Page 83 of Downpour

“Thanks for the ride,” I said to CJ as we trotted back into the barn. Each drop of Indy’s hooves made me wince.

Myentirebody ached.

When CJ showed up at Ray’s back deck with Anarchy and Independence tacked up, I couldn’t refuse. But I also couldn’t explain why I was walking like I had already gone on a miles-long ride.

Ray, the asshole, just sat on his back deck and smirked while I settled into the saddle.

At least it was a short ride. CJ took me out to the construction site where the lodge and restaurant were being built, around the paths that looped around the west side, then back to the south side of the ranch where Ray’s house was.

Hopefully, I wouldn’t get lost the next time I went out on my own.

“You did good,” CJ said as he hopped off Anny and led her into a stall where food and water waited. “You’re a natural.”

I dismounted Indy and bit my lip, trying to suppress a groan. With each step I took, I could still feel Ray inside of me.

“Do you think you’ll get Ray to come to family dinner again?” he asked.

An old, mottled cat peeked out from Indy’s stall.

“Oh, hello there,” I said as I bent down to pick it up.

The tomcat yowled as soon as I touched it.

“Aren’t you a fluffy fellow.” I brought the screaming cat to my chest.

CJ whipped around. “Brooke—no?—”

It was too late. The cat swiped at me with a vicious one-two punch. Claws sank into my face, chest, and arms as it tried to scramble away.

“Hey, it’s okay,” I soothed despite the cat’s hissing. “I’m nice, I promise.”

CJ ripped the cat out of my hands and tossed it into a pile of hay. “Yeah, but Dusty isn’t. That thing is an asshole, but she keeps the mice away.”

He assessed the rips in my shirt, the scratches covering my skin, and the blood trickling down my body. “Ray’s gonna fucking kill me. I said I’d bring you back in one piece.”

“It’s fine. It’s just a little scratch,” I said, waving it off. “I’ll get her to like me eventually.”

CJ chuckled and shook his head as he helped me remove Indy’s gear. “You’re an animal person.”

I grinned as I started brushing Indy’s gorgeous coat. “I love them. And plants. And kids. And old people.”

He snickered. “I’d love to see you and Cass locked in a room together.”

I shuddered. “She’s terrifying.”

“Yeah, that’s what most people say.” He paused for a moment. “How’s Ray?”

“You should ask him,” I chirped.

Ray never said it outright, but I knew it bothered him when people talked around him, about him, but not to him. Frankly, it was rude.

CJ raised an eyebrow. “You work with him.”

“No, I work for him. Ray’s my boss.”

CJ paused. “Fair. Point taken.”

I glanced at the old clock hanging on the wall. “I should probably head back to the house. What else do I need to do?”

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