to be utterly and completely infatuated with her.
“He never lets anyone ride him but me.”
“Oh, we had plenty of time to get to know each other. He’s really just a big push over.” She turns her attention to Knight. “Aren’t you, boy?”
Knight, totally out of character, gives a little whinny.
A whinny.
He’s flirting with her, fucking bastard.
“Where did you guys go?”
Evelyn looks at the ground and traces a half circle in the dirt with the toe of her boot. “Through the vineyard.”
“Through the vineyard?” She’s lying. I can tell by the way she refuses to look at me. “That’s it?”
“Well, I wanted to see the burned area.”
“And…” I know my horse. A quick ride around the vineyard doesn’t bring that much of a froth to his coat. “Where else?” A sinking sensation in my gut tells me I know exactly where she went.
“I took him up on the trail.”
“The trail.”
“Yup, the trail.”
“Where you almost died?”
“Where you saved me.” She lifts on tiptoe and props her forearms on my shoulders.
Her fingers twine in the hair at my nape, sending shivers down my spine and bringing a nod from my dick.
I like her hands on me.
The idea of Evelyn out all by herself doesn’t sit well with me. I’m very well aware she’s able to take care of herself, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. To hide the anger stirring within me, I grab Knight’s bridle and lead him inside the barn.
I have no right to be angry, but I’ve been away for nearly two weeks. I’m tired. Exhausted. And pissed. She has no regard for her safety. But I’m not too far gone to make the mistake of voicing those thoughts out loud.
Knight provides the perfect distraction. As does Evelyn. We head into the barn while my brothers dismiss themselves and retreat into the house. This leaves Evelyn and me alone to reconnect, a.k.a. fuck, while they do whatever the fuck they need to do without us.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s to never take Knight for granted. As much as I need to reconnect with Evelyn, I take the time to properly care for my horse. While I do, there’s plenty of time to talk myself down from the anger stirring in my belly.
I have no right to be mad at Evelyn for heading back up to the ridge, but damn if it doesn’t gnaw at me. While she’s comfortable in the wilderness by herself, I’m not okay with it.
Funny how that’s one of the things I love most about her, even when I don’t like it. Too much of a protector, I’m not used to a woman who’s able to take care of herself. I’m not used to a woman with the balls to go hiking alone.
“Why did you go up to the ridge?” I’m curious.
“I wanted to see if I could find my phone.”
“We went to look for it, but didn’t find anything.”
“I know. I guess I just needed to go myself. I was also kind of hoping to find my revolver.”
“Your what?” This is news to me.
“My father gave it to me and I kind of lost it.”
“What do you mean by lost?”
“I had it when I hiked up there and didn’t have it after…well, you know.”
After that asshole knocked her out and left her for dead. Yeah, I know all about that.
“Is it possible he took it?”
“Considering the arson investigator didn’t find it, that’s kind of what I’m assuming. It’s a shame because it’s the only thing I really have left of my father.”
“How can that be?” She told me her story, but still. Did she really get rid of everything?
“Just is. Anyway, California gun laws are strict, and I kind of didn’t want that laying around.”
She’s right about that. It’s harder than shit to get a gun permit in California, and concealed carry for an out of state visitor? Impossible. I’m not sure what kind of laws she broke, but understand her need to recover the weapon.
“Brody, Cage and I spent an entire afternoon up there looking for your phone. If there’d been a revolver we would’ve found it.”
“I appreciate that.” She shoves her hands in the pockets of her jeans. “I guess I needed to see what it looked like up there after the fire. It was a sobering experience.”
It’s a fire she very nearly didn’t survive. I suppose I understand her need to revisit the scene of the crime, as it were.
“Did Grant come by and talk