Page 13 of Ferocious Protector

“Yeah, I know. It’s just I’ve never seen you so taken with a woman.”

My jaw tightens. “Spit it out, Beckett.”

Beckett’s eyes meet mine head on. “She’s a really nice girl, but she’s been hurt really bad. Douchebag of an ex who thought cheating was his right. She doesn’t really date, Blake. More guys in this town than she knows would give their next paycheck to take her out and she refuses them all. Every once in a while we hear about a hookup, but anything real, she’s running far away, you hear?”

I clap him on the back. “Look, we’re having a good time. Neither one of us is looking for anything serious. But I’m not leaving her to deal with this shit alone, right?”

12

Patti

My back rests against the barn as I listen to the men talk about me and my love life. What the hell does Beckett know anyway? He’s only heard little pieces from Jules, and only the pieces I’ve told her, not the real stuff, the stuff that completely shattered me to pieces.

My eyes close as I try to suck in a deep breath. It’s fine though, at least Blake and I are on the same page. Having a little fun and nothing else. That, I can live with. No expectations and no shattering heartache down the road.

I slide around the other side of the barn as they walk toward the house, watching them as they go. I slip into the big barn and find Daydream. A beautiful American Quarter Horse, my favorite of all time. “Come here, Daydream. You wanna go for a ride?” I ask, patting her long velvety nose before feeding her some hay.

Daydream noses my hand as I bring her out of the stall. “You and me girl, we’re going to go for a little ride. We need a little bit of freedom; some wind under our sail.”

The long-legged American prances energetically as I get her ready. She’s as prepared for this ride as I am, but my guess is she’s not as keyed up as me. Because every neuron in my body is screaming with the indignity of what’s happened to me before and what Tucker and the Chicago boys are trying to do to me now.

I stroke Daydream as I mount. “Good girl, let’s ride,” I tell her, loosening up the reins as she soars over the terrain and towards the pines and plentiful hard woods in the distance. The minute we hit the open plains I let Daydream take over, pounding the ground beneath us under the big blue sky until we’re both ready to turn back and all the emotions of the day have calmed.

Blake stands by the barn watching me as we return, slowly moving toward him as Daydream continues to cool down. He places a hand to his head to shield his eyes from the sun. “I wondered where you went. Krissy said she saw you slip out with Daydream,” he says as I dismount.

I give him my best smile. He and I are such similar creatures. We should enjoy each other while he’s in town. “I wanted to give her a little run. Let’s grab a couple of the others and I’ll show you around the trails. You don’t get better trails than these,” I tell him as I pat Daydream to make sure she’s completely cooled down before removing her riding gear, putting her in her stall, and offering her some water.

“Did you and the guys come up with a plan?” I ask.

“We did. After dinner tonight I’m going to head out to a place Cole showed us where I have a good view of the main highway. Damian and Dereck will relieve me later and then I’ll take over again in the morning. We’ll run it that way all week so they can go to the wedding.”

“Here I was going to save you a dance.”

Blake draws me to him and kisses my lips, causing the butterflies to dance around like I’ve never been kissed. “I’m going to collect on that dance, just a little later than we planned.”

We walk the fresh horses out and mount, riding slow in a comfortable silence, just taking in the beauty of the land as I take him through some of the best trails South Dakota has to offer.

I point to a place out on the ridge. “One of my favorite spots. You can see the prettiest sunsets.”As soon we reach the top of the gradual slope he nods, taking in the view for miles of treetops and lush land. “I can see why you like it so much.”

His cell phone buzzes. “Excuse me. Blake here.”

He pauses for a moment. “I see. We’re not too far out. That’s not fucking good. We’ll head back right now. Get the gear ready and I’ll head out to the point earlier than planned.”

I gesture to the phone as he slips it into his pocket. “Cole?”

“Beckett. Apparently, the guys intercepted a call between Tucker and some of the Chicago boys. They’ll be riding in on bikes with a crew from Chicago. My guess, they’re going to be looking to cause trouble and rumble.”

“Damn. You can’t just go out there by yourself, Blake. What are you going to do against a whole pack of bikers, I mean, are you planning to shoot them all?”

“You let me do the worrying. Right now, we need to get back to Cole’s. Krissy is having dinner moved up to a late lunch. We’re going to grab a bite to eat while we get ready. And I’d like for you to stay with Cole and the rest of the crew tonight. I don’t want you by yourself.”

I nod. “After what happened, I don’t want to stay by myself. I’ll ask Krissy if I can stay.”

“Already talked to Cole.”

My eyes narrow. “Yeah, that take charge button doesn’t have a pause, does it?”

He grins but those devilish baby blues light up with amusement. “No, it does not. I’m one of those dying breeds. I like to take care of the woman in my life.”