up on the sweatshirt and tosses it into the truck, since it wasn’t doing a damn thing to help anyway. “I was going to, but then you came, and I thought you were Jeremy, but he told me he didn’t want to drive in the storm…”

“Your boyfriend? You called him, and he didn’t want to come out because it’s raining?”

Her glare is sharp enough to slice, but I don’t give two shits. If my woman called and needed me, I would be here. No excuses. Not a fucking thing would stop me.

Lark’s voice turns defensive. “He did, but I…whatever. I don’t need to explain anything to you. My point is, I’ll call my brother, it’ll be fine. You can go home.”

I should get back in the truck, but honestly, I’m getting a little joy knowing that my helping her will just piss her asshole brothers off more. I’m already soaked to the bone—might as well stay now.

“Where’s your spare?”

Her jaw grows tight. “I don’t have one.”

I laugh, because I can’t stop it. Well, I was hoping to just change her tire and go home, kiss my daughter, and sleep for at least a few hours. Seems there’s another plan at play.

“All right then, get in my truck.”

Those jade eyes flash with annoyance. “I’d rather not.”

“I’d rather have been home right now, tucking Sadie into bed and climbing in my own since I’m dead on my feet after driving for six hours, but I’m not leaving you on the side of the road in the pouring rain, darling.

So you can get in my truck, or we’ll sit here together and wait for one of your brothers to come get you. ”

She lets out a groan as her head falls back, rain hitting her beautiful face. “Ugh! I swear!” Lark looks back to me. “Fine.”

“Fine, what?”

“Fine, you can drive me home. Last thing I need is to hear Deacon’s mouth about Jeremy, and at least this might show my family you do have a heart.”

I have a heart. It just doesn’t bleed for any Gatlins.

“Glad you’re finally seeing sense.”

She moves to my truck and climbs into the cab. I walk over to the horse trailer and start to unhitch it.

Lark’s voice breaks through the storm. “What are you doing?”

I look up, water pouring off the brim of my hat. “Knitting a sweater,” I yell back.

“Cute. I’m a size small.”

I roll my eyes and go back to pulling the hitch.

“Tristan? Seriously, what are you doing?”

This woman is trying my patience. “I’m removing the horse trailer so I can hook up the winch to actually pull you off the road, so your truck doesn’t get slammed into and…someone doesn’t die.”

“Good call,” she replies and then closes the door.

Good call. Unreal.

“Glad you approve.”

I get the trailer off and head back to the truck. I might as well have not even worn rain gear, because I’m sopping wet.

I pull forward and adjust my vehicle to face the front of her truck. My winch is mounted to the front end, and I need to pull hers forward.

Without a word, I get out, and she does the same. “What are you doing?” I echo her question from before.

“Helping.”

“Just get dry—I’ve got this.” I do my absolute best not to look at her soaking-wet body. The way that tight shirt clings to every curve and valley.

I do my best, but I fail.

Lark grumbles about men and stupidity before going to the winch. “Go ahead and let out the lead. I’ll hook it up to my bumper.”

I could argue, but I’m pretty sure it would be the equivalent of me trying to catch the rain and put it back in the sky, so I go in, grabbing the remote to the winch, and we work together.

Lark does a great job securing the clip, so we won’t rip off her truck’s grille when I pull it.

Then she gets in her truck, hopefully putting it in neutral, and flashes her lights.

Taking that as a sign she’s ready, I pull so the winch is tight and start to move her as slowly as I can. Inch by inch, we get the truck to come forward enough so that it’s now safely off the road. Lark hops out of her truck, disconnects the clip as I pull the winch back in, and climbs into my cab.

“Thank you,” she says softly.

“You’re welcome. I’ll go hook my horse trailer back up, and then we can go.”

She nods, and I back up to try to reconnect. I could just leave it here, but I don’t want to deal with it getting stuck, which is most likely what will happen with the ridiculous rainfall we’ve had lately.

It takes me no time to dash outside to get it hitched, and I climb back in.

“You’re soaked,” I say, hating that I give away the fact I notice.

“We both are.”

I reach behind her seat, grabbing my bag and pulling out a dry shirt. “Here, throw this on.”