44
W e come in hot, all of us congregating in front of the barn. Three horses are tied to the fence.
Charlie’s pale beneath his beard. Pacing. I’m by his side in a flash. Fallon follows me with wide, worried eyes.
“What happened?” I ask.
All eyes land on Charlie.
“She was upset about the baby,” he says, tearing a hand through his dark hair. “Wouldn’t stop talkin’ about tryin’ herself, and I put my foot down. We argued. She was upset. When I got back this afternoon from town, she was gone.” His eyes close. “She ain’t pickin’ up her phone.”
Fallon and Dakota glance at each other.
I can see my brother’s fighting to stay calm. Blaming himself for Ruby taking off.
“Is her horse here?” Davis asks, looking toward the barn. Reese has her phone to her ear, most likely trying Ruby’s number.
Wild-eyed, Charlie nods. “Yeah. Winslow’s still there.”
“Keep it together,” Ford advises. “Fairy Tale just wouldn’t take off,” he says, but even he looks worried.
I arch an eyebrow at Charlie. “You sure you’ve hit everything on your bucket list?”
“Fuck you,” he growls.
Glaring, Fallon digs her elbow into my side. “Not helping.”
“Take some horses, some UTVs, and let’s search the ranch.
She’s gotta be here.” Davis scans our group.
“Ford and Reese, you take the area where the chalets used to be. Me and Charlie will head to the river. Wyatt, take the training grounds. Dakota and Fallon, you stay at the lodge in case she comes back.” His hand goes to his hip. “Keep your radios on. Keep us updated.”
Everyone disperses.
Fallon and I reach for Pepita’s reins at the same time.
“No,” I order. “Stay put.” What the fuck she thinks she’s doing is beyond me.
“Fuck you, Wyatt,” Fallon blasts, hanging her cane on the fence. “She’s my friend. I’m not not looking for her.” Guilt’s etched on Fallon’s beautiful face. She still feels guilty for that dinner. What she said to Ruby.
“Then take a fuckin’ UTV,” I growl.
Ignoring me, she knocks me out of her way with her hip. “I go first, asshole.”
Then I watch in a combination of awe and horror as she swings herself up onto Pepita’s back.
My eye starts to twitch. “What the fuck, Fallon?”
She pales like she’s realizing what she’s just done. “Shit.”
“Yeah. Fucking shit .” My mind races a million miles a minute. I’m proud, but I’m also pissed as fuck. I yank on the reins. “Goddammit, you promised you wouldn’t ride without me.”
Leave it to Fallon and her fucking rebellious streak to start riding the second I leave her alone.
Her lips thin. She knows she’s in trouble. “You gonna argue with me, or we gonna look for Ruby?”
She’s right. Right now, Ruby’s first.
“I’ll deal with you later,” I say grimly.
Nostrils flaring, she snaps the reins.
“Be careful,” I tell her. Worry sweeps over me in a cold, icy wave. “You hurt yourself, I’ll kill you.”
She gives me an abashed look and then snaps the reins and trots toward the ridge.
I gun the UTV across the ranch, headed for the training grounds and facility. My heart thuds against my chest like a damn kick drum.
Fallon. She’s gonna be the death of me. Trouble. Fucking trouble. And yet, I still love that girl. We’re just going to have to have a goddamn talk about her sneaking around.
The late afternoon sun pulses with a dull warmth. Summer’s almost over.
I slow the gas as I pass by the training facility. The front door is cracked open. I cut the engine and head straight for the door, shoving inside.
It’s quiet, the only sound the clomp of my boots on the hardwood floors. I walk past the desks, the screen and the computer, when I push open the door to the adjoining tack room, I sigh.
Ruby.
She’s sitting on the hay-strewn ground, arms wrapped around the knees pulled up into her chest, head down.
“Hey, Ruby. You okay?”
She lifts her face. Sniffles. “I’m okay.”
Shit. She’s crying.
To see Ruby upset feels like a punch to my heart. She and Charlie have had more than their fair share of pain. It’s bullshit. I hate feeling this fucking helpless.
I shove my hands in my pockets, take a step toward her. She looks fragile sitting there like that, her blue eyes glassy and pained. “Everyone’s lookin’ for you.”
“Ugh, great,” Ruby says under her breath, a scowl darkening her pretty face.
I sit beside her, resting my back up against the wall. “You know, you leave, Charlie sounds the alarms. It’s just the way it is.”
She wrinkles her nose. “I just needed…”
“Air?”
“Yeah. Air.”
I chuckle. “Try havin’ five siblings. You ain’t alone a day in your life.”
She sniffs harder, trying not to cry. “This is hard, and I hate it.” It’s the most frustrated I’ve heard her since I’ve known her.
I nudge her shoulder. “You don’t have to be happy all the time. You’re allowed to be pissed.”
Ruby sits up, stretches out her legs. “That’s right. That’s what I am. I’m pissed.” She says it with so much determination that I grin.
Voice barely above a whisper, she says, “I have so many good things in life, and I hate feeling ungrateful about what I can’t have.”
Fallon’s face flashes in my mind. “There ain’t nothin’ wrong about wantin’ something so damn bad it hurts.”
“I feel bad.” She looks down at her hands. Her yellow diamond shines in the sunlight. “I can’t give Charlie what he wants.”
“Charlie wants you.”
Ruby looks at me and takes a ragged breath. “What if, after all this…in a few years, he realizes I’m not what he wants?”
“Don’t be doin’ that.” The past hits with a pang. My throat grows tight. “You know what Charlie’d be doin’ if you never came here? Probably passed out in a ditch like an idiot or cursin’ at the sky or some shit.”
She lets out a laugh and leans her head on my shoulder.
“He didn’t smile, he didn’t do a damn thing until he met you.” I choke back the emotion. “You gave me my best friend back. You gave me my brother. Hell, you damn near made this ranch.” Turning my head, I meet her tear-filled eyes. “I don’t think that man could live a day without you, Fairy Tale.”
It’s how I feel about Fallon. Without her, the entire world is bullshit.
“I can’t live without him, either.” Ruby’s dark lashes flutter. “He’s my Cowboy. I just wish we could—”
The remainder of her sentence is swallowed up in a gasp so loud I jump.
“Wyatt.” Her hand is lifting mine, her gaze lasered on the gold band on my ring finger. Fuck . “Really?” she asks, delighted. “You and Fallon? Officially?”
I scrub a hand through my hair, squeeze the back of my neck. “I love her.” Damn if it doesn’t keep getting easier to admit.
Amusement stains her face. “We all know that. And it’s about time.” Her voice is dreamy. “I feel like I’ve been waiting ten full years to see you two smooch.” Then she sits up straighter and hits me with a glare so fierce I blink. “Do not fumble this.”
“Why does everyone keep threatening me with death?” I grumble.
“Because,” she chirps, brushing hay off her skirt, “everyone’s happy when you’re happy, so stay fucking happy.”
I stare at her for a long second then bust out in a laugh so big it echoes through the room.
Happy. It’s what my brothers want for me. They’ve been trying to tell me that my entire damn life. Pushed me, beat my ass, grumbled, bossed. Because they cared. Hell, I think it’s time I finally listen.
I give her a grin. “You ready to go back home?”
She exhales, smiles. “Yeah.”
We’re exiting the training center when a big shadow rounds the corner.
“Found her,” I call out.
Relief breaks across my brother’s face like a sunrise. “Sunflower,” Charlie croaks, and Ruby rushes into his arms. “Don’t do that to me.”
She winds her slender arms around his neck. “I’m so sorry, Cowboy.”
My heart pounds as I watch them talk for a minute in low hushed tones. Then, feeling like I’m intruding, I climb into the UTV.
“Wyatt.”
I glance over.
My brother looks at me over the top of Ruby’s blonde head. “Thanks.”
“You got it.”
Charlie’s blue eyes crinkle, bearded lips tugging into a shit-eating grin. “Got something on your hand.”
I let out a short laugh. “Fuck off.”
As I head back to the ranch proper, I call it in over the two-way radio that Ruby’s been located. When I get to the barn, Fallon’s already there cooling down Pepita.
“Ruby okay?”
“She is.” My gaze goes to her leg. “How’d you ride?”
“Fine.” She worries her lower lip between her teeth. “You mad at me?”
“No.” I’m willing to meet her halfway as long as she’s honest with me. I love her too much to be pissed for long. “I’m proud of you.”
The admission makes her eyes go shiny.
I step closer, my hands going to her hips. “I just need you to take things one heart attack at a time.”
A smile glimmers on her lips. “I can do that.”
I grip her chin and look into those fierce hazel eyes. “No more secrets, Trouble.”
She swallows. “Yeah. Okay.”
Then, threading our fingers together, I bring her hand up to my mouth, kissing the tattoos on her knuckles, the bright golden band on Fallon’s ring finger.