Chapter 11
Malachi
My time on horseback always brought me peace.
I could escape, run, ride away and never come back, and it was that feeling of freedom I’d clung to as a teen.
To share this with Gracie was something I never thought I’d get to experience.
Our friendship had been mostly secret, so we didn’t get to do things like this together.
Her face brightened while riding again, and a bubbling lightness erupted inside me, as if I’d swallowed sunshine.
She chased away the darkness that lived inside me, always had.
And now she was here, and I wanted to cling to her and have her with me all the time.
Keep her safe and live with her at my side, in this life and the next.
We’d already lost so much time; I didn’t want to waste another minute.
As I showed her around my new home, my new life, it was like welcoming her into my present. She was my past and my future, and I wanted all of her. The trials, the joys, all her fears and dreams—everything.
Once I finished the tour of the main parts of the ranch, we headed for one of the easier trails.
“You ready to ride?” I asked as I pulled Ankh to a stop.
“We’re going to head along this marked trail.
It’s an easy one that goes up the hill and down to the river.
If it weren’t so cold, I’d love to take you to the falls, but that will have to wait for when the weather warms up and the season changes. ”
Her cheeks were already rosy from the cold as she beamed at me. “This is all so beautiful, Kai. I can’t believe you get to live here. It’s so peaceful and calming. I have missed being able to ride.”
“Well, you can come out here whenever you want, and we’ll ride together.” Ev wouldn’t mind. If I did all my chores and parts of the varying businesses I was a part of, my free time was my own. And I could think of nothing better than spending it with my woman.
“Well, what are we waiting for?” she asked as she took off up the hill, following the trail markers.
Giving Ankh a swift kick, I increased to a canter after her, relishing in her laughter as the breeze whipped her hair around her neck.
She was so beautiful, so carefree as she glanced over her shoulder at me.
She didn’t know this trail like I did, and as we crested the hill, the trail broke into an open field where you could really get a horse moving.
I shifted into a gallop as I overtook Gracie, and savored the feeling of freedom and her musical laugh as we raced across the paddock together.
This was one of my favorite trails as it had everything. Open areas to gallop and let loose, thinner trail heads to maneuver and trust your horse, and the views from the field down to the riverside that always took my breath away.
As I pulled at Anchor’s reins, he slowed down to a trot as the trail changed, and Gracie did, too.
“That was amazing!” Her smile took over her entire face, and her eyes shone with happiness.
“Just you wait. The views on the descent are something else,” I motioned for her to fall behind me.
We made our way through the thick pines that flanked the fields, and as we came through the other side, Gracie’s gasp had my smile growing.
I never tired of people’s reactions to the beauty that surrounded this ranch.
“Oh, my goodness, Kai. This is…” her voice trailed off as she took in the picturesque landscape.
Snow also dotted the trees lining our path and spread over the valley.
The river itself shimmered in the sun as we made our way down the hill.
The snow-covered mountains in the distance, the pine forest and the turquoise color of the river made it look like an iconic postcard.
Out here, it was raw, mostly untainted by man and industry.
Various animal tracks littered the snow on the well-worn trail.
As we reached the river’s edge, I paused, nearly overwhelmed at getting to share this place, this moment, with the only girl who had ever truly gotten me.
“What do you think?” I asked as we let the horses rest and grab a drink.
“It’s magical,” she said, in wonder as she took in her surroundings. “It makes me feel small, but not in a bad way, in a way that has adventure surging through me at how big this world is and all we could explore.”
“Exactly.” She’d taken my thoughts right out of my head.
From my saddlebag, I took a canteen of water and passed it to her. “Drink up. We should probably head back. Are you working tonight?”
“Thanks.” She nodded and took a gulp. “No, I’m off until Tuesday night. Why?”
The teasing edge in her voice had my cock hardening behind my zipper. The things this woman did to me. Willing myself to behave, I grabbed the canteen and had a drink before putting it away and turning Anchor so we could head back the way we’d come.
We took our time on the return trip. Gracie kept looking around, taking in her surroundings, while I just took her in.
It amazed me that after all we’d been through, we’d met again somewhere new, somewhere where no one knew our history, our past, the things we kept hidden.
I was so thankful she’d come back into my life.
We trotted back into the barn, and I dismounted and hurried to help Gracie. Her lithe form sliding down my body as she dismounted gave me all sorts of ideas. I had to breathe through my growing desire. We had time—all the time in the world.
We made quick work of rubbing down the horses and putting the tack away before I grabbed her hand and led her back to my bunkhouse.
We all called them bunkhouses, but they were more like mini luxury log cabins.
The ones me and the guys each lived in weren’t as fancy as the guest cabins, but they still weren’t anything to scoff at.
Everett had helped build Riverrun Ranch into a year-round tourist destination.
The ranch was often booked out a year in advance, and with the equine therapy side hustle, the ranch was thriving.
After unlocking the front door, I led Gracie inside and took her coat, scarf and gloves, hanging them on the rack by the door, with my Stetson, as she kicked off her boots.
“Make yourself at home. I need to change and give my leg a break. I’ll be right back,” I said as I headed to the large bedroom off my open-plan living room.
As I hurried to strip off my clothes, I pulled on comfy sweats and a hoodie before removing my leg.
When that was done, I hopped into the wheelchair I kept by the bed, next to a set of crutches, just in case.
Ev had insisted I have all the options available to me during my recovery.
He implored each of us to ask if or when we needed something that could assist us in our daily tasks.
He’d gone above and beyond for each of us.
Accessibility had always been important to Ev, and other than the unpaved driveway leading up to the ranch, the rest of the facility was fully wheelchair accessible.
They also placed mobility aids in every place they might be needed.
I was shocked that he had outfitted and changed so much of his family ranch for us, but he quickly put me in my place and explained that he had started it after his father’s accident and that it would be an important part of the ranch going forward.
Everett had seen his father struggle after he’d broken his back in a riding incident gone wrong, and how much it hurt him not to be able to help or enjoy his family legacy, like he once had.
Ev and his whole special forces team had banded together to make the ranch what it is today.
After his father’s accident, Ev left the military to help his dad and Gramps on the ranch.
As I entered the living room, I took a moment to watch Gracie as she made her way around my cottage.
Her fingers glided along the back of the sofa, then the bench, as she surveyed the room.
It had come furnished, but I was sure any of these homey touches had been Maisie’s doing before we’d each moved into our own dwellings.
When we first arrived, we’d all crashed at the main ranch house.
None of us had been okay, and being alone had been dangerous.
Many of us had nightmares and would relive what had happened to us.
It was hard. Without Ev and Gramps, I don’t think any of us would have survived.
“It’s so cozy but surprisingly modern.” Gracie’s soft voice startled me out of my trip down memory lane. “Have you been here the whole time?”
“Been here about four months; before that I lived in the main lodge,” I answered as I made my way into the little kitchenette.
The kitchen was small, but I wasn’t a very good cook, so it didn’t bother me.
I grabbed most of my meals at the lodge anyway.
The doorways here were wider and the bench a little lower than standard.
These were changes Ev had made just for me.
As I wasn’t a full-time wheelchair user and had greater flexibility with my prosthetic and crutches, I had one of the two larger, fully accessible, two-bedroom cabins.
The mirror of my cabin being the one with the red door was where Walker and Hunter lived.
Walker needed more adjustments than I did, and having Hunter with him worked for both of them, as far as I could tell.
I’d regained my independence when I’d moved in here and didn’t need a roommate.
I liked my solitude. Except for the stunning redhead in front of me.
“Want some coffee?” I asked, turning on my Keurig.
“Sure,” she said as she came to stand beside me. “Can I help?”
She hesitated, and I could tell she was trying not to overstep but wanted me to know that if I needed her, she was there.