Chapter 6
six
. . .
FINN
I gathered my horse’s reins and swung us back in the direction of the barn. West and Aria were at my sides on their own horses.
A few months ago, the ranch was asked to take in a badly abused Appaloosa mare.
She was skittish as hell around everyone and everything: me; Aria and Mama, who were the gentlest souls on the planet; the highland cows and goats we sometimes penned her with to get her to socialize; the ranch hands and all of my brothers; the other horses.
But with a lot of patience and one-on-one work, she’d come around.
Today, we’d taken her running with the three of us, seeing how she’d react to the wilderness and being surrounded by other horses—especially West’s, who, like his rider, was full of piss and vinegar and preferred to lead the pack.
Rogue was bossy as hell, and other horses either fell in line or pushed back.
Thankfully, the Appaloosa, whose name was Zigzag, handled the new environment beautifully. My brother, sister, and I took turns trotting along holding her reins, keeping her close lest she decided she had enough human interaction for one lifetime and took off into the wilds.
Sometimes, when a horse like her came into my care, I wanted to let them go, allow them to heal themselves and find peace in their freedom.
But she wasn’t mine to decide for, and her owner—the woman who’d saved her from her previous life of neglect—was paying Lawless Rescue good money to help her heal.
“A few more rides like this, and she’ll be ready to go,” Aria said, grinning ear to ear beneath the brim of her caramel-colored Lucchese hat, stealing the words right from my mind.
West and Rogue sidled up to Zigzag, and my twin placed a palm on her broad, brown-and-cream-spotted back, brushing it gently over her coat.
Like she would have when she first arrived here, she didn’t startle.
Merely turned her head, eyes fluttering closed, like she was relishing that soft, loving contact.
How anyone could ever hurt a horse—or any animal—I’d never understand.
When Zigzag showed up here and we led her out of the trailer, I damn near collapsed.
She’d been all skin and bones, her long ribs pressing harshly against her sides.
Her mane, forelock, and tail had been so badly matted we’d had to cut it all off and let it regrow.
She’d been filthy, too, like her abusers had left her to fend for herself in the elements for weeks and weeks.
I wanted to kill people who did that to animals.
And believe me—I could do it.
The important thing was, we’d rehabilitated her. The next step was getting her new owner out here for some socialization and, in a few weeks, a ride.
Then she’d be ready to send on her way, another happy customer.
“Thanks for coming out with me today,” I told my siblings as we loped back toward the ranch.
Though the days were lengthening the closer to summer we got, the sun hung lower in the sky, dusting the tops of the trees. Almost time for dinner then, which was a good thing, because my stomach chose that moment to emit a loud, demanding grumble.
Days on the ranch were long, especially when I had a full barn like I did currently.
As the only rescue in the entire state of Idaho, we took in all kinds of animals, most often lamed horses, and dogs and cats that were about to be euthanized.
There weren’t currently any dogs roaming around, but we had eight cats that had been dropped off a few months ago and made their home in the storage shed.
Plus the eight horses that belonged to me, my siblings, and Mama, the ten in the remuda, the two highland cows Aria insisted we get because they were “cute”, the mini horse, and four small fainting goats.
That wasn’t including the dairy cows, either.
Like I said—I had a full barn, and a lot of shit to get done still.
“You’re welcome,” Aria said, pulling me from my thoughts. She flicked her wrist to check her watch and added, “But if we don’t hurry the fuck up, we’re going to be late for dinner, and Mama will kill us.”
“Shit,” West hissed, not bothering to wait for us as he dug his heels into Rogue’s sides and took off at a gallop. Aria and I shared a look and took off after him. I gave Zigzag her head, and she kept up easily.
When we pulled the horses to a stop in front of the barn, the three of us quickly dismounted and handed them off to some of my ranch hands, who would be responsible for untacking, grooming, and cooling them down before bedding them down for the night.
My sister, brother, and I headed for my office and the small bathroom attached, where we washed up and brushed as much dust off our clothing as possible before heading for the house.
Mama stood on the porch, arms crossed over her chest, foot tapping.
“Barely made it.”
“Sorry,” I muttered. “We took Zigzag out and lost track of time.”
“How’s she doing?” Mama asked, softening. She had that same bleeding heart for animals as the rest of us did.
“Amazing,” Aria breathed. “She kept right up with the boys, kept her head when Rogue needled her. I reckon she’s ready for a rider.”
Aria looked to me, waiting for confirmation, and I gave her a nod. “I want to get her owner out here to socialize with her first. You know, grooming, trotting around the pen, feeding. Easy stuff before we try to get her on for a ride.”
Mama nodded. “I think that’s a wonderful idea. Now, if y’all don’t mind, I slaved all day over this meal, so get your butts inside and start bringing stuff to the table.”
We murmured a chorus of “yes ma’am” before clearing the rest of the steps.
Before we could even open the door, a vehicle slid to a stop on the gravel drive. We all turned to watch Lane get out from behind the wheel, but I noticed he didn’t turn the engine off.
And he was driving his department SUV, which was odd considering he wasn’t on shift tonight.
“Where the fuck have y’all been?” he asked, eyes darting between me and West. “I’ve been calling for over an hour.”
“We were out on a ride,” Aria responded before West or I could.
“What’s going on?” West asked.
“The sister of that vic is here to do an ID, so I have to miss dinner.” He glanced apologetically at Mama, who merely nodded. Police business, of course, waited for no one.
“What vic?” Mama asked.
Lane tried to wave her off, but West said, “We found a dead girl out in the woods yesterday. Looks like murder.”
“Murder?” Aria gasped. “What the fuck?”
“Aria,” Mama scolded, though absently. Then she sighed, glancing between us three boys. “I suppose if it’s important…”
I frowned. “What does that have to do with us?”
“Need you both to come give your statements.”
“Now?” My stomach grumbled, reminding me I hadn’t eaten in hours.
Lane nodded, shifting on his feet like he was anxious to get back to town.
“West and I will come by when we get home,” I said to Mama, bending to press a kiss to her cheek, a farewell gesture West repeated on her other side. Lane climbed the stairs and pulled her into a hug, apologizing again for ruining dinner.
“It’s fine,” Mama said to him, shooing us. “Trey and Crew will be here.”
“Actually…” Lane started with a wince. “I need Crew too.”
Mama huffed, threw her hands up, and disappeared inside without another word.
Aria hugged us, then wagged her finger in Lane’s face. “Be gentle with the sister.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You can be a bit…” Aria trailed off, searching for the right word, which West supplied for her.
“Of an asshole.”
Lane growled at him. “I don’t need you three telling me how to do my job.”
Aria shrugged. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she quipped, then disappeared inside.
“You guys wanna ride with me?” Lane asked. West shook his head, answering for us both, and Lane nodded. “See you at the department.”
West and I both lived within walking distance of the ranch.
In the more temperate months, I boarded Raider at my house so I could ride him to and from work, even though he had a stall here with his name on it.
West had driven over since he usually kept Rogue here, so we headed for his truck and took off toward town.
When we reached the department, Lane was already in an interview room with the victim’s sister, but Crew had arrived, the three other members of his fire department team in tow, so the six of us stood around, shooting the shit with a few of big brother’s deputies while we waited for him to come out.
Nothing could’ve prepared me for the moment he did.
I heard him before I saw him, murmuring gently to the woman as he led her down the hall toward the bullpen.
“We’ll find who did this to her,” Lane promised, then paused when he caught sight of us. “Hey, guys. This is—”
Introductions weren’t necessary, as I realized the second I laid eyes on the blonde woman beside my brother.
It had been seven years, but I’d never forget that face.
I knew this woman biblically, had that long, honey hair wrapped around my fist as I pounded into her from behind.
I knew what her pussy tasted like.
The sounds she made when she came.
How fucking good she looked riding me.
Our eyes met, and the whole fucking world faded away.
Something tugged insistently in my chest, like there was a hook behind my sternum, and she was at the other end of the chain.
This woman was a sexy blonde tornado that had blown through town seven years ago and turned my world upside down. There wasn’t anything I could’ve done to prepare. The only course of action had been to let myself be swept away.
And now…she was back.
For seven years, that face had haunted my dreams. Demanded I remember her and our singular night together.
As if I could ever forget.
“Reagan?” I choked out.
“Hey, Finn,” she said—and goddamnit, that single word, the breathy utterance of my name, went straight to my cock. What the fuck? I was thirty-four, not fourteen. “I wondered if I’d see you.”
Get it the fuck together, Lawless.
“Holy shit, it is you.”
“Wait…Reagan?” West asked at full volume, breaking the trance I’d found myself in. “Like one-night-stand, spun-you-out-for-a-minute Reagan?”
I smiled sheepishly when she blinked in surprise, but I wasn’t embarrassed.
Reagan had marked me in a way that lasted a hell of a lot longer than the scratches she’d left down my back.
“Yes, cocksucker,” I said to my twin, punching him in the arm. “That Reagan.”
“What’re you—” Crew started to ask, then stopped himself when realization struck. He glanced wide-eyed between me and Reagan, and it suddenly dawned on me as well.
Oh, fuck.
Lainey Lindsey was Reagan’s sister.
“Fuck, Reagan,” I said softly. “I’m so sorry.”
Reagan nodded, mouth flattening and eyes blinking rapidly as though fighting off tears.
“Thank you. You guys were at the scene?”
“Yeah, we—”
“We can do all this later,” Lane said, cutting me off. “Right now, Miss Lindsey needs to identify her sister.”
West cursed.
All the blood drained from Reagan’s face, skin instantly losing its healthy glow, replaced by an almost sickly paleness, and her entire body tensed with obvious dread.
“Okay, right,” I said, awkwardly cupping the back of my neck and averting my gaze. God, this was fucking uncomfortable. “We can catch up later then? If you want to, of course.”
Reagan didn’t answer, and I braved looking at her.
When our eyes locked again, that same spark I’d experienced all those years ago flared to life once more, back like it never left. And maybe it hadn’t. Maybe the time and distance had only banked it until it dimmed to a glowing coal.
Now, being together again seemed to breathe new life into it, reigniting the flames.
“I…” she started. “I don’t know how long I’ll be around.”
“Sure, of course.”
I tried—and likely failed—to hide my disappointment.
Oblivious to the tension between me and Reagan—or willfully ignorant—Lane called for one of his deputies, and Johns appeared from around the corner.
“Yeah, boss?” he asked, eyeing us all warily.
“Take statements from Burns, Childers, and Tuck, will you?”
Johns nodded, then jerked his chin at Crew, asking, “What about…that one?”
Crew took a menacing step toward the deputy, but West threw out an arm, barring his path.
There was no love lost between Crew and Johns.
Their animosity dated all the way back to high school, when Crew hadn’t exactly been the best guy, and Johns took every opportunity to remind him of that fact.
Things had only gotten worse after Crew punched the deputy in the face at an incident scene last summer.
Ignoring Johns’ comment, he said to us, “Head to my office. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Crew and West ambled off, muttering about something too low for me to hear, but I lingered, eyes on Reagan.
With a final smile at her that was surely more of a grimace, I turned to follow my brothers.
“Finn?”
Reagan’s voice stopped me, and I faced her once again.
“Yeah?”
“Will you come with me?” she asked quietly.
“Anywhere,” I answered without thinking. A moment later, what she was truly asking sank in: she wanted me to go with to identify her sister.
That didn’t change my response, and I extended my arm, reaching for her hand.
With zero hesitation, she accepted and laced our fingers together, leading me away.