Chapter 40
Chapter forty
Dakota
Ari sits in the front seat next to me, an ice cream cone perched in her hand.
It was Sunday, and that meant we were indulging in some girl time.
After we checked in on the colts this morning, Cooper sent us away to enjoy a movie and ice cream while he helped Ryder get a plan for moving the herd.
Apparently, they were starting the move tomorrow and it would take a few days to get all the cattle accounted for and sorted.
“I can’t believe you don’t like cookie dough,” I gasp as we pull out onto the highway that leads to the ranch.
“And I can’t believe you don’t like pineapple.”
“That’s a fruit. Not a dessert.” My finger twists the knob to turn up the radio.
I learned that Ari seems to favor Ty Myers. I was even secretly trying to find tickets to his next concert to surprise her with on her birthday. Which happened to be in two short weeks.
“It’s just a little sus,” she mutters before biting into her waffle cone.
I laugh, glancing in my rear view mirror at the truck coming up behind us.
He seems to be in a hurry, and I’m expecting him to pass me even though I’m driving a steady seventy-five.
When he approaches my bumper, following a little too close for comfort, I slowly move to the shoulder to let him pass.
He doesn’t.
Squinting in the side mirror, I try to see the make and model.
Looks like a black dodge. Older model. License plate looks custom.
brR. I tear my eyes from the mirror with a frown.
Drifting back in my lane, my pulse picks up as Ari sings quietly next to me.
I let my boot press harder on the gas, hoping to pull away from the asshole who clearly didn’t know how to drive.
Unfortunately, we get a lot of those in these parts.
But he eats up the space, his front end so close that I can’t even see the grill anymore.
Something is off.
As soon as the thought occurs, a jolt rams us forward, the force so sudden Ari’s ice cream flies into the windshield.
“Shit,” I curse, gripping the steering wheel.
“What was that?” Her grip tightens on the seat, her head swiveling to look behind us.
Another force comes, the crunching of metal roaring as he rams into my tailgate.
“Hold on, Ari!” I shout, trying to maneuver us from the shoulder.
Before I can right the wheel, the dodge speeds up, using his front fender to jar into my driver side door. The impact sends us barreling straight for the ditch.
“Dakota!" Ari shrieks, panic evident in her voice as my foot darts to the break.
I’m not quick enough to slow us down. My tires hit the loose gravel, spinning us in a half circle, before the guard rail connects with the back passenger side of my truck.
The hit causes my head to bounce off of the window, pain searing through my temple as my vision blurs. On instinct, my hand reaches for Ari, my eyes blinking as she sits frozen.
I can vaguely hear the dodge rev its engine in the distance when I finally gain my composure.
“Are you ok?” I croak, my hands checking over her body.
“I’m ok.” Her voice shakes, before she faces me.
Her eyes widen, her hands trembling. “You’re bleeding!”
“What?” I reach up to my temple, then bring my hand down to see my fingertips coated in blood. “I’m fine,” I assure her.
I glance around the cab, trying to find my phone. I spot it in the floorboard beneath Ari’s feet.
“Grab my phone.”
She scrambles for the device, handing it over as I try to still my shaking hands. With my pulse still thumping and my heart pounding, I dial three numbers.
911.