Chapter 19
I can’t deny Aiden’s warning has been floating through my mind nonstop. I want to say I’d never hurt anyone, let alone Madison, but the truth is that while it’d never be intentional, it could still happen. Especially after what happened last week at my apartment in New York.
Part of me knows I avoided Madison just as much as she avoided me this week. It’s the voice I don’t like listening to, but it’s also the most honest side.
If I were smarter—stronger—I’d leave town. Maybe not forever, but at least until the situation with my stalker’s resolved. The problem is I’m not strong enough. Not to walk away from the music flowing through my veins and not to walk away from my growing feelings for Madison.
How can I walk away from something that takes me back to a time where life felt exciting and new? Like a kid just finishing high school, having their whole life before them, and finally getting to go off and start experiencing everything it has to offer.
It’s like I died in that accident, only instead of my soul leaving my body and going to heaven or hell, I got trapped in limbo, moving through life on autopilot. But somehow I’ve been zapped back to life and have full control over everything I do again.
I don’t want to give that up, and even more, I don’t want to give up the place—or person—that had the magic touch.
Watching Madison let loose and enjoy the afternoon has been just as rejuvenating for me as it’s clearly been for her. The joy seeping from every inch of her being is infectious.
I don’t want the ride to end, but we’ve been out here for a few hours and I know she has to be cold, especially as the sun begins its descent.
“Introduce me to another one of your favorite movies?” I ask as Oakley moves closer to Meadow, giving me a chance to see Madison’s face and the smile stretched across her lips.
“What?” Madison pulls Meadow to a stop and looks at me, a twinkle in her eyes I hope she never loses.
“I’ve clearly been missing out by not watching the classics, and you have a plethora of knowledge to share with me.”
I can’t help myself from reaching over to smooth a piece of hair behind her ear. The need to be close to her, to touch her, is stronger than anything I’ve experienced in a long time.
Maybe I should keep the next words to myself, but I’m tired of holding things close to the chest. “Plus, I’m not ready for the day to be over.”
The way she melts into my touch tells me I made the right choice.
Her eyes bounce between mine before a mischievous glint takes over and I’m not ready for what happens next.
“You’ll have to catch me first.”
I don’t register the words until she’s already taken off at a canter, her laugh floating to me on the wind.
There’s a moment I appreciate she doesn't take off at a gallop—knowing I can’t keep up with her—but the thought is gone as soon as it arrives, and all I can focus on is how happy and carefree she looks.
Until she’s not.
One minute Madison is laughing and glancing over her shoulder at me, and the next she’s on the ground as Meadow rears up and takes off toward the barn in the distance.
It’s like the world completely stops moving and speeds up at the same time. I have no idea how I make it to her, but without a single thought to Oakley, I’m off the horse and by Madison’s side.
Panic consumes me.
Her eyes are closed and she isn’t moving. If I hadn’t witnessed her fall, I’d easily be able to convince myself she fell asleep enjoying the sunset. But that’s not the case.
What the fuck am I supposed to do?
I reach for her but freeze with the realization I can’t move her. I have no idea what she hit when she fell and moving her could do her more harm than good.
“Madison,” I choke out, but there’s no response.
My eyes move to her chest, and I release a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding at the sight of the gentle movement.
Everything comes back into focus, the sound of Oakley gently huffing behind me, the chill of the evening air around us, the crunch of the dry grass beneath my knees.
I grab my phone from the jacket pocket and quickly find the number I’m looking for before lifting it to my ear, my eyes never leaving Madison’s rising chest.
Why I place this call instead of dialing 911, I’ll never understand. But if I’ve learned anything, I know the man is cool under pressure and he’ll do anything for his family.
“Stone.” Aiden’s cool voice sounds through the phone.
In any other moment, I might laugh at the greeting, but right now the calm demeanor is exactly what I’m looking for.
“Madison and I went for a ride with Meadow and Oakley and something happened. I don’t know what, but one moment everything was fine and the next Madison was flying through the air.” The words are fast, but clear. I’m not sure how I manage to keep my composure, but I’m grateful all the same.
“Where are you?” The sound of rushed footsteps in the background tells me he’s on the move, but nothing about his demeanor changes. He’s still just as calm and collected as I knew he’d be, and I let that reassurance wash over me.
I glance up, trying to figure out exactly where we are, but I don’t know enough about this land to tell him anything useful.
“I—I don’t know exactly.”
“Did you take the horses somewhere or are you on the property?”
“On the property. I see the barn in the distance, maybe a few hundred yards away?” I know Aiden can’t see me, but that doesn’t stop the words from coming out as a question.
He grew up on this land the same way Madison did. He has to know where I am. There’s no other option.
Muffled voices come through the phone before his attention comes back to me. His words aren’t demanding, but there’s no room for argument. Aiden is in sheriff mode and nothing is going to pull him from that. Not even the fact that it’s his sister we’re talking about.
“Drop me a pin. An ambulance is already on the way.”
“Okay.”
“Is she conscious?” He wavers on the last word and I’m shocked I even notice it with how garbled my mind is.
“No.”
“Fuck.” There’s a breath before he continues, his words taking on a harder tone. “Don’t move her, Beckett. No matter what.”
“I know,” I whisper.
There was never a question of moving her.
My eyes slide from her chest and trace her face. She looks so peaceful, as if she’s simply relaxing and I want to brush my fingers across her smooth cheek or run them through her hair, but even that simple touch makes me nervous.
The sound of sirens pulls me from my musings and it takes a moment to realize it’s coming through the phone, not from the road.
How long will it take for Aiden and the ambulance to get here? Depending on the traffic and the lights, it can take more than twenty minutes to make it to The Lantern Inn from the center of town, and I have no idea where the fire station is.
I have to remind myself that she’s breathing. That her chest is moving in a normal rhythm. That it doesn’t sound strained or raspy.
She’s going to be fine.
She has to be.
“I’m two minutes out and the ambulance isn’t far behind me.”
Even with the phone held to my ear, I still forget I’m on the phone with Aiden, but hearing him is a small sense of relief.
“Help will be here soon,” I whisper to Madison.
I have no idea if she can hear me, but there’s a comfort in talking to her as if she can.
“I’m hanging up, Beckett. I’ll be there soon.”
Not waiting for my response, the line goes dead. I can’t say I blame him. His sister entirely consumes my attention.
For some reason, I’m thrown back to the night of the car accident.
If I take a minute to think logically, I know this isn’t my fault—the same way the accident wasn’t my fault—but in the heat of the moment, all I can think about is that the ride was my idea.
If I hadn’t suggested it, Madison wouldn’t be unconscious on the cold, hard ground.
The sound of sirens reaches me, faint at first, then growing louder until they cut through the quiet night air. Relief like I’ve never felt before crashes into me so hard my shoulders sag.
“You’re going to be okay,” I murmur. The words are entirely for me and while I can’t guarantee they’re true, I have to hold on to the belief that they are. I don’t know what I’ll do if they aren’t.
Red and blue lights flash between the trees before Aiden’s SUV tears across the pasture. It seems like he’s out before the vehicle fully stops, his sheriff’s jacket unzipped and radio clipped to his hip.
“I’m here.”
It’s an obvious statement, but I appreciate the words all the same. They’re like a trigger, pulling me from my spiraling thoughts.
His gaze sweeps over Madison in one practiced motion, checking what he can without touching her. It amazes me how detached he is from the situation, but then I see his jaw flex, and I know he’s feeling more than he’s letting on.
“It’s gonna be okay, Stone. You did the right thing.”
The praise doesn’t feel deserved, not when this could’ve been avoided. “I shouldn’t have—”
“Don’t,” Aiden demands, his eyes lifting at the sound of the ambulance bouncing across the pasture in the same path of his tire tracks.
The paramedics exit from the cab isn’t as hectic as Aiden’s, but their movements are quick—practiced. Within seconds, they’re by Madison’s side, a backboard and stretcher with them.
“What’ve we got?” the blonde paramedic asks, already kneeling on the ground.
“Female, late twenties,” Aiden answers before I can get anything out. It’s probably better he answered anyway. He knows the information they’re looking for. “Thrown from a horse. Loss of consciousness. Down fifteen minutes. No movement since the fall.”
He glances to me, silently asking if he’s wrong or missed anything, and I shake my head, still unable to form the words.
It takes the male paramedic gently nudging my side to remind me I’m in their way.
I stand and move away, hating the space I’m putting between Madison and me, but I know it’s the right thing—she needs them more than she needs me.